Bills continue to be a runaway train, roll over Packers in another easy win
The Buffalo Bills punted on their first possession of Sunday night's game. It was odd. They'd punted just 11 times in their first six games.
We're to the point in which it's surprising to see the Bills fail on any drive. Their five possessions after that punt: Three touchdowns, then two field goals. The Bills did whatever they wanted in a 27-17 win over the Green Bay Packers. They let running back Devin Singletary run wild for a while. Then Josh Allen started tossing it around to Stefon Diggs for some fun. The Bills defense had Aaron Rodgers sitting at 74 yards on 15 attempts a few minutes into the fourth quarter.
The Packers are 3-5 but nobody would say they're a terrible team. The Bills have the ability to make otherwise reasonable NFL teams look completely overmatched. The Packers put up some yards and a few points in the fourth quarter with the game well in hand for Buffalo, but the outcome was never in doubt.
The Bills need to keep pushing because they want the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC, which eluded them last season. However, it seems like the rest of the regular season is just a warmup for the postseason. As anyone in Buffalo would tell you, only one thing matters this season for a dominant Bills team.
Bills get another blowout win
Had the Bills not lost to the Miami Dolphins — a game in which they outgained Miami 497-212 and Allen missed an open Isaiah McKenzie for a go-ahead score on a fourth down in the final minutes — the conversation about the Bills would be getting interesting. But the Bills probably don't care much about making a run at an undefeated regular-season record. They want a championship.
This team has the goods. We have seen it every week. The Bills have four double-digit wins. Their other two wins were impressive comebacks at the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs, two first-place teams in the AFC. Even the loss had its impressive parts to it. They've been remarkable all season long.
The offense draws your attention. When it's all working, it's pretty to watch. Allen can beat teams running it or passing it. On his first touchdown, he drew the defense in when he rolled to his left, then flipped it to tight end Dawson Knox for the score. Buffalo can run it OK, just because defenses have to focus their resources on slowing down Allen. Stefon Diggs is perhaps the best receiver in football. He had a 100-yard game and a touchdown. And he's not the Bills' only offensive weapon.
When the Bills made their worst mistake, they got it right back. Allen threw a pass across his body back to the middle of the field and it was intercepted in the fourth quarter. There wasn't much chance of the Packers getting back in the game at that point, but that turnover at least kept the light flickering. On Green Bay's next play, Rodgers' pass was batted in the air and linebacker Matt Milano intercepted it before it hit the ground.
Allen threw another interception near the goal line in the fourth quarter. In a closer game, that would be a big problem. But the Bills might not play too many close games this season.
Packers overwhelmed by Bills
The Packers have arguably the most talented quarterback ever in Rodgers. Yet, on fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter, they ran up the middle. Aaron Jones was stopped for a loss. Von Miller, the Bills' big offseason acquisition to help get them over the top, blew up the right side of the line and Jones had nowhere to go.
Part of the reason the Packers went to that call was their deficiencies in the pass game. But it's hard to pass on these Bills. They had Rodgers under constant pressure Sunday night. Green Bay's run game was working, but you need to play about a perfect game to beat the Bills when your only dimension is running the ball.
The Bills' defense sometimes doesn't get the credit it deserves, mostly because the offense is so fun and Allen is well on his way to an MVP award. But the defense completely took Rodgers out of the game. The Packers' passing game isn't what it has been the past few seasons, but a back-to-back MVP shouldn't be struggling to reach 100 yards. The Bills' defense is just that good.
The Bills made it look easy most of the night. Green Bay came in as a huge underdog and never had a realistic chance to win. It won't be the last team that has that feeling against the Bills.
