Buffalo Rumblings
The Bills seek a road win against a first-place team
For the second consecutive week, the Buffalo Bills will face off against one of Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon’s former teams. Last week, the Bills beat the Tennessee Titans (formerly the Houston Oilers) 34-10. This week, they’ll travel to Washington State to take on the Seattle Seahawks.
The Bills didn’t escape last week’s victory unscathed, as they’re dealing with some injuries that put their lineup for Sunday’s game in a bit of flux. Some big-time players are looking like they’ll be questionable for the game at best. All that means is that someone else needs to step up in order to avoid a sleepless night in Seattle.
Here are our five players to watch this week.
The Bills’ ground game has to be good this week. Seattle’s run defense has been atrocious, allowing five yards per carry and seven touchdowns through seven games. Whether it’s James Cook (82 carries, 341 yards, five touchdowns), Ray Davis (51 carries, 213 yards, two touchdowns), Ty Johnson (14 carries, 76 yards, one touchdown), or quarterback Josh Allen (38 carries, 179 yards, three touchdowns), there’s going to be yards on the ground.
Buffalo’s offensive line has been hit-or-miss this year, but in terms of run blocking, they’ve mostly been a hit. Last week, they had some trouble against a stout Titans front. This week, they need to come out and set the tone early.
Seattle’s middle linebacker is our old friend Tyrel Dodson. We know what Dodson’s limitations are, as he’s a strong run stuffer — especially when the defensive front keeps him clean — and a poor coverage player.
Who stands to benefit from a matchup against a poor coverage linebacker? It’s definitely Dalton Kincaid, who had more yards last week (52) than he had in any game this season. His previous season-high was 51 yards, which he had achieved the week prior against the New York Jets.
Perhaps he’s kicking into gear at the right time, as Buffalo’s passing game just became more dangerous thanks to the addition of Amari Cooper. Kincaid will have his biggest game of the season this week.
Weird flex, right? Well, I’m expecting the Bills to be without Dawuane Smoot, who hasn’t practiced in full this week thanks to a groin injury. He’s been really good, too, notching 1.5 sacks and 11 tackles in five games. If Smoot logs a full Friday practice, I’ll feel good about his availability.
However, even if Smoot can go, I imagine the Bills will rotate a little more up front, which could put Casey Toohill in line for more snaps. Toohill has a sack, nine tackles, and a fumble recovery this year, and he’s also likely the guy who would play Smoot’s rush-tackle spot if the other veteran free-agent signee can’t go.
Rookie Javon Solomon, who’s played just 35 snaps on defense this year, would also be...
