Bills hoping to bounce back after bye week

The Buffalo Bills started the season ablaze. 

Reeling off four consecutive wins to begin the year, one of which came in thrilling dramatic fashion in the opener against the Baltimore Ravens, the Bills (4-2 OVR, 2-1 AFCE) seemed destined to pick things up right where they left off following last year’s journey to the AFC championship game.

And though it wasn’t necessarily the prettiest at times – they were winning – which is something Bills fans have grown accustomed to doing on a regular basis in the Josh-Allen era. 

All seemed well at One Bills Drive. Business as usual, as they say.

That is … until it wasn’t.

Flash forward to Week 8 and it’s now been nearly an entire month since the team’s last victory, a 31-19 win over the New Orleans Saints (1-6 OVR, 0-0 NFCS) at Highmark Stadium on September 28.

Winless in October thus far, the Bills are coming off a bye week following consecutive losses in primetime to the New England Patriots (5-2 OVR, 2-0 AFCE) and Atlanta Falcons (3-3 OVR, 0-2 NFCS), and it’s evident that players, coaches, and fans alike are frustrated with the recent results.

Witnessing the rival Patriots leapfrog Buffalo atop the current AFC East standings doesn’t soften the blow, either.

The warts and blemishes that plagued the team in September were masked by victories, but they have since reared an ugly head at the surface for all to see after Buffalo’s “piss poor” performance – Josh Allen’s words, not mine – at home against New England and then once again on the road against Atlanta.

The defense continues to struggle stopping the run, and the unit which once prided itself on turnovers has found the well fairly dry in that department so far, as the team has forced just five turnovers through seven weeks. In comparison, 22 teams in the league have at least seven forced turnovers and seven teams have at least 10.

Meanwhile, offensively, receivers once again appear to be struggling to gain separation in the passing game – just as they did last season – and even coordinator Joe Brady’s usage of personnel and choice of play selection have come into question from time to time in recent weeks.

Needless to say, time away to reflect and recuperate was needed by all during the bye.

“(The bye) gives us some clarity on where we’re at and where we need to move forward in how we can grow – I think that’s the biggest thing. We can kind of slow down and look at things and assess where you’re at – positively and some areas we need to work on, as well,” Bills’ head coach Sean McDermott said when speaking to the media on Wednesday.

“Overall, we’re very capable of performing at a higher level, and like anything else – offensively, defensively, or special teams – it’s the detail and the discipline that leads to execution. And, we just haven’t been there or haven’t been there consistently enough over the last three games, in particular.”

Now, Buffalo must push forward with the remainder of the schedule – and despite the feelings looming around Buffalo following the team’s most recent performances – all of their aspirations are still right in front of them.

As cliché as it may sound, the Bills truly control their own destiny, but it’ll be up to everyone involved to quickly get back on track.

Up next is a road matchup against the Carolina Panthers (4-3 OVR, 0-1 NFCS) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Panthers, despite starting with just one win in their first four games, head into Sunday’s game on the opposite end of the spectrum from Buffalo, having won three straight.

And, although quarterback Bryce Young’s status is in question after suffering an ankle injury in last week’s win over the New York Jets, the Bills will have their hands full with Carolina even if it is backup Andy Dalton leading the way.

The reason? 

Running backs Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle are on a tear.

Dowdle, who was thought to be more of a backup to Hubbard to begin the year, is currently third in the NFL in rushing yards behind only Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor and Dallas’ Javonte Williams with 551. In addition, Hubbard, despite being hampered by injuries, has tallied a respectable 248 rushing yards.

With that said, it’s clear to see what the focal point will be for Carolina’s offense, particularly if Young is unable to suit up.

Therefore, the onus will be on Buffalo’s defense, which currently ranks 30th in the league in rush defense at 156.3 yards allowed per game, to buckle down and find an answer to its current woes.

The team is hopeful players like veteran defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi and defensive end Michael Hoecht, both of whom are coming off six-game PED suspensions this week, can be added solutions to the problem.

Hoecht, who signed a three-year, $24-million deal with the Bills in March, feels ready to be thrown back into the mix after having to watch his teammates battle it out from a television screen to start his tenure with a new team. However, despite his excitement and eagerness to get back on the field, he knows he’ll have to operate within the scheme and not try to do too much in order to make the most impact as quickly as possible. 

“Bad things happen when you sort of chase plays or you’re trying to just do too much and play hero football, like that’s not really how it goes. You know, it’s all over the building … the 1/11th. Good players know how to do their 1/11th and they continue to do so. So, I’m not looking to have this be like a measuring stick by any means. All I’m trying to do is get the playcall, get lined up, be in the right spot, play team football, and when good things happen – celebrate with my teammates,” Hoecht said on Wednesday.

“When you watch those (last two) games, like losing any game, it’s never really about the other team. It’s just like us maybe not executing the things at our highest level, and so going into the bye (week) – that’s what’s really helpful – for that bye to come at the right time for us to reassess and just continue to get better at the stuff that we need to do and just be internally focused because at the end of the day that’s how you win football games. You do what your defense is supposed to do each and every snap, and Larry (Ogunjobi) and I are just going to be kind of another piece of that.”

The Bills’ offense must find solutions, as well.

Failing to score more than 20 points in each of its last two contests, the once high-powered unit led by quarterback Josh Allen looks to be a shell of what it was in years past.

Even when the team has managed to put up points, it looks difficult. So, whether it be relying more on James Cook in the run game or figuring out better ways to utilize the players at the receiver position, something has to give.

The coaches know it. The fans know it … and Allen knows it.

“Listen, we’ve got a lot of work to do. But, this is a team that has a lot of guys that want to do that work, that care for each other, and we’re just excited for another opportunity this week,” Allen said at his weekly press conference on Wednesday.

“Obviously, there’s a lot of directions that you can go to try to clean things up. And, ultimately, (I’m) wanting to go out there and play the best that I can play for this team. It comes down to, again, just going out there and executing each and every given playcall that Joe (Brady) gives, but (also) making sure that throughout the week we’re straining in practice and finishing on plays – sometimes it’s the small things. You learn a lot from these losses that maybe you don’t learn in wins. So, again, we’re just looking forward to trying to correct those and move on.”

Whether or not lessons have been learned during the bye week remains to be seen, but Allen and company will get their first chance to prove themselves when kickoff time rolls around in Charlotte on Sunday.

The team will be looking to avoid its first three-game losing streak since 2018.

Editor’s babble: The Panthers are no pushover, that’s for sure. Much respect for their young and hungry team. Many thanks to John Green for his contributions to our blog. You can also find John on Xwitter @JGreen_PRsports.