4. Defense coming out of the gate with attitude
Against the Texans, Buffalo's defense allowed over 200 yards in the first half and 20 points. In the second half, the Bills cut that down to 60 net yards and three points. In Week 11 against Tampa Bay, the defense allowed 231 yards and 20 points in the first half then halted the Buccaneers to 136 yards and 12 points in the second half.
"We made adjustments at halftime, led by Bobby (Babich) and the defensive staff, and really calmed things down," head coach Sean McDermott said of the second-half changes against Houston. "Players adjusted and embraced the adjustments and went out and we gave up 60 yards total on defense in the second half...I couldn't have been more happy with the way that they played in the second half. That's where we have to continue to go and build this identity as a defense in what we saw with that second half."
Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich wants to find consistency in strong second half performances in comparison to their respective first halves.
"We're trying to make sure we're finding the answer to mimic that in the first half … Every game's different in the first half, but there's flashes of what we're doing in the second half in the first half," Babich said on Friday after Thursday night's game.
"We had a discussion [on Friday] about still being intentional, intentional of finding why the rhythm is happening in the second half and we need to start faster … just finding consistency really is what it comes down to in the first half, and we're working hard to do that as we have been throughout the year … we got to be playing our best ball at the end of the year."
Alongside coming out hot in the first half, Babich emphasized cleaning up two-minute drives and keeping opponents off the board to end the half. Against both Houston and Tampa Bay, the Bills allowed a touchdown and field goal, respectively, under the two-minute warning.
Running back Ray Davis ran nearly the whole length of the field on a kickoff return at the end of the first half against the Texans, which put the defense back on the field quickly. Houston charged down the field in about 1:30, scoring a touchdown and leaving just five seconds left of the second quarter.
"That drive right there really irked us because that's not who we are in two minute," Babich said of Houston's touchdown drive. "We take pride in being closer and closing the half or closing the game, and it was really just a combination of a couple different things … it was really some uncharacteristic things that occurred in that two minute drive that really haven't showed up in a long time. So, good reset, good refresh for us there as far as that goes, but we don't give up points in two minute. That's what we preach, that's what we emphasize and we spend time on it."
Moving forward, Babich and his defense look to carry over their recent second-half successes and put together a full four-quarter performance as they progress in the 2025 season.