Huge performance shows Bills' key player has one thing holding him back from being among the league's best
Sunday's win against the Lions saw plenty for the Buffalo Bills to be excited about, but few things stood out more (aside from Josh Allen being a super freak, obviously) than defensive tackle Ed Oliver's bounce back performance.Oliver has had an up-and-down season, and the game against the Rams was not a good look. Oliver […]
Sunday's win against the Lions saw plenty for the Buffalo Bills to be excited about, but few things stood out more (aside from Josh Allen being a super freak, obviously) than defensive tackle Ed Oliver's bounce back performance.
Oliver has had an up-and-down season, and the game against the Rams was not a good look. Oliver was consistently blown back off the ball and rarely made his presence felt. But Sunday against the Lions? That was a different story.
Oliver was playing like a man possessed, logging 10 pressures on 42 pass rushes, the most pressures in a game by a defensive tackle this season. He was purely dominant, disrupting the middle, collapsing the pocket, and straight up steamrolling Frank Ragnow, one of the best centers in the game.
It was a huge performance, and it's encouraging because it speaks to the talent that we all know Oliver has. He's an athletic and powerful defensive tackle, and this type of upside is why he was given the contract extension that he received.
It's encouraging to see, but it points to what has been an issue throughout the season for Oliver — consistency. 10 pressures in one game is an absurd benchmark for any position, but especially from the interior of the defensive line. It's a massive game, but Oliver has only logged 24 total pressures in the other 11 games that he's played in this season.
If Oliver can consistently perform somewhere in between the 10-pressure, game-wrecking defensive tackle, and the one that tends to disappear while allowing big run lanes to open up where he should be, it would be a huge win for the Bills.
Not knowing what to expect from the 27-year old defensive tackle is a bit of a constant frustration, whether it's effort, focus, or preparation, but what's abundantly clear is that when Oliver is on his game, he's capable of making a massive impact for the Buffalo Bills, even against the best offensive lines in the NFL. If Oliver can piece it together and deliver strong performances on a weekly basis, he could very easily be in the conversation of the best defensive tackles in the league.
Follow along all year for more Buffalo Bills coverage on A to Z Sports. You can find me on Bluesky @jonhelmkamp.bsky.social, and make sure to follow our main page @AtoZSports.bsky.social for all the latest news.
