Rising sack totals mask a vulnerable unit struggling with Christian Benford’s regression and mounting injuries. Now, Buffalo’s depth faces a brutal litmus test against the league’s elite quarterbacks.
The Buffalo Bills may have found something special with Greg Rousseau, but the emergence of their pass rush is masking a problem that could become much harder to hide as the schedule gets tougher.
Christian Benford has struggled through the first three games of the season, and now the Bills are dealing with an injury to their top boundary corner at the same time their depth at the position is being tested.
Through three games, Benford has allowed 12 receptions in coverage, according to PFF, along with a 124.4 passer rating when targeted. His overall PFF grade entering Week 4 was 40.6, which ranked 97th among 99 qualified cornerbacks.
That's a dramatic change from where Benford was viewed entering the season. PFF ranked him 12th among its top 32 cornerbacks entering 2026 after he posted an 87.1 coverage grade across the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
On the latest episode of the Bills Roundtable Podcast, we discussed just how concerning his start has become.
The concern isn't simply that Benford has given up some catches. The Bills have asked him to take on more responsibility on the outside, and so far, he hasn't consistently delivered when those opportunities have come his way.
That becomes even more concerning because Buffalo's secondary doesn't have much room for error.
Jordan Hancock was already placed on injured reserve before the Chargers game, and Benford left Sunday's win over Los Angeles with a toe injury. He was replaced by rookie Davisson Igbinosun, who immediately contributed a pass breakup.
Benford then missed Wednesday's practice ahead of Sunday's matchup with the New England Patriots.
The timing matters. Buffalo has relied heavily on its defensive front to create pressure, with Rousseau leading the NFL with six sacks through three weeks. But the better quarterbacks on the schedule are going to identify weaknesses in the secondary and attack them.
Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams are next after New England, followed by a schedule that includes Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes.
This was a position Buffalo didn't dramatically overhaul during the offseason, despite the team's need to improve its coverage.
The Bills have gotten some encouraging play from Igbinosun, while Maxwell Hairston has been solid enough statistically through three games. PFF currently has Hairston allowing a 74.0 passer rating when targeted.
But the depth is being stretched, and that's where the problem becomes bigger than Benford alone.
Buffalo's defense came through when it needed to against the Chargers, holding Los Angeles to 16 points despite the offense turning the ball over five times. The pass rush has also given the unit an element it hasn't consistently had in recent years.
The question now is whether that will be enough when Buffalo starts facing quarterbacks capable of consistently exploiting weaknesses on the back end.
