Buffalo Bills get stopped in their tracks by the New York Jets: 5 takeaways
By Curtis Panke
5. The defensive line is going through a transition without Marcell Dareus
When the Buffalo Bills traded former third overall pick Marcell Dareus to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth round draft pick, a message was sent by general manager Brandon Beane that there was no room on the team for player’s with bad attitude.
When the trade was announced, the focus on the Bills’ defensive line was now on how the line would perform without Dareus and who would step up in his absence.
From a leadership standpoint, veteran defensive tackle Kyle Williams has always been the man in charge of the line and with Dareus gone that won’t change.
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On the field it will take a bit of time to replace the talent level that Dareus added to the Bills’ defensive line for seven seasons. But there were positive signs on Thursday night.
Second year defensive tackle Adolphus Washington had a solid game against the Jets’ offensive line recording five total tackles, two tackles for losses and one deflected pass. Meanwhile, fellow defensive tackle Cedric Thornton had the team’s only sack of the game.
But it wasn’t enough to stop the New York Jets from running the ball up and down the field for 194 rushing yards on 41 carries. This helped the Jets control the ball for 33:30 compared to the Bills’ 26:30.
Those aren’t mind-blowing numbers by any means. However, these are the men who head coach Sean McDermott will expect to anchor the defensive line for the rest of the season.
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The Buffalo Bills will need the extra couple of days to regroup as they prepare for a home game against the NFC South leading New Orleans Saints in Week 10. On the back of this loss, it understandably takes on even more importance, if they are to remain as genuine playoff contenders.