The Buffalo Bills know they can't have a repeat of last week against the Baltimore Ravens.
Baltimore ran the ball over the field with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry in Week 1. The Bills' run defense is going to be down Ed Oliver due to injury, but it still needs to improve against the New York Jets.
"An issue for Buffalo in Week 1 was limiting the running game after giving up a league-high 238 rushing yards," Alaina Getzenberg wrote for ESPN. "The Jets put up the fourth-most rushing yards in Week 1 (182 yards), and slowing them down will be more difficult with DT Ed Oliver, who had a big game in Week 1, out with an ankle injury."
Buffalo knows things need to be better as the Jets have a three-headed monster of running backs. Breece Hall, Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis can all break off on an explosive play when necessary. Add in Justin Fields who can make plays with his legs at any point in time, and New York has a dynamic rushing attack.
"We need to get those things corrected, and we will," defensive coordinator Bobby Babich told Getzenberg. "We'll be very intentional this week about getting those things."
Giving up 238 yards like the Bills did against the Ravens isn't sustainable to win games. Conceding 182 on the ground like the Pittsburgh Steelers did against the Jets isn't either, but it would still be an improvement from the Bills' perspective.
Expect Babich and the defense to rely on rookie defensive tackle Kenneth Grant to make big plays on Sunday.
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