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Following the Buffalo Bills’ 41-40 victory in week one, there were some major concerns regarding the team’s defense. In week two, Buffalo limited the New York Jets to just 10 points. With a drastic difference between two different weeks, what should BillsMafia expect from the defense going forward?
In week one’s victory, the Bills surrendered 432 yards of offense, 238 rushing yards, and nearly nine yards per play. This outing led to Buffalo being ranked second-to-last in total yards allowed, last in rush yards allowed, and second-to-last in points allowed.
This past Sunday, saw a much-improved Buffalo defense. The Bills held the Jets to just 78 yards in the first half (154 yards on the day), 83 passing yards, and a substantially better 3.3 yards per play.
So why did the results change so drastically? For starters, the NFL is a week-to-week league. Any team can win on any given Sunday, thus creating different stats and game plans. For example. Cleveland held Derrick Henry to just 23 rushing yards Sunday, after he ran for 169 yards a week prior.
Another reason is the quality of the opponent. The Ravens finished last year third in scoring and first in total offense, while New York sat 25th in scoring and 24th in yards. The Ravens have more firepower in their scheme and offense than the Jets.
Arguably most importantly, Buffalo’s defense had multiple players step up. Following being Buffalo’s third-lowest PFF-graded player in the season opener, Matt Milano recorded five tackles and a tackle for a loss in spot duty, as, according to Sean McDermott, the linebacker is “banged up”. Cole Bishop was Buffalo’s leading tackler on Sunday while also recording a sack and a tackle for loss.
With the vast difference in results defensively through two weeks, what should fans expect? Well, the Bills will once again live and die by turnovers. Buffalo’s defense has finished in the top five in turnovers five of the last six seasons and has recorded a turnover in each of the first two games. With the Bills’ next seven opponents having a combined record of 2- 12, it will provide the Buffalo defense an excellent opportunity to fix issues, build chemistry, and likely improve their numbers. Although it’s still early in the year, expect the Bills to finish in the seventh to 12th range in a majority of defensive statistics this season.
With week three being a short week, a Thursday Night Football contest against Miami, the Bills and BillsMafia should get a better idea of their defense against a more traditional offensive spread scheme.