Five lessons from the Bills’ 9-3 preseason win over the Steelers

The Buffalo Bills traveled to Pittsburgh early for a joint practice ahead of their Week 2 preseason game against the Steelers and came out on top, defeating the home team 9-3. Without quarterback Josh Allen leading the starting offense, there were noticeable struggles and fewer scoring opportunities, but the defense did the job at the other end of the field.

Here are five things that caught my eye on a rainy evening…

The Bills defense leads the way with impeccable effort

After a disappointing performance last week against the Chicago Bears, head coach Sean McDermott and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich made sure their defense could bounce back this week against the Steelers.

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With communication on point all night, the unit played an impressive game, keeping everything in front of them and tackling well. Pittsburgh quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields finished the day averaging just 5.1 yards per completion. They were sacked four times and didn’t score a touchdown.

Overall a very solid performance by the defense. The front four was strong, the linebackers were quick to shoot the holes against the run and were also in good position in coverage, and the secondary was always well positioned, didn’t allow anything over the top and finished plays well with good tackling. They looked like the very good regular season defenses the Bills have had in recent years. This was certainly a performance that brings some positivity after the terrible news about linebacker Matt Milano.

Difference Makers Appeared on D

With the uncertainty surrounding Von Miller’s return to top billing after his injury, combined with the loss of Milano for the majority of the season, questions have been raised as to which players could step up and become the new difference makers on this side of the ball. With the starters playing the majority of the first two quarters, perhaps some candidates have emerged.

Taron Johnson is a beast. He’s completely unique in what he does, allowing the team to stick with nickel as their base defense without sacrificing physicality in the box. He’s been in midseason form and has shown just how important he’ll be to the Bills again this season. In the trenches, Greg Rousseau and Ed Oliver gave the Steelers offensive line problems during the stretch — Groot was especially overwhelming for Pittsburgh tackle Broderick Jones, beating him twice with a pair of powerful bull rushes.

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The strength of this Bills defense has always been that the pieces work well together within the scheme. They did that Saturday night, and when it happens, the individual efforts of the players stand out. In Pittsburgh, Johnson, Oliver and Rousseau were some of the key players who took advantage of it.

Hello, Buffalo Joe

The most important piece in this defense, in my humble opinion, is middle linebacker Terrel Bernard. He’s the play caller, the main communicator, and the heart and soul of this unit — especially without Milano on the team. We saw in last season’s playoffs how difficult it was to play without the leader of this unit patrolling the middle.

Given his growing importance, it was good to see Bernard sit out this game in favor of the regular season. What wasn’t expected was the performance of his unlikely replacement — who was told Thursday he would start.

With Baylon Spector and Nicholas Morrow still injured, the Bills coaching staff selected Buffalo’s undrafted rookie linebacker Joe Andreessen as their starter over experienced former Falcons great Deion Jones and fifth-round pick Ede Ulofoshio. It turned out to be the best decision they could have made.

“Buffalo Joe” — Andreessen’s nickname according to Josh Allen — had the game of his life, pleading his case for a spot on the team’s 53-man roster. He seemed to control the defense, attacking ball carriers like a heat-seeking missile and holding his own in coverage — finishing the day with a team-leading 12 tackles (seven solo) and two tackles for loss.

He’s not the biggest or the fastest athlete, but “Buffalo Joe” showed that he’s just a real football player, someone who’s living his dream of playing for his hometown team, and he’s making the most of it.

Keon Coleman needs time

Despite positive reviews from his workouts and the full confidence of his coaches and teammates, second-round rookie pick Keon Coleman doesn’t appear ready to be a significant contributor to the starting offense, at least not early on.

It’s still early days — he hasn’t had much time with Josh Allen in real game situations, and Mitch Trubisky throwing the ball hasn’t helped — but it seems pretty clear that Coleman himself has struggled a bit in his transition to the professional level. To be fair, that’s somewhat to be expected from a 21-year-old rookie coming to the NFL. As expected, he’s not a separator at this point in his career, and he’s having to deal with cornerbacks who are far more physical than the ones he dominated against in college. As a rookie, Coleman won’t get much help from the officials, so he’ll have to learn how to become a more physical player in order to overpower opponents and make the catches he was brought in to do.

Coleman should be fine eventually, but there will clearly be an adjustment period. It’s important that he gets the reps and learns as he goes. I just wouldn’t have too high expectations for him early in the season. He’ll play a lot of snaps, but tight end Dalton Kincaid and wide receivers Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel should all have more prominent roles early on. Veteran wide receiver Mack Hollins will be there to rotate with the rookie, and he could benefit from having the veterans in front of him as well. The key for Coleman, and the Bills Mafia, is patience. Remember, even the great Eric Moulds took a few seasons to break out.

The number of injuries continues to increase

It’s been a real problem for Buffalo since last season — the Bills just can’t stay healthy. The injury bug has hit the team hard ever since, and every week it seems like more bad news piles up. Saturday night was more of the same.

I’ve mentioned Matt Milano before, but since arriving in Pittsburgh, there have been an alarming number of additions to the injury list. Safety Damar Hamlin missed practice and did not play (safeties Cole Bishop and Mike Edwards were already out). At linebacker, Spector and Morrow were out. Then Saturday’s game came around, and unfortunately, the injured list got even longer.

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Quarterback Mitch Trubisky left the game with a knee injury (no word yet on the specific injury or severity). Defensive tackle Austin Johnson injured his calf, and rookie pass rusher Javon Solomon suffered the same injury later in the game. Tight end Quintin Morris had a shoulder issue, and wide receiver Marques Valdes-Scantling suffered a serious neck injury. All of those players did not return, and their status moving forward remains uncertain.

It’s tough to see so many players get injured. Every team has injuries, but the Bills have felt like they’ve had too many lately. Hopefully they all recover quickly and have better luck as the regular season approaches.

Quick hits

• Rookie CB Daequan Hardy got the return snaps and also played several reps as a perimeter cornerback. He played well as a returner, showed ball security on his catches and held his own playing the outside. He’s trending in the right direction and it would be hard not to include him on the 53-man roster.
• Rookie running back Ray Davis was the first back on the field after James Cook left the game, and he made the most of his opportunity. He ran the ball hard, made the right reads, and picked up the yards he was given. He’s increasingly looking like the RB2 option, and if Cook continues to struggle in pass protection and drops, Davis’ role could expand.
• Speaking of pass protection, both guards, David Edwards and O’Cyrus Torrence, were beaten on some quick interior rushes. The Steelers always have some tough players to block in the trenches, but this pair needs to be better than that or Allen will be running for his life more often than not.
• Javon Solomon looks like a gem. His early signs as a pass rusher are more promising than those of AJ Epenesa, Boogie Basham and even Greg Rousseau at this point in their careers — all of those players were drafted earlier in their respective classes. The rookie fifth-round pick has the potential to be a key cog in the defensive line rotation down the road and also seems primed to help out in some way if needed right now. I look forward to following his development.
• Veteran safety Kareem Jackson had his first extended action with the team, entering the game with the second unit. He didn’t stand out with his play, but he was always in the right spots and played with physicality. Jackson is an NFL veteran who has built some very good defenses, most notably with the Denver Broncos. With the safety position wide open, Jackson could make an attempt to earn a spot on the roster. Unlikely, but possible, depending on how much the coaching staff values ​​his experience.

Read all this and more in my latest edition of Taking the lead!