After re-watching the Bills’ win over the Raiders, poring through the advanced stats and speaking with the coaches on Monday, here are our final thoughts from Week 4.
1. For the first three weeks of the Bills’ season, Josh Norman sat in the press box pissed off.
After Washington released Norman at the start of the offseason, he was eager to show his poor play at the end of his four-year stint there wasn’t indicative of his ability. The 32-year-old cornerback quickly visited with Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott and signed a one-year, $5 million prove-it deal with Buffalo.
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“Everybody was counting me out,” Norman said.
The Bills didn’t. But a few weeks into training camp, Norman hurt his hamstring. The injury was severe enough to sideline him for the team’s first three games. All he could do was watch while Josh Allen and the offense led the way to Buffalo’s 3-0 start. Norman wasn’t upset about the wins, but he was pissed he couldn’t do anything to help a Bills defense that wasn’t living up to expectations.
Norman hosted the Bills’ defensive players at his home in Virginia during the offseason to get everyone on the same page. Even though he was joining an established group, Norman wanted to be a leader. He wanted to bring the energy and big-play ability that made him an All-Pro in 2015.
In the Bills’ 30-23 win over the Raiders, Norman was finally able to make the meaningful on-field contribution he envisioned. On Saturday, the Bills activated Norman from injured reserve. Levi Wallace started the game but left with an ankle injury, giving Norman the chance to get all of the reps.
In the fourth quarter, Darren Waller caught a pass from Derek Carr in the flat. Earlier in the game, Waller had pummeled Norman in the open field and picked up extra yardage. He looked primed to do the same again. But Norman knew he had other tacklers following him to the ball, so he could be aggressive. He took a direct punch at the ball and it came free. When no other Bills player was around to grab it, Norman crawled over to recover the ball.
“Coach was just asking, ‘Somebody make a play,’” Norman said. “And I was like ‘I’ll make a play.’ I had my old TO mindset in there.”
The Bills’ defense badly needed a spark. A once vaunted group had been pedestrian through three weeks of the season. In Week 3, the Rams scored 32 points, including 29 unanswered, in the second half. Until the second half against the Raiders, the Bills had gone six quarters without forcing a punt. It felt like their identity was slipping away.
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But when Norman forced and recovered that fumble, there was a surge of energy on the Bills’ sideline. Devin Singletary said everyone was “crunk.” And it’s harder than ever to get crunk on an NFL sideline in 2020. Las Vegas’ gargantuan new stadium was empty save for the players and coaches on the sidelines. Even on the road, a crowd can add energy. But this year, with COVID-19 restricting or limiting fan attendance, lifeless stadiums mean teams need to find that energy internally. So much of what the Bills’ defense did in 2019 was built on that tenacious spirit. Norman unlocked some of that on Sunday.
“He just made a play and gave the whole team life and juice,” Quinton Jefferson said. “You need stuff like that, especially with these conditions, with COVID, no fans. You need guys to go out there and make plays that’s going to juice up the team.”
Norman played a fearless brand of football from the moment he entered the game. That was the 13th forced fumble of his career and sixth fumble recovery. He said former Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks always preached punching the ball out, and the Bills’ coaching staff had the same point of emphasis. Norman also had the benefit of playing with Charles “Peanut” Tillman, who forced 44 fumbles during his career including 10 in 2012. Tillman played one season with the Panthers in 2015 at the end of his career, and that season Norman set a career-high with three forced fumbles.
“My competitive drive is, ‘I’m going to beat that guy out at his very own technique. I’m going to instill it, I’m going to take it and I’m going to put it in my arsenal. Put it in my bag,’” Norman said. “If I can’t get you in the air, I’m going to get you on the ground. So the mentality always, when somebody was running the ball or running to me, I would go for it, and I would strike that. Because I saw him do it, and it was just like, ‘OK, OK. Shoot, this is how we going to do it. Put a little flair to it.'”
Buffalo’s defense needed the flair. After that turnover, the Bills were able to force a turnover on downs when Ed Oliver burst into the backfield on 4th-and-1. Later in the fourth quarter, with the Raiders desperately clinging to hope, Jefferson forced his way into the backfield for a strip sack and recovery that helped ensure the victory.
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The Bills weren’t perfect on defense, but they plugged the holes in their previously leaky run defense, allowing Josh Jacobs to run for only 48 yards. They also got two timely turnovers and a key fourth-down stop. The talent, scheme and coaches are there for the Bills’ defense to return to its previous form. Maybe they have the juice now, as well.
2. We’ve harped on the use of play action in this space before, but here’s a stat that matters: 150.3. That’s Allen’s passer rating when using play action. It’s the best in the NFL. He also has more yards (489) than any quarterback in the NFL and is tied for the most touchdowns (5) when using play action. His first touchdown of Sunday’s game came on play action. The fake got a Raiders defensive back looking in the backfield, and rookie receiver Gabriel Davis was wide open for the score.
This is one tool the Bills need to keep using, and I will continue to point it out and praise them for doing so. Allen is third in the NFL in play-action frequency, and first in the NFL if you combine play-action passes and run-pass options.
3. Here’s another stat that matters: Allen was pressured only five times on Sunday and sacked only once. Some of the pressure is of his own doing. Allen is averaging 3.04 seconds to throw, the second longest mark in the league behind only Baker Mayfield. Part of that is Allen’s protection. He’s also able to extend plays and buy time with his legs. But the offensive line has held up in front of Allen through four games, with the tackles standing out more than the guards. Daryl Williams might be the team’s best offensive linemen through the first month of the season.
