For the third time this season, a team executed a game plan to beat the Dallas Cowboys and do it handily. After a few big misses early from Dallas, the Buffalo Bills settled in, ran the ball down the throat of the defense, and controlled the game. That has been the theme of attacking Dan Quinn’s unit successfully.
The Bills played back on defense, allowing Dallas to run the ball or throw underneath but eliminating deep shots. Buffalo primarily sent only four rushers, keeping seven defenders back in quarterback Dak Prescott’s throwing lanes. This is the same type of plan that the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers employed in their victories over the Cowboys.
Many of the major takeaways from this game have been chronic issues, but the team must again see what they can do to get better at stopping opponents from executing these strategies. The playoffs are upcoming, and how well they clean up these deficiencies could be crucial to the type of playoff run they go on.