The Buffalo Bills responded to a two-game losing streak with back-to-back wins and now sit firmly atop the AFC East at 5-2.
Even with injuries to key defensive players in linebacker Terrel Bernard and defensive tackle, the Bills are staring at another winnable game against the Seattle Seahawks, although whacky things happen when teams travel coast to coast. A loss to the NFC West-leading Seahawks wouldn’t be damaging in the long run, but the Bills need to stack as many wins as possible before a rough stretch on the schedule to end the season.
Here are four areas to watch:
First down: Will Amari Cooper be more involved?
Josh Allen threw Cooper’s way three plays into his tenure with the Bills and he dropped it. Cooper was silent for the remainder of the first half, but exploded for four catches for 66 yards and a touchdown in the second half.
Cooper played 19 snaps five days after being acquired in a trade from the Cleveland Browns, but with another week to dig into the playbook, the Bills should be able to utilize him more often. It seems unlikely the Bills will force-feed him the ball as they did with Stefon Diggs at times, but Cooper showed he still has enough juice left to be a significant contributor.
After six weeks have spreading the ball around without running plays to spotlight anyone but running back James Cook, the Bills showed progress in the second half against the Tennessee Titans. Cooper, receivers Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir and tight end Dalton Kincaid were the focus of the passing game, with all of them surpassing 50 yards, and that must continue moving forward.
“I think that’s why they traded for me,” Cooper said. “Definitely ready for an increased role, definitely ready for more opportunity, and I’m ready to pounce on them.”
Second down: Starting faster
Sound familiar? A nasty habit that plagued the Bills during the first half of last season has crept into play again.
Buffalo has trailed at halftime four times in seven games this season. They were able to overcome slow starts against Arizona and Tennessee, but Seattle has an offense led by NFL passing leader Geno Smith that will make them pay for a sluggish beginning.
The Seahawks are in a similar position, with both teams scoring more than a touchdown in the first quarter once this season. Seattle has also trailed at halftime three times this season, but it is 1-3 when tied or trailing at the break.
“There’s always something to work on,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “Even when you’re winning, there’s plenty to work on. So we just got to go back to the process today and get back out there and practice and making sure we’re out in the open, crossing the Ts and ready to execute.”
Third down: How much will injuries matter?
Not having their defensive captain Bernard and Carter — who has four tackles for a loss in the last four games — puts a big dent in the Buffalo defense. Baylon Spector proved to be an adequate reserve in three games for Bernard, but the Bills are now missing a backup for defensive tackle Ed Oliver.
The Bills already rank 29th in yards per carry (5.1) and Seattle has capable running backs in Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. But the Seahawks are 27th in the NFL in rushing offense (97.4) and are 30th in rushing attempts (151).
With rain in the forecast, Seattle may want to run the ball more often. The New York Jets went into their Week 6 game against the Bills with the worst rushing offense and ran for 121 yards, star receiver DK Metcalf (knee) seems unlikely to play or contribute heavily also weighs into that strategy.
The Seahawks have relied heavily on a quick passing game, but Metcalf is the guy who stretches the field. Metcalf (16.2) and Tyler Lockett (12.8) are the only players on the team averaging more than 11 yards per catch, which feeds into Buffalo’s usual strategy of surrendering short throws and field goals to prevent big plays and touchdowns.
Seattle’s secondary is also ailing, with cornerbacks Tre Brown and Nehemiah Pritchett listed as questionable, while safety Rayshawn Jenkins is on injured reserve and the Seahawks had five defensive backs appear on the injury report this week. Pro Bowl cornerback Riq Woolen appears ready to return after missing two games with an ankle injury.
Fourth down: Heating up Geno
The Bills defense has generated seven sacks, 15 quarterback hits and 28 pressures over the last three games and they get a quarterback that has been under consistent pressure all season.
Smith ranks third in pressures (71), fifth in sacks (20) and sixth in hits (25), while being the most-blitzed quarterback in the league (77). The Bills rank 30th in blitz percentage (17.6) and that’s not likely to change, but they need to continue pressuring the quarterback with a four-man rush.
Defensive end Greg Rousseau had three sacks in Week 1 and went five games before recording a ½ sack against the Titans. He also had six quarterback hits in the game and ranks second in the NFL with nine for the season.
On the other side, A.J. Epenesa recorded a strip-sack and now has three sacks and his last two games after recording one in the first five outings. Even if the Bills can’t haul down Smith consistently, they need to make the pocket uncomfortable because he’s thrown all six of his interceptions this season under pressure.