The Buffalo Bills surrendered over thirty points for the second straight game, allowing the Detroit Lions to score 31 in what was an entertaining 41-31 victory to open new Highmark Stadium in style. That 31-point result from the defense followed a similar outing from four days prior, as the Bills’ stop unit allowed 31 points to the Houston Texans in what was a 36-31 victory.
The biggest change in Buffalo’s personnel from last season to this season relates to the defense. Former head coach Sean McDermott
was a defensive coordinator prior to earning the Bills’ top job, so Buffalo’s defense was molded in his image throughout the last nine seasons. With Joe Brady, McDermott’s offensive coordinator since midway through the 2023 season, taking over as the head man, a new defensive boss was coming into town regardless. That new boss, Jim Leonhard, runs an entirely different system from McDermott’s.
Whereas McDermott preached players doing their “one-eleventh,” sticking to fundamentals, principles, and areas on the field, Leonhard has tried to allow Buffalo’s defenders the freedom to go make a play. McDermott’s scheme generally included zone coverages in the back end, and if there wasn’t a blitz, there was a four-man rush where the main goal of those four rushers was to maintain their gap integrity. Conversely, Leonhard’s system has introduced more man coverage, more blitzing, and more movement along that front seven.
One of the biggest questions from the offseason was just how well-suited to a more aggressive scheme Buffalo’s defensive personnel is this year. And, as could reasonably be expected, the answer so far is mixed.
Leading off with the negative, we’ve seen a lot of miscommunication in the defensive secondary. On Thursday night against the Lions, we saw nickel corners Dee Alford and Jordan Hancock lose their mark. We also saw linebackers crashing to players in the middle of the field, leaving the seams open for some bigger chunk plays for Detroit. After Buffalo raced out to a 21-0 lead in the first 25 minutes of play, the Lions were able to outscore the Bills 31-20 the rest of the way. There is some legitimate concern about the defensive secondary’s ability to handle the assignments Leonhard is giving.
On the flip side, though, the front-seven of the defense has looked dominant at times. Buffalo had Lions quarterback Jard Goff under pressure on well over half his snaps, as he took four sacks and 11 hits on the night. Goff was pressured on 22 dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus. Greg Rousseau had two more sacks and another forced fumble, and Bradley Chubb added 1.5 sacks on the night, as well. Buffalo’s front was even excellent against the run, holding stud running back Jahmyr Gibbs to 52 yards and 3.3 yards per carry just one week after he gained 156 yards and averaged 5.4 yards per carry in a win over the New Orleans Saints. The Bills had a defensive stuff rate of 45% in the game, just a phenomenal number
Has the Buffalo defensive front benefitted from two subpar offensive lines to begin the season? Perhaps, as the Lions started three backups on Thursday and the Texans were widely regarded as possessing the worst offensive line in the NFL heading into the season. However, it’s encouraging to see a Buffalo front willing to attack rather than sit back and react. For years, we’ve waited for the Bills to show a return on investment along the defensive line, as general manager Brandon Beane continuously has tinkered with the front in search of a solid pass rush. The best part of this early season showing is just how many of the players central to it are home-grown players.
Nose guard Deone Walker is rapidly developing into one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL. We’ve already talked about Rousseau, but he’s been so good early on that he’s looking like a whole new player. Ed Oliver missed Week 2, but he was disruptive in the victory over Houston. Even DeWayne Carter, who was written off and figuratively left for dead after a horrendous rookie season and a lost second year spent dealing with an Achilles tear, looked disruptive on Thursday night. Free agent signings like Chubb and Michael Hoecht, who is also coming off an Achilles tear and looked much better against the Lions, have only added to the good vibes up front.
Then, we have the linebacker group. Dorian Williams is flying around making run stops and big hits. He has 15 tackles and two tackles for loss. Terrel Bernard has transitioned to the new defense well, registering 17 tackles and two tackles for loss in two games. Rookie Kaleb Elarms-Orr hasn’t looked as dynamic as he did in the preseason, but he hasn’t looked lost in his first two real NFL games.
Right now, the defense hasn’t quite found its footing overall. Leonhard himself said that the unit is too “boom or bust” after the win over Detroit. However, some of what they’re doing up front gives me hope that, once the back end of the defense figures itself out, that this unit has more “boom” potential than it does “bust.”
My favorite thing that’s happened so far this season is the use of stunts and games up front. Maybe it was just a feel thing, but under McDermott, it felt like we always knew exactly where the defensive linemen were going based on where they linedup before the snap. Through two games with Leonhard at the helm, Buffalo is showing that it won’t do that anymore. Leonhard’s Bills are third in the league in passing down stunt rate thus far, and I expect that they’ll either stay right around there or continue to use it even more as they play more games.
The front of the defense is showing multiple encouraging signs. The back of the defense has enough talent that they’ll figure something out, and while concerns that the team has a lot of square pegs for round holes in the defensive secondary are valid, the hope is that with more time on task, they’ll round into shape as the season goes on. I’m not worried about the points Buffalo has allowed so far because the offense has scored more; however, we all know that the first time Buffalo loses a game 35-31 this season, the focus will fall squarely on the defense if it doesn’t round into shape.
Early on in the seaosn, we’ll take the good with the bad. What’s going right for this team so far, though, is that they finally seem to have the makings of a truly formidable pass rush. The secondary will find its footing. For now, though, keep watching those glorious stunts (and fake stunts!) up front pay dividends for a Buffalo defense that has been searching for juice in that area of the game for a long time.
