Buffalo Bills at Washington Commanders second-half open thread

After two quarters of some very soggy NFL football, the Buffalo Bills lead the Washington Commanders 16-0 at halftime. While the bulk of commentary heading into today’s matchup was how the weather might force both teams to rely more heavily on the run game, reality has proven different. Perhaps the biggest precursor to that fact was in watching quarterback Josh Allen slide five additional yards after a slippery scramble on third down.

Kicker Tyler Bass put the Bills on the board first, then later in the opening stanza, Allen found wide receiver Gabe Davis for a beautiful long touchdown pass down the seam. Buffalo’s offensive line continues its stout play, having limited the Commanders’ talented defensive line to minimal backfield opportunities.

Perhaps most impressive has been the play of linebacker Terrel Bernard. He leads the defense with five tackles at half, and has a pair of sacks plus a highlight-reel interception. He also was key to holding the Commanders out of the end zone thanks to sound tackling. That play, and later defensive end Greg Rousseau’s fourth-down pressure forced Washington to leave the field absent of any points off a very promising drive.

Commanders quarterback Sam Howell has faced a litany of stress from Buffalo’s defense. The early pressure found him sacked three times, hit five times, and victimized by two interceptions — the last of which went to safety Micah Hyde.

Hyde’s interception gave the Bills the ball back on the other side of the two-minute warning, which head coach Sean McDermott used to his advantage. Allen and the Bills chewed up clock, before Bass came on for his third successful field goal try of the half.

What do we think, Bills Mafia — have the Bills surprised you today? Here’s your open thread for the second half of today’s game. Enjoy, engage, and Go Bills!