Coach Sean McDermott and the Buffalo Bills defensive staff sat down Friday morning – a quick turnaround after Thursday’s 31-21 win over Miami – and watched film of their third downs in order.
McDermott called it a “very intentional” session.
The Bills defense allowed the Dolphins to convert 10 of 15 third downs on Thursday. The Bills still left the field with the win, but this was a point of emphasis the day after.
At one point, the Dolphins had converted 8 of 10 third downs, following a drive where they converted five third downs. Three of those qualified as third-and-long by the Bills standards: conversions of third-and-7 or longer.
“Those are situations that the defense – you want to be a good defense? You shut them down right there,” McDermott said. “And the drives goes no further. Last night, we had an opportunity to blitz, free runner. They make a play, right? So, we can learn from that. We can learn from when we get from the rush and coverage piece working better together. So, there’s a lot we can take from that set of plays last night.”
It was a stark contrast from the previous week, when the Bills defense had the New York Jets offense an abysmal 0 of 11 on third down. But the Dolphins presented different challenges. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa got the ball out of his hands quickly with short passes, cutting down on the time the Bills’ pass rushers had to get to Tagovailoa and bring him down.
Ed Oliver thought Deone Walker could be one to come through for the Bills on Thursday against the Miami Dolphins. Walker, a rookie drafted in the fourth round, proved to his teammates over the past four months he’s going to work tirelessly to make an impact in the NFL. Oliver reminded his 6-foot-7 teammate that he belongs, and he’s capable.
“For the most part, I would say over the last however many games, they’re tough, tough unit to stop,” McDermott said of Miami. “The third downs, however, in the red zone – we just went through third downs, the defensive staff – just not enough of things working together. So, that will be a point of emphasis as we move forward, for sure.”
On the flip side, the Bills defense forced four three-and-outs, which McDermott considered critical. But the fact that the Bills offense couldn’t pull away in those cases and make it a two-score game means there’s still work to be done.
Still, the Bills are the first NFL team to make it to 3-0, and McDermott said he believes his team has made steady improvement from its wild 41-10 win over Baltimore in the season opener.
“I know each week of the season, our defense has gotten better,” McDermott said.
Injury updates
McDermott said both linebacker Matt Milano (pectoral) and defensive tackle Ed Oliver (ankle) are “improving,” but the staff will have more of an idea next week on each respective status. Both were sidelined against Miami, and Oliver has missed the last two games.
McDermott says he feels Milano’s injury is not long term, based off additional medical information and the first few of days after the injury, which Milano suffered Sunday against the Jets.
“I think to this point it’s been a positive for Matt,” McDermott said.
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From the Miami game, McDermott said linebacker Keonta Jenkins was dealing with something but offered no clarity or specifics on the injury.
The Bills have this weekend off and don’t play again until Sept. 28 against New Orleans in Orchard Park.
Deone Walker stays the course
Bills rookie defense tackle Deone Walker had one of the biggest plays of the game. But that didn’t keep McDermott from fairly evaluating his full 19 snaps.
Thompson finished with six tackles against Miami, which was third on the team.
“(Walker) didn’t get off to a great start in the game, but I love how he was able to stay mentally tough and stay on the attack,” McDermott said. “And then when needed most, made a huge play, being able to affect the quarterback.”
Walker had pressure on Tagovailoa as Miami was driving with a chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. Walker even got his hand on the ball as Tagovailoa released, and the result was a game-changing interception by linebacker Terrel Bernard.
“Those two did a phenomenal job,” McDermott said. “That’s the vision of rush and coverage working together.”
Landon Jackson’s trajectory
Rookie defensive end Landon Jackson was inactive for the third week in a row, but McDermott said behind the scenes, he’s coming along.
“Landon was close to getting a jersey this week, and we’ll see where it goes moving forward,” McDermott said. “The goal is to get as many of these young guys up and active getting a jersey change to get them some valuable time.”
McDermott said he wants younger players to get valuable snaps to help for the back half of the season in particular.
Evaluating Cameron Johnston
McDermott is still early in evaluating the Bills’ new punter, Cameron Johnston, whom the team brought in for Week 2. With five punts in two games, Johnston is averaging 45.0 yards per punt.
“So, five total, yeah, limited sample,” McDermott said. “I think some good and some that he would want bad as well. So, we’re working on it, and you’re always looking to again improve, and special teams is a big piece of it.”
McDermott also noted that injuries on the team, particularly on defense, have changed the makeup of who’s available for special teams, thus affecting coverage on punts.
“I thought some of the some of the play last night was really good guys stepping in that have not typically been in those positions,” he said.
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Katherine Fitzgerald
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