As most are still in shock at the legendary comeback the Buffalo Bills completed last Sunday night vs the Ravens, it was only Week 1. That means Week 2 is quickly approaching, and the Buffalo Bills will be heading to MetLife Stadium for an early division battle with the New York Jets.
It will be the team’s first afternoon game of the season as they try to start red hot. Despite the magic they put on display against the Ravens, there are still plenty of things that need to be addressed this week in practice.
The Jets, who looked really solid against the Steelers in Week 1, will no doubt try to attack the weak points of the Bills that the Ravens exploited. That is why the Bills should be concerned about these three things ahead of the early season showdown in Jersey.
Big concerns for Bills heading into Week 2
No.1: Run defense
The Buffalo Bills allocated a lot of assets to rebuilding their defensive line this offseason. The last few years, the team’s run defense has been extremely hot and cold, and their pass rush has been stagnant (especially in big-time games).
In Week 1, we saw Ed Oliver have arguably his best game as a Bill, and the man who made the comeback possible with his forced fumble on Derrick Henry. The team’s pass rush actually looked good when Lamar Jackson was forced to pass; Oliver, Greg Rousseau, and Joey Bosa were often in the backfield applying pressure. If not for Lamar’s agility and running ability, the team would have notched more than just the two sacks on the stat sheet.
That is where the issue lies: when Lamar was forced to pass, which was not often, as he only threw the ball 19 times, yet his team scored 40 points. That was thanks to Derrick Henry gashing the Bills on the ground for 169 yards and two touchdowns.
Lamar added to that with 70 yards and a touchdown on 6 carries. Every time Henry touched the ball, it seemed like he earned 10+ yards before being touched once by a Bills defender. Yes, he is a phenomenal player, but that is unacceptable. The defensive line was constantly washed down, leaving massive holes for Henry to gallop into second gear early, and allowing offensive linemen to get their hands on the Bills’ linebackers.
The Jets have some very talented running backs in Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, and Isaiah Davis. Hall is no stranger to big games against a poor Buffalo run defense. The Jets will likely look to implement concepts of the Ravens’ ground attack, which was very successful last Sunday night. If the run defense doesn’t get more stout, starting with the defensive line, the Bills could be forced to play from behind again.
No.2: Bills’ D-ends’ contain & defending the option
As mentioned above, Lamar Jackson had a big night on the ground as well in Week 1. Interestingly enough, most of it wasn’t on scrambles. The damage was done in the read-option game.
Whether it was Joey Bosa or A.J. Epenesa out there, anytime the Ravens ran an option, they bit down the line on the running back badly. They gave the most electric rushing quarterback in the game a wide-open edge almost every single time, and by a lot. It was infuriating to watch as they broke containment time after time to allow a back-breaking Lamar run. The one time Bosa didn’t break contain, it was an outside handoff to Justice Hill, which, thanks to containment, Bosa smothered and even punched the ball out, creating a huge negative play.
It was also a big factor in overall run defense, as it circles back to the defensive line getting washed down and allowing linebackers to get blocked. The Jets quarterback is Justin Fields, who is a big threat with his feet as well.
In fact, a lot of his NFL success thus far has come that way. No doubt the Jets’ offensive staff is salivating over the idea of getting Fields out on the open edge with the way Buffalo’s defensive ends defended the option last week. Bosa, Epenesa, Roussuea, and Javon Solomon will need to be much better in that aspect to slow down the Jets offense.
No.3: Safety and pass defense
The Bills chose not to address the safety position this offseason, like many fans had hoped. On paper, it made some sense, as Taylor Rapp had a very underrated season last year, and Cole Bishop, their second-round selection from a year ago, seemed poised to take a step.
They brought back Damar Hamlin as depth after he was decent last year, and Darrick Forrest, who they thought had potential from decent showings in limited action in Washington, couldn’t even crack the roster. Leaving many fans and even some media members scratching their heads. Well, Week 1 didn’t help the Bills brass’s decision not to address it. Bishop and Rapp, truthfully, were not good in week one.
They constantly took really bad angles, missed numerous tackles, and were often out of place in coverage. It’s Week 1, so we don’t want to overreact, but safety is the weakest position on the team right now. Now, Bishop has all the tools to develop, and it’s still very early in his career. We know Rapp can be good in this system, but both need to play the polar opposite of how they did in week one.
As far as pass coverage goes, though, it’s not all on them. The linebackers and cornerbacks are to blame as well. Ravens receiver Zay Flowers seemed to be wide open by 15 yards every time he was targeted. He totaled seven catches for 143 yards and a touchdown, and it came in big chunk plays. The Bills are dealing with injuries to Tre White and Maxwell Hairston, but they will need to tighten up the back end against one of the league’s bet wide receivers in Garret Wilson.