The Buffalo Bills will go into the 2023 NFL season with arguably one of the best offenses in the league thanks to quarterback Josh Allen and wide receiver Stefon Diggs. In what should make Bills fans happy, they could be boasting a top defense as well.
In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, boldly predicted that Buffalo’s defense will bounce back to be a top-five unit this season. From reading the piece, it seems that PFF is basing the rankings in terms of expected points allowed per play. For context, the Bills ranked ninth in the metric in 2022 and second in 2021.
The quality of Buffalo’s defense will depend on how much linebacker Von Miller plays this season. In unfortunate news for Bills fans, Miller will miss the first four games of this season due to being on the PUP list. Buffalo will be relying on players like edge-rusher Greg Rousseau, cornerback Tre’Davious White, and safety Jordan Poyer to be put of the bounceback as well.
Here’s what PFF had to say about this prediction for the Bills:
“Last season, Buffalo’s defense ranked ninth in expected points allowed per play. The year prior, the unit placed second. A lot of the focus in 2022 was on Von Miller and his impact, but the Bills’ secondary was banged up virtually from start to finish. If they can have a healthier season on the back end in 2023, the unit could be dramatically improved even without significant changes to personnel.
The expected development of young players such as Christian Benford and Kaiir Elam — both rookies a year ago — and the potential bounce-back of Tre’Davious White another year removed from injury could also move the needle in a major way.”
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