4 reasons the Commanders should be concerned about the Bills

Which four things should concern the Commanders most about the Bills?

The Bills offense averages 5.4 yards per play

The 5.4 yards per offensive play is 8th best in the NFL after two weeks. Running back James Cook (Dalvin’s younger brother) is having huge success in the first two weeks, averaging 5.8 yards on his 29 rushing attempts, totaling 169 yards.

The combination of James Cook moving the chains and opening up the possibility of the play-action passing game should greatly concern the Commanders defensive personnel.

Josh Allen has the physical ability to win any week

After Josh Allen threw three interceptions in the Bills opener against the Jets, all Allen did last week was the exact opposite. He passed for four touchdowns, had no interceptions, for 274 yards and a passer rating of 124.5. The Commanders’ pass-rushing personnel must maintain lane integrity. It does more harm than good to simply rush wide, leaving gaping holes for Allen. He is explosive and can easily exploit a team whose pass-rushing is undisciplined. Allen can then extend plays by either finding a receiver downfield or utilizing his open-field running ability.

The Washington pass defense gave up huge completions last week

Last week against Denver, the Commanders defense surrendered on the first three Broncos possessions, drives of 61, 75 and 90 yards. In addition, each culminated in a Broncos touchdown. After the Commanders defense had seemed to take control of the game, they again succumbed, yielding 61 and 87 yards on the Broncos’ last two possessions. Against Denver, the Commanders allowed three passes each gaining at least  50+ yards.

The Bills pass defense is overlooked

Sam Howell being sacked ten times in two games ties for third worst in the NFL with Chicago’s Justin Fields. Only Houston’s C.J. Stroud (11) and the NYG Daniel Jones (12) have been sacked more often. In addition, Howell endured 8 quarterback hits last week against Denver.

The Bills’ defense has yielded only 26 first downs, which ties for second-best in the NFL. Their pass defense has also only surrendered 30 completions, which is third-best in the league. They are getting off of the field, having only allowed 17 passing first downs and five rushing first downs, which is tied for 5th best. Also, the Bills have permitted only a 73.2 passer rating thus far, which is 5th best.

Commanders coach Ron Rivera: Bills game ‘pretty big’

Rivera understands how big Sunday’s game is for his Commanders.

Ron Rivera wasn’t messing around Wednesday about his next opponent.

He wasn’t pulling a Lou Holtz coach’s speak, either. For those of you old enough, Holtz, when he was coaching Notre Dame, and they were one of the top programs in the country, would greatly exaggerate his opponent at every opportunity.

Notre Dame could be a 35-point favorite, but Holtz would declare, “Navy is the most disciplined team we will play this season. They are a quality opponent; they are a well-coached football team. They are a football team who could beat anyone in America.” It was comical until it got old.

Rivera was asked what he thought about the Bills game this Sunday. “Pretty big,” he responded. “They’re one of the elite teams in the AFC.”

“This is one of the elite teams coming in. We’ve got to gear up, we’ve got to practice, prepare, get ourselves ready to go, and give ourselves an opportunity to see where we stand.”

This was not Lou Holtz’s coachspeak because Holtz was not believable. Rivera was being objective. He was being honest. The Bills didn’t turn it over last week, so they destroyed the Raiders 38-10. Rivera was believable because anyone who follows the NFL to some degree realizes the Bills really are one of the elite teams.

When told it was an announced sellout for this week’s Bills game, Rivera didn’t shy away from the moment. “I think that’s great, I really do. I think it’s going to be very exciting for our players. This is going to be a good crowd. It will probably have a few more Buffalo fans because they do travel very well. Hopefully, we will have a lot more Commanders fans out there and drown them out. I’m looking forward to the environment.”

Rivera mentioned that while he was playing for the Bears (1984-92), this is the crowd environment he remembered during the Joe Gibbs years (1981-92).

Rivera added as the Commanders win more, he sincerely believes more of the fan base will return. Sunday would be a great time to continue winning.