Since the Bills came off their bye week, Joe Brady’s team hasn’t made many mistakes, if any at all. A 36-10 demolition of the Baltimore Ravens was followed up by another blowout, this time against the Vikings, as Josh Allen threw for 234 yards and one touchdown in the 23-6 win to dismantle a Minnesota defense many credited as the best in the NFL.
The attacking prowess of the team has been on full display for a while now. No team is managing more yards per passing attempt than the Bills, while only San Francisco has scored more touchdowns than Buffalo so far. But what has stood out the most is how few points the team has conceded since coming off the bye.
The Bills’ defense shows marked improvement
Heading into the bye week, all the talk surrounding Buffalo was the offense is good, but the defense is one of the worst in the league. It had conceded 30 points or more in four games, while conceding at least 20 points in five games.
However, Baltimore and Minnesota haven’t found as much joy against the defense compared to other teams before the bye. Sixteen points allowed is one thing, but the yards allowed by Buffalo’s defense is equally impressive.
The Ravens managed just 144 total yards (68 passing, 76 rushing), while the Vikings managed just 178 (127 passing, 51 rushing). The team’s average yards allowed per game is still 330.4, but the noticeable drop-off is no doubt a promising sign heading toward the business end of the season.
Defensive improvements should impact Bills’ odds for games and the Super Bowl
Buffalo has been touted as a Super Bowl contender for much of the season, but the team’s defense has always given an air of “Yeah, but…” around the subject. If improvements on the defensive side of the ball hold up for the rest of the season, those arguments will start to become less prevalent.
Where that will be most visible is in the betting markets. Shorter Super Bowl odds, bigger spreads and shorter moneylines would all show that sportsbooks trust Buffalo’s defense. Readers who want to see how spreads, totals, and other betting markets work on a major sportsbook can find them explained in this Betmgm promo code guide.
Bigger tests will reveal more about Buffalo’s defense
Despite the Bills’ defense showing signs of improvement in recent weeks, it might be too soon to cast a definitive judgment just yet. Both opponents since the bye were either missing key parts of their offense, as Baltimore was when Lamar Jackson exited the game with an injury, or have struggled on offense for much of the season, like Minnesota has.
What will provide fans with a clearer picture is how the team fares against opponents who are more dangerous when in possession of the ball. Kansas City, for example, comes to Highmark Stadium in Week 12 of the season, and is currently averaging 384.1 yards per game, making it a bigger threat to the Bills’ front seven and secondary.
Then, in Week 13, there’s an opportunity for revenge against New England. In the 29-26 loss earlier this season, the Patriots managed 262 passing yards, along with 143 rushing yards. If the Bills can bring those totals down considerably and limit how many points the offense scores, then perhaps they really have fixed their biggest weakness this season.
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