5 players who need to step up for the Buffalo Bills starting in Week 8

Linebackers

For this next pick, I've decided to go with an entire position group — and it could be labelled Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott, instead.

After losing Tremaine Edmunds in free agency this offseason, the Bills didn't add to the linebacker room outside of drafting Dorian Williams in the third round. While Terrel Bernard played fantastic in the first few games, losing his all-pro partner Matt Milano has brought forth some serious repercussions — and the Bills weren't prepared for the event of his injury.

In replace of Milano, the Bills have trotted out Williams and Tyrel Dodson who was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019. The three linebackers, including Bernard, allowed Patriots quarterback Mac Jones to complete 17 of his 20 passes over the middle of the field on Sunday. Williams in particular, was a disaster, playing the first 21 snaps before being benched for Dodson. Across those 21 snaps, Williams allowed 3 catches for 60 yards and missed two tackles.

In the linebacking unit's defense, the Bills pass rush may have been non-existent against the Patriots, but their inexperience was still on full display. It will be interesting to see whether the Bills add an experienced linebacker across from Bernard as the trade deadline approaches because even Jordan Poyer was playing linebacker in the fourth quarter against the Patriots.