The Buffalo Bills defense, if you don’t know, is very, very good.
Many have been written highlighting the Bills’ domination on the defensive side of the ball against the Washington Commanders on Sunday. And now, NFL’s Next Gen Stats is also supporting that with a look at the pass rush generated by Buffalo’s defense on Washington quarterback Sam Howell.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, when Howell dropped back 39 times during the game, the Bills pressured him 27 times. That is the 2nd-highest pressure rate in a game in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2018):
The Bills pressured Sam Howell on 27 of 39 dropbacks (69.2%), the 2nd-highest pressure rate in a game in the NGS era.
Seven different Bills defenders generated 4+ pressures, led by Ed Oliver (7).#BUFvsWAS | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/E2UmCy78PQ
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 24, 2023
The Bills defensive line was phenomenal, generating pressure on Howell to not only sack him but have him throw four interceptions during the game as well.
Defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who NFL Next Gen Stats has showcased before as an excellent pass rusher, led Buffalo defenders with seven QB pressures, with edge rusher Shaq Lawson right behind with six.
Multiple edge rushers including A.J. Epenesa, who had a pick six against the Commanders, Leonard Floyd who converted the pressures to multiple sacks, Greg Rousseau, and Daquan Jones all had five QB pressures.
In total, seven Bills defenders had four or more QB pressures against a Commanders offensive line that was not expected to be good.
Nevertheless, the quarterback pressure Howell faced would suffocate any quarterback. The Bills front four will look to continue to generate pressure against the division leading Miami Dolphins’ offensive line in Week 4.
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