The Buffalo Bills face a tough challenge on Sunday as they welcome the Seattle Seahawks to town. Normally, teams on the West Coast struggle with going across the country but so far the Seahawks are perfect when playing on the East Coast this season (and last season). To make matters worse, Buffalo will be facing MVP front-runner Russell Wilson who is showing no signs of slowing down this season. To preview the game we talked to Tyler Alsin from Field Gulls to get the inside scoop on Seattle.
1) Is there any way to stop Russell Wilson this year?
It’s not easy. He’s on an all-time great start to a season in NFL season, even surpassing his own high bar. But there is a “cost of doing business” weakness to Wilson, and it’s a known quantity - he holds the ball. In so many respects it pays off for him as he extends plays as well as anyone in the league. But even behind a great offensive line Wilson would still have sacks because he’s so confident he can escape. As we saw against the Arizona Cardinals, that’s not always possible. If teams contain the receivers long enough they’ll have plenty of pressures.
2) DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are both having great years, how do the two complement each other in the passing game?
What’s been especially interesting about those is they seem to primarily complement each other by being on the roster. Seattle’s on this wild ride this year of taking turns with which receiver dominates the pass game. Lockett has had the Cowboys and Cardinals; Metcalf has had the 49ers and Vikings. Though they are both excellent deep-ball catchers they do have their differences. The history points towards Lockett being better against zone and Metcalf better against man coverage, but really it seems to be whichever one Wilson finds on any given Sunday.
3) What would you like the team to improve on most in the second half of the season?
Defense, defense, defense. The mantra of 2020 NFL, it seems. Three good quarters against San Francisco was the best this team has looked defensively this year, before things went off the rails a bit against a backup quarterback. It seems Seattle is simply not strong enough to deal with the injuries that have popped up, and if opposing quarterbacks have any semblance of mobility, they’ve wreaked havoc against this secondary.
4) With the trade deadline coming and going, are you disappointed that the team didn’t make a move?
Somewhat, but I am full of optimism considering the Carlos Dunlap trade could be paired with the return of Jamal Adams and what we saw out of the team blitzing more last week. Seattle does seem to be at the forefront of the rumor mill in how many more trades they tried to make, but couldn’t find a dance partner.
5) How do you think the defense will try to stop the Bills’ offense?
It will only be the first game here for Carlos Dunlap, so the front four rushers will not likely be strong enough to generate the pressure needed for the back end to thrive. I think most Seahawks fans expect (and hope) to see Bobby Wagner do his blitzy stuff again. Wagner turned in his best game in potentially three years, and watching him beat a center or a guard one-on-one was a thing of beauty. This is a much tougher recipe against the better, more mobile Josh Allen, so we’ll have to see how Seattle attempts to generate pressure while not allowing Allen to break free too often.