Buffalo Bills get stopped in their tracks by the New York Jets: 5 takeaways
By Curtis Panke
4. The offensive line needs to better defend the line of scrimmage
One of the most telling signs that the Buffalo Bills were in trouble against the Jets was that Taylor and LeSean McCoy were under siege by the Jets defensive front seven.
Led by a rejuvenated defensive line, the Jets defence sacked Taylor a whopping seven times. In the first eight games of the season the Jets had a combined total of 11 sacks. The Jets’ defense also recorded 11 quarterback hits and forced three fumbles.
They limited the Bills’ best weapon McCoy to only 25 rushing yards on 12 carries and zero catches.
The Bills’ offensive line was simply not good enough in stopping the likes of Muhammad Wilkerson and Leonard Williams from getting past the line of scrimmage.
It’s an issue that has been hindering the Bills’ offense all season, as Taylor has been sacked 26 times this season, tied for second most in the NFL.
According to Football Outsiders, the Bills’ offensive line through Week 8 are 17th in the NFL in adjusted line yards, which looks to separate the impact of the offensive line from the impact of the running back per rushing attempt. They are also 27th in adjusted sack rate, which shows the odds of a sack happening on each passing attempt.
The success of a team starts on the line of scrimmage and if the Bills’ offensive line can’t bounce back going forward, then the team’s offense will continue to struggle.