Bills vs. Commanders Notebook: What We Learned From Blowout Win
The Buffalo Bills went into FedEx Field on Sunday and utterly dismantled the Washington Commanders. The 37-3 victory has left the Bills at 2-1 after Week 3’s festivities. Ultimately, it was a masterful performance of complementary football.
Buffalo hopes the big win can continue building momentum for next week’s date with the Miami Dolphins. What can fans take away from the victory?
1. Elite players can win games, seemingly by themselves.
There have been some question marks surrounding the ancillary pieces on this Bills offense, but Buffalo went into the year feeling good for two reasons: quarterback Josh Allen and receiver Stefon Diggs.
They’ll go as far as the duo will take them, and on Sunday, that was pretty far.
Allen put together a second consecutive quality outing, completing 20-of-32 passes for 218 yards and a score. His lone interception was an arm punt on third-and-20. He was also a force on the ground, scrambling for 46 yards and a touchdown. His ability to demoralize defenses by erasing pressure with his legs is part of what makes him special.
Diggs had himself a day, too. He was easily Buffalo’s best receiver. He was targeted 12 times, eight more than any other Bills weapon. Diggs’ eight catches and 111 yards unsurprisingly led the team. He found himself on the favorable side of Allen’s out-of-structure fireworks multiple times.
Sometimes, elite talent just wins the day. At least on offense, that felt like it was the case.
2. The pass rush came to play.
The Bills’ pass rush is impressive. Commanders quarterback Sam Howell’s biggest weakness is a proclivity for taking sacks.
It was a recipe for a game-wrecking performance from the Buffalo defense.
Howell was sacked nine times! Buffalo was able to hone in on his tendency to hold onto the football, relentlessly bringing pressure and confusing him on the back end.
In total, he lost 45 yards off of sacks, stunting a number of Washington drives and fueling his four-interception performance.
Defensive tackles DaQuan Jones and Ed Oliver each had 1.5 sacks. Defensive ends A.J. Epenesa and Greg Rousseau each had one, too. Edge rusher Leonard Floyd shared the team lead of two sacks with linebacker Terrel Bernard. Whether it be via blitz, great coverage, or simply winning reps, it was a banner day for the Bills’ front seven.
Further, the Commanders’ offensive line struggled, and Buffalo easily won the battle in the trenches. Continuing to ramp up the pressure against mediocre quarterbacks will only make the rest of the defense’s job easier.
3. The Terrel Bernard experiment is going swimmingly.
The aforementioned Bernard filled the box score on Sunday, further proving head coach Sean McDermott right. The new starter has had some bumps in the road, but Week 3 may have been his best game as a pro.
Along with the two sacks, Bernard had seven tackles, an interception, and helped recover a fumble. It was the type of performance that earns someone AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Don’t be surprised if the young linebacker earns himself some hardware.
Consistent high-level play from Bernard could give Buffalo the conference’s best duo of inside linebackers. Alongside Matt Milano, the Bills are winning comfortably over the middle of the field, in no small part due to Bernard’s contributions.
His performance was simply a cherry on top of a big day from the Buffalo defense.
