The Buffalo Bills have rolled to a 13-4 regular season record and the No. 2 seed in the AFC, and now face the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card Round at Highmark Stadium.
With Josh Allen and the offense getting all the plaudits due to racking up an impressive 30.9 points per game this season (second-best), but the defense, which has given up 40+ points in three of its last five games, looms as the big worry for Sean McDermott.
And ESPN thanks that this playoff matchup won't come down to what Allen and the offense does, rather how stout the defense can be against Bo Nix.
"The Bills have thrived in the wild-card round, going 4-1 with Allen starting," ESPN writes. The big question for this team going into the playoffs, however, is whether the defense can get off the field. The Bills' defense is the fourth worst in third-down conversion percentage allowed (43.8%), and taking down the quarterback has been an issue (39 sacks, tied for 18th). On the other side, rookie quarterback Bo Nix has avoided sacks (24, tied for third fewest)."
We know what Allen and the offense can do this season, but the defense and those 40-point games make fans nervous.
Rarely are playoff games blowouts, and coming up against a rookie in his first playoff game, maybe the Bills will smell blood in the water, with Von Miller, Greg Rousseau, and A.J. Epenea able to wreak havoc.
There is a feeling, though, that no matter how many points the Broncos score, the Bills have the weaponry and the quarterback to score more despite Denver's stout defense.
Many think Allen will be responsible for how far Buffalo goes this postseason, but in truth, it might lay with the defense.
