Buffalo Bills: Keys to victory and final score prediction for Week 1
Put pressure on Sam Darnold
The second key to victory in this game against the Jets is to put as much pressure on young Jets quarterback Sam Darnold as possible. In just his two seasons in the NFL, Darnold has been sacked a total of 63 times. At this total, that puts Darnold at a rate of 6.9 times sacked per pass attempt in his career. Furthermore, the Jets ranked 29th in the NFL last season in the category for allowed sacks per game average at 3.2 sacks per game.
By nature of drafting a quarterback high in the draft and making him the obvious face of the franchise, the next step is to get him protection by improving the offensive line. The Jets did that this offseason firstly by adding three projected offensive line starters in free agency. These players are guard Greg Van Roten, center Connor McGovern, and tackle George Fant. The additions to the offensive line did not end there for the Jets as they drafted tackle Mekhi Becton with their first pick at 11th overall. According to the Jets unofficial depth chart, they will only be returning one starter to the offensive line from last season, this being guard Alex Lewis.
This lack of continuity on the Jets offensive line should give the Buffalo Bills pass rushers a competitive edge in this matchup, especially in week one and this unorthodox abbreviated offseason. To emphasize this point, the Buffalo Bills added plenty of pass rush help this offseason in the draft and free agency with the addition of veterans Mario Addison, Vernon Butler, Quinton Jefferson, and rookie A.J. Epenesa.
The Bills’ ability and past tendencies to keep a consistent rotation on the defensive line will give Buffalo an advantage by keeping fresh legs on the field. Additionally, this should disrupt an offensive line group that is not experienced playing together yet.
By putting pressure on Darnold, life will be easier for the Bills secondary players as this puts them in a great position to capitalize on bad throws under pressure. Although Darnold has a relatively good throw under pressure statistics, it is mostly because of the frequency that he has been under pressure since joining the Jets. If the Bills can make life hectic for Darnold in the pocket, Buffalo should find a much easier path to victory in this game.