What the Film Reveals About Marlon Humphrey's Rough Day Against Bills

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What the Film Reveals About Marlon Humphrey's Rough Day Against Bills

Wesley Dixon · Athlon Sports

Mon, November 2, 2026 at 10:01 PM UTC ·

4 min read

A Rough Day At The Office

Nov 1, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver DJ Moore (2) attempts a catch over Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey (44) during the fourth quarter at New Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The first time Humphrey was targeted came late in the first quarter on a deep pass by Josh Allen. Receiver Josh Palmer was the intended target, and Humphrey did a solid job matching him and appeared to be in a good position to make a play. However, Allen overthrew Palmer by several yards, and the pass landed harmlessly near the 10-yard line. Palmer also suffered a hamstring injury on the play, making it difficult to evaluate Humphrey's coverage in either a positive or negative light.

The second target resulted in a completion, albeit a short one. Before the snap, Humphrey backed up and gave Keon Coleman a few yards of cushion, which Coleman took advantage of by catching a quick curl route. Any additional yardage was cut short, though, as Humphrey recovered quickly and tackled Coleman alongside Mike Green for a four-yard gain on third-and-eight.

The third target was an incomplete curl route that sailed out of bounds. Humphrey once again gave cushion and recovered well, but DJ Moore seemed to slip a bit breaking back in, and Allen's throw was too wide to be caught, although it is worth mentioning that Allen's timing and power on this throw were both excellent, and Humphrey was about two yards away from Moore at the top of his break, meaning that a completion could have happened if Moore had not slipped and Allen's throw had been more accurate. But it would be unfair to be harsh on a hypothetical, for what occurred, Humphrey once again did a fine job in his coverage before the ball was thrown.

The next target, though, was by far his worst-looking rep on film. Coleman was once again matched up against Humphrey, and Allen overthrew him on a deep pass. However, Humphrey was clearly beaten on the play, as Coleman briefly faked like he was going to break inside before continuing upfield. Humphrey was nowhere close to Coleman, and if Allen had not overthrown him by about five yards, the play likely would have resulted in a touchdown. This was a bad rep due to how quickly Humphrey was beaten and how poor his recovery was.

The next target, funny enough, featured much better coverage but an even better catch. This time, Allen put the ball in position for Moore to make a play, resulting in a 50/50 ball between Humphrey and Moore. Moore gained some separation with a quick outside break while running upfield but had to slow down to catch Allen's pass. Moore won the battle here and wrestled the ball down for a massive gain. It's hard to criticize Humphrey too heavily here; he was in a good position to contest the throw but simply lost the battle for the ball. You could certainly argue that a cornerback of Humphrey's caliber should at least be able to deflect the pass and criticize him for allowing too much separation on the break. However, K'Von Wallace was in deep coverage, meaning a throw leading Moore farther to the right could have allowed Wallace to break up or intercept the pass.

The final target against Humphrey came on the very next play and nearly resulted in an interception. Allen tried to hit Moore once again on a short slant, but the throw was slightly too far ahead of him, particularly with how tightly Humphrey was covering. Humphrey bobbled the interception, missing his chance for redemption after being beaten by Moore on the previous play, but the rep itself was a good one. Fans are still likely to remember the previous play that put Buffalo near the goal line in the first place.

Overall, if there were a grade to give Humphrey, it would likely be a C-. His reps featured some solid coverage, but there was one example of particularly bad coverage and another where he lost a contested-catch battle. Those moments were loud and apparent, two things you do not want associated with your performance as a cornerback. The criticism is certainly understandable, but the film suggests it may be a bit too much. This review only examined the plays where Humphrey was targeted rather than every coverage snap, but those plays suggest his performance was far from a complete disaster, even if it wasn't his best work either.

This story was originally published by Athlon on Nov 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.