It feels like the Buffalo Bills haven’t played in ages, doesn’t it? That’s the affect the bye week can have. Joe Brady’s team did finally get some distinct help from around the league, as the Bears beat the Patriots on _Thursday Night Football_ to start Week 7 and the Seahawks handled the Chiefs in Seattle on _Sunday Night Football_.
With the Bills back at this week, preparing for the Ravens at home on Sunday, here’s a quick reset to jog your memory on what very well could (or certainly will) happen for the Bills leading into and during the showdown with Baltimore in Week 8:
* **DJ Moore returns to the field** — It appeared the veteran receiver was ticked he wasn’t given the green light by coaches to play against the Rams or Raiders in Weeks 5 and 6, as he dealt with an aggravation of the AC joint sprain he injured in Week 2 against the Lions. He’s appeared in two full games and close to two other first halves to date this season. The receiver the Bills drafted a second-round pick for will be back on the field against the Rams at home on Sunday. He’ll bring a darn-good 2.47 yards-per-route-run figure into Week 8.
* **Jordan Hancock gets activated off IR** — This isn’t a lock. It’s likely. At the very least, his 21-day practice window will be opened. The second-year safety, who had a damn-good summer, was placed on injured reserve before Week 3’s contest against the Chargers. So he’s already missed the needed four contests to return to action, and he’s gotten the extra week because of the bye. The 6’0”, close to 200-pound safety with plus athleticism should give the Bills reeling secondary a lift, particularly if he immediately fills in for the suspended C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Even if he platoons with Jalon Kilgore and Damar Hamlin, Hancock is a young, springy specimen the Bills have only gotten 13 snaps from to date this season.
* **Ed Oliver makes his return** — Another possibility, and I feel less confident in Oliver’s return against the Ravens than Hancocks. Oliver, who was mostly durable from 2019 onward in Buffalo, has been stung by the injury bug the past two seasons now, and his latest knee injury came late in a play against the Patriots when his former teammate Reggie Gilliam blocked him from the side, buckling his knee.
* **A decision is made on Zane Durant** — The late fifth-round pick suffered a serious stinger late in the final preseason and we haven’t seen him since. He’s been eligible to have his practice window opened since after Week 4, but that, of course, hasn’t happened. The Bills could, in theory, keep him on IR as long as needed, but we very well could see a decision made on the rookie’s first year in the NFL this week. Or sometime in the near future. Thankfully for the Bills, DeWayne Carter has played admirably in one of the depth defensive tackle spots Durant could’ve conceivably played as a rookie.
* **More youngsters on the field** — Against the Raiders, Kilgore made his NFL debut, and Kaleb Elarms-Orr and T.J. Parker played a career high in snaps with 22 and 41 respectively. Of course, I don’t expect Elarms-Orr or Parker to suddenly faze out veterans in front of them, but maybe the Bills start to lean into their youth a little more coming out of the bye?
* **More man coverage/blitzing** — Through _Sunday Night Football’s_ action in Week 7, the Bills are 20th in blitz rate and 24th in man coverage rate. Not exactly what any of us expected from Jim Leonhard’s defense. In Week 6’s win over the Raiders, Buffalo’s secondary showed signs of stinginess when in man. They blitzed Kirk Cousins on 40.5% of his dropbacks, a very high number. Maybe post-bye is when Leonhard’s scheme starts to look like… Leonhard’s scheme?
What else are you looking for entering — and during — this Week 6 game vs. the Ravens?
See More:
* [Buffalo Bills Analysis](/buffalo-bills-analysis)
* [Buffalo Bills Opinion](/buffalo-bills-opinion)
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