Top 5 storylines to follow for Bills vs. Cardinals | Week 1 

After seven months of waiting, Week 1 is finally here. The Bills kick off the 2024 season with a home opener against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals finished last season with a 4-13 record, while the Bills finished 11-6.

Here are five storylines to get you ready for a Sunday afternoon game in Orchard Park.

1. OC Joe Brady unveils his stamp on Buffalo's offense

New Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady will unveil what his stamp on Buffalo's offense looks like come Sunday.

Brady was Buffalo's quarterbacks coach for the last two seasons, and spent the final seven weeks of last season as the interim OC. Buffalo went 6-1 under Brady's guidance from Weeks 11 through 18. The Bills ran 258 run plays (53%) compared to 229 pass plays (47%) with Brady as OC. Before Brady took over, the Bills ran 254 run plays (42%) compared to 350 pass plays (58%).

Buffalo's OC has five new skill players to work with in wide receivers Curtis Samuel, Keon Coleman, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Mack Hollins and running back Ray Davis. In one of Brady's first press conferences, the OC called the offense Josh Allen's and one that plays to the strength of his players.

While there will be some carry over from last season because the Bills were a top 10 offense in several categories, Brady also wants to mix it up.

"In order to stay the best obviously you got to continue to grow and evolve," Brady said. "You get new pieces, so the offense has to change regardless. It's a great opportunity for us to kind of take a step back and figure out exactly who we have and try to build an offense around that. We signed a lot of pieces in free agency and in the draft, so we'll try to mix and match and put them all together."

The Bills averaged 27 points per game (6^th) and averaged 149.6 rushing yards per game (4^th) from Weeks 11 to 18. In terms of what to expect in Week 1, an NFL writer thinks they've found something that works.

"I really do think they have found a formula that works for them as far as under center runs," Yahoo Sports staff writer Nate Tice said on One Bills Live. "They've added some new things out of the gun that they do. They've even hinted at stuff in the preseason…I actually really like that they're running some staples but trying to be innovative with not just going, 'Hey Josh, go make a play.' They're actually trying to help."

"Joe has been awesome, and I'm thankful that I got a lot of reps with him during the season last year," quarterback Josh Allen shared on Sirius XM’s Movin’ the Chains. "Obviously kind of switching mid-year to him, now having a full offseason of going over concepts of what we like, I'm just trying to be an extension of him when I'm on the field. So, whatever he's calling, I'm trying to make sure I'm thinking the same way he's thinking. We're having a lot of really good conversations."

When it comes to the pass catchers, Allen is excited for how Brady will use them. The OC charged his wide receivers with learning every position this offseason so each player can be deployed inside and out.

"I'm very excited for the group that we've got," Allen told Sirius XM. "We got a lot of guys who can do a lot of different things. And I think most of all, they're working hard and really care for each other."

2. DC Bobby Babich to call plays

Bobby Babich earned the defensive coordinator title at the end of January, but head coach Sean McDermott did not reveal who would be calling the plays until the last week in August. After cuts, McDermott made it public that Babich will call the plays this season after McDermott did so in 2023.

Babich told reporters during camp that if he was going to call the plays, he would do so from the booth. Why?

"Have you seen me at practice?" Babich asked.

The DC was referring to the passion that he coaches with, which his players love. Babich had the preseason to warm up to the new responsibilities, and his players thought he did a great job.

"It was calm, clear, concise," middle linebacker Terrel Bernard said. "…having him in the headset, he was giving me tips, like he's been doing all season of things to expect, things that are coming."

Babich has been on Buffalo's staff since 2017 and coached in multiple roles like defensive backs and linebackers coach. The Bills finished last season ranking top 10 in several defensive statistics and will try to continue that trend this season. Many of his players say there's no one that knows the game like Babich.

"His passion it just flows into us," Bernard said. "He's the leader of the defense in a way and I think what he brings is his personality, his football mind and his love for the game is something we can feed off of every single day."

Several faces return to Buffalo's defense but one position who will see new starters are the safeties. With Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde no longer on the team, it's time for two new players to lock down the responsibility. Babich was the safeties coach from 2018-21, so he'll know how to best use his new starters.

