Defense still leaky
The 2020 Bills defense has put us through a roller coaster, haven’t they? Following halftime and even early in the game, Buffalo’s former strong suit just wasn’t getting the job done. There were missed tackles and blown coverages that turned into scores. It’s not the near-perfect unit we’re used to.
The biggest issue that looks to be hurting the Bills is anything over the middle of the field. Dean Marlowe saw some time at slot cornerback, and we saw a decent amount of linebacker AJ Klein in the game, too. The Bills’ usual nickel defender in Taron Johnson has struggled this season.
But on the bright side, this one did end with the Bills defense getting some big plays late, so there’s certainly hope that consistency can follow. Among huge plays later in the game for Buffalo’s defense, there was a tackle for loss on a fourth-down attempt by the Raiders via defensive tackle Ed Oliver, cornerback Josh Norman punched out a fumble and scored which then turned into points from the offense. At the time of Norman’s play, the Raiders certainly still had some life.
Additionally, Darryl Johnson also flashed, sacking Carr on third down to end a drive (which seemed like it should have been a fumble too), and then once again, an actual fumble, the first of Quinton Jefferson’s career. He sacked Carr and the ball popped out.
There’s cracks in this unit, but based on their past successes and game-changing plays made against the Raiders, all hope should not be lost.