Sean McDermott was pounding the drum on the line of scrimmage Wednesday in the wake of the Buffalo Bills’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Bills were beaten at the point of attack on defense in giving up 44 points to the Rams. On the other side of the ball, the Bills’ offensive line dominated the Rams in pass protection, but didn’t do well enough in the run game.
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Bills head coach Sean McDermott attempts to call a timeout against the Rams at SoFi Stadium on Sunday. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Thus, the theme of the head coach’s message on Wednesday as the Bills prepared to face the mighty Detroit Lions, who lead the league in scoring at 32 points per game.
“I think we’ve got to get back to good fundamental football,” McDermott said. “I think that’s really where it starts, and playing with a certain attitude.”
“It is a mentality, it is an attitude,” McDermott said. “And if you want to play good defense, that’s where it starts. If you want to be able to run the ball on offense, and we’ve been able to do that, been able to stop the run, and it’s got to be more consistent. And so there’s not a whole lot of shortcuts or ways around it. It’s got to be a mentality for us, first and foremost, that we carry through the rest of the season.”
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It’s the head coach’s job to set the vision and tone for the team, and then get everyone to buy into the message. McDermott does a good job of it.
We can buy the idea that the Bills better bring the intensity to the trenches on Sunday. We can buy into the that idea the Rams, playing for their playoff lives, brought a little more fire to start the game last week. And the Lions have one of the top three offensive lines in the NFL, maybe No. 1.
More attitude. More urgency. By all means.
Now, let’s add one more element McDermott didn’t mention.
More people.
Analysis: Bills need to get more production from blitz in wake of loss to Rams
The Bills’ blitzes were ineffective against Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. He completed 5 of 8 passes for 94 yards and one touchdown against the blitz.
That means McDermott and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich need to put their heads together and come up with a plan to commit more resources – a seventh or eighth man, if necessary — to stopping the run this week.
The Lions rank No. 1 in the NFL in time of possession. Their lead back, Jahmyr Gibbs, is sixth in the league in rushing with 1,016 yards, on pace for 1,330. Their No. 2 back, David Montgomery, has 771 yards and is on pace for 1,008.
The Lions have an offense that can keep Josh Allen nailed to the bench with a baseball cap on his head.
The Bills love to stop the run with a light box, meaning six men in the tackle-to-tackle area near the line of scrimmage. The Bills’ defense has played with a light box at the seventh highest rate in the league, at 51.6%, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
A light defensive box is a great thing if you can make it work. If the defensive line dominates, the offense is trying to consistently throw against seven men dropping in coverage. It’s a great way to play.
A bunch of good defenses like to play the run with a light box. The Philadelphia Eagles are the No. 1-ranked defense in the NFL, have one of the most respected defensive coordinators in football (Vic Fangio) and are the league’s the No. 1 light box team (69.4%). The Chargers and Steelers, like the Bills, like to use light boxes.
But the Eagles have a budding superstar defensive tackle in Jalen Carter, a monster in the middle and the former No. 9 overall pick.
However you slice it, the Bills have not been dominant in stopping the run this season.
Against an elite offense such as Detroit, McDermott and Babich need to flex a little more away from their preferred mode of operation. If that means a big pass play allowed, so be it. Allen can get it back for you. It’s no surprise Detroit’s offense has faced a light defensive box the second lowest rate of any team in the league at 31.7%.
“They’re big. They’re talented. They’re aggressive,” defensive end A.J. Epenesa said of the Lions’ offensive linemen. “If we do what we’re supposed to, we play our technique and hands, we have a talented enough D-line to play anybody. We’ve played a lot of talented teams this year. We’ve played teams that are considered the best all year long. We’ve fought hard. We’ve come up short in a couple games. We’ve won big games. They’re, obviously, a talented team, but I don’t really think about it much more than that. Try to keep it simple.”
Obviously, McDermott would rather scratch his own eyes out than talk about strategy. So, if he is forced to talk about improving some aspect of the team, he would much rather discuss attitude than the buttons Babich might push to slow down the opponent.
McDermott also knows the Bills’ defense needs some help from James Cook and the other running backs in controlling the ball, because his defense easily could get worn down by the Lions.
“Trust the routine and trust the process is certainly one approach,” McDermott said. “It’s certainly what I subscribe to. But within that is you better bring your heart, you better bring your guts. You better put it on the line. You better give max effort. ... So that’s never been a two separate thought process. So, the process is the process. It’s the approach and the preparation, and the mindset has always been the mindset that this is football. You’ve got to bring it every day, every week. And our players know that.”
Great, just as long as the coaches know they need to give their front four a little more help this week, too.
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