It was a bit closer than most of the media thought, but the Buffalo Bills pulled out a 31-21 win over the Miami Dolphins last night to move to 3-0 on the season. While there were a ton of positives in the win, there was one thing in particular that Bills desperately need to improve on going forward if they want to see success throughout the season and into the playoffs.
Bills must improve third down defense
While the Bills defense was solid overall, they seemed to keep Miami in the game by bailing them out on third downs. Miami was 10-15 on third down and there were plenty in the second half that came at very opportune times to keep the drive alive.
What was frustrating to Bills fans was that a few of the third downs later in the game were longer conversions. Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich was bringing the blitz on those plays and the defense wasn’t able to get home in time. Tua Tagovailoa was able to get the ball out quick enough to Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill to convert some crucial third and longs which kept Miami in the game.
Babich needs to get back to the drawing board a bit when it comes to his schemes on these third down plays. The blitzes weren’t getting to Tua because of the quick release time and the coverage was very soft at to allow for the conversion.
In these games where the Bills are big time favorites, but the Bills need to hold on third down and keep these teams from staying in the game.
While it was close the entire way, Bills fans should still be feeling good about this team. While there are plenty more positives than negatives, the Bills can use this as a coaching point and focus area heading into their Week game against the New Orleans Saints.