'We absolutely have to' – Bills' head coach Sean McDermott says about fixing crucial flaw
In a lot of ways, the offensive line for the Buffalo Bills has been very strong this year. The duo of left tackle Dion Dawkins and right tackle Spencer Brown, both of whom have been locked up to multi-year contracts, have been good but not great in pass protection, but are nasty in run blocking. The […]
In a lot of ways, the offensive line for the Buffalo Bills has been very strong this year. The duo of left tackle Dion Dawkins and right tackle Spencer Brown, both of whom have been locked up to multi-year contracts, have been good but not great in pass protection, but are nasty in run blocking.
The line hasn't been a concern, partially because of their own play, partially because quarterback Josh Allen's timing and athleticism make it hard for opposing defenses to get to the quarterback.
One area of concern continues to pop up, though, and could be incredibly problematic in more meaningful games.
Buffalo's tackle duo are two of the three most-penalized offensive linemen in the NFL through 10 weeks. Brown has 11 penalties, and Dawkins has 10. Their 21 combined penalties is the most of any duo in the league, followed by Houston at 18 — a team widely being criticized for their offensive line issues.
Like with any team, there's plenty of commentary and questionable penalty calls to go around, but for Buffalo, it's becoming a weekly trend. In Sunday's win over the Colts, Dawkins and Brown each received two penalties. Head coach Sean McDermott was not thrilled.
"Yeah, we have to, you know, we absolutely have to," McDermott said when asked about cutting down on penalties. "That's just the bottom line. I don't have any better explanation, or more indirect way to say it, or direct way to say it in this case, but it is what it is. We've got to get a change. Can't keep beating ourselves like that."
The Bills had eight penalties on the game. Over the last three weeks, Buffalo has been the third-most penalized team in the NFL, a trend that can't continue for the Bills to find the playoff success that they are seeking.
Follow along all season for all the latest Buffalo Bills news. You can also find me on X @JonHelmkamp.
