Bills face same nagging question for 5th straight year in AFC rivalry with Chiefs

It's been a question for the past five years, and one NFL Network reporter isn't sure the Buffalo Bills have solved it yet.

Since the 2020 AFC Championship Game, the Bills have played second fiddle to the Kansas City Chiefs with one of the key issues being the lack of pass rush Sean McDermott's defense has been able to generate against quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

This past season, the Bills ranked 23rd overall in sack percentage (6.75), and, they failed to consistently harass Mahomes during a three-point loss in the 2024 AFC title tilt. Lineback Matt Milano and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips accounted for the only two sacks of Mahomes over 33 dropbaacks. The Chiefs' field general successfully scrambled six times for positive yardage.

As a result, the Bills set out to revamp its defensive line during the offseason. Although the freshly-assembled group shows potential, its success will likely hinge on multiple unknown variables.

"To me, that's the No. 1 question mark for this team — do they have enough on the defensive front? Do they have enough pass rush? It's really been the question we've had the last few years of the defense. Just needing a little bit more, a little bit more of a closer coming in," said NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe during an interview on One Bills Live.

The Bills tried future Hall-of-Famer Von Miller as the "closer," but a 2022 midseason ACL tear derailed his tenure and the team moved on after 2024. In the mean time, Buffalo signed five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Joey Bosa, who is somewhat of an unknown due to his injury history.

Sep 20, 2020; Inglewood, California, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is sacked by Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa (97) during the third quarter at SoFi Stadium / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Buffalo also added seven-year NFL starting interior lineman Larry Ogunjobi along with versatile edge player Michael Hoecht. Unfortunately, both men are unavailable until Week 7 due to suspensions stemming from positive drug tests.

The Bills also made significant additions at defensive tackle and defensive end through the NFL Draft. They traded up the board, selecting South Carolina DT TJ Sanders at No. 41 overall and Arkansas EDGE Landon Jackson with the No. 72 pick. Both players figure to be contributors in Buffalo's rotation as rookies.

“I'll tell you this, if we can get past September and October and some of those guys come back and Bosa's healthy and the rookies catch up, I do think they have enough talent in that room," said Wolfe.

As for returnees, defensive tackles Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones are probable starters as is defensive end Greg Rousseau. Veteran AJ Epenesa and 2024 fifth-rounder Javon Solomon also factor into the equation.

“They think that Ed Oliver and TJ Sanders can run inside together as double-edge rushers. I love the idea of that. You obviously paid Greg Rousseau this offseason, and if you can get a healthy Joey Bosa, the potential is there. But right now, the unknowns certainly make it No. 1 on question marks," said Wolfe.