3 Things We Learned From the Buffalo Bills After Week 1

The Buffalo Bills let a ripe opportunity slip away on Monday Night Football and fell to the New York Jets in overtime. What takeaways did we have from Buffalo?

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1. Turnovers Remain Issue For Josh Allen

Josh Allen is expected to be the biggest leader for the Buffalo Bills, and it’s hard to see them finally getting over the hump if he’s making decisions like he did on Monday night. Four turnovers in a big game against a division rival won’t quiet down your critics. The Bills have primarily been viewed as a Super Bowl contender if you look at their odds, but for what reason? This group has continued to underdeliver, and a big reason for that is their performances in big games. Allen needs to learn how to take care of the football and not make poor reads downfield. This was just a regular-season game in September, but we’ve seen him make similar reads in January, and that’s becoming more and more the norm. 

2. The Pass Rush Is Strong, While the Run Defense Is Swiss Cheese

Even with no Von Miller in the fold, the Bills had no issue getting to the quarterback in Week 1. Leonard Floyd looked strong, while Ed Oliver is looking to take that next step and delivered a sack in the opener. The pass rush appears to be the least of Buffalo’s concerns on defense right now. The center of the coverage on that side of the football is highlighted by their continued poor run defense. That’s been a central theme for this group on defense, and they need to clean up if they have any hopes of being a top team in the AFC. The Bills allowed multiple explosive runs to Breece Hall, and there has been no consistency from them in that regard. Teams aren’t afraid to pound the rock against Buffalo, and if they continue to struggle to stop it, that will only continue. 

3. Diggs-Allen Connection Is Pristine 

Even though we had some choice words for Josh Allen above, that doesn’t mean it was all bad for him on Monday night against the Jets. Allen and wide receiver Stefon Diggs remain one of the best quarterback-pass catcher combinations in the NFL. We’ve all seen the headlines this offseason regarding Diggs and the so-called “trouble in paradise,” but that didn’t show up on the field in the Bills opener. Diggs caught ten balls for 102 yards and a touchdown, highlighting that he still boasts the separation and ball skills to be an elite wideout. Allen’s connection with Diggs was the highlight for the Bills offense in what was otherwise a dismal performance. 

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