Josh Allen, Joe Brady must stop 1 thing for Bills to avoid wrath of Texans’ defense appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
There are plenty of predictions for Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. And he has gotten a lot of respect from coaches, GMs, and executives. But Allen and head coach Joe Brady must prevent one thing if the Bills are to avoid the wrath of the Texans’ defense in their Week 1 clash.
The Texans don’t win on defense with smoke and mirrors. They win with strength and speed. It’s not about being ready for the blitz. It’s all about being able to handle the pressure and power on every single snap.
Bills offense must handle a standard defensive attack
In their most recent meeting, coming last year in Week, the Texans made their point without blitzing, according to buffalorumblings.com.
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“In that victory, the Texans blitzed Allen on just 15.2% of his 39 dropbacks and still managed to pressure him 43.5% of the time,” Chris Trapasso wrote. “Seven of his eight sacks came without a blitz.”
Allen actually handled the blitz well in that game. He went 5 of 6 for 67 yards. The rest of the game, he completed 19 of 28 passes for 186 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. His passer rating landed at just 56.5 without the blitz, while it was 113.2 against it.
If the Bills are going to win this game, they will need to do two things on offense. First, they must give Allen a reasonable amount of time on most of his dropbacks. The Bills have to win their share of these individual battles.
Second, they need to run the football. James Cook must put together a solid rushing effort. If it’s third and long, or even third and medium, all game, the Texans’ defense is going to punish the Bills.
How will the Bills counter things?
One way is by leaning on the tight ends. The Bills have four on their roster, and Allen said they are capable, according to the Bills’ YouTube page via Sports Illustrated.
“Those four tight ends that we do have are very smart,” Allen said. They can all do what they’re asked to do. It’s just figuring out what they’re best at. They’re happy. They’re still gonna get the ball, but sometimes they’re gonna have to block, too. But they know that.”
Look for the Bills to go with some 13 personnel. The “super heavy” unit gives the Bills a chance to better protect Allen while also clearing more running lanes for Cook.
There may even be a place for Keleki Latu to have a role.
“He’s come a long way from 12 months ago. I don’t think he was nearly pushing for a roster spot coming out of his rookie [training] camp. He’s just gotten better and better,” said General Manager Brandon Beane. “The passing game was there last year. I think this guy really focused on his play strength and his run blocking, being a more complete tight end.”
What’s the bottom line for the Bills’ offense?
Well, this isn’t rocket science. The Bills have to take care of the football. If they can traverse the whole game without a turnover, they should have a chance to win this game.
Of course, the Bills’ defense will have to play up to standard. If they do, that turns a chance into a real shot.
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