Buffalo Bills defense struggles in a close win over the Arizona Cardinals

Well, Week 1 is over for the Buffalo Bills, and we learned a lot about their defense. We had a feeling this game would come down to a battle of both offenses, and that’s exactly what happened. The Bills' defense is still fairly new to each other, with either new players or new starters across the board. Those include Dorian Williams, Damar Hamlin, and Taylor Rapp. Unfortunately, the young Bills' defense has had a tough start to the season, as next week, they will face the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night. But for right now, let’s dive into their first performance. 

The defense saw the first six plays of the game go to James Conner on the touchdown drive. Conner would finish the game with 50 yards and one touchdown on 16 rushes, along with 33 yards on 3 receptions. Despite a good start to the game, the Bills defense held Conner for most of the game. However, that wasn’t the bad part. Trying to contain Kyler Murray was. He rushed for 57 yards, including a 29-yard run, on five carries. Kyler was also good through the air, totaling 162 yards and one touchdown on 18 completions. The stats don’t say too much here, but Kyler continued to find and exploit the weak areas of the Buffalo defense. 

Marvin Harrison Jr considered the best wide receiver prospect in quite some time, was held to only four yards on one reception. While they were able to contain him for all four quarters, that allowed other players to break free. Greg Dortch finished with 47 yards on six receptions, and Trey McBride also totaled 30 yards on five receptions. McBride proved to be a reliable third-down option when they didn’t run with James Conner. 

We also saw some broken coverages throughout the game, some recognized by Kyler Murray, and some missed, like Marvin Harrison Jr sprinting toward the endzone for an easy touchdown on what would’ve won Arizona the game. 

The Bills also suffered their fair share of injuries in this game, as Taron Johnson left the game during the first drive due to a forearm injury. The Bills' defense was left scrambling early in the first half with the loss of Johnson, and couldn’t find their rhythm until late in the third quarter. Now with a quick turnaround this week, Johnson’s status is up in the air. 

If this game showed the Bills coaching staff anything, the secondary is still sloppy. There were plenty of communication issues throughout the game, and more unnecessary penalties. The good news, however, is that those issues can be fixed. With only a few days to go until their next game, it may not be right away though.