It's the season of overreactions, where every rep simultaneously reveals an unknown superstar and dooms the career of some unlucky player.
But after one preseason game, there is one takeaway that will leave Bills fans truly concerned. And it's the same problem that has held the team back from their ultimate goal for years.
Bills' lack of depth on defense shows itself in preseason loss
Bills fans don't need a full rehashing of the team's playoff shortcomings in the Josh Allen era. It's too painful and too obvious. Simply put, the defense hasn't been good enough when it matters most. Some of that blame falls on the starters, but the biggest weakness has been Buffalo's shaky depth players.
To Brandon Beane's credit, he did make some moves to try to solve that issue. The Bills signed Michael Hoecht and Joey Bosa to beef up their defensive front. Then they spent early draft picks on Maxwell Hairston, Landon Jackson, and T.J. Sanders to add some much-needed youth to the mix.
It's not time to panic quite yet, but it looks like they may still have the same problem. The Bills' defensive backups struggled to stop a decidedly below-average Giants offense.
The front was better against the run, allowing just 3.2 yards per carry. But the entire defense struggled to defend the pass. They allowed Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart to dice them up with over 150 passing yards and a touchdown. Dart even had a few key runs, slicing through Buffalo's defense like butter.
Some of the Bills' defenders stood out. Rookie Jordan Hancock made an impact with his limited reps, and backup cornerback Te'Cory Couch had a couple of nice deflections. But for the most part, the defense was a step behind.
There's no need to overreact, but this is a problem that has plagued this team for multiple seasons. When injuries pile up late in the year, you need to have trustworthy backups to fill in. The Bills may have that on the defensive line after their offseason additions, but the secondary depth is suspect. Buffalo is relying on aging veterans and unproven young players to step up into roles they may not be capable of taking on.
There's still plenty of time to correct this issue. Maybe Hairston quickly becomes a quality player. Maybe Tre White can wind back the clock and be a capable starter. But if a few things go wrong, the Bills could be set up to have the same problem that they've been dealing with for the past few seasons.