Taking down a Pittsburgh Steelers offense that has become very plain over the course of the season isn’t exactly the biggest brag. Don’t get me wrong, they do have playmakers, but the Buffalo Bills also caught a break by facing a not fully healthy Aaron Rodgers. This Sunday, they get Joe Burrow and his firepower offense.
I seriously doubt that the Bills defense will have another big performance against Cincinnati like they did against Pittsburgh. Maybe they can, but it’s highly unlikely. The Steelers only converted three 3rd-downs and only had 10 first downs for the entire game. It’s really tough to see this Buffalo defense play that same type of football against an offense that has a great matchup against this Bills defense.
The Bills are going to need four players on their defense to play a key role if they want to not only win this game, but keep them in the playoff spot as December goes on.
Bills defensive players who must step up vs. Bengals
DT Deone Walker
There is a case to be made that Deone Walker atleast belongs in the conversation as the Defensive Rookie of the Year, but he was quiet on Sunday against the Steelers. He had just one tackle and didn’t make any outstanding plays. However, we can’t ignore what value he brings to this defense as a first year pro.
Walker will need to not only plug up the middle against Chase Brown, but the Bills better hope that he can provide some interior pressure up the middle to make Burrow uncomfortable. The less time that Burrow has to throw the ball, the better off this defense will be.
DE Greg Rousseau
With the recent news about Joey Bosa and him having a hamstring injury, Greg Rousseau may need to do more than just stop the run. If Bosa isn’t ready to go, someone has to create a pass rush from the outside. Let’s face it, the Bills need more out of Rousseau after giving him an $80 million deal this offseason.
He hasn’t been big against the pass and we all know that Cincinnati has a great passing attack with Burrow. Rousseau needs to fire off the ball and force Burrow to scramble. If his pocket remains clean from the outside, it only gives his receivers more time to make a play down the field.
S Cole Bishop
After the Bills’ bye week, Cole Bishop basically turned into a potential franchise player on the backend of the defense. He has better sense for where the ball is going and he is a great run stopper if the ball gets to the second or third level.
This week against Cincinnati, it would not be surprising to see Bishop backing up the corners on the outside to make someone like Ja’Marr Chase have to win against double coverage. He will need to be extra dominant against a tough Bengals passing attack.
CB Christian Benford
Benford is coming off a great performance against Pittsburgh where he not only had an interception, but he also returned a fumble for a touchdown that helped jumpstart the Bills’ routing of the Steelers. This week, he gets the pleasure of going up against Ja’Marr Chase who is a top five wideout in the game.
While the guys up front need to make Burrow uncomfortable, Benford has to be able to stick with Chase and not let anything get behind him.