The Buffalo Bills lost their second game of the 2018 season on Sunday. Buffalo falls to 0-2 but there were some good things to take from the game, as well as some things the Bills need to work on. Okay, a lot of things to work on.
Josh Allen’s first start up and down
Josh Allen uncorked a 63-yard pass near the end of the first half and led a touchdown drive to start the second half. He used his legs and his arm to lead the Bills to enough offense. He also threw two young-and-dumb picks. He didn’t look lost, and proved he belonged as the starting quarterback of the Bills.
Tremaine Edmunds is still learning
Edmunds blew a coverage assignment on the third Chargers touchdown and looked lost most of the day. There were several times he took bad angles on ballcarriers and took the wrong shoulder in coverage. It was not a great day for the rookie. That’s okay, for now, at least.
Blocking still suspect
Logan Thomas and Dion Dawkins allowed bad sacks while the blocking was responsible for six sacks total. A holding call on Jordan Mills stalled a drive in the first half. The team rushed for 84 yards on 22 carries, and an average below four yards per carry isn’t going to help your rookie QB. They weren’t completely falling all over themselves, but it wasn’t good.
It’s time to worry about the defense
After a three-and-out, the Bills defense allowed three straight touchdowns. Bad tackling and late reads haunted Buffalo defenders through the first half. Opponents were 9-for-9 scoring TDs in the red zone until Buffalo forced a field goal late in the fourth quarter. They were able to lock it down in the second half (maybe because Sean McDermott started calling the plays) but the team was already in a big hole by then. Lorenzo Alexander was a beast during the final two quarters, in particular. It’s also worth noting that they had a lot of close turnover calls today, but didn’t get the breaks they got last year.
Where in the world is Vontae Davis?
Davis was inactive in Week 1. During Week 2, he disappeared from the field. Literally. He was replaced by Lafeyette Pitts at one point and no one knew where he was, despite no injury announcement from the team. He wasn’t on the sideline. Is he even going to be on the team next week?