Week 5: What Went Right

The Bills’ win streak came to an end in week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.  Going into the game the Bills were already short many players due to injury including White, Benford, and Rousseau.  The situation only got worse during this week’s game with Matt Milano going down with a likely season-ending leg/knee injury and Daquan Jones suffering a pectoral injury that was also severe.  With a banged-up lineup and a pile of penalties, there were only a few silver linings from week 5 worth pointing out.

1.  AJ Epenesa

One of the most standout players on the defense this year has been AJ Epenesa.  The momentum he has carried with him was brought to the London game as well.  This was a game where the defense was going to have to play their tails off because of the injuries and also because the offense was struggling to put up points.  Epenesa tallied 4 total tackles and 2 sacks for this week, in a game where the Bills really needed their players to step up.  With the defense still dealing with a lot of injury going into next week, players like Epenesa are going to be crucial going forward and he seems up for the challenge.  

2.  The Defensive Effort

The Bills’ defense was plagued with injury from start to finish of this game.  Matt Milano went out with an injury that only piled up the pressure on the defense more.  Despite being at a huge loss in multiple positions, the defense fought to the very end.  Terrel Bernard played a big role again, leading the team in tackles (16).  Ed Oliver had one sack and 3 tackles for a loss.  Rookie Dorian Williams had to step into a big role as well, trying to emulate Matt Milano’s dominant performance.  Williams had a few misses, but overall he is showing a lot of potential to be a key role in this defense moving forward.  Having a team with depth and knowing that the guys on the bench can step up and perform like starters is what this team has been trying to build.  Even though the game ended in a loss, it wasn’t on the defense.  

3.  Allen and Diggs 

It seems no matter the result of a game for the Bills, the Allen and Diggs combo is always going to show up.  This week Allen and Diggs both had great games on paper, the team just fell short of pulling off the win.  Allen threw for 358 yards and Diggs had 121 yards and one touchdown.  Gabe Davis also had a good day with 100 yards and one touchdown.  With the run game being nearly completely cut off by Jacksonville, the Bills were relying heavily on Josh Allen’s arm and the Bills’ receivers.   The stats make it look like the Bills should have won this game, but the offense just couldn’t make enough plays to get the win.  The run game being shut down was a huge loss for the Bills, limiting the choices and opportunities on offense.  Games like this are the reason having an elite QB and WR duo are important.  At the end of the day, Allen and Diggs continue to be the backbone of this team.

Moving forward to week 6, the Bills face the Giants for Sunday Night Football.  The Bills are hoping to have a few players back from injury for the game, and the Giants are facing the possibility of going into the game with their backup QB Tyrod Taylor.  If the defense shows up like it did last week, the Bills offense should be able to put up points like they typically do and snag the win.  It’s onward and upward for the Buffalo Bills.