Top guys were missed
Don’t expect Sean McDermott to use this as an excuse, but all over the field it was very clear: The Bills missed several of their top players who missed this one due to injury.
As mentioned, Buffalo’s top corners in White and Wallace were out. Norman played bad… but once again so did Taron Johnson, but that’s nothing new. In the slot, Wallace wasn’t there to provide any help and the Titans totally took advantage of Johnson, who’s been picked on in pretty much every game.
Along with White, Buffalo’s defense clearly missed linebacker Matt Milano as well. Titans tight end Jonnu Smith had five catches, two of which went for touchdowns. Milano is one of the best shutdown players on tight ends in the NFL. There was going to be a drop off, but it was a huge one.
Finally, there was a big miss on offense in wide receiver John Brown. Some guys did step up in this one such as Gabriel Davis, but it’s a different beast on Buffalo’s offense when they have such depth at the No. 2 wide receiver spot. It was noticed.