Eli Ankou and Brandin Bryant
There will be some that will dismiss the Bills defense’s performance against the run on Thanksgiving night. The Saints didn’t have Alvin Kamara or Mark Ingram for this game but when a team holds the opposing offense to only 44 rushing yards on 25 carries for an average of 1.8 yards per carry, that is certainly impressive.
One of the reasons for this dominant performance was on the interior with defensive tackles Eli Ankou and Brandin Bryant. These were two players called up from the practice squad before the game and would end up playing 25% (Ankou) and 32% (Bryant) of the defensive snaps.
The Bills have certainly missed Star Lotulelei these past three weeks with him on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. He is having an excellent season and one of the reasons the Bills have played well against the run.
However, the coaching staff may have found an answer in these two defensive tackles to help stop the run until Lotulelei is able to return.