The Buffalo Bills host the New Orleans Saints this weekend as huge favorites overall. Buffalo is a two-score favorite for the second straight week, as they are -15.5 in many places this weekend after being -12.5 last week against the Miami Dolphins. Of course, that game was much closer than that throughout, but the Bills ultimately prevailed in a 31-21 victory.
The last time the Bills and the Saints met in Orchard Park, NY, it wasn’t a good day for the home team. Buffalo was absolutely demolished
by the Saints, losing 47-10 in a game that went so poorly that head coach Sean McDermott thought starting Nathan Peterman the following week would be a good idea. While current starting quarterback Josh Allen isn’t going to lose his starting gig any time soon, the Bills would love to avoid dropping a contest against a team that, at least on paper, should not be able to stick with them on Sunday.
There’s a reason they play the games, though: On any given Sunday, anything is possible. The Bills will need big-time efforts from their big-time players. Here are five players to watch this week.
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RB Ty Johnson
Call this one a hunch. James Cook, Buffalo’s top dog in the backfield, has carried it a lot thus far. He’s averaging 18 carries per game, well above the 11 carries per game he averaged over the last three seasons. The Bills definitely want the ball in his hands, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they gave him a few extra breathers this weekend, especially if the score is out of hand.
While Ray Davis is a likely beneficiary of a lopsided game, Johnson has been RB2 in terms of usage this season. Johnson is dynamic in the passing game and the running game, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he saw a few extra touches this weekend.
TE Jackson Hawes
Last week, the rookie caught his first career touchdown. This week, perhaps he’ll make it his first multi-catch game. He’s caught exactly one pass in each game while serving as a fantastic extra blocker in the first three games of his career.
Hawes has added an element to the offense that wasn’t there last year, as he blocks like Alec Anderson, but he can actually run routes and catch passes. He’s a bit like a more athletic version of Lee Smith, another No. 85 whose main purpose was as a blocker. Hawes will have more than one catch this week, and he may even score another touchdown.
RT Spencer Brown
We’ll list Brown first, but if he can’t go thanks to his calf injury, then all eyes will shift to Ryan Van Demark. Whoever it is at right tackle, he’ll need to be sharp, as the Bills can’t afford to let their MVP quarterback take unnecessary shots. The easiest way to lose a game against a team you’re favored against is to fail to protect the quarterback, so Buffalo needs to be sure to avoid that fate.
Brown has been excellent, but he’s dealing with a variety of ailments, including a back issue and this calf injury. Van Demark was great in his one start last year, a 26-17 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Either way, the Bills likely feel confident in their offensive line, though they’d certainly love to have their starting five available to them.
DE Greg Rousseau
Alright, Groot, it’s time to show up on the stat sheet. Last week, Rousseau had just one tackle. He has half a sack on the season so far with just five total tackles and one quarterback hit in three games. However, a re-watch of the game shows that Rousseau was still affecting the passing game even without notching stats. He put pressure on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on multiple plays, but he just couldn’t take him down.
This week, he’ll need to be disciplined in his rush lanes against New Orleans quarterback Spencer Rattler, who is fairly mobile. I’d love to see Rousseau end up with a multi-sack effort this week, and against a New Orleans club that has allowed six sacks so far this season and currently has three offensive linemen nursing injury, it’s a good week for it to happen.
S Cole Bishop
Speaking of guys who could use a big game, how about Buffalo’s second-year safety notches his first career interception this weekend? After what was a pretty disastrous first game of the season, Bishop’s play has evened out some over the last two weeks. He hasn’t made glaring mistakes, but he hasn’t made a game-changing play yet, either.
The Bills have a knack for turnovers, and while linebacker Terrel Bernard has been the man in that department this season, Bishop’s athleticism has to translate at some point. Rattler has thrown just one interception this season. As my dad would say, “he’s due.” Let’s see if Bishop can step up and make a splash on Sunday.