4. Speaking of Allen’s ability to extend plays, he’s actually been at his best when hanging onto the ball. Yes, the sack he took at the end of the game was inexcusable. And the play on which Allen got injured was a case where he would have been better off throwing it away. But 757 of Allen’s 1,326 passing yards have come when he holds the ball for three seconds or longer. No other quarterback in the league has more passing yards while holding the ball for at least three seconds. Allen also has seven of his 12 touchdowns on those plays. S,o the Bills won’t be scared off by a negative play here or there.
“Those decisions sometimes that he makes, where he scrambles away and looks downfield and makes a play or uses his legs, those are winning plays for a team,” Brian Daboll said. “They’re tough to defend. So never going to take that away from him, because that’s part of his game. I have enough trust that he’ll do what he needs to do to help his team win.”
5. On Monday, Bills defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, quarterback Matt Barkley and long snapper Reid Ferguson all tweeted directly at Governor Andrew Cuomo about working with the Bills to get fans in the stadium for their home games. The Bills announced last week that they won’t have fans at their games for the foreseeable future due to state regulations in regards to COVID-19. Cuomo said last week he wanted to visit the Bills and work on a solution. The issue isn’t necessarily about filling the stadium to 10 percent capacity during the game, but rather making sure it is safe before and after the game.
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“The question is getting in and out of the stadium without being in — quote, unquote — mass gathering, without having that crowding,” Cuomo said.
Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz has said he’d be open to having the stadium at 10 percent capacity, but he’s also stressed that the people of Western New York need to continue to practice mask-wearing and social distancing to ensure the positive test rate continues to decline. On Monday, Cuomo said Western New York was considered a hotspot with a positive test rate of 1.2 percent. New York State is still not allowing gatherings of more than 50 people.
Seven NFL stadiums hosted fans for games this week.
McDermott supported his players on Monday but expected them to turn the page and start preparing for the Titans.
“They’re good guys. I think it’s coming from a good place in their hearts,” McDermott said. “They only want what’s best for our community, number one, and then our team, number two. And so as long as it’s coming from a good place, which I know it is with those three young men you mentioned, yeah, I’m all for it. And that said, we do need to focus on the task at hand this week as we transition into Titans preparation.
“We always want to be a positive impact and resource in our community, as a football team, as an organization, and I appreciate those guys trying to be a positive light in our community … At the same time, those guys are all professionals and I expect that they’ll transition here to getting focused on a really good Tennessee football team as we turn the page tomorrow.”
6. As McDermott mentioned, the Bills should be more focused on what this week could look like. They’re scheduled to travel to Nashville on Saturday for a Sunday game against the Titans. On Monday, the Titans had their first day with zero positive COVID-19 tests since Sunday, Sept. 27 when their outbreak began. They need two consecutive days of zero positive tests before they can open their facility. The test results on Tuesday morning will be crucial in determining whether the Bills’ Week 5 game can be played as scheduled.
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7. Matt Milano is week-to-week with a pectoral injury, according to McDermott. Milano already missed the Week 2 game against the Dolphins, and Miami took advantage by targeting tight end Mike Gesicki to the tune of eight catches for 130 yards. Tremaine Edmunds was also missing in that game. The hope would be that Edmunds’ presence, along with contributions from A.J. Klein and Tyrel Dodson, is enough to mitigate the loss of Milano. But Klein and Dodson aren’t as strong in coverage as Milano is. The Titans won’t be afraid to dial up plays for their talented tight end, Jonnu Smith.
The more pressing matchup for the Bills comes in Week 6 when Travis Kelce and the Chiefs visit Orchard Park.
8. Milano isn’t the only Bills player hurting heading into Week 5. Allen’s shoulder will be a topic of conversation, but he’s already said he’ll play through the pain. It may impact his ability to run and take hits, but Allen said it won’t limit him much given it’s his non-throwing shoulder. McDermott said Allen looked good when he got into the facility Monday morning.
Zack Moss has missed the Bills’ last two games, but seems to be trending in the right direction after practicing on a limited basis all last week. Cornerback Levi Wallace is week-to-week with an ankle injury, which should give Norman a chance to earn a permanent spot in the starting lineup. The only other injury McDermott noted on Monday was to guard Brian Winters, who is considered day-to-day.
9. Speaking of guards, McDermott said Cody Ford will be sticking at guard for the foreseeable future. He also hinted that Ford will be playing through some pain this week.
“Well, I don’t like moving guys around all that much and I think it is nice to have position flexibility, but at the end of the day, you can hurt yourself if you move a guy around too much,” McDermott said. “He’s playing guard and that’s where we plan on keeping him at this point. He’s a tough sucker, man. He played through some things yesterday and I know he’s on the injury report today, but I have a lot of respect for how he plays and how he’s able to push through things mentally.”
With Ford at left guard, Jon Feliciano should be able to regain his spot at right guard when he gets healthy. He’s expecting to practice in the coming weeks but will also need to get his conditioning back on track. He had to rehab a torn rotator cuff earlier in the offseason and never got back on the practice field before tearing his pectoral muscle. He may need some time before he’s game ready.
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10. Let’s close with the quote of the week from Norman on the turnover he created. This metaphor seems mixed, but it made me laugh.
“Guys really invited me to the party,” Norman said. “It was one of those things where they were having a pizza party. And I was like, ‘Well, shoot, I’m knocking on the door. You all not going to let me in?’ So I had to kick it down.”
(Photo of Norman: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
