A Tale Of Two Extremes

After a preseason of disarray on the offensive side of the ball, the Buffalo Bills were expected to lean on their defense in Sean McDermott’s first year on the job.

- Mark Ludwiczak

That looks to have been a massive understatement.

Buffalo’s first true test under McDermott came in Week 2 against McDermott’s former team, the Carolina Panthers. It featured extremes on both sides of the ball in a close and surprisingly compelling 9-3 road defeat.

As expected, Buffalo’s defense is well ahead of the offense. Less expected was a defense so stout that it nearly brought the Bills to victory and an offense so frail that major changes could soon be on the horizon.

Let’s start with the positives, and there were plenty of them. After a standout performance against the junior-varsity New York Jets in Week 1, Buffalo’s defense again came to play against the Panthers. There were sacks, six of them, on Cam Newton. There were big hits; safety Jordan Poyer has looked like a potential star through two games. And there was a bend but don’t break attitude that held a dangerous offense without a touchdown despite spending a majority of the game on the field.

There was a belief heading into the year that the change in scheme from the 3-4 to the 4-3 would immediately benefit the defensive side of the ball. Buffalo’s defensive line in particular appeared tailor made for the 4-3 after excelling in a similar scheme a few years ago. That’s certainly been the case so far and it’s had a trickle-down effect on the rest of the defense. It’s early, but the Bills defense that we’ve seen so far appears to be well ahead of early expectations. That alone could keep the Bills in more games than originally anticipated.