Von Miller wasn’t kidding a couple weeks ago when, following a 37-point blowout over the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars, he said no one in the Buffalo Bills locker room should be getting too full of themselves.
“It’s working perfectly for us right now, but at some point we’re gonna run into some adversity, like all teams do, and it’s gonna show the type of team that we have,” Miller said.
Little did Miller know – or maybe he did – that adversity was going to hit him because he has since been suspended four games by the NFL. And for his teammates, adversity has indeed hit them like a runaway train, too, leading to back-to-back losses to a pair of AFC powerhouses, Baltimore and Houston.
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In Sunday’s dramatic 23-20 loss to the Texans, with Miller and several other defensive stalwarts absent, Josh Allen played one of the worst games of his magnificent career, completing only nine of 30 passes for 131 yards. It wasn’t all on Allen as his offensive line struggled to protect him, and his receivers and offensive coordinator Joe Brady did nothing to help him. Perhaps the most telling statistic was that he was pressured on 16 drop backs and finished a woeful 1 of 14 for 24 yards on those plays.
Those are staggering numbers for a player who was just named AFC offensive player of the month for September and was the early frontrunner for the NFL MVP award.
The Bills’ struggles were a discussion point on the Sunday Night Football pregame show. Chris Simms said, “I’m concerned about their offense a little. It’s two weeks in a row that Josh Allen had to carry the burden too much … are they going to have a receiver that they can rely on and become a real No. 1 target for their offense and be consistent all year?”
To which former Patriots star Devin McCourty added, “I think what Sean McDermott said is the problem in Buffalo. I don’t really think they’ve thought about that situation outside of, ‘We have (Allen), he’ll make it happen.’”
Now the Bills have a third consecutive road test next Monday night when they go to New York to play Aaron Rodgers and the 2-3 Jets.
Is it time to panic? Naturally, Allen said no, but he also realizes the Bills have to figure out a way forward because things have gone off the rails.
“I think my guys did a great job early on in the season, found ways to get open, and Joe’s been calling it well,” Allen said. “It comes down to me executing at a high level and just didn’t do that enough tonight. I’ve got to be better.”
As if it hasn’t already been difficult enough for the Bills to pass, now they’re facing a Jets defense that ranks second in the NFL in passing yards allowed at 143 per game. If the Bills can’t get a rushing attack working in this game, the offense is going to be in for a long night against an opponent that typically gives Josh Allen and company fits.
If the Bills’ injury situation on defense doesn’t improve, Aaron Rodgers, who is coming off a three-interception game and will be loaded for bear at home on a Monday night. He could have a big night, especially now that he and Garrett Wilson finally got on the same page in the loss to the Vikings. Buffalo’s pass defense struggled mightily in Houston as its youth and lack of quality depth really showed up.
It has become pretty clear that the Bills’ passing game is severely limited, and going against an outstanding pass defense like the Jets, it’s only going to continue to be a slog for Allen and his band of misfit receivers. James Cook, who had a strong game in the loss to the Texans, will have to be the focal point as both a runner and as a receiver. If the Bills’ line can win up front and create some space, Cook can keep the offense on schedule, and just as important, it would help Allen to use Cook as a checkdown option.
▶ QB Aaron Rodgers: The 40-year-old played terribly in London as he threw a career-high tying three interceptions, one that was returned for a TD, another that ended the Jets’ final possession when they were driving for a potential winning score. If anything, this means Rodgers is going to be pretty motivated to make amends, especially when a win would move the Jets into first place.
▶ RB Breece Hall: He looked like he was on his way to stardom when he bounced back so well last season after his rookie year was cut short by a knee injury. But five games into the season Hall has rushed for only 197 yards and is barely averaging three yards per carry. He does have 21 catches for 148 yards
▶ WR Garrett Wilson: After a surprisingly mundane first four games, Wilson was targeted 22 times against the Vikings and caught 13 for 101 yards and a TD.
▶ WR Allen Lazard: Rodgers’ old buddy from Green Bay caught a TD in London and he has 20 catches for 240 yards and a team-high four TDs.
▶ DE Will McDonald: He is becoming one of the best edge rushers in the NFL and his sack against the Vikings gave him six for the season.
▶ LB Quincy Williams: He’s often overlooked in the Jets defense but he made 139 tackles last season to rank second behind fellow LB CJ Mosley, and this year he leads the Jets with 37 and also has a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
▶ CB Sauce Gardner: He’s part of one of the best CB duos in the NFL and he is capable of taking any WR out of a game. Given the Bills’ weakness at that position, Josh Allen probably won’t be throwing his way too often.
▶ CB D.J. Reed: And the problem with avoiding Gardner is then Allen would have to test Reed who is every bit as sticky on coverage. He has five pass breakups in five games.
Both teams are coming into the game riding two-game losing streaks and while that isn’t exactly breaking news for the Jets, it is for the Bills. They haven’t lost three regular season games in succession since 2018, Josh Allen’s rookie season, and the last season in which the Bills did not make the playoffs. Buffalo’s passing game will have all kinds of trouble, but Cook could be the key, and the Bills’ defense might be getting back a couple key pieces. However, the Bills will also be dealing with the Jets’ decision to fire head coach Robert Saleh, so now the new coach bump, which is so often a thing when teams change coaches, could be a factor.
Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. Monday at MetLife Stadium
The Bills have opened as a 2.5-point favorite for the game. The money line is Bills minus-145 (bet $145 to win $100) and Jets plus-120 (bet $100 to win $120). The over-under is 41.5.
▶ Cable/Network TV: ESPN. The game will be available on Spectrum channel 24 in Rochester, Syracuse and Albany; channel 25 in Binghamton; channel 29 in Elmira; channel 30 in Buffalo; and channel 43 in Utica.
▶ Online streaming services: With your TV subscription you can watch on your phone or tablet on ESPN.com, the ESPN mobile app, and ESPN Deportes. You can also watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV – you must watch on your phone or tablet.
▶ TV streaming: You can also stream if you have subscriptions to Spectrum, DirecTV, fuboTV, NFL+, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV.
You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on channel 225 (Bills feed) and channel 226 (Jets feed), and on traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, and he has written numerous books about the history of the team. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana.https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
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