Everything is going to be just fine, Bills Mafia. Despite losing a thriller on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, the Bills are still in the playoffs, they are still AFC East champs, and Josh Allen is still the leading candidate for the MVP award.
Sure, you never want to see them lose but losing to an out-of-conference opponent who was looking to stay alive within the NFC West is nothing to be angry about. The Bills put up a lot of fight on offense but the defense ultimately broke down and allowed Matthew Stafford to do whatever he wanted. Not being sacked once and avoiding turnovers came back to hurt the Bills.
There is no doubt that the Buffalo defense was the reason why the Bills are coming off this tough loss. Giving up over 400 total yards and only forcing one punt is not going to help them win, no matter who their quarterback is. One of those defensive players whose name was not called often, if any, was defensive tackle Ed Oliver.
Oliver has been a huge disappointment this year for the Bills after having a career year last season. Missing two games this season, Oliver has just one sack and only 20 total tackles. Last season, Oliver had 9.5 sacks and 51 totla tackles (both career highs). Now? He is nowhere to be found.
Babich spoke with the media on Monday and was asked about Oliver's lack of production this year, in which Babich basically hinted that "when the ball shows up, you have to make a play", per Alex Brasky.
Bobby Babich on Ed Oliver’s lack of production this season: “When the ball shows up, you have to make a play.” #Bills #BillsMafia
— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) December 9, 2024
The Bills’ defensive line has been atrocious overall and they will need to vastly improve it next offseason. Until then, Babich is going to need to get back to the basics with his defensive linemen. For Oliver to have a career year after getting paid a massive contract extension, and then falling flat this season not what Bills fans were hoping for.
Going into the rest of December, the Bills are going to face some great running backs down the stretch. If Oliver isn’t going to do the best at stopping the run, he has to get back to his specialty of creating an interior pass-rush. This coming Sunday, the Bills travel to Detroit to take on a tough Lions team that has a phenomenal offense.
If Oliver wanted to impress Bills fans and change the narrative that Babich has, this would be the game to do it.