To start with, I’d like to make a confession. I fully intended to bring you a look at the Buffalo Bills’ third-down defense against the New England Patriots as a “what should we be looking to fix” angle. It seemed perfect yet also, well...a real crap topic.
This week most of us will be celebrating with our families and enjoying a holiday. While we pride ourselves on the content we bring you, this is a fan blog first and foremost. The more I thought about what to do the more I realized we have a lot to celebrate this year. And this blog is our extended family. So let’s celebrate! Short and sweet this week and then we can all go back to cookies, or egg nog, or whatever.
Play 1 - Jordan Poyer forced fumble
While they had a down day, there are lots of reasons to celebrate the Bills’ defense. Tremaine Edmunds continues to develop, reacting better and better to what he’s seeing all the time. The combination of Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde continues to be incredible. Arguably the best corner in the league in Tre’Davious White. I could go on but the bottom line is that this unit is still the strength of the team. Right now at least.
Play 2 - Dion Dawkins touchdown
What makes this play especially fun is that Belichick used to be known for this trick. Seriously, check out this article from 2015. The discussion there is still a valid one. There needs to be seven players on the line of scrimmage and the two players on the end must be eligible, and the five between cannot be eligible.
TL;DR: Dion Dawkins by rule is the ONLY receiving option on the left side of the field. Yes it’s common for an extra lineman to report in as eligible, and yes the Bills could have wanted a very heavy formation to the right side. However it’s odd that a starting lineman is reporting in as eligible. Also, no one even looks at him until it’s way too late.
Play 3 - John Brown touchdown
That’s a sweet double move by John Brown that leaves Stephon Gilmore in a cloud of smoke. I made sure to leave the catch itself alone so it’s easy to see that Brown never breaks stride. This was a very encouraging play.
Summary
The Bills aren’t perfect by any means, but they are nearly everything a fan could want. A few heartbreaking losses along the way aren’t great. A team that’s growing together and learning to win is great news though. Most importantly, these Bills are fun to watch. On and off the field fans have a lot to like about this team. Enjoy the ride Bills fans!