by Tony Fiorello
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 20: Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott on the sideline against the Tennessee Titans at Highmark Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
Welcome to Week Eight of the 2024 NFL season. Here at Buffalo Sports Page we will attempt to inform and educate our readers about the Buffalo Bills’ upcoming opponent and what each team might do to emerge victorious.
The Bills’ eighth game of 2024 will take place at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington as they face the Seattle Seahawks. Here’s what you should know:
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 06: Head Coach Mike Macdonald of the Seattle Seahawks looks on during the first quarter of a game against the New York Giants at Lumen Field on October 06, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images)
A YOUNGER FACE AND A NEW SCHEME FOR SEATTLE’S DEFENSE
After 14 years, two trips to the Super Bowl and a Vince Lombardi Trophy won in 2013, longtime Seahawks coach Pete Carroll stepped down this past spring. With that came a change in direction – general manager John Schneider decided to go from the league’s oldest sideline boss (72) to its youngest in new head coach Mike Macdonald (37).
Macdonald, who had spent the prior two seasons as defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, has along with former Bills coordinator Leslie Frazier and new play-caller Aden Durde brought a system that has resided in Baltimore since Rex Ryan roamed their sidelines back in 2005. It’s characterized by simulated pressures at the line of scrimmage with a lot of late movement by safeties to disguise their intentions and press coverage on the back end. They also like overload and fire zone blitzes out of single-high coverage looks. The scheme is also notable for having exotic blitz packages with just one down lineman and other linemen and linebackers walking around until the opposition tips its hand – and then those front seven players will decide who rushes from where.
Thankfully for Seattle, they have plenty of experience in using single-high coverages as Carroll’s squads were primarily based out of Cover Three (three-deep zone coverage from the outside corners, one safety patrolling centerfield and another near the line of scrimmage). Seattle’s secondary is headlined by young cornerbacks and third-year man Tariq Woolen is the best of the bunch. A former fifth-round pick out of UTSA, his rise has been similar to that of ex-Seahawk Richard Sherman, himself a low draft pick. Woolen excels in press man, off man and zone coverage, but has dealt with an ankle injury the last couple of weeks. His counterpart, Devon Witherspoon (a Pro Bowler as a rookie) can play both on the boundary and in the slot, is physical and a great blitzer. Tre Bown and Nehemiah Pritchett also get playing time, and Coby Bryant and Julian Love are the team’s safeties (veteran Rayshawn Jenkins is out with an injury).
Up front, the Seahawks have a good defensive line that is held down by Leonard Williams, Jonathan Hankins, Byron Murphy III and Jarran Reed. At linebacker are ex-Bill Tyrell Dodson, Derick Hall, Dre’Mont Jordan and Ernest Jones, who is athletic and a terrific blitzer (Jones was acquired from the Tennessee Titans earlier this week, so he’ll get a second straight crack at the Bills).
Due to injuries and adjusting to Macdonald’s new scheme, things have gotten off to a slow start on this side of the ball for Seattle. They’re 19th in points allowed, 21st in total yards given up, 13th against the pass and 28th versus the run. Additionally, they’re last in yards allowed on first down and have given up the fifth-most plays of 20 yards or more in the NFL. But they are pressuring quarterbacks on 40.4 percent of their dropbacks, the fourth-highest total in the NFL according to the NFL’s NextGenStats and are tied for seventh in sacks.
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 20: Geno Smith #7 of the Seattle Seahawks drops back to pass during an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
OFFENSE HAS BECOME PASS-HAPPY IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST
New offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb comes from the nearby University of Washington, where he led the Huskies to an appearance in the CFP National Championship Game. While some things have been positive in his transition to the NFL (Grubb has shown a willingness to use unorthodox formations and likes to attack opposing defense’s second levels – meaning the other team’s linebackers and nickel cornerbacks), he still hasn’t been without flaws.
Geno Smith’s transformation into one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL over the last few years has been nothing short of a revelation. Early in his career with the New York Jets, Smith used to overreact to perceived pressure and check the ball to shorter routes, but nowadays he has been much more decisive, aggressive and has gotten better at maneuvering in the pocket with bodies flying around him and keeps his eyes downfield more consistently. He’s also excelled with bootlegs, rollouts and his receivers performing vertical concepts.
