3 defensive players who need to shine for the Buffalo Bills in Week 5

The Buffalo Bills are coming off a massive beatdown against a talented, hungry Ravens team who took full advantage of the weaknesses of the Bills. The final score was 35-10, and this was the first time the Bills lost to an opponent by more than one possession in the regular season since 2021 against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 11 (41-15).

The defense was atrocious, to say the least, as they allowed over 200 yards rushing. Linebackers and safeties were missing tackles, and the defensive line was getting beat at the point of attack. Some would argue that having a healthy Terrel Bernard, Taron Johnson, and Matt Milano would change that outcome, but regardless it's the next man up.

The Bills will face a talented Houston Texans team on the road this upcoming week, and the Bills need to wipe off the blood and get ready against another talented opponent. These defensive players will be important factors in whether or not the Bills' defense will succeed this upcoming week.

Baylon Spector

If Bernard isn't back for this upcoming game, Spector must improve from his lackluster performance last week. Spector was missing tackles, gap assignments, getting pushed around, and looking lost compared to his previous two games.

Spector will face a run game that isn't as good as the Ravens but is still effective, as the Texans have Joe Mixon, who might play this Sunday. The linebacker position is one of the weakest units on the team right now, and Spector needs to come through this Sunday and help the Bills' defense improve from their previous performance.

Rasul Douglas

Douglas wasn't necessarily bad in last week's performance. The defense was just getting owned by the run and play-action, which drew up a lot of receivers open, making the secondary's job difficult. However, Douglas will have the task to cover Nico Collins, one of the best receivers this year.

Through four games, Collins has almost 500 yards and two touchdowns, making him and CJ Stroud one of the best quarterback and receiver duos in the entire league. Douglas must prevent a dominant performance from Collins to stop this dangerous Texans offense.

Greg Rousseau

With Von Miller's four-game suspension that came out of nowhere, Rousseau needs to step up as the number one pass rusher. Rousseau was nowhere to be found last game, as well as the entire defensive line, only generating pressure 1.2% of the time throughout the whole night. Rousseau cannot afford to have a performance like that against the Texans.

The Texans' offensive line is pretty good, and Rousseau will match up with one of the best blindside blockers in the league, Laremy Tunsil. If Rousseau can pressure CJ Stroud and win the line of scrimmage, there's a good chance the Bills can come out of Houston with a win, putting the team back on track.