The 3-0 Buffalo Bills have been a powerhouse through three games, but if you put their record aside it's been far from perfect. They face a New Orleans Saints team that has their own struggles, but any team can win on any given Sunday, assuming they know where to strike. The Bills have some major concerns that need to be addressed if they plan to get to 4-0, and beyond.
The Buffalo Bills dismal run defense
The Buffalo Bills are undoubtedly a better team than the 2025 New Orleans Saints, but they have flaws. Their most notable, perhaps, is one that has haunted them for half a decade. The Bills ability to defend against the run has been sorely lacking. This season, they've allowed the league's worst rate, giving up 6.2 yards per rush attempt to their opponents.
Against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1, the Bills allowed a whopping 8.2 yards per carry. Each of the Ravens lead rushers, Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson, averaged 9.4 and 11.7 yards per carry respectively.
Buffalo's improbable and record-setting comeback was aided massively by a timely turnover and their run defense stepping up for exactly one drive. Run defense was both critical to their success, and the primary reason why they were getting beaten so handily.
Against the New York Jets in Week 2, the Bills once again allowed an uncomfortable 4.8 YPC. Though RB Breece Hall had a slow day, Buffalo was torched by the legs of both the Jets quarterbacks, stressing their struggles containing both interior and outside runners.
Their Week 3 matchup against the Miami Dolphins showed similar troubles. Allowing a 5.2 YPC, Buffalo struggled to stop the run again. They won with both games, as the Bills' offensive dominance forced their opponents into more pass-heavy offenses. Simply pouring on points is not an effective strategy to overcome their run-stopping woes.
Once is a bad day, twice is a coincidence, but three times is a trend. These Bills need to repair their run defense. The franchise spends an entire offseason installing a playbook, reinforcing their scheme, and preparing for the season.
Perhaps it simply a side effect of their preferred pass defense, and it's something they'll need to deal with this season. Still, Buffalo has a hole in the middle, and it's an ongoing issue. Forcing turnovers and powerful offense won't be enough every Sunday.
3rd-down defense
The Buffalo Bills defense has caught plenty of heat in this article, but it's not enough. Their dismal run defense is part one of a two-section issue. These Bills own one of the league's worst 3rd down defenses. We look for outliers to prove a rule, and the exception to the norm for Buffalo's 3rd down defense was in Week 2. The New York Jets went 0/11 attempts on 3rd down, on a day where their offense was stagnant and Buffalo had run away in the first half.
Removing that exception, Buffalo gave up 7/10 against the Baltimore Ravens, and 10/15 to the now 0-3 Miami Dolphins. That's a 68% surrender rate. Getting a total of 8 3rd-down stops in 2 games is horrendous. It's made worse when we note that of those 8 stops, the opposing offense converted on 4th down on 2/2 attempts. A 2-game total of 6 stopped drives.
The Bills are a powerhouse offense, paired with a defense that remains consistently inconsistent. The sky is not falling, but if Buffalo wants to win a Super Bowl, the team must buckle up on critical downs.
Punting problems
This team is exceptional on offense, leading the NFL in total touchdowns with 12. No team has ran for more TDs, and they have the tied-3rd most passing scores, indicating a balanced offense. When they stall out, however, things get a little ugly.
The team holds the 2nd-worst average punt in the league (42.6 yards). It improves somewhat when we see the impact of the team's gunners, with the net punt average sitting tied at 7th-worst (38.2). Brad Robbins played Week 1 for the Buffalo Bills and net only 39.5 yards per punt and a 38 yard net punt. Cameron Johnston was the punter for Weeks 2 and 3, and averaged 45 yards per punt, but still net only 38.4 yards.
It seems that, though Buffalo can stop the ball from breaking big on a punt return, it's largely due to the fact that they can't kick it that far to begin with. If it's not a special teams issue, it's a personnel one. The Bills may simply not have the right punter on the roster.