Tyler Lockett possesses speed and quickness and primarily performs duties in the slot. D.K. Metcalf can run slants, posts, “sluggos” (slant and gos) and go routes from the boundary ‘X’ position (the single receiver on the opposite side of a formation while others line up on another). Metcalf, while not especially quick, has excellent body control and can make contested catches along the sidelines, while Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba (who can align both outside and in the slot, and gets good separation at the line of scrimmage and at the top of his routes) and tight end Noah Fant work the middle of the field. With targets like these, Grubb has used three receivers on the field on 85 percent of the team’s offensive snaps, the highest rate in the league, and they’re also second in yards after the catch.
Kenneth Walker III is one of the NFL’s more talented running backs but the Seahawks’ offensive line in front of him has struggled, especially on the right side. Former first round pick Charles Cross and journeymen Laken Tomlinson and Connor Williams man the left, but right guard and right tackle have been revolving doors. Anthony Bradford and Christian Haynes are splitting duties at guard and the right tackle spot – which has seen five different men man that spot – is currently held by Michael Jerrell (recently the team has signed 21-year veteran and five-time All-Pro Jason Peters to their practice squad).
With their line struggling in both pass protection and run-blocking, Seattle’s offense has gone pass-heavy – so much so that they’re throwing the ball on two-thirds of their snaps, one of the league’s highest figures. As a result Smith has been sacked 20 times, the second-most in the NFL and the Seahawks are just 27th in rushing. However, due to their pass-happy ways they’re eighth in scoring and total yards, and first in passing yards.
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 20: Greg Rousseau #50 of the Buffalo Bills sacks Mason Rudolph #11 of the Tennessee Titans during the third quarter at Highmark Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
BUFFALO’S DEFENSE USUALLY ELITE, BUT UNDERGOING CHANGES IN 2024
For most of head coach Sean McDermott’s time in Buffalo, the Bills’ defense has been one of the league’s best. Points allowed (fourth in the NFL in that category in 2023), total yards per game allowed (ninth), passing yards given up (seventh), rushing yards surrendered (15th), takeaways (third), interceptions (tied for fourth) and sacks (fourth, tied for second-most in their history with the 2014 team) have generally been the categories that the Bills have excelled at over the years, with last season’s sack total being the best in the McDermott era.
2024, however, will be a year of transition for the Bills on defense. Due to age and salary cap complications, out the door are longtime veterans such as Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer (Dolphins), Tre’Davious White (Los Angeles Rams), Leonard Floyd (San Francisco 49ers, who had 10.5 sacks a year ago – the most of any Bill since Lorenzo Alexander in 2016), Jordan Phillips and Linval Joseph (Dallas Cowboys), Tim Settle (Houston Texans), Kaylon “Poona” Ford (Los Angeles Chargers), Tyrel Dodson (Seattle Seahawks) and Shaq Lawson and Dane Jackson (Carolina Panthers).
Including names from the past such as Kyle Williams, Jerry Hughes, Mario Addison, Star Lotulelei, Carlos “Boogie” Basham and Harrison Phillips, that’s a lot of turnover over the last eight years – none more so than this past offseason. The answer, according to McDermott, general manager Brandon Beane and new defensive coordinator Bobby Babich (who will get the opportunity to call plays this season) is youth and cheap veterans to provide cost-effective depth.
Some of those younger players – albeit young veterans since they are in their fourth and fifth professional seasons, respectively – who will be asked to take on a greater role include Greg Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa, who can line up both on the edge and go inside in passing situations. Da’Quan Jones, perhaps their best run-stuffing lineman, is back healthy after tearing a pectoral muscle against Jacksonville last October and is effective on T-T stunts with Ed Oliver, an excellent gap penetrator.
They will be backed up by versatile free agent pickups Austin Johnson (who comes from the Chargers after stints with Tennessee and the Giants), Dawuane Smoot (Jacksonville) and Casey Toohill (Washington) along with rookies DeWayne Carter (out due to wrist surgery) and Javon Solomon. Toohill is a core special teamer who reminds some of a more athletic Trent Murphy due to his length, height and movement skills while Solomon has been compared to a younger Elvis Dumervil with his lack of height yet long arms and strength and explosiveness off the edge.
