Three questions: The big key, unsung Bills heroes and a lookahead to Baltimore Ravens
Mark Gaughan answers three questions on our minds after The Buffalo Bills' 31-7 AFC wild-card victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Three questions on our minds after The Buffalo Bills' 31-7 AFC wild-card victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday:
1. What was most impressive aspect of the Bills’ demolition of the Broncos?
The Bills’ ability to run the ball against a strong Denver defense set the table for the blowout.Denver entered the game third in the NFL in rushing yards allowed, at 96 per game. The Broncos were second in yards per carry allowed at 3.87 an attempt. They were No. 1 against the run in the “value over average” metric, which factors every run play situation and the competition played.
The Bills’ running backs carried 33 times for 167 yards, a 5.06-yard average. On first down, the Bills’ running backs carried 18 times for 111 yards, a 6.16-yard average. Impressive.
“We never really had an answer to stop their running game,” Denver coach Sean Payton said. “Whether it was the fits inside or the support (from the secondary), we’ll have to see. That’s a broad-based question, because they ran a lot of different runs, so I’m sure there are a lot of different reasons.”
2. Who deserves some unsung hero awards for the Bills?
Let’s start with linebackers Terrel Bernard and Matt Milano.The Bills were ready for the Denver run scheme. Bernard had a couple nice run-stuffs in the hole. On the third drive, he got into coverage in the deep middle of the field and deflected a pass for Courtland Sutton for an incompletion. Later in the drive, he smelled out a receiver screen and stuffed dangerous Marvin Mims for a 3-yard loss.
Milano looked fast in pursuit on an early sack of Bo Nix on the Broncos' second drive. He was valuable in the second half as a spy in the middle of the field, preventing scrambles in the Bills’ dime defense.
Taron Johnson wasn’t in the middle of many big plays, but he deserves credit for his toughness by returning from a big blow on a tackle he made early in the game that hurt his neck.
3. What's the initial reaction to the Bills' matchup with the Baltimore Ravens?
The perspective here likely is the same as is held by most Bills fans. It is a bad matchup.The Bills are much improved from where they were way back in Week 4, when they were dominated in Baltimore and lost to the Ravens 35-10. The Bills’ offense is in a much better place than at that early point in the season, and it has added Amari Cooper to the mix. Even when he is not catching passes, he is a weapon who demands respect. In addition, the Bills were without injured Taron Johnson, Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard for that game on Sept. 29.
Nevertheless, Baltimore has the best offense in the NFL by every measure. Containing the Ravens’ combination of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry is impossible. The Bills’ nickel defensive front is susceptible to a power-rushing attack.
The Bills will need a great game from Josh Allen and some of the season's best performances from some of their defensive stars such as Von Miller, Ed Oliver, Milano and Bernard.