3. Cardinals feeling good about their second year in the system

The Cardinals are entering their second season with head coach Jonathan Gannon, offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis. Returning players are feeling comfortable heading into the 2024 season with one year of experience under their belt.

Josh Allen doesn't care if the Cardinals missed the playoffs last season and only had four wins, he knows they've improved in multiple areas since 2023.

"They're a very, very tough opponent," Allen told Sirius XM's Movin' the Chains. "I think they came on strong last year. (It's their) second year of Coach (Gannon). Kyler (Murray) is one of the great playmakers in the league. Marvin Harrison Jr. is the rookie hot shot wide receiver, so we're going to have our hands full, but we've got to be ready to go."

Many analysts think the Cardinals nailed their draft that consisted of seven picks in the first three rounds. Arizona had the fourth overall pick and drafted wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. out of Ohio State. Harrison just had back-to-back seasons of more than 1,200 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns at Ohio State. With their second pick in the first round, the Cardinals added depth to their defensive line drafting Darius Robinson out of Mizzou with the 27^th overall pick.

Quarterback Kyler Murray will have more than just Harrison to work with. Running back James Connor finished with the sixth-most rushing yards last season (1,040), tight end Trey McBride had 825 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns, rookie running back Trey Benson had 14 rushing touchdowns in 2023, and wide receivers like Greg Dortch and Michael Wilson are expected to take a step forward.

Former Cardinals quarterback Colt McCoy who played with Murray (2021-22) thinks good things will come in Murray's second year under Gannon.

"He's bought into what they're trying to do," McCoy told Kay Adams on Up & Adams. "He recognizes how much the run game helps him, helps to get the tight end open. You saw that late in the year (last year). I think Michael Wilson is really good.

"I think Greg Dortsch is really good. I think Marvin Harrison Jr. is obviously a big added piece. I think that Kyler is really confident in that. It's his second year in the system, and I feel good about where he's at."

4. Comparing where the Bills and Cardinals finished last season

While the Bills and Cardinals have several new faces on both sides of the ball, let's take a look at where they ranked last season on offense and defense.

Offense

Points per game – Bills: 26.5 (6^th), Cardinals: 19.1 (24^th)

Total yards per game – Bills: 374.5 (4^th), Cardinals: 324.1 (28^th)

Passing yards per game – Bills: 244.4 (8^th), Cardinals: 184.9 (26^th)

Rushing yards per game – Bills: 130.1 (4^th), Cardinals: 139.1 (4^th)

Third down conversion rate – Bills: 49.8% (1^st), Cardinals: 39.1% (14^th)

Red zone efficiency – Bills: 63.1% (6^th), Cardinals: 62.8% (7^th)

Defense

Points allowed per game – Bills: 18.3 (4^th), Cardinals: 26.8 (31^st)

Total yards allowed per game – Bills: 307.2 (9^th), Cardinals: 355.7 (25^th)

Passing yards allowed per game – Bills: 196.6 (7^th), Cardinals: 212.5 (13^th)

Rushing yards allowed per game – Bills: 119.6 (15^th), Cardinals: 143.2 (32^nd)

Takeaways – Bills: 30 (3^rd), Cardinals: 17 (tied for 26^th)

Opponents red zone efficiency: Bills: 55.1% (17^th), Cardinals: 60.6% (23^rd)

5. Bills have impressive record in home openers under Sean McDermott

Sunday marks Sean McDermott's eighth home opener as the Bills head coach. McDermott is 5-2 in home openers at Highmark Stadium.

Last year, the Bills beat the Raiders 38-10 in their home opener in Week 2. Quarterback Josh Allen completed 84% of his passes for 274 yards, threw for three touchdowns and finished with a 124.5 passer rating.

The offense racked up 450 total yards and held the Raiders to just 240. Running back James Cook averaged 7.2 yards per rush and totaled 123 rushing yards that game. The Bills defense forced three turnovers.

In home openers under McDermott, the offense has averaged 26.3 points per game and the defense has allowed an average of just 16.7 points per game.