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Alaina GetzenbergESPN
BUFFALO, NY – With 1:15 left in the third quarter, down 38-3 from Buffalo Bills, New York Jets midfielder Mike White throw a deep pass to the sideline aiming for the wide receiver Keelan Cole.
But safe Jordan Poyer picked it up, organized a celebration among the Bills’ defensive defenders who counted to five fingers and then let the “money” take the wind. The year marks the number of rotations the defense was forced to make that day – four interceptions and one fumble – in turn for each starting defender.
According to the Bills, it marked the first time that five defensive linebacks for any team each got a lesson since at least 1967.
And Poyer is very much aware of the history he has laid out.
“Heck yeah, that boy knows,” safe coworker Micah Hyde replied to his teammates. Hyde also wanted his defensive coordinator to know.
“I was joking with [defensive coordinator Leslie] Frazier,” Hyde said. I said, “Not ’85 Bears’ [who accomplished that feat]. He thought it was funny. “
Frazier, fullback for the 1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears, has been the Bills’ defensive coordinator since 2017. This season, his defense ranks first in yards allowed (275.2 points per game), second in scoring (16, 5 points per game) and second in points (25). But the offense that attracts the most attention, led by stars like the midfielder Josh Allen and recipients Stefan Diggs.
The Bills’ defense isn’t built around flashy acquisitions – even though it has flirted with free agents JJ Watt before he landed with The Arizona Cardinals. Instead, the team focused on adding effective players who didn’t fit elsewhere and developing their own draft picks and re-signing them to long-term contracts.
One of the biggest tests for the Bills (7-4) is against another top-rated defender – and longtime division bully – New England Patriots (8-4) on Monday night (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN). And Buffalo will have to do it without one of its top players in the All-Pro corner Bamboo’s white skin, who is lost the season after tearing the ACL with his left knee in victory over the saints.
But it was the lesser-known players in this defence that made it work and will have to raise the bar this week.
Challenges ahead
The Bills have a chance to beat the Patriots for the third time in a row. New England have lost three times in a row to a single opponent (including the playoffs) just five times under Bill Belichick, not since the Giants 2007-12.
Buffalo would have to do it without White, who allowed only a 50.8% completion rate and a 58.9 pass rate for opposing midfielders, both fourth-best among defensive linebacks. reigns with more than 50 goals this season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. He is the only player who has not missed a touchdown this season among defenders closest to at least 50 goals.
“We wanted to play for T. White. T. White was one of the best players on our team,” Diggs said. “He’s one of the hardest working people on our team, and without one of your guys or one of your guys out there, it’s definitely a little bit different… Because we know at one point this season we’re going to need guys to step up.”
Second year corner Dane Jackson expected to fill for White. Some good news: The Bills are getting some help in dealing with defenses with The Star Lotulelei is expected to return after missing three games on the / COVID-19 reserve list.
The game will be a yardstick in many ways. Buffalo will try to take down a team that has dominated the AFC East for years and has beaten the Bills in 35 of 42 games under Bill Belichick, with two of the Bills’ wins last year. The Patriots have won 17 AFC East championships under Belichick and spent 233 weeks in first place since 2000, nearly 200 more than anyone else.
With November’s AFC rookie in the quarterback Mac Jones playing well and the $163 million they invested in the free management company, the Patriots are once again playing at the top level.
“[Jones has] “I think he’s found the rhythm and has good players around him,” Poyer said. They run well, he throws the ball well, and his receiver catches the ball well. It’s a good formula to win right there. “
It will be another tough challenge for an already dominant defense while the offense continues to find its identity. And it was the two players at the bottom of the group that played key roles in making that happen.
Top safety duo
Just before the season started, Hyde and his wife, Amanda, had their second child, a baby girl. Safety joked that his new-found early morning energy from the baby could upset his teammates.
“I get up in the morning for hot milk. I’m nursing my baby and I’m in the building getting ready in a couple of hours, so the boys will probably tire of me soon because I have motivation. I’m ready to go. I’m on a mission. I want to do whatever I can to help this team win the championship.”
The two captains – Hyde and Poyer – are both in their ninth seasons. They are the epitome of the archetype coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane used to find defensive success, as both arrived at the agency as a free agent in 2017 after failing success with old teams.
