3. Pass Rushing
When head coach Sean McDermott spoke to the Buffalo media on Wednesday afternoon, he blamed Sunday's game script when addressing his team's lack of pressure on Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
""If you look at last week's [Dolphins] game, we didn't have enough third and long, one-dimensional type situations. So that doesn't speak of the pass rush, that speaks of first and second down defense.""Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills Head Coach
This explanation from McDermott stands up when addressing the Bills pass rush against Miami, but even when the Bills have gotten teams into obvious passing downs, their pressure rate is middle of the pack.
According to TruMedia, the Bills defense ranks 15th in pressure rate on 3rd and 7-plus situations.
After not adding an edge rusher before Tuesday's trade deadline, despite the loss of defensive end Duwuane Smoot to the injured reserve, the Bills are going to need improvements from their front four, including defensive tackle Ed Oliver who is on pace for a career-low sack total.
It's hard to complain about a football team whose record is 7-2, but if the Bills want to reach their final destination in New Orleans this coming February, there are a handful of things that need fixing — and these are just a few.