The Buffalo Bills are regrouping following their first loss of the season on Tuesday to the Tennessee Titans. A lopsided evening to forget and, hopefully, one to build on.
The Bills looked uncharacteristic and out of rhythm in a matchup that was uncertain to take place following roller-coaster weeks of positive COVID tests from Titans players and personnel. Buffalo ended up being blown out, 42-16.
But ever the optimist and football guy, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said his team will still find positives out of the loss. Buffalo will use what happened in Tennessee as a learning experience.
“As we go through through the week and certainly the next game, and on through the season, and these are the moments that make you stronger,” McDermott said on Monday via video conference. “You learn from adverse times in your life, and I’ve said to the players before- I’d rather have a player that’s been through things, been through stuff in their lives, than a player who hasn’t because I know they’ve had to deal with some stuff in their life. And I think that builds that resiliency, and that mental fortitude if you will, that mental toughness that we all need to accomplish what we’re trying to accomplish here.”
Overall, the Bills defense this season has yet to reach the level of performance and consistency the team has been known for on that side of the ball in recent memory. Assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier detailed on Monday exactly where the Bills defense has come up short.
“We’ve struggled to play good man coverage at times & even in our zone coverage,” said Frazier said. “We haven’t been able to put together a consistent rush with good coverage, so we’ll have to continue to work on it to get there.”
Moving forward, the Bills will have to put the Titans in the rearview mirror almost immediately. A big test awaits ahead and the Bills and Frazier know it. The defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs will visit Buffalo next in Week 6. But again, there’s another silver lining to be found: A strong performance against the Chiefs will make any shortcomings earlier this year by Buffalo’s defense a distant memory.
“Limit the explosives and try to take the football away. Those are the priorities when playing an Andy Reid offense so you can limit their time on the field,” Frazier said. “Those guys are pretty good, that’s for sure. The good thing is we get to line up again and play another game.”
[lawrence-related id=71443,71430,71421,71389]