Over the years Buffalo has been inconsistent in two areas – creating a consistent pass rush (last year not withstanding) and, from time to time, stopping the run. These issues are mainly caused by poor tackling (their missed and broken tackle percentage has been among the highest in the NFL over the years), a lack of gap integrity and speed. They also gave up 4.6 yards a carry on inside runs last year, 30th in the NFL. Another issue was the Bills giving up tying or go-ahead drives in the final two minutes in four of their six losses last year – meaning they struggled to close out games.
Beyond improving against the run, the Bills had also lacked an elite pass rusher off the edge who could command double teams on a consistent basis since Mario Williams was employed 10 years ago. With this in mind, two years ago Beane signed future Hall of Famer Von Miller. But Miller suffered a torn ACL after putting up eight sacks in 11 games and missed the first four games of last season while recovering on the PUP list. He’s healthy now and was on a snap count as he shook off the rust (although by his own admission he shouldn’t have played in 2023) but has provided a flash of his old All-Pro ability and speed with sacks in three of the team’s first four games. That ability, however, won’t be available after being suspended for four weeks for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
Schematically the Bills’ defense mostly relies on basic zones after the snap (they’re usually among the top units in the NFL in usage of coverages with two high safeties such as Cover Two, Four and Six) but before the snap it is complex – safety rotations to disguise their intentions keep opposing quarterbacks guessing and selective pressure looks at the line of scrimmage and coverage exchanges are the team’s calling cards.
Those blitz looks usually happen in the A-gaps with the smaller, but smart, speedy and athletic Matt Milano and Terrell Bernard (who replaced the departed Tremaine Edmunds last year) to confuse opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks, but Buffalo rarely sends five or more pass rushers – their favorite blitz tactic besides A-gappers are four-man zone exchanges. Bernard has become a good blitzer and coverage ‘backer – his 6.5 sacks in 2023 were the most by an off-the-ball linebacker in Bills annals and he became the first NFL player since Seth Joyner in 1991 with six sacks, three picks and three fumble recoveries in a season.
But for the second straight year, Milano is out for the foreseeable future after suffering a major injury – this time a torn bicep –which means backup Dorian Williams will need to pick up the slack. The Bills struggled to defend the run well last year because of a lack of experience by Williams – he’s shown flashes of quickness and burst but was slow to key and diagnose at the line of scrimmage. He also took many false steps and needed to process better while in coverage, but is athletic, long and fluid – which should bode well for his future while improving with more experience game by game.
Additional depth comes from Baylon Spector (who will likely start on Sunday due to Bernard being declared out with an ankle issue) and rookie Joe Andreessen. Andreessen, a University at Buffalo product who hails from nearby Lancaster, showed excellent diagnostic skills at the line of scrimmage in the preseason while also displaying strong hands, a quick downhill trigger that allows him to shoot gaps well and some speed and range. It helps that the rookie played in a similar role as Milano while in college.
The Bills mainly utilize nickel personnel, as evidenced by Buffalo using five defensive backs between 90 and 100 percent of their snaps since 2020. They did use more dime personnel after Milano’s injury last year with three safeties to help offset the loss of Milano in pass coverage, and that setup featured Hyde and ex-Ram Taylor Rapp on the back end and Poyer near the line of scrimmage.
With Hyde and Poyer’s elite ability to disguise coverages now gone, the Bills’ safety positions are now manned by Rapp (who is better playing near the line of scrimmage), the rangy and physical but inconsistent Damar Hamlin, veteran pickups Mike Edwards and Kareem Jackson (who bring physicality and smarts and can play in the box or on the back end), former Minnesota Vikings first round draft pick Lewis Cine and rookie Cole Bishop, who is an underrated and cerebral athlete.
