Jim Leonhard isn’t sugarcoating what Buffalo’s defense looks like right now.
After another game in which the Bills gave up points in bunches, the first-year defensive coordinator said Tuesday that he’s looking hard at everything - including his own choices. Buffalo is 4-1 after Monday’s wild 37-34 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, but the numbers behind that record tell a rougher story. The Bills have allowed at least 30 points in three of their first five games and have given up 141 points overall, which works out to 28.2 per game and ranks 28th in the NFL.
“It's too inconsistent to pretend that we're building and working and making improvements. Everything's being evaluated right now. Starting with every decision I'm making.”
That comes after the Rams moved the ball all over Buffalo. Matthew Stafford threw for 383 yards and three touchdowns, while Los Angeles piled up 454 total yards.
Puka Nacua had a career night with 17 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown. Even when Buffalo needed a stop most, the Rams still managed to push the game to the edge, driving for a tying touchdown in the final seconds of regulation when Kyren Williams scored from the 1-yard line with five seconds left.
The Bills did just enough in overtime to escape. Greg Rousseau blocked Harrison Mevis’ potential game-winning field goal, and Tyler Bass finished it off with a 45-yard kick.
Leonhard, in his first season running the defense after serving as the Denver Broncos’ defensive pass game coordinator, has put in an aggressive scheme built around a 3-4 base. But the results have been uneven, and his comments Tuesday made clear he’s not buying the idea that this is simply a unit still settling in. He didn’t point to any specific personnel moves in those remarks.
For now, Buffalo keeps winning games with its offense carrying the load at 32.8 points per game. But the defense remains the question hanging over a 4-1 start.
In Other News...
Bills Win Took A Back Seat To Bradley Chubb Postgame Drama
Buffalos overtime win over the Rams should have been the full story, but the postgame scene quickly pulled attention away from the result. During a jersey exchange after the game, Rams offensive tackle Alaric Jackson punched Bills linebacker Bradley Chubb, turning a routine moment into the kind of after-the-whistle flashpoint that can linger long after the final horn. The NFL responded with a two-game suspension for Jackson, adding an official layer to an incident that left the Bills dealing with more than just a hard-fought victory.
Joe Brady said there is still plenty to sort through about what happened after the game, and Buffalo is waiting for the details to continue coming in. For now, the Bills are moving on to the Raiders, trying to keep their focus on the next opponent while the league reviews a scene that overshadowed the ending in Los Angeles. [Read more 🡒]
Ray Davis Took Heat For A Bills Return Fans Can't Ignore
Ray Davis gave the Bills a jolt on the opening kickoff, but the return ended in a way Buffalo fans could not quite shake. What should have been a routine special-teams play turned into one of the more unusual moments of the day, with Los Angeles Rams punter Ethan Evans in the chase and Davis being steered toward the sideline before the return could fully break loose.
Evans, who is not exactly built like a traditional coverage ace, drew plenty of attention for the way he ran Davis down and finished the play. For Buffalo, it was the kind of sequence that leaves a little frustration behind, because the return had enough early momentum to make fans think something bigger might be coming. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Face A Bigger Test Than Their Record Has Answered
Josh Allen and the Bills head into Week 6 with the kind of momentum that makes every matchup feel like a measuring stick, and the Raiders are the next team asked to see how real the start can be. Buffalo has already shown it can win in different ways this season, with Allen again carrying the offense and covering for the rough patches that tend to show up over the course of a game. Las Vegas arrives with a winning record of its own, which at least gives this one the outline of a legitimate test instead of a routine AFC checkpoint.
The intrigue is whether the Raiders can keep Buffalo from turning the afternoon into a familiar Allen-led grind, because the Bills have been living with a few self-inflicted issues even while the results keep coming. Las Vegas has enough on paper to make the game interesting on both sides of the ball, but the bigger question for Buffalo is whether its offense can keep separating when the margins tighten and the game starts asking for answers rather than projections. [Read more 🡒]