Bills' dominant win over Broncos showcases traits that make them a Super Bowl contender
As we all know, it's preseason. This time of year guarantees nothing. But, man, is it hard to be unimpressed with the 42-15 beatdown the Buffalo Bills handed the Denver Broncos on Saturday. It's hard to find any negatives during a performance like this, so pardon me if the following takes tip the scales largely […]
As we all know, it's preseason. This time of year guarantees nothing.
But, man, is it hard to be unimpressed with the 42-15 beatdown the Buffalo Bills handed the Denver Broncos on Saturday.
It's hard to find any negatives during a performance like this, so pardon me if the following takes tip the scales largely in favor of the Bills. However, if you watched the game, you know what I mean.
Regardless, let's dive in to some takeaways from the Bills' dominant win over the Broncos.
The offense -and defense- were great in situational ball
As mentioned earlier, it's preseason. However, one are to actually account for is how a team performs during certain situations.
How does a team respond on third and long or just on third down, in general? What does it do in the red zone? Can it operate a two-minute drill efficiently and effectively?
So on and so on.
The Bills killed it in all areas, but the most impressive feat was scoring seven touchdowns on the first seven possessions. They were perfect in the red zone and in goal-to-go situations, converting all five opportunities into touchdowns. The offense was also perfect on third down until about halfway through the fourth quarter. The unit ultimately finished 2-for-3 on the money down.
Case Keenum and co. made it look easy during the two-minute drill. Keenum opened up with six consecutive completions for 54-yards before eventually connecting with O.J. Howard on a seven-yard touchdown pass that give the Bills a 28-6 lead heading into halftime.
The defense wasn't perfect like the offense, but it was certainly very good. Leslie Frazier's unit held Denver to a 33% touchdown rate in the red zone, a 50% TD conversion rate in goal-to-situations, and allowed it to convert just 29.4% of its third down attempts.
And, of course, the defense prevented the Broncos from scoring a touchdown on the final play of the game, which was a 4th and goal from the 5.
The teams that perform the best in situational football are typically the elite teams and the NFL's true Super Bowl contenders.
So far, the Bills are looking pretty good.
The offensive line dominated through all four quarters
The Bills played what will likely be the starting five on the offensive line this year. David Quessenberry at right tackle is the only position still in question. Regardless, we saw at least 80% of the unit on Saturday.
And what we also saw was straight-up dominance. The Bills rarely had any negative plays throughout the entire game and there were plenty of times where Bills quarterbacks had pristine pockets to throw from. Bills running backs had wide-open lanes to run through, as well.
Yes, this was all against the 2s on the Broncos defense. But, you want to see your team dominate lesser opponents, right? If you struggle, well, that's certainly not a good sign.
And while transitive property isn't reliable logic in football, it's still worth thinking that if the Bills can dominate lesser competition, then they can and should matchup with higher-ups.
Either way, this is offense is going to be unstoppable -and this team is certainly going to the Super Bowl- if the offensive line plays like a top-10 unit.
Saturday showed they're capable of doing just that.
The defense needs to get to the quarterback more and force turnovers
It sounds simple, but the Bills defense was solid at getting to the quarterback in 2021 and it was one of the NFL's best at forcing turnovers. So, to see the 1s fail to notch a sack or turnover is pretty discouraging.
And then, of course, it's discouraging to see the defense go the entire game without forcing a turnover. The defense almost went sack-less, but managed to take down Mark Rypien on the final play of the game.
If the Bills want to be a championship-caliber defense, they have to sack quarterbacks and force turnovers on a regular basis. A goose egg in either of these categories doesn't cut it.
The Bills defense needs to make sure it bounces back next week.
Featured image via Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
