The Buffalo Bills are sitting at 6-1 and looking every bit like a team intent on taking control of the AFC. After losing the AFC East to the New England Patriots last season, Buffalo is trying to make sure nobody slips by again. The Patriots could still pull it off, but only if they prove they’re the better team over the course of a much tougher schedule.
That’s not the only competition on the Bills’ radar. Denver, Kansas City and Cincinnati are all in the mix, and the Bengals may be the most dangerous of the bunch if Joe Burrow really is back to his best after a stretch of injury-related and mistake-prone play.
If Buffalo is going to reach the top of the conference and get back to the Super Bowl for the first time since the glory years of Marv Levy, Jim Kelly and Bruce Smith, the offense will have to keep carrying the load. The Bills are putting up a league-best 33.3 points per game, with Josh Allen steering an attack that can score in bunches.
Allen gives Buffalo everything you want in a franchise quarterback. He can rip throws into tight windows with one of the strongest arms in the league, and he’s just as dangerous when he takes off and makes plays with his legs. When the Bills need a critical first down or a touchdown on the ground, he’s the one who can deliver it.
Still, the offense may not be enough to solve everything. Defense has been the weak link, and the hiring of Joe Brady as head coach hasn’t changed that. Buffalo is 30th in pass defense and sits in the bottom 25 percent of the league in scoring defense.
That’s why the Bills should be active at the trade deadline. But one move would be the wrong one: going after Khalil Mack of the winless Los Angeles Chargers.
Mack’s name has been floated as one of the biggest trade chips ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline, but that label fits a different version of him. Three seasons ago, maybe. Not now.
The 35-year-old edge rusher is no longer the same player who posted 17.0 sacks for the Chargers in 2023. After 13 years in the league, he looks a step slower, and while a shot at a legitimate Super Bowl contender might sharpen his edge, he simply isn’t the force he once was.
Buffalo would be making a mistake if it gave up high draft picks or useful role players for him. In seven games, Mack has 21 tackles, 3.0 sacks and 6 quarterback hits. He can still make a play here and there, but quarterbacks and running backs are getting away from him more easily now, and there’s no real reason to believe he’d sustain big production over the long haul.
If the Bills want a better fit, Josh Sweat makes more sense.
Sweat, 29, is in his ninth season and is coming off a 12.0-sack year with the Cardinals. Last season, he also added 30 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and 17 QB hits.
His numbers this year aren’t as eye-catching, but he still has 22 tackles, 3.0 sacks and 5 QB hits. For a Buffalo defense getting big production from Greg Rousseau and not much else, that kind of help would matter.
Rousseau has been the standout, with 7.0 sacks, 9 tackles for loss, 7 passes batted down, 3 forced fumbles and 24 tackles. After him, though, the drop-off is steep. No other Bills defender has more than 1.5 sacks, which means opponents can focus on Rousseau and make life easier everywhere else.
Arizona also has reason to listen. The Cardinals are in last place in the NFC West and, even if they haven’t packed it in, it looks unlikely they’ll climb past the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks or San Francisco 49ers. With Sweat set to become a free agent after the season, the Cardinals could use him to collect multiple mid- or late-round picks.
He can line up on either side of the defensive line, and Buffalo might be able to land him without paying a huge price by treating the deal as a rental. Pairing Sweat with Rousseau could give the Bills’ defense a lot more punch than it has right now.
Buffalo needs help on that side of the ball. Sweat would provide it.
In Other News...
Bills Move On From C.J. Gardner-Johnson As Secondary Questions Grow
The Bills have moved on from safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson after the end of his one-game suspension, a decision that came as Buffalo continued sorting through its defensive backfield following the Baltimore game. Head coach Joe Brady said the call was a difficult one because of Gardner-Johnsons edge and personality, but the team ultimately chose to make a change based on what it needed moving forward.
For Buffalo, the timing adds another layer to a secondary that has already been under the microscope, with Damar Hamlin and Geno Stone among the options to help fill the opening. It leaves the Bills trying to stabilize a key part of the defense while also figuring out how best to replace a player whose presence brought a different kind of energy to the room. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Trade Search Just Put Another Intriguing Safety In Play
The Bills search for help on defense has brought another safety into the conversation, with Washingtons Nick Cross emerging as a name worth watching before the November 10 trade deadline. Cross signed a two-year contract with the Commanders in March 2026 and has carved out a versatile role in their defense this season, which is exactly the kind of flexibility Buffalo tends to value when it starts weighing midseason additions.
Cross also has already worked his way back from the injury he suffered in Week 2, adding another layer to his appeal for a team looking at both present help and long-term fit. The question now is whether the Bills decide the combination of role, availability and cost is worth pursuing, especially with any trade coming with both financial implications and draft-pick considerations attached. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Suddenly Have A Bad Timing Problem Before Vikings Game
The Bills offensive line entered the week with an unwelcome dose of uncertainty ahead of a Week 9 matchup with Minnesota, a defense that has made life difficult for opposing quarterbacks with its pressure and blitz looks. Buffalo is already trying to sort through protection issues against a Vikings front that can force offenses out of rhythm, and the timing of the injury report only adds to the concern.
Dion Dawkins and Alec Anderson were both held out of practice, while Spencer Brown was limited as the group dealt with injuries at a spot where continuity matters. For a Bills offense that wants to stay on schedule, the health of the line is suddenly one of the biggest subplots heading into Sunday. [Read more 🡒]