Week 1 is in the books for the Buffalo Bills and it was an up-and-down performance for the Bills. However, the only thing that matters is that Buffalo got the win in a close fashion, defeating the Arizona Cardinals 34-28. The Bills were down 17-3 at one point and it looked like they were on their way to starting off 0-1.
Things started to turn around late in the second quarter when the Bills managed to cut into the lead and take over the game in the second half. Buffalo’s defense then held Kyler Murray and the Arizona offense to just three points in the second half. The only touchdown the Cardinals had in the second half was a kickoff return for a touchdown by DeeJay Dallas.
One of the biggest x-factor players for the Bills that made his presence well-known in Arizona’s backfield was Greg Rousseau, who has been outstanding since training camp. Buffalo picked up Rousseau’s fifth-year option this past offseason and Rousseau has been on a tear to get himself a massive contract extension. Against Arizona, Rousseau finished fourth in total tackles (6) but had a team-leading 3 sacks which included 2 QB hits.
Rousseau is proving that he is a valuable asset to the Bills and head coach Sean McDermott commented on how Rousseau has continued to impress since training camp, per Alex Brasky.
Sean McDermott on Greg Rousseau: “I love that he carried over what he has shown in training camp.” #Bills #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/BCCm7pnJIc
— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) September 8, 2024
Greg Rousseau is making his case to get massive contract extension
The good news for the Bills is that they have Rousseau under contract for the next two years no matter what. However, if he continues to play like he did against Arizona, the negotiations could be very tough and Rousseau could ask for a lot of money. Buffalo is expecting him to become their next franchise pass rusher and he is on his way.
Now obviously, it is only one game and it was against a rebuilding Cardinals offensive line. We are going to need to see if Rousseau can continue this momentum and he will have a good test in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins.
Going into a short week of preparation, Rousseau is going to need to make sure that he is ready to go and show the Bills yet again that he is looking for a contract extension to stay in Buffalo long term.