There’s too much consistency here to tap the panic button.
Football is matchups. Pittsburgh’s defense has caused trouble for Buffalo two years running. Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt — along with free-agent pickup Melvin Ingram — unspooled ultra-violence on the Bills. Veteran left guard Jon Feliciano played the culprit, allowing 34.7 percent of Pittsburgh’s pressures in a star-crossed (and hopefully atypical) outing.
Creative play-caller Brian Daboll also veered away from play-action, which helped starry passer Josh Allen turn the Bills into a treasure one year ago. After using it a whopping 40.3 percent of the time in 2020 (fifth-most in football), Buffalo’s usage dipped to 18.4 percent on Sunday (fourth lowest league-wide), per The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia.
Miami offers another acid test in Week 2. Dolphins coach Brian Flores specializes in making life difficult for opposing passers, but the Bills know their rivals well. I’m fading all “Josh Allen Regression” chatter until eyeing another dose of an attack that’s earned our trust.
