Buffalo Rumblings
As a defense, the Buffalo Bills are an opportunistic group. They strike when opportunity presents itself, usually brandishing devastating results for their opponent. For Buffalo, it’s “see ball, get ball” with head coach Sean McDermott. That’s one of the things these Bills do well defensively, creating turnovers.
Buffalo is currently riding a 26-game streak where they haven’t lost the turnover battle, which is an NFL record. Part of how the Bills generate turnovers is by using a technique called the “Peanut Punch.” This fumble-forcing technique was popularized by former Chicago Bears cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman, where a defender uses a well-timed punch to knock the ball loose from the ball carrier’s grasp, rather than a traditional tackle.
Linebacker Terrell Bernard used it in the AFC Divisional round last year against Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews to cause a major turnover. We’ve also seen the Bills leverage the technique early in 2025, notably against Ravens running back Derrick Henry.
Though plenty have raised concerns about Buffalo’s defense overall, there’s perhaps another golden opportunity in front of them in Week 5. When the Bills host the New England Patriots, Buffalo’s defense should target one player specifically in an attempt to cause a fumble.
When running back Rhamondre Stevenson has the ball in his hands, the defense should look to exploit his fumble-prone play, and punch the ball out. Stevenson is a talented back no doubt, but he has been known to put the ball on the turf.
Through four games in 2025 Stevenson has two fumbles, which both came against the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks ago. Those fumbles made a huge difference in the game considering one came at the goal line. The Patriots went on to lose that game 21-14.
During the 2024 NFL season Stevenson had a total of seven fumbles, with one of those coming against the Bills’ defense. Looking at just last week’s game against the Carolina Panthers, Stevenson only had nine rushing attempts in the game — so he may be in a bit of a dog house with head coach Mike Vrabel.
Certainly Buffalo’s run defense has been among the worst in the NFL, which is where forcing turnovers helps course-correct the situation. In addition to the always aware Bernard, don’t be surprised if defensive end Joey Bosa can rip the ball free. Bosa leads the NFL with four forced fumbles and no other defender has even three so far this season.
The downside of using the punch is that a miss improves a ball carrier’s opportunity to break the tackle. That may be a risk worth taking for the Bills on Sunday night.
