In the Bills’ Wild Card win over the Jaguars, quarterback Josh Allen was sacked only once which is solid considering the defense that Jacksonville presented. At the same time, Allen was hit 3 total times and he faced a good amount of pressure where it forced him out of the pocket.
One of his offensive lineman had a bit of a rough game that could have resulted in a worse outcome for the Bills. Right tackle Spencer Brown, who has emerged as one of the best tackles in the game, definitely had his struggles against Jacksonville.
Ryan Smith from Pro Football Focus (PFF) recently listed Brown as a player who needs to have a bounce back performance in the divisional round of the playoffs. Per Smith, while Brown did solid in run-blocking, his pass protection performance was very forgetful. Smith wrote “Brown didn’t fare well in pass protection, earning a 41.9 PFF pass-blocking grade after allowing five quarterback pressures.”
Spencer Brown has another tough challenge ahead vs. Broncos
With Buffalo heading to Denver this Saturday, Brown and the entire offensive line will have their hands full with this Broncos defensive line. They are fast off the ball and know how to create pressure and collapse the pocket.
The protection for Allen has been shaky at times this season. They have become more of a run-blocking unit as compared to last season. Maybe it has to do with the lack of weapons on the outside.
Either way, no matter what the reason is, Brown has to step up in pass protection because there is going to be a time when Buffalo is going to be forced to pass. For as much as James Cook could get involved, the Bills aren’t going to be able to just run the ball every single play.
This game could come down to who wins in the trenches. If Buffalo can keep a clean pocket for Allen to make plays, then the Bills could put up a lot of points. If the Broncos apply quick pressure and wreck Buffalo’s gameplan, then Bills fans may have to see the heartbreaking result that they have been seeing for the last couple of postseasons.