At the boundary cornerback spots replacing White and Jackson are Christian Benford and Rasul Douglas, and are backed up by the tall and physical Ja’Marcus Ingram and Kaiir Elam, who has underwhelmed so far as a pro. Douglas, an ex-Green Bay Packer and Philadelphia Eagle, has great size and length, is versatile and a gambler – he can take chances because he understands route combinations very well (he led the NFL in takeaways last year with six after he was acquired). Slot corner Taron Johnson remains elite – especially in in the quickness and tackling departments – and he’s backed up by tweener Cam Lewis.
Despite injuries, the Bills’ defense has worked to the tune of 12 takeaways (seventh), eighth in points allowed, ninth in sacks and 17th against the pass. But they’re 20th in total yards allowed and against the run.
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 20: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills waits for the snap during the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Highmark Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
BILLS’ OFFENSE ONCE AN UPPER-ECHELON UNIT, BUT RETOOLING IN 2024
For four consecutive seasons, the Bills boasted one of the NFL’s elite offenses for the first time since the K-Gun was running roughshod over the league more than 30 years ago. Led by quarterback Josh Allen’s improved processing skills, ball placement, patience within the pocket and touch on passes and a cadre of gifted pass-catchers, they allowed Buffalo to become one of the most feared attacks in pro football (last year Allen was fourth in passing yards and tied for fifth in passing touchdowns while tying for third in rushing scores – leading the league in total yards and touchdowns in the process).
In 2023 the Bills were sixth in scoring, fourth in total yards, seventh in rushing and eighth in passing. They were also fifth in red zone efficiency, yet their offense performed poorly over a six-game stretch where they averaged just 20.5 points per game. It resulted in then-offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey getting the boot in favor of quarterbacks coach and former Carolina Panthers play caller Joe Brady.
Like their defensive counterparts, the Bills are going through changes on this side of the ball because of age, the salary cap and a new coordinator. With Brady taking over the role full-time, the biggest philosophical change on offense for Buffalo will be to retain elements of what made them so good in the first place while adding in new and fresh concepts.
Between 2018 and last year, Buffalo’s offense was an Erhardt-Perkins system brought in from New England by then-coordinator Brian Daboll. It was built upon concepts involving option and crossing routes from the slot, downfield routes from the outside, run-pass options (especially in the red zone), designed quarterback runs to take advantage of Allen’s mobility and alignments that create favorable matchups and some trick plays with jet/orbit motion and sweeps. It was mostly out of “11” personnel groupings (one back, one tight end and three wide receivers), “10” personnel (one back, no tight ends, four receivers) and “12” personnel (one back, two tight ends and two receivers) – and would also go no-huddle from time to time to limit the opposition’s defensive calls.
The Bills’ multi-receiver sets were traditionally their offensive calling card. In 2020 they used four wide receivers or more 155 times – the second-most in the NFL at the time – and they utilized someone in motion on 43 percent of their offensive snaps, a huge increase from their 25 percent rate in 2019. Daboll, now the head coach of the New York Giants, also called for a passing play on 64 percent of their first downs, according to ESPN Stats and Information (no team with a winning record in the prior 20 years did it more than Buffalo) and that rate continued in 2021 and ’22 with “11” personnel used on nearly three-quarters of their plays. Lately, Brady has been running the ball more – the Bills are 24th in pass attempts entering Week Eight and have had a called run on 60 percent of their first down plays, the second-highest figure in the league.
Daboll’s successor, Ken Dorsey, got away from some those concepts and tried to rely on the talent at his disposal winning one-on-one matchups instead of having the scheme help them get open. Once Brady was promoted, the Bills returned to them. He also included more under-center formations and play-action (which can still stand to increase after being a top-four team in run-fakes in 2020 and ’21), pre-snap shifts, motions and designed passes to running backs and route combinations with defined reads for Allen so he can play within timing and structure.
Brady got his start in the NFL working for the New Orleans Saints and then-coach Sean Payton. Payton himself came from a melting pot of a background including stints running the Erhardt-Perkins scheme for Bill Parcells in Dallas and learning the West Coast offense from Jim Fassel in New York with the Giants and from Jon Gruden during their one-year stint together in Philadelphia in 1997, so Brady will bring a similar approach to the table while likely keeping some things the same in Buffalo.
