1st and 5 recap: How Concerning is the Buffalo Bills Defense?

The Bills opened the season with a win, but the defense left real questions. On today’s episode of 1st and 5, Dave and Greg broke down how concerning it really is, including:

• What Jim Leonhard said about the defense, and whether it should worry you
• The young pieces up front that flashed, led by Deone Walker
• Why the pass rush and secondary are the real questions
• Whether the Bills should trade for a cornerback
• How their AFC playoff predictions are holding up after one week

What Jim Leonhard Said About the Defense

Jim Leonhard met the media on Monday, and Dave came away impressed with how straightforward he was. Leonhard opened with “we have work to do,” owned the mistakes, and admitted he got impatient with the blitzes and botched the two-minute defense. Dave’s point was that after years of rarely hearing from Bobby Babich under Sean McDermott, it’s refreshing to have a coordinator who tells you exactly what he sees.

Greg went to the bigger question, whether the Bills have the right players up front for the scheme Leonhard wants to run. He thinks Leonhard is still figuring that out as a first-time NFL coordinator, and that the honest answer on the personnel is that the jury is still out. Both preached patience, since this is a brand-new system and Week 1 can be an outlier, but the concern is real.

The Young Front Flashed, Led by Deone Walker

It wasn’t all bad. Dave’s bright spots were up front, where he liked Greg Rousseau and thought Bradley Chubb played well and drew enough attention to help spring Rousseau off the other edge. Greg added Ed Oliver, who quietly commanded the line without gaudy stats, and Dorian Williams, who controlled the snaps at linebacker in a pleasant surprise. See whose stock was up and whose was down in Week 1.

Deone Walker drew the most praise from both. Greg rewatched his All-22 and kept seeing the second-year lineman take on two blockers and win, capped by a fourth-quarter sack. They see him as a player to watch all season, since a young lineman who keeps drawing double teams frees Rousseau and Oliver to get home.

Dave flagged one moment off the field that stuck with him, and that was Joe Brady handing Ed Oliver the game ball after the win rather than an obvious pick like Rousseau or Josh Allen. To Greg, that kind of awareness says a lot about how this staff is running the locker room.

The Pass Rush and Secondary Are the Real Questions

The pass rush is the first real concern. It only got home when C.J. Stroud held the ball, and both agreed the group was sold as more aggressive than it looked. The point they kept coming back to is that Leonhard’s exotic fronts only work if they create quick pressure, because moving all those pieces around leaves the secondary covering too long. If the Bills can’t pressure the Lions on Thursday, that’s a problem.

Dave turned to the secondary, which took the most heat. Terrel Bernard got washed out on several plays, including the Nico Collins touchdown where he was a half-second slow to break. The corner room is thin, and even Christian Benford drew criticism, which reopened the question of whether he can shut down a true number one on his own or always needs help.

It got thinner with Cole Bishop slightly banged up with a knee and groin. Dave would much rather see those reps go to Jalon Kilgore, with Jordan Hancock ready if needed instead of Hamlin. The good news is a ten-day stretch after Thursday to sort it out.

Should the Bills Trade for a Cornerback?

Greg raised the obvious question that a thin corner room invites, and Dave would be shocked if the Bills don’t add one by the deadline. His reasoning is that Brandon Beane always reacts to in-season needs, the way he landed Amari Cooper last year and chased Darius Slay. 

Neither sees a scheme fit in someone like Tre’Davious White, a zone corner built for the old McDermott defense, so they expect Beane to find a veteran who fits what Leonhard runs. Even as insurance for January, both think another body makes sense.

How the Playoff Predictions Are Holding Up

The playoff-prediction check-in was next, the segment Greg had been waiting for. Dave is even more confident in the Bills as his number one seed after the win, while Greg still has them third and the Bengals first, which he puts on schedule more than talent. Greg did admit that in a head-to-head with Cincinnati, he would take the Bills.

The West is where they split hardest. Greg is sticking with the Chiefs to win it, trusting Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes to figure it out, while Dave is holding onto the Broncos even after a 31-7 loss, arguing Sean Payton will right the ship. The one pick Greg keeps wrestling with is having Houston miss the playoffs, since he thinks DeMeco Ryans and that defense are too good to sit home.

Wrapping Up

The Bills are back Thursday to open the new Highmark Stadium against the Lions, and both agree the key is getting James Cook and the running backs more involved to take the pressure off Josh Allen. 

So how concerned are you about the defense after one week, or is this offense good enough to carry it?

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