-
Alaina Getzenberg, ESPN
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The “Cooooop” chants echoing around Highmark Stadium last Sunday during the Buffalo Bills‘ first home game since Week 3 emphasized the excitement surrounding the team’s splash move, made days earlier.
Trading for wide receiver Amari Cooper improves the Bills’ roster. Cooper brings optimism for what this team’s receiving group can be.
The Bills sit at 5-2 with a commanding lead over the rest of the AFC East. Yet, their trip to face the 4-3 Seattle Seahawks (4:05 p.m. ET, FOX) — quarterback Josh Allen‘s first career start in Seattle — brings up lingering questions for all three phases.
Buffalo has shown improvement in recent years toward the end of the season — the Bills were an NFL-best 14-2 in the regular season in December and January from 2021 to 2023 — which is a positive sign. However, the team has also demonstrated some discouraging trends this season — reasons for concern with difficult matchups still to come.
Let’s take a look at: the good, the bad, and the to-be-improved for the Bills to stay atop the AFC East.
Offense
Positive: The Bills lead the league in turnover margin (plus-10), and that is in large part because Allen has yet to thrown an interception.
From 2018 to 2023, no one threw more interceptions than Allen (78), in part because of his style of play. While there have been a couple questionable plays this year that could have turned into picks, Allen has shown an improvement in his this aspect of his game.
“Just becoming a great decision-maker,” coach Sean McDermott said. “[Allen’s] been very intentional about it and it’s important to him. He knows the value of playing clean football that way and protecting the house.”
Allen’s seven straight games with zero interceptions is tied for the fourth-longest streak without a pick (minimum of 15 attempts per game) to start a season since 1970.
Dating to last season, Allen has thrown 217 straight passes without an interception, the longest streak by any active quarterback with a start this season.
Improving in that area was a focus for Allen in the past couple of years.
“Making better decisions,” Allen said. “Understanding the game plan. Knowing where my answers are and utilizing my legs when I need to. But again, just better decision-making — I think that comes with the coaching and [offensive coordinator Joe Brady] and [quarterback coach Ronald Curry] and the quarterback room … going out there with the mindset of trying to play smart and sound football and taking opportunities and shots when they’re there.”
The Seattle defense has only four interceptions. Continuing his streak (with 11 more pass attempts) would make Allen the 12th quarterback since 1978 to start a season with at least 200 passes and no interceptions.
“I would say it really shows his growth over the offseason, like that maturity,” center Connor McGovern said. “Not just always try to force the ball where [it] shouldn’t always go, just check it down or throw the ball out of bounds. People say like, ‘Oh, what is he doing there?’ But he’s just having us fight for another day.”
To work on: Over the past four weeks, slow starts have become a theme for the offense. It has been a problem for the defense as well with the team averaging the worst yards margin per game in the first half since Week 4 (113.3). No team has a lower completion percentage in the first half of games during that stretch (50.9%). The Bills have trailed at halftime four times this season, going on to win two (Cardinals, Titans).
“Sometimes it’s one side of the ball. Sometimes it’s both sides of the ball. If I had the exact answer, I would’ve gotten it changed by now,” McDermott said. “… I don’t have a lot of hair left on my head and I’d like to keep what I got. So, let’s just try and get off to a better start.”
The Bills could get some help in that area with Cooper. The majority of his snaps vs. the Titans were in the second half. The offense came alive, scoring 27 unanswered points with five straight scoring drives.
“Definitely ready for an increased role, definitely ready for more opportunities,” Cooper said. “And I’m ready to pounce on it.”
Cooper has already shown signs of how he can open up things for other players, with rookie Keon Coleman having the best game of his career and Dalton Kincaid turning in multiple big plays. Avoiding hurting themselves with penalties would help — the Bills are tied for the league lead in first-half false starts (nine) and tied for 27th in first-half drops (six).
“I think really in all but maybe one or two games we really haven’t clicked early on and it’s taken us a couple of drives to feel out what the defense is doing and getting into a rhythm,” Allen said. “… It’s a lot of self-inflicted stuff. It’s misreads. It’s pre-snap penalties.”
Defense
Positive: Surviving the injuries. The Bills have shown an ability to play well despite missing multiple starters to injury. While the unit has similar first and second half issues to the offense, the numbers don’t fly off the page. This unit has been able to, as of late, make the crucial stops and plays when necessary.
Nickel cornerback Taron Johnson‘s return to the defense is significant. The defense will take on another challenge this week with both linebacker Terrel Bernard (ankle) — who also was excused during the week because of a personal matter — and rookie defensive tackle DeWayne Carter (wrist) out. Carter’s injury will lead to surgery. Limiting this Seahawks offense, especially without Bernard, will put the scheming and depth of this defense to the test again, especially on the road where the team has suffered both of its losses this season.
Greg Rousseau continuing to put together a solid start to the season is also a significant boost for this unit. He is fourth in the league in first pressures (26).
To work on: Stopping the run. Limiting Seattle’s Kenneth Walker III — who is tied for the third-most touchdowns this season — will be key for the Bills against the Seahawks. The Bills have given up the fourth-most yards before contact per rush this season (3.40) and given up eight rushing plays of 20 yards or more (tied for sixth most).
“We’ve had a lot of guys in and out, so you’ve really got to focus in and pinpoint each individual player and where they need their individual improvements and growth,” defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said. “And credit to our guys. We knew [the Titans] were going to come in here and try to establish a run in for the most part except a few in there, we did a pretty dang good job.”
Special teams
Positive: The trade with the New York Jets for returner Brandon Codrington has been successful so far. There have been a couple of poor decisions, but he also has helped put the Bills’ offense in some good positions. Codrington has the sixth-highest yards per punt return (10.5), and Buffalo as a team has the fourth-highest yards per kick return (31.2).
The Bills also have the highest average starting field position after a kickoff return or touchback (opponents’ 31.3-yard line).
To work on: Kicker Tyler Bass is on thin ice after making 2-of-5 field goal attempts from 40-49 yards this season, while making all of his other field goal attempts. He has missed two PATs.
Last week, the team signed Lucas Havrisik to the practice squad to provide competition for Bass, and he went on to make 28- and 30-yard field goals vs. the Titans. True tests await Bass, but his place seems secure for now.
“We want nothing more than Tyler to be our guy,” general manager Brandon Beane said last week. “But it is a production business, and he knows he’s got to make those kicks. … And so, at the same time, he hasn’t done as well as he or we had hoped.”