1. Bills turnovers lead to Titans points
It started off right from the jump with the tipped ball from Andre Roberts. Then it was ultimately the nail in the coffin at the end with the Andre Roberts fumble. Then the one bad pass you saw from Josh Allen looked like he was trying to take a shot in a cover two defense. The cornerback sunk right into that zone, and I've seen that happened to quarterbacks plenty of times. You wonder what the heck they're doing, throwing right into the cornerback's hands but they're trying to make the pre-snap read off the coverage and take that shot. The turnovers ultimately got them and anytime you lose the turnover battle in the NFL, 3-0, you virtually have no chance of winning.
2. A.J. Brown dominates banged-up Bills defense
It seemed like the Bills did a pretty good job handling the run game of the Titans. But where they struggled was in that intermediate passing area. Usually, linebacker Matt Milano would be there but when the corners were in man coverage, A.J. Brown and Jonnu Smith were able to just have their way over the middle of the field throughout the game. And it seemed like that was a big area where they converted a lot of first downs and have a big effect on the game.
3. No sign of Bills pass rush
I think the last two years, the Bills were really good with their four-man rush. It wasn't necessarily a straight rush, a lot of it was line-games. I know two years ago, Kyle Williams would lead the charge on making calls for the defense and I believe Lorenzo Alexander did that a lot last year. It doesn't seem like they're as effective with their line-games this year. They're also not generating a lot of pass rush with a four-man rush. A part of that could be them getting used to each other, but it seemed like at times that contain was an issue with Ryan Tannehill rushing for 42 yards and a touchdown. So, the pass rush just hasn't been there. It hasn't been that big of an issue but when you're down two corners and Matt Milano, who's your best cover linebacker, it becomes more of an issue.
4. Did Bills get burnt out from extra preparation?
This is speculation from the outside looking in and I'm trying to put myself in their shoes. You've already put in your week's worth of preparation in, then you get a day off and then you go back to a walk-through practice. To me, it doesn't seem like they got fatigued but whatever that break in routine did, it seemed to really hurt their focus. You saw dropped passes, pre-snap penalties, turnovers, and that has not been the case from the Bills so far this season up until this week.
5. Bills will have to roll with the punches
This season is about rolling with the punches. There's going to be uncertain and unfortunate circumstances for probably all teams throughout the league and the Bills are getting a dose of it early. In this situation against the Chiefs, they were supposed to be traveling to Buffalo on a Thursday night with the same amount of rest as the Bills and now they get extra rest and extra preparation for the game. At the end of the day, we're blessed to be playing football in 2020, and there's going to be situations like this that pop up for every team. The way Sean McDermott has built this team and the mindset he's instilled since day one, they should be built for these times. And I know from the way Sean McDermott approaches everything you either win or you learn from each game. The Bills are going have a lot to learn from this week and I expect the Bills to put a better foot forward against the Chiefs next Monday. They will have another chance to show the whole country what they're all about. They get the five o'clock kickoff which will be an abnormal Monday Night Football time but I'm looking forward to it.
