1. How Peter King thinks Bills can find success vs. Chargers
Bills general manager Brandon Beane worked hard to improve his team's defensive front seven in the 2018 offseason.
Beane feels as though Buffalo's defense is "predicated on getting pressure on the quarterback," which is why he worked to strengthen the team's defensive front in the offseason. Buffalo signed Trent Murphy and Star Lotulelei in free agency before selecting Tremaine Edmunds and Harrison Phillips in the draft, adding speed and strength to a defense that totaled just 27 sacks in the 2017 season.
In the team's 2018 season opener, the revamped pass rush showed flashes of promise, recording 2.0 sacks and four quarterback hits. Murphy and Edmunds, two of Buffalo's key offseason acquisitions, combined for 1.5 sacks.
NBC Sports analyst Peter King thinks that the Bills' pass rush will need to show up yet again in order for Buffalo to find success against the Los Angeles Chargers in week two. During an appearance on 'One Bills Live,' King said that a strong outing from the Bills' front seven could benefit the secondary.
"On the defensive side of the ball, I think what I would really want to do is probably bring more pressure at Philip Rivers on Sunday, or try to bring more pressure," King said. "If you can, I think that immediately gives you a better chance to at least try and force some turnovers and try to do a better job in disrupting the opposing passing game."
By pressuring Rivers on Sunday, Buffalo's defense could force the veteran quarterback into making a few questionable throws. This would bode well for the Bills' secondary, an opportunistic unit that totaled 18 interceptions one season ago.
2. Bills players and Buffalo police promote unity throughout the city
Getting involved in the Buffalo community is something that many Bills take pride in.
On Tuesday, linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, offensive tackle Dion Dawkins, safety Micah Hyde, and long-snapper Reid Ferguson participated in ride-alongs with members of the Buffalo Police Department. During the event, the players visited Hutch Tech High School's football practice and addressed the team.
Following the ride-alongs, the Bills traveled to the Belle Center to participate in activities with children from the Buffalo Police Athletic League and the Belle Center.
The Bills have worked with children from the Belle Center before. In June, Alexander and Harrison Phillips went bowling with kids from the center.
3. Sean McDermott didn't question Bills' effort in season opener
Bills head coach Sean McDermott often mentions a "standard" when talking about his football team. While McDermott realizes that results aren't always going to fall in Buffalo's favor, he expects a certain level of effort from his players. He expects them to compete, to give it their all each and every time they're on the field.
The Bills' season opener in Baltimore didn't play out as McDermott hoped it would have. He was, however, pleased with the drive and energy that his team displayed.
"Overall for our football team, I felt effort," McDermott said. "I didn't question the effort, I didn't question the intensity. They were playing hard right up until the end, which I appreciate. It doesn't happen everywhere, and it speaks really about the men in that locker room and on the football team, and their character."
When watching the tape from Sunday's game, McDermott noticed the team's energy and effort on each and every play, something he thinks that Buffalo can build upon moving forward.
"Well, we want to make sure that we isolate the positives from the game [Sunday]," McDermott said. "Hard to find on the surface, but when you go back into it and look at, there were good moments within each play that we had that you want to celebrate and say, 'these are up to the standard that we live by around here,' and what we expect from our football team, down in and down out. And then continue to communicate the overall vision of our football team and the culture that we want to have, and what that standard is on a day-to-day basis. And that's really what, in my opinion, part of my job is as a leader.
