The Morning After: Buffalo Bills Trending Upward Heading to Week 4
Bills fans who may have felt uneasy about the two quick touchdowns Washington scored within a three-minute span of the second quarter that turned a 21-0 lead into a one-touchdown advantage were soon relieved when their favorite team responded by regaining control and romping to a 43-21 win on Sunday.
Today, in our weekly Morning After feature, an examination of their current state should provide more comfort for the fans of the team that suddenly sits alone at the top of the AFC East standings with a 2-1 record.
Offensive line improving
Coach Sean McDermott and guard Jon Feliciano were quick to point out that the offensive line, which experienced more than its share of struggles through the first two weeks, is not where it needs to be yet.
But the unit is a lot closer to Nirvana than it was the week before, and the proof was in the statistics: Quarterback Josh Allen going without a sack on 44 dropbacks and taking just six hits total; and the running game clicking enough to keep the defense off balance and produce 60 yards on just 13 attempts for leading rusher Zack Moss, who wasn't even activated for the season opener.
Moss sensed early in the game that it was going to be a different deal for Allen when he scrambled to find Emmanuel Sanders for a 28-yard touchdown to cap the first possession.
"That one proved to me that he definitely would not be out here playing around today and he was going to be on point," Moss said, "because that was a tough throw to make and he made it on the first drive of the game."
Feliciano knew it by the time the Bills took possession with 26 seconds remaining in the first half with a 10-point lead and decided to try for more instead of having Allen take a knee.
"We work [the] two-minute [drill] so much," Feliciano said, "and [the coaches] have confidence in Josh and us up front to give him time to execute the two-minute drive like we did."
The half ended with Tyler Bass connecting on a 48-yard, wind-aided field goal, and when Buffalo went 93 yards on 17 plays for a touchdown after stopping Washington on its first series of the third quarter, the competitive portion of Sunday's game was over.
Relationships matter
Allen provided a glimpse into just how tight the bond is between the players and the coaches when he revealed that offensive coordinator Brian Daboll lost his grandmother last week, leading to his players rallying around him.
"My heart aches for him," Allen said, "and I think, you know, our guys on offense would say the same thing. "He cares so much about football and so much about being the best version of himself for us to put ourselves in situations to be successful. He takes everything very personal about this game, and that’s why we love him.
"He’s an extremely fiery competitor, and when you see a guy hurting, you know, guys rally around that. And they want to try to help ease that pain and ease that tension, so it’s never an easy situation."
Defense holds
Despite Washington's three touchdowns, an argument can be made that Buffalo's defense was every bit as good as the previous week in a 35-0 shutout over the Miami Dolphins.
The Football Team finished with just 290 net offensive yards and 13 first downs. They were 2-for-11 on third down and turned it over twice on interceptions (by Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde), once on a fumble and another time on downs.
Their first score came on a 73-yard catch-and-run by Antonio Gibson. Their second came after the Bills set them up with a short field after failing to field the kickoff after Washington's first TD. Their third came in garbage time.
Through three weeks, the Bills have allowed just 252.7 yards per game, good for fourth in the league. They also rank fourth among teams that have played three games in points allowed, with 44.
Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.
