The sexiest win against the Chargers for the Bills? Certainly not. That 27-17 victory might have been a lot closer had it not been for some bizarre coaching from Los Angeles’ Anthony Lynn late.
But it’s hard to argue that things aren’t going according to plan for the Bills as the calendar is set to turn the page to December. The word we’re really referencing here is “peaking.”
That’s exactly what is happening for the Bills (8-3) right now. They’re starting to look like a team that might be peaking at the right time, especially on defense.
Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott has talked about this already. While Buffalo, at least defensively, has had their issues early in 2020, the coach mentioned this exact thing just days into November.
“Most coaches would say they want to hit their stride in November, December, when the leaves are coming off the trees,” McDermott said.
Boom, he nailed it and his team is doing exactly that and the easiest place to see the improvement is on his defense.
The Bills held an opponent to their lowest output of the season, 17 points, against the Chargers in Week 12. That is, excluding any opponent named the Jets. In doing that, rookie quarterback Justin Herbert looked nothing like a first-year pro on a record-setting pace, did he? That guy is going to break the record for most rookie QB touchdowns this year, and he looked bad.
After losing Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson via free agency and Star Lotulelei via opt out, the Bills’ front-seven unit didn’t look good throughout the first half of the year. Guys in the middle like Vernon Butler, Quinton Jefferson and Ed Oliver were not consistent and pass rushers weren’t getting in the backfield. AJ Klein, brought in to fit the Lorenzo Alexander mold, left… everything to be desired.
Now even AJ Epenesa is peaking at the right time as the second-round rookie had his best game of the year against the Bolts, much like Klein did. Speaking of linebackers, Tremaine Edmunds is night-and-day different than the guy dealing with a shoulder issue at the start of the 2020 campaign.
In handling the Chargers’ top-five offense on Sunday, the Bills did so without anything more than a decent game for the strength of their defense, too. The secondary? Nothing great out there. Tre’Davious White continued the secondary’s recent turnover surge with a clutch interception, but Chargers wideouts like Keenan Allen and Mike Williams did make contested catches on them through the game. However, looking at the grand scheme of things, the secondary still plays well and can be leaned on.
So the front-seven now coming together to add to that? The Bills could be a serious threat heading toward the playoffs if this keeps up.
Not to mention, the offense, who didn’t play overly well themselves, did still put up 27 points. In a bad game, 27 points? How often in the past would that have been a welcoming sight from this club?
And in that same realm, the Bills’ rushing attack looked pretty good. More often than not, leaning on quarterback Josh Allen is probably going to be the way to go, but even the Kansas City Chiefs have used their rushing attack to win a game or two this season. You might recall one they played in a town named Orchard Park.
Let’s get this straight: The defense and rushing attack, previously clear weaknesses of this team, are hitting their stride as December rolls around? Not to mention that Allen, while playing a little too much “hero ball” against the Chargers wasn’t great, is still stringing solid games together, even if it comes from his legs?
This team is currently trending toward peaking at the right time… Again, especially on defense. And what’s the one saying that’d be good to add here…
Oh yeah, defense wins championships, and while we’re not going to call the Bills a Super Bowl team, a couple of encouraging things are coming together for them right now.
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