Penalties
At the heart of Buffalo’s issues on offensive line was the string of penalties as they accumulated five on the day.
Coming off a record-breaking year in 2020, all eyes were on Josh Allen and the Bills’ offense to see if they had enough magic leftover from their AFC Championship appearance. Through the first few Bills’ possessions, it was clear as day that they did not and seemed like a shell of themselves.
Perhaps it was Brian Daboll’s playcalling, perhaps it was Allen’s decision making, but what played a monumental role in the offense’s inability to garner any rhythm was holding calls they were getting flagged for.
For many Bills fans, lackluster offensive line play is nothing new as, since the selection of Allen, the Bills have had shaky offensive line play. With the neglect of the position in the first two rounds with the selection of pass rushers in Greggory Rousseau and Boogie Basham, the Buffalo Bills will be in for a long season if they aren’t able to help out Allen.
In addition to the holding calls, the poor performance of the offensive line was consequential in other areas of the offense.
During passing situations, Allen was pulled down three times on the day for 16 yards and when Buffalo ran the ball, they only recorded 117 yards. While the latter of those stats may seem like a bright side, most of Devin Singletary’s yards came late in the game during their must-score drive.
It remains to be seen if Sunday’s performance speaks more about Pittsburgh’s defensive line or Buffalo’s offensive line, but this week’s game against Miami will provide an opportunity to put a better performance together.