Their biggest transaction on offense in the spring was trading the aging Stefon Diggs to Houston. Diggs, while never a burner on the outside, was an exceptional route runner who specialized in making contested catches and operated well out of bunch and stack formations – leading him to re-write many of the Bills’ single season receiving records.
In addition to Diggs, Buffalo has let veterans Gabriel Davis, John Brown, Cole Beasley, Isaiah McKenzie, Jamison Crowder, Trent Sherfield and Deonte Harty walk over the years. Many of them were productive, but nothing can last forever – hence the overhaul of the Bills’ wide receiver room in 2024.
The Payton offense is built through having big, physical targets who can get open over the middle of the field, especially on deep in-cuts, or “dig” routes. Payton has employed such players in those roles before like Marques Colston, Jimmy Graham, Michael Thomas and Courtland Sutton, and the drafting of rookie Keon Coleman from Florida State fits the bill for Brady. Coleman, whose game evoked comparisons to Colston, Brandon Marshall and Anquan Boldin coming out of college, brings size and physicality to the boundary ‘X’ position with good body control and strong hands to make contested catches and has some run after the catch ability. He does need to work on his speed, quickness and ability to beat press coverage, but in time he may improve in those areas.
While not a burner at the position (like free agent pickup Mack Hollins, who has similar skills), Coleman will be accentuated by speed in the form of Curtis Samuel, a poor-man’s Deebo Samuel who can line up both in the slot and outside the numbers and take handoffs (Samuel is out for Sunday’s game with an injury). That speed was needed since Buffalo was just 28th in the NFL in plays of 20 yards or more last season according to Trumedia, and shifty third-year man Khalil Shakir returns to man the slot with his quickness, sure hands and savviness to get open versus zone coverage.
This group has been struggling to beat man coverage in recent games, and while more motion and bunch alignments may help in this regard Buffalo was lacking a true replacement for Diggs. Enter five-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper, who was acquired from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a third-round draft pick in 2025. Cooper, who is making less than $1 million this season, fits what the Bills need both financially and on the field – boasting size, speed, excellent route-running and vertical ability and is deadly on in-breaking patterns over the middle.
Tight end Dawson Knox is joined by second-year man Dalton Kincaid, and their diverse skillsets should allow the Bills to throw curveballs at opponents with multiple tight end sets. Kincaid lived up to the hype with 73 receptions a year ago, the most of any Bills rookie and surpassed Pete Metzelaars for the most catches by a Bills tight end in one season. He also became the fourth rookie tight end since 1960 with 70 or more catches in a year.
The Bills’ offensive line is composed of Dion Dawkins, David Edwards, Connor McGovern (taking over at center for the departed Mitch Morse), O’Cyrus Torrence and Spencer Brown. This crew (which last year became the first unit to start every game in a regular season for Buffalo since 1989) along with fullback Reggie Gilliam has mainly executed outside zone runs along with zone-reads, pin-and-pull concepts, traps (especially with Dawkins as the puller), counters, split inside zone/duo and sprint draw plays sprinkled in for running back James Cook. Cook, who had a breakout season in his first campaign as the starter, is backed up by physical rookie Ray Davis and ex-Jet Ty Johnson provides valuable depth with his receiving skills.
The starting front five had been iffy in providing push in the running game and in pass protection over the last couple of years but has become a strength. In the past, most of the team’s rushing production came from Allen’s legs and few came from their backs – the Bills’ rushing attempts per game in 2022, 18.2, was last in the NFL but that number jumped to the highest in the NFL after Brady was promoted. Additionally, Allen was taken down just 24 times overall in 17 regular season outings – the best mark in pro football (so far they’ve only given up nine sacks, tied for the best mark in the league).
So far that approach has continued in 2024. Buffalo has also carried over their trend of using an extra offensive lineman to help in the running game. Now that Edwards has moved into the starting lineup, that extra guy is now Alec Anderson, and through seven games the Bills have had one of the highest rates of offensive snaps with six linemen on the field – most of them being called runs.
