Whether fans want to blame the Buffalo Bills’ Week 6 loss against the Falcons on the offense or defense, let’s not forget that the defense gave up over 300 yards to Atlanta in the first half alone. Now sure, they adjusted in the second half but that is a huge hill to overcome in order to win.
Now granted, the offense deserves their fair share of the blame for not performing well, but this defense is not great situationally and they are the weak link of the Bills through seven weeks.
Coming off their bye week, the Bills will now turn their attention to the Carolina Panthers. Buffalo is looking to avoid their third consecutive loss, but they will have to do it on the road. The defense has to make sure that they don’t allow the Panthers to run wild and pull off an upset against the Bills.
4 defensive Bills who have to show up big time vs. Panthers
DE Greg Rousseau
It’s been a quiet season for Greg Rousseau, who inked a 4-year, $80 million extension with the Bills this past offseaosn. He has just 1.5 sacks and 11 solo tackles. His presence isn’t being felt in terms of creating pressure at all. Even though Joey Bosa was brought in to be the game-changer on defense, Rousseau is the future of the Bills’ pass rush and he needs to perform at a higher level. Let’s hope he can come through against Carolina.
S Taylor Rapp
Taylor Rapp has been a huge liability this season for the Bills and his outing against the Falcons certainly didn’t help him. He’s had a handful of missed tackles and has been up-and-down in pass coverage. Overall, the Bills have a huge issue at safety but Rapp has to drastically change his play moving forward. If he continues to be a liability, don’t be surprised if the Bills go with another option at safety.
DT Deone Walker
How does Deone Walker end up on this list, despite his phenomenal play the last few weeks? Well, it can’t just be a one hit wonder. The Bills need him to be consistent in the trenches and continue to help improve this bad run-defense that the Bills are currently dealing with. The fourth-round pick has shined this season and is looking like the best pick for the Bills this season.
DE A.J. Epenesa
Another quiet edge rusher this season has been A.J. Epenesa, who is in a contract year for the Bills. While he has been decent against the run, the Bills need him to help create more pressure from the outside. Epenesa is a solid rotational player off the edge, but he hasn’t been the impactful player that he has slowly become the last couple of seasons.