NFL
By: Randall Slifer
The Buffalo Bills had their bye week, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Bills lose two games in a row every single year, but it isn’t comforting having to analyze and think about the losses for fourteen whole days.
There are many small issues with the Buffalo Bills, but that could be a sign of good things to come. Defensively, they are not playing sound, simple defense, which is causing a chain-link effect.
When a second-year player, Cole Bishop, is next to a safety who is far slower than the league average, attempting to pick up the slack can lead to broken coverage. Cornerback Tre White will be a Buffalo legend and will be praised in Buffalo long after his career, but he is now a better run defender than a cover defender against today’s wide receivers.
The fortunate thing is that there are some players in place to take their positions and fix the defensive backs room. On the offensive side, one missing link can break an offense. Do the Bills target a wide receiver before the trade deadline passes? I think most of Bill’s community believes it is necessary, and I understand where they are coming from today.
When Dalton Kincaid was declared out and Josh Palmer left the Falcons game with a knee injury, the offensive power dwindled to barely anything. In a league where Baker Mayfield is making an MVP run with all their injuries and Mac Jones is figuring it out with a skeleton crew, something has to give.
Buffalo heads to Carolina this week after their bye, and it is a MUST-get-right game to get back into their groove and focus on getting the one seed come the end of the regular season. Let’s look at how Buffalo can look better, and how Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane can acknowledge there are issues, but it’s not all doom and gloom for Buffalo:
Jordan Hancock starts at Safety
Taylor Rapp has supposedly been battling a knee injury throughout the season, and he took a hit during the Falcons game that has left him not practicing this week after a full week off. Taylor Rapp has arguably been our worst starting defender, and this may be an opportunity to bring in a rookie draft pick to give the defensive backs some juice.
Jordan Hancock was selected in the 5th round by Buffalo last year. He played on a dynamic Ohio State defense and was a versatile piece, playing safety and nickel. Jordan generated a lot of buzz in the offseason for his ability to adapt to the Bills’ defense quickly and for his athleticism.
During the combine last offseason, Jordan Hancock posted a 9.82 RAS (Relative Athletic Score). He ran a 4.45 forty-yard dash along a 1.52 10-yard split. He has a vertical jump of 41 ½ inches and a broad jump of over ten feet. This type of athleticism is exactly what Buffalo needs.
Max Hairston is working his way back into the lineup, and he should start a game within the next three weeks. The starting defensive backs are going from:
CB: Tre White S: Cole Bishop S: Taylor Rapp CB: Christian Benford to:
CB: Maxwell Hairston S: Cole Bishop S: Jordan Hancock CB: Christian Benford
Makes them ten times faster, harder hitting, and possesses the ability to turn the ball over better. Buffalo relies on turnovers, but they rank 20th with only 6. This is not just an upgrade; it is pertinent to the defense if they are serious about making it to the Super Bowl this year.
Buffalo scores on over 75% of their drives
The Buffalo Bills come out on their first drive and typically knock it out of the park. After the first drive, it seems to stall out, and then they can always rely on their second-half adjustments. There are a lot of folks questioning Joe Brady and how he operates.
Joe Brady has done a great job at reigning in Josh Allen’s turnovers over the past two years, but now they are getting to the point where Josh Allen may be too limited. From 2020 to 2023, Josh Allen threw 27 touchdowns of 20+ air yards or more. Since 2024, Josh Allen has only thrown one of those touchdowns. There is a middle ground to make everyone happy.
The Carolina Panthers allow 60% of touchdowns to opponents when they are in the red zone. This game has a good chance for Buffalo to score a lot of points, and that will calm a lot of the offensive nerves.
James Cook has not been utilized enough in the past two games, and the deep passing needs to be efficient. The Panthers are the worst team against defending tight ends because their linebackers in the middle are the weakest spot on defense. This is a get-right game for the offense, depending on the veterans.
Josh Allen, James Cook, Khalil Shakir, and Dalton Kincaid should be the leading stat leaders for this game. The middle of the field will be open, and all four of those players can take advantage of it all game. If Buffalo’s offense goes five for six in the red zone and puts up 30-35 points in this game, then everyone can recalibrate and really figure out what this team needs to get to the Super Bowl.
Buffalo heads to Carolina and faces off Sunday at 1:00 EST/12:00 CST. Vegas has Buffalo as a seven-point favorite with the point total of 45.5. Andy Dalton may be in line to start, as I suspect the point total will be lower because the Panthers may start slowly on offense. Buffalo has Kansas City the week after, and when I say this is a MUST-get-right game, it is hard to emphasize it any further. As always, Go Bills.