“They’re interchangeable. Both can be played in the box, and both can be played backstage,” said Greg Cosell of NFL Films, an ESPN NFL Matchup analyst. “…I think both of them have a great feeling for what they see.”
Since joining the Bills in 2017, Poyer, who was picked in the seventh round in 2013 by the Eagles, is fourth in the league in interceptions (18) and third in the NFL this season (five) . While Hyde hasn’t had the flashy numbers (three INTS in 2021), he has been the dominant member of the second team, third in interceptions (12) and over breakups (34) since joining the team.
Defensive defenders have a dedicated group chat for them and go out to dinner every week, another example of time spent together. Taron Johnson Be one of the least engaged in replying to text messages, while securely backing up Jaquan Johnson was one of the players who frequently responded, while Poyer and Hyde “just really told us what to do most of the time,” said Taron Johnson.
Most Valuable Nickel
While Taron Johnson may have listened to advice from the two seniors, his own work and contribution to the defense is crucial. The Bills have a nickel corner – almost always Johnson – on the field for 94% of catches. That is the highest amount for any team in a season since personnel tracking began in 2007, and nickel defenses have not been commonly used in the past.
By comparison, the Colts used it the second most this season with 79%. What is the reason? The Bills’ trust Johnson, who signed a three-year, $24 million extension in October.
When Johnson is the closest defender in coverage, he allows for a 46% completion rate (top of the league), the allowable expected score of minus-14.4 (first), ranking passer is 57.7 (second) and yards per attempt 4.6 (third). He is playing at an extremely high level, while also being asked to play the linebacker for the Bills.
“I remember coming here in my rookie year, and wanted to be on the pitch 100% of the time, because I only played nickel and at the time, my rookie year, it was probably around 65% nickel.” Johnson told ESPN. “For them to trust me that way…hopefully I keep getting them right.”
That helped Johnson play brilliantly wherever the Bills needed him, often as the third substitute on the field.
“Taron Johnson is very important,” Cosell said. “I don’t think they’ve played with three defenders since Week 6. So they play nickel in every moment. You can’t do that unless your angle can do everything. And as I say. everything, he has to be able to play run and we’re going to really find out this week because the Patriots are the front runner.”
As Johnson stepped up to help as the virtual third defender on the pitch, he worked with a pair of strong defenders in the first pick of 2018 Tremaine Edmunds and was recently re-signed Matt Milano. Despite the uncertainty about where Milano will play when he arrives in the NFL because of his size (6 feet, 223 pounds), he has emerged as one of the key pieces of the defense.
‘A complete multi-dimensional support program’
Attack Dion Dawkins I remember the first time I met defender Milano. The two attended McDermott’s first draft class and were roommates of OTAs.
Milano is Dawkins’ “boy” for his ability to keep up with attackers at the dinner table.
“He got the exact same order as me,” said Dawkins. “If I have 20 wings, he gets 20 wings. If I take waffle fries, he gets fries. And he’s legit when it comes to food. I can’t ask for him. What do skinny guys like to eat better?”
Pavers don’t quite agree with Dawkins’ assessment.
“I don’t know about using full capacity, but [Dawkins] I like Bar-Bill and sometimes I like Bar-Bill too. … Not as good as him. “
Milano has been interested elsewhere as a free agent this season, but he has since re-signed with Buffalo and is a key contributor. He leads the Bills in losses (10), more than twice as many as the second-placed player on the team and ninth in the league.
“He can run. He’s very aggressive, he has a good feel for what he sees,” Cosell said. “He can mix man-to-man for a tight finish, which they do with him a lot. He’s a side player. Obviously, he can play in coverage.
“I just think he’s a complete, multi-dimensional support that is really well-suited to today’s NFL game.”
With key players having played together for four or five years, this defense is likely to have the best finish this season, despite the maturity that still needs to occur from the young passing. The experience on the back end plays a big part in that.
“Whenever we, for example, click on defense, you can feel it’s a team when everyone is playing together, everyone is doing their job, everyone is acting,” said Milano. “Then when we have a few plays or something, you can feel it. So I think the guys just need to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and the kind of thing they’re going to come up with. and … everyone is on the same page communicate wise . “
