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For the first time since 1993, the Buffalo Bills are 7-2 and if fans were allowed into Bills Stadium on Sunday it might’ve been one of the craziest crowds in the history of the organization.
That’s the type of excitement the 2020 Bills have been producing this season and with their dominating 44-34 over the Seahawks, the Bills are starting to prove the experts wrong and they are doing so in a multitude of ways.
On Sunday, the passing game once again reared its head again and looked like what it did through the first four weeks of the season as Josh Allen played like an NFL MVP candidate.
The former Wyoming quarterback completed 82-percent of his 38 pass attempts, threw for 415 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for a fourth. According to the Bills, he became the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to have two games with 400-plus passing yards, three-plus touchdowns, no interceptions, and a quarterback rating of at least 130, in the same season.
Although the defense allowed Russell Wilson, an MVP candidate as well, and the Seahawks to score 34 points, they got back to establishing their defensive identity of forcing multiple turnovers throughout the game as they picked off Wilson twice, forced two fumbles, and recovered both.
It was a monumental win for the Bills that definitely showed they are a team that deserves to be in the conversation.
Josh Allen Continues to Prove His Worth
At the beginning of the season, Allen was seen as an MVP candidate after jumping off to a hot start through the first four games of the season. But after being challenged with different looks against the Titans and the Kansas City Chiefs, and then struggling in subsequent weeks, there was a lack of production.
On Sunday, Allen showed his worth again. According to the NFL, Allen tied Jack Kemp for the most games with 3-plus touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown through a player’s first three seasons.
He also joined Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes as the only quarterbacks with 400-plus passing yards, three-plus passing touchdowns, no interceptions, and a rating of at least 130 in at least two games. Those five quarterbacks only have two such games in their careers.
Allen has two this season and it sounds like he’s ready for more.
“I think the last few weeks, we’ve been moving the heck out of the ball,” Allen said during his post-game press conference. “We just haven’t been putting many points on the board. It was good today. We got some touchdowns instead of field goals. Still left a lot of meat on the bone though, and I truly mean that. It’s gonna be fun to watch this one and still learn from it and try to get better from it. We’re moving the ball around, we’ve got weapons outside that I’m not sure too many people can keep up with those guys so I’ve got to make good decisions and put the ball in their hands and let them make some plays.”
It was the type of performance that Allen needed to get back on track, especially against a team like the Seahawks which has allowed 362 passing yards per game this season.
The Bills are Playing With a Chip On Their Shoulder
After their game on Sunday, the Buffalo Bills social media account shared McDermott’s post-game victory speech and the fourth year Bills head coach started his speech with a notion to all of the media personalities that had doubted his team heading into their contest with the Seahawks.
“All week long people just doubted us man, all week long,” McDermott said in the video. “How about them Buffalo Bills.”
The Bills social media account also shared a screenshot of ESPN’s NFL Expert Picks for Week 9 after all 10 had picked the Seahawks to win on Sunday. Buffalo had one response to that.
Buffalo’s Offense is Becoming Multidimensional
It’s clear the Buffalo Bills offense is going to take what’s given to them and it’s showed the past three weeks.
Against the New York Jets two weeks ago it was the underneath passing game and special teams that allowed the Bills to come away with an 18-10 victory. Last Sunday against the New England Patriots, it was the running game as Devin Singletary and Zack Moss both ran for over 80 yards and Moss punched in two touchdowns.
After running the ball 38 times and only passing 18 times against the Patriots, the Bills did the exact opposite on Sunday. They only ran the ball 19 times, including two touchdowns, and Allen attempted 38 passes. Their first run play didn’t come until the seventh play of their second drive after they scored in three plays on their first.
Allen treated the Seahawks exactly like he should’ve on Sunday as Seattle came into the matchup with the worst passing defense in the league.
Through the first four weeks of the season, the Bills were beating teams deep through the air. It was what made the offense go. Against Tennessee and Kansas City, their two losses, the Bills were challenged with a soft zone and struggled with the new look. But they have figured it out the past three weeks and are starting to see the full package come together.
Team Takeaway: The Bills Defense Continues to Create Turnovers
Over the past few weeks, the Bills defensive players have continued to solidify their identity and it starts with creating turnovers. After four takeaways on Sunday, the Bills are currently tied for third in the NFL with 14 total takeaways, six interceptions and eight fumbles. They also have a turnover differential of +3 which is tied for the sixth-best in the league.
Tre’Davious White and Jordan Poyer both picked off Russell Wilson, A.J. Klein and Jerry Hughes both forced fumbles and the Bills were a terror on defense all afternoon. It was their fifth game this season with two or more turnovers and they only forced one turnover between their two losses.
Just like they did against the Jets a few weeks ago, defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier dialed up the pressure on multiple occasions and it paid off.
“We just wanted to bring everything,” Quinton Jefferson told buffalobills.com. “I don’t think he (Russell Wilson) reacts well to pressure in his face. He’s a shorter quarterback, it’s harder to see outside the pocket, and that was the biggest thing. You just want to come at him. Don’t let him sit in the pocket and just pick us apart. Go after him.”
The Bills sacked Wilson five times yesterday and tallied 11 quarterback hits as they played big all day long.
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