The Buffalo Bills went into Week 6 with a degree of confidence, coming off an incredible Week 5 primetime win. They escape Week 6 with a slew of problems and a bye week to try and fix them. Still, a win is a win, and this was an electric one if we've ever seen it.
But what did this back-and-forth scoring bonanza reveal to the educated NFL fan? What informative tidbits were gleamed from the action? What lessons did we learn?
Keon Coleman is going to be fine
It's perhaps not the first thing to jump out, but it's certainly good news. When plays break down, Keon Coleman is in sync and prepared to work off-script. Call it maturity, call it growth, call it a head coach with faith in him; There are reasons for Coleman's newfound success.
The youngster has done something Buffalo Bills fans would have thought impossible a year ago. Keon Coleman has earned Josh Allen's trust. His range of circus grabs and improvised plays showcase a different kind of play than many thought Keon to be capable of. It's a remarkable change, and entirely welcome.
He's on pace to roughly double his career-best production in 2026. With a season total like 802 yards and 85 TDs, he'd become one of the league's better WR2s. That elevation of his game could revolutionize this offense.
The Bills have a safety problem
Cole Bishop has been solid, but he stands on an island in the secondary.
The Bills clearly intended for C.J. Gardner-Johnson to take the other starting spot, but his level of play isn't enough. On top of that, his inability to control himself - spitting on the opposition and serving an ejection and suspension- Makes him more a liability than an asset.
The cornerback position has improved somewhat, with development from rookie Davison Igbinosun. The return of Christian Benford also led to an uptick in DB play, but there aren't enough solutions for the problems present.
There's hope, perhaps, in the form of Jalon Kilgore. Kilgore made a critical pass breakup in the fourth quarter, his first notable action of the season, showing he may be deserving of the opportunity for success.
Bend-don't-break isn't dead
The Bills defense is porous, yes, but it's also stubborn. For years, former head coach Sean McDermott was lauded and laughed at for his bend-don't-break defense. The philosophy that yards and first downs are inevitable, but the time taken to absorb them is indefinite. Make every drive 10+ plays and you manufacture opportunity for turnovers.
Even now, after he's gone, it persists. The Bills have some of the worst possession time in the NFL, but lead in scoring because of how they strike. That inverse defensive philosophy has been to allow yardage and wait for opposing mistakes. It's what we saw all game against the Raiders.
The problem is, allowing 3rd-and-long conversions consistently drains a defense's energy by late-game. A veteran QB like Kirk Cousins doesn't make a lot of mistakes when unhurried. When it comes time to buckle down and make the stops, they simply don't have the talent.
For good or ill, bend-don't-break is back in Buffalo. So far this season, it's been clearly for ill.
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