One area the Bills needed to clean up is protecting the ball. Over the last two years they were one the league’s sloppiest teams – Allen had 14 interceptions and 13 fumbles in 2022 and Allen led the NFL with 18 interceptions last year. So far Allen hasn’t thrown an interception this season – a sign of progress in this regard (it’s the longest streak by a Bills quarterback to start a season in franchise annals and Allen has become the third signal caller in NFL history to start a season with 10 touchdowns and no picks through his team’s first seven games).
While punter Sam Martin and kicker Tyler Bass have been excellent in the past, Bass has been a bit shaky lately. When Martin was named the NFL’s Special Teams Player of the Month in December – the first Bills punter to do so since Brian Moorman in November 2006 – and Bass collected the same honor earlier in the year, it was the first time both Bills specialists have won the award in one season. But Bass’ field goal percentage took a dip in 2023 and hasn’t been great in 2024, to improve he will need to get over whatever mental block is impeding him.
Through seven weeks Buffalo is fifth in scoring, 12th in yards after the catch, 18th in total yards, passing and rushing. Third down has also taken a dip. After leading the NFL in that category in each of the last two years, they’re 25th so far and because of this downturn, they’re near the bottom of the league in average offensive snaps per game – a year ago, for reference, they were fifth (and Allen’s completion percentage on third down is just 49, tied for the NFL’s lowest with Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence).
Additionally, because of their heavy usage of the run and lack of production on early downs they’ve faced third-and-six or more on most of their drives.
McDermott and Brady also cost themselves a win three weeks ago while trying to throw three successive times within their own three-yard line with less than a minute to go and no timeouts. With Houston having all three of their timeouts, three straight runs would have forced Houston to burn them to get the ball back – meaning they wouldn’t have had one to use to stop the clock to set up a game-winning field goal, which happened.
According to ESPN, the Bills became the only team in the last 45 years to be tied or winning in the last minute of the game, inside their own five-yard line and threw three straight passes. They’ll need to learn from that miscue going forward.
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 20: Amari Cooper #18 of the Buffalo Bills makes a catch against the Tennessee Titans during the third quarter at Highmark Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
12 STATS TO MUSE OVER
· The Bills have compiled a road winning percentage of .659 (29-15) since 2019.
· Since 2020 Buffalo has the best home record in the NFL – 35-9 including playoffs. They’ve also had 15 home wins of 24 points or more since 2020, the most in the NFL in that span.
· Allen is just two rushing touchdowns away from moving past O.J. Simpson and 10 away from surpassing Thurman Thomas for second and first all-time, respectively, in Bills annals.
· According to Trumedia, the Bills faced man coverage on 32.7 percent of their snaps last year – the most in the NFL. However, heavy usage of man coverage isn’t foreign to the Bills’ offense. It’s been a staple against them over the last five years (48 percent in 2019, first, 35 percent in ’20, fifth, 33.3 percent in ’21, fourth and 29.3 percent in ’22, fifth), and it’s been no different in 2024 as they have gone against man coverage on one of the highest figures in the NFL.
· According to Eric Turner of Cover1, Buffalo opened last week’s game against the Titans playing zone coverage on 95 percent of their defensive snaps in the first half. In the second, that number dropped to 50 percent and man coverage was used on 47.1 percent.
· Allen’s career record is 68-32. His record against the NFC is 21-6.
· Buffalo has rushed for touchdowns in nine straight games going back to 2023 and have the second-longest active streak in the NFL behind the Detroit Lions (20).
· The Bills have gotten a sack in 25 consecutive road games – only Dallas has had a longer streak (28).
· Buffalo hasn’t beaten a team that has a record of .500 or better this season yet.
· Last week was a tale of two halves for the Bills. They outscored the Titans 27-0 in the second half and outgained them 299-72, and allowed 10 points and 217 yards in the first half while allowing 72 and zero in the second.
· Since the start of 2023, Buffalo has forced 42 takeaways which is tied for the most in the NFL with New Orleans. They’ve also scored 147 points off turnovers in that span, which is the most league-wide.
· Buffalo hasn’t won a game in Seattle since November 28th 2004, a 38-9 victory – the only other time they traveled to Lumen Field since then was a loss on Monday Night Football in 2016.
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