The Buffalo Bills still have a chance to take the one seed from the Kansas City Chiefs. They came out of Detroit with a pretty dominating 48-42 win. The Bills' offense, especially Josh Allen, has been catching fire in the last four weeks.
However, the defense has been lackluster at best, allowing 86 points in their last two games. During the Rams' game, the Bills' defense only forced one punt and allowed 37 points (not counting the blocked punt). The Rams would then put up only 12 points against the 49ers in their next game, which tells fans how poor the Bills' defense was.
The defense was better against the Lions but was still not up to par. Again, the McDermott defense has failed to step up against elite quarterbacks. They will need to improve as the season transitions into the playoffs.
The defense can get back on track with this next matchup against the Patriots at home, along with key players need to step it up down the stretch.
Ed Oliver
Oliver faced a lot of criticism after the Rams' game. He and the rest of the defensive line couldn't generate much pressure, allowing the Rams' O-line to win in the trenches. After the game, fans came to realize that Oliver hadn't done much throughout the whole season as he was healthy for the majority of the season and regressed from his much more impressive season the year prior.
It seems that Oliver heard the criticism and took it to heart, playing his best game of the season against Detroit, generating ten pressures, a sack, a forced fumble, and three quarterback hits, resulting in a PFF pass-rush grade of 88.8. If Oliver can keep his momentum against the Patriots, and throughout the season, opponents will have some issues blocking this Bills' defensive line.
Christian Benford
Benford had a hot start to the season, being one of the best-graded corners in the league. Benford did take a bit of a dip, having some tougher games against talented opponents, but he's still been a solid player this season.
The quality of Benford's opponents will drop significantly in this next game against the Patriots, as they don't have a threatening receiver on their roster. Benford should continue to provide tight coverage on these receivers and test Patriots' rookie quarterback Drake Maye to make some tight-window throws.
Matt Milano
Who used to be the best Buffalo Bills defender is now back from his injury, but has taken a step back so far with his return. Milano could very well just be shaking off some rust as he just got back onto the field two weeks ago, but must step up in the coming games, and this is the game to do so.
A rookie quarterback's best friend is the run game, and Milano used to be the master in sniffing out runs, so he has the opportunity to get on the right page and start playing like the all-pro he used to be. Succeeding in stopping the run game will increase the likelihood of Maye turning the ball over.
Greg Rousseau
Rousseau has been one of the best defensive players on the team this season. He's the team leader in sacks and TFLs and the leader in tackles on the defensive line. Rousseau has been an all-around great edge rusher, and by far his best season.
Rousseau should be licking his chops in this next matchup, as the Patriots' o-line has been sacked 27 times in just nine starts. Just for comparison, Allen has only been sacked 13 times this season and has started every game.
If Rousseau takes advantage of the terrible O-line, he may reach double-digit sacks. If Rousseau continues to dominate all game, there's little chance that the Patriots can pull out a win, and the defense needs to play every game at 100% if they want a chance to get the one-seed.