While the Buffalo Bills haven't played a down since last Thursday night, they surely must have watched their next competitor, the New Orleans Saints, play on Sunday afternoon.
As the New Orleans Saints were blown out by the Seattle Seahawks (44-13) this past Sunday, the Bills' coaches and players were watching to see what they would bring back to practice to work on for their upcoming game this Sunday at 1:00 pm @ Highmark Stadium.
Even though the score was very uneven, now is not the time for the Bills to let their guard down and take the Saints lightly.
How the Bills can scheme their personel against Saints
Bills defensive line against Saints starting quarterback
In the Buffalo Bills' previous game on Thursday night against the Miami Dolphins, their defensive line did a thorough job of containing quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and keeping him inside the pocket. While he did throw for three scores, Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard was the hero of the game, saving the day with a game-winning interception in the fourth quarter that led to the Bills kicking a field goal at the end to win 31-21.
While the Bills' defense didn't completely shut Miami's prolific offense down, they only held Tagovailoa to 146 yards passing and an 81.3 quarterback rating. More importantly, the offense scored enough points to come out on top in this game.
The team has had several days off since this game and will need to focus on holding the Saints to fewer points on the scoreboard against whoever they will put out there to run their no-huddle offense in Week 4.
As for the Saints, their game in Week 3 was a disaster against the Seattle Seahawks. Not only were they blown out 44-13 by the Seahawks, but starting quarterback Spencer Rattler was benched in the fourth quarter in place of rookie quarterback hopeful Tyler Shough.
This Saints team was battle-tested in their Week 1 loss to the Arizona Cardinals (20-13) and then their Week 2 loss to the San Francisco 49ers (26-21). Unfortunately, they were doomed from the start in Week 3, being down 21-0 in the first quarter.
TJ Sanders and Deone Walker vs. Alvin Kamara
Despite their 0-3 start, the Saints still have a staple in running back Alvin Kamara. Kamara has been with the team through all the highs with former quarterback Drew Brees and former head coach Sean Payton, and now the recent lows since those two left.
This season, Kamara is still a dynamic back who currently has 186 rushing yards, which is 12th in the league. Even though he could have wanted out of this current mess in New Orleans, the 30-year-old is still loyal to a team with passionate fans and wants this team to rebuild back to the glory days of Brees and Payton.
With defensive tackle Ed Oliver's status still unknown for Week 4, the Bills' two rookie defensive tackles were an investment on the interior defensive line to improve their run defense. TJ Sanders may be struggling statwise, but for a rookie defensive tackle, he has a great motor and is athletic enough to be quick in the backfield at 6 feet 5 inches, 297 pounds.
As for Deone Walker, he is a big man at 6 feet 7 inches, 331 pounds. Walker has fared better than Sanders so far, but together, they could make it difficult for Kamara to rack up any rushing yards in Week 4 on Sunday.
While this game may look like an easy game on paper for the Bills, the two teams still have to go out and battle for it on the gridiron.