2. Can the offense stay consistent?
After their 21-point victory over the Rams, the Bills became the first team to not punt in three out of the last four regular season games. They are the first team to record a stat like that since the league began tracking individual punts in 1939. Translation—the offense was humming against the Rams. Buffalo scored on all their trips to the red zone, Josh Allen completed over 83% of his passes and the group averaged 7.12 yards per play, which is the second-best in the NFL through Week 1.
It’s one thing to have this much offensive success against a team who struggled on defense last season. It’s another to convert 90% of their third down opportunities against a team who has DT Aaron Donald, LB Bobby Wagner and CB Jalen Ramsey. Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey says keeping things consistent week over week comes down to execution.
“We were able to protect well up front and were really able to execute what we were calling,” Dorsey said of their success against LA. “Guys were doing a great job in terms of running routes, being there when they needed to be there for Josh in terms of spacing, in terms of in and out of cuts and Josh making good decisions.”
The Bills will have a tough test on Monday when they face another defensive line who can pressure the quarterback. The Titans led the NFL in pressure rate (16.7%) in their Sunday loss to the Giants. DT Jeffery Simmons and LB Rashad Weaver posted two sacks each. They also had the ninth-highest blitz percentage at 30%.
“They pose just as big of a problem,” Dorsey said comparing the Titans pass rush to the Rams. “Jeffery Simmons does a great job up front for them, creates a lot of issues matchup wise and from a protection standpoint, from a run game standpoint. So, it’s a big challenge for us this week facing a guy like that.
“But also, they’ve done a great job surrounding him with guys that can also win. So, it’s not just him up front. They’ve got a lot of talent across the board on that defense that pose a lot of problems to offenses.”
