Why Bills fans should believe Greg Rousseau's breakout is for real image
The Buffalo Bills are off to a strong start this season, with their 2-0 record coming on the back of two incredible Josh Allen performances.
But it's not all on Allen. The defense has gotten off to a good start as well. Deone Walker has impressed so far, but the real breakout star is edge rusher Greg Rousseau. But is his breakout for real?
In the eyes of ESPN's Nick Suss, it is. Rousseau's 2026 season has joined a few other pass rushers in NFL history since 2018 that bodes well for his 2026 breakout, with two weeks being the real deal.
Why Greg Rousseau's breakout is the real deal for Bills
"The early surprise: Greg Rousseau is emerging as a top-tier pass rusher. The verdict: Real," Suss writes.
The reason why Suss believes this breakout from Rousseau is actually for real can be attributed to two main reasons. One is how his 4.0 sacks have come this season, and the other is the company he's joined through two weeks.
For starters, Suss shared that, since 2018, only T.J. Watt in 2023, Aidan Hutchinson in 2024, and Chandler Jones in 2021 have had at least 4.0 sacks and nine pressures through the first two games of the season.
History indicates that Rousseau is in for quite the 2026 season. Those are some of the best pass rushers of the last decade or so, and Rousseau has now joined them after his hot start to the year.
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But that's not all. Suss also highlighted how Rousseau's sacks have not been flukey ones. Suss writes, "His sacks appear to be products of good all-around play and not one-off big moments."
Some sack numbers can be deceiving, as sacks count the same regardless of whether a player is the first one to the QB or the one who finally wraps up the quarterback after he escapes another player's sack attempt.
In Rousseau's case, his production as a pass rusher passes the eye test and also the NFL history test. He still needs to continue to play well to prove, without a doubt, that this breakout is for real.
But there aren't any signs so far that Bills fans should believe this isn't finally Rousseau's breakout season. It's a well-timed breakout for the 26-year-old pass rusher, who looks poised for a big 2026 season off the edge.
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