The Buffalo Bills’ defensive line has been dominant through the first five weeks of the 2022 season. With their offseason additions of Von Miller and DaQuan Jones, they set the tone early by opening up against the Los Angeles Rams and getting to Matthew Stafford seven times.
This defense has accumulated 13 sacks in the month of September, and they are on pace to double that number by the end of October. This is a big difference from this time last year — in 2021, the Bills were averaging 2.5 sacks per game, but this year, they are averaging 3.2.
These numbers last year were from blitzing at a 26.0% rate (according to Pro Football Reference), this year they are averaging at 13.5%. The Bills are getting more sacks, and blitzing less.
To put it simply, the Bills have a much more dominant front four. Last year, they were taking away players from their secondary to pressure the quarterback.
Let’s dive into the film to diagnose how this Bills defense has improved and increased their production from last year to this year, especially as this defense prepares to face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.