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.