Around the NFL, it is known that defense wins championships but this week for the Bills could their offense be their best defense against the Seahawks?
The Bills and Seahawks both have elusive quarterbacks that can make spectacular plays out of thin air. It is Sean McDermott's task to prepare his team to limit Russell Wilson – the NFL's leader in passing touchdowns (26) and passer rating (120.7).
"You have to figure out a way to counteract what they do," McDermott said. "They score a lot of points, so we've got to do a good job on our offensive and special teams units keeping them off the field anyway we can, in terms of their offense. Sometimes your best defense is keeping the ball away from the opposing quarterback, and just overall there's a lot of respect for what they do and for Russell Wilson, on top of that."
The Bills offense has continued to grow and adapt throughout the first half of this season, showing positive signs of improvement. The Bills rank sixth in the NFL with 2,976 total yards. The Bills produced their best rushing day of 2020 in Week 8 with 190 rushing yards against New England. Seattle ranks ninth in the league against the run allowing a little over 100 rushing yards per game, and the Seahawks rank 32nd against the pass allowing an average of 358 yards per game. Another strength the Bills is their 51.6 third-down conversion percentage, which is the best in the league. Third downs will be crucial for the Bills to convert whether they run or pass the ball on Sunday to keep the football out of Wilson's hands.
Josh Allen explained how their offense can assist Buffalo's defense on Sunday.
"Making sure that we're making smart decisions with the football," Allen stated. "If they want to play some soft zones, [I can] take some of the underneath stuff and when the big play presents itself, we have to make sure that we execute and go after it when we can. Again, moving the chains on third down, the time of possession, and being able to flip the football field when we can. That is something that we haven't done the in last couple of weeks, we've been pinned down a few times and haven't gotten a first down and we've had three and outs. One first down can change the course of a game and we understand that, so that's something we're drastically trying to improve."
In addition to Wilson, Seattle's offense feature two electrifying wide receivers in Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. The Seahawks offense is ranked number one in the league in total yards (432.7), yards per play (6.4) and points (34.3). Both receivers do most of their damage down the field. According to NFL Research, Metcalf has 266 yards on go routes, Lockett has 229 yards on crossing routes and Diggs has 218 yards on hitch routes.
Stefon Diggs, who is second in the league in receiving yards with 695, is confident in his teammates and is looking forward to the challenge of trying to keep pace with Seattle's high-powered offense.
"They definitely have some great guys over there on offense," Diggs said. "I feel like we have just as good of guys on our side. We definitely have a lot of weapons on offense, the tight end position, the running back position and the most important the quarterback position. Just trusting our guys, we kind of got the ball rolling today, and hit the ground running trying to do everything we can to execute on Sunday. So, we're really looking forward to it, definitely going to be a challenge for us and should be fun."
Scroll through to see the best photos from Buffalo's practice as they prepare for Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks.
Harrison Phillips (99). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Daryl Worley (37). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Stefon Diggs (14). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Christian Wade (45). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Allen (17). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tremaine Edmunds (49). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tre'Davious White (27). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Darron Lee (52). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Taron Johnson (24). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Harrison Phillips (99). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Micah Hyde (23), Stefon Diggs (14), Jordan Poyer (21), Eric Ciano. Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Dane Jackson (30). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Devin Singletary (26). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Zack Moss (20). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Quinton Jefferson (90). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Zack Moss (20), Devin Singletary (26), Gabriel Davis (13). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Trey Adams (72) and Bryan Cox Jr (51). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Darron Lee (52) and Tremaine Edmunds (49). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Jon Feliciano (76). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
A.J. Klein (54), Tremaine Edmunds (49), Levi Wallace (39). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Trent Murphy (93), Vernon Butler (94). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Taron Johnson (24). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Allen (17). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Darron Lee (52). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
A.J. Klein (54). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Cody Ford (70), Jon Feliciano (76). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Allen (17). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Devin Singletary (26). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Cole Beasley (11). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Stefon Diggs (14). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Stefon Diggs (14). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Gabriel Davis (13), Davis Webb (7). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Devin Singletary (26). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Zack Moss (20). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Levi Wallace (39). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Brandon Beane. Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Isaiah McKenzie (19). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Allen (17). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tre'Davious White (27). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Micah Hyde (23). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Jordan Poyer (21). Buffalo Bills Week 9 practice, November 4, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
