The Buffalo Bills are 5-1 through the first six weeks of the season, sitting pretty at first place in the AFC East and holding onto the No. 2 seed in the AFC as they head into their bye. That’s a record any team would kill for! But don’t let those numbers fool you, because while Joe Brady’s offense, led by Josh Allen and James Cook, is once again one of the most prolific in the NFL, the defense under Jim Leonhard is a massive problem just waiting to blow up.
Leonhard’s Scheme Change Has Mostly Tanked the Defense
Bills fans knew things would be different on defense this year. Former head coach Sean McDermott was out, and former Bills safety Jim Leonhard was in, tasked with a complete overhaul of the defensive scheme. They switched from a 4-3 base to a multiple 3-4, and honestly? The results are mixed, leaning heavily towards “not good.” Bruce Nolan of Buffalo Rumblings did the deep dive, and the only tangible improvement they’ve seen is against the run. Buffalo is 25th in Expected Points Added (EPA) per rush, which is better than last year’s 31st. Great, right? Not really, because everywhere else, Leonhard’s defense has just straight-up declined from last season. It’s frustrating to watch a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations get bogged down by a unit that seems to be going backward.
This Defense Can’t Get Off The Field
The formula so far for the Bills has been simple: Josh Allen orchestrates a dynamic offense that leads the league in scoring, and they just hope the defense can hang on. That’s worked to get them to 5-1, but how long can that last? This defense needs marked improvements, and the most pressing issue is their inability to get off the field in third-and-long situations. Seriously, it’s brutal. Just look at these rankings, they tell the whole story:
* 28th in points allowed (28.5 ppg)
* 31st in yards allowed (398.2)
* 30th in passing yards allowed (264.6)
* 28th in rushing yards allowed (133.6)
That’s a defense ranked in the bottom five of the league in almost every major category. You can’t be a Super Bowl contender when your defense is giving up almost 400 yards and nearly 30 points a game!
The Bills are on their bye week now, and Leonhard, Brady and the rest of the crew better be in there searching for answers. Josh Allen is playing at an elite level, and this offense is electric. But if this defense doesn’t figure out how to get off the field and stop letting opposing teams march down the field, all those Super Bowl hopes are going to vanish faster than a cheap beer on game day. They’ve got the bye to fix it, or this season is going to be a massive letdown for Bills fans.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Buffalo Rumblings.
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