Bills star Keon Coleman break down in tears and a bumshell announcement was made and a long time secret was revealed
Five takeaways from the Buffalo Bills’ roller coaster Week 1 win against Arizona
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 08: Greg Rousseau of the Arizona Cardinals during the fourth quarter at
The Week 1 experience can often be an adventure. There’s always a feeling-out process in the first game, as rosters with a different twist from the previous one can bring on new wrinkles teams may not have prepared for without a lot of film available.
A roller coaster best describes the Bills’ 34-28 Week 1 victory over the Cardinals. The Bills’ defense couldn’t get a stop early on in the game, ceding a 17-3 lead to the visitors with only a few minutes left to play in the first half. It forced the offense to be nearly perfect the rest of the way.
But that’s just what franchise quarterback Josh Allen did, putting a touchdown on the board on four of their next five drives and accounting for 74 percent of the team’s yards. Even with 34 points scored, the Bills still nearly lost to the Cardinals but ultimately arrived at a victory and a 1-0 start to 2024.
What stood out? Here are several takeaways from the Bills’ helter-skelter Week 1 win.
Greg Rousseau delivers on summer of promise
The Bills defense was reeling in the first half. They couldn’t get themselves off the field, the pass rush wasn’t getting into the backfield well enough and the Cardinals were taking advantage of all the Bills’ individual weaknesses. But in the second half, fourth-year defensive end Greg Rousseau took over the game. Rousseau’s sack on third down of the Cardinals’ initial possession in the second half set the tone for the rest of the game. And then, just after the Bills’ offense was forced to punt for the first time on their ensuing drive, Rousseau answered right back with a strip-sack to put the Bills on the doorstep to take the lead, to which the offense obliged.
But Rousseau’s performance is a continuation of the massive potential he had shown all throughout training camp. The defensive end has always had the makings of becoming a top-tier pass rusher, and he was easily one of the best players all summer.
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“Those are things that, we’re not surprised at all with how he’s been doing,” defensive end A.J. Epenesa said.
“Domination. It’s awesome to watch,” defensive tackle Austin Johnson added. “I mean, he’s just a freak of nature.”
And it was more than just the sacks. He kept getting into the backfield, chipped in well on run support and even had a pass breakup on tight end Trey McBride late in the game. If this is the start of things to come, Rousseau could wind up being a major player on a defense in desperate need of difference-makers.
The defensive concern is real
Even though the defense pulled things together in the second half, their early-game performance provided massive reasons for concern moving forward. Even late in the game, when the Bills held strong to limit the Cardinals’ second-half points, Arizona clearly missed on some clear opportunities for points with busted coverage and dropped passes. The Bills showed they were concerned about second-year linebacker Dorian Williams in coverage, as they followed suit from a 2023 strategy to bring on a sixth defensive back on obvious passing downs. But it was clear that the Cardinals were targeting Williams with misdirection early in the game.
The safety play, particularly by Taylor Rapp, is another cause for concern in the coming weeks. He was caught out of position a handful of times and was bailed out by a poor throw on a play in which he was clearly beaten in coverage. Along with the uncertainty at free safety, teams will likely continue to make the Bills prove it’s not a weakness. And yet another significant injury to one of their best could make the defensive volatility even more concerning.
Taylor Rapp’s (left) performance and Taron Johnson’s (right) injury are causes for concern on the Bills’ defense. (Gregory Fisher / Imagn Images)
The Taron Johnson loss is immeasurable
Although the Bills managed to bring in a victory on Sunday, the defense took on what could be one of the most crushing injuries they could have. With star linebacker Matt Milano sidelined for the foreseeable future following a torn bicep suffered in trai