Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard admits Buffalo's defense has been too “boom or bust” through the first two games of the 2026 season.
The Buffalo Bills are 2-0, but defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard knows there is plenty of work to do.
Following Thursday night's win over the Detroit Lions, Leonhard gave a candid assessment of his defense through the first two games of the season, admitting that the unit has been too inconsistent to sustain its current level of play.
“We're kind of a boom or bust defense, and that's not okay long-term,” Leonhard said. “That's not sustainable.”
Leonhard explained what he means by that assessment. When the Bills' defense is playing well, it has been difficult for opposing offenses to move the football. But when things start to go wrong, Buffalo has struggled to stop the bleeding.
“When things have gone well in a drive, I mean, I think we're pretty much either three and out or touchdown right now over two games,” Leonhard said. “I don't know exactly what the numbers are, but that's not far off from the truth.”
That's an issue Leonhard knows the Bills have to correct, particularly as the schedule gets more difficult.
Buffalo has already shown an ability to create negative situations for opposing offenses. Against Detroit, Leonhard pointed to the success the defense had against Jahmyr Gibbs in the running game, with roughly half of Gibbs' carries going for no gain.
That helped put the Lions into second- and third-and-long situations, but Leonhard knows getting an offense behind the sticks only matters if the defense can finish the drive.
“We have to have a little bit more emotional stability as drives go on and just continue to fight and find ways to get off the field,” Leonhard said.
Third down and the red zone remain particular areas of concern.
“The third downs and the red zone, just as it was in Houston, it's not clean enough because you're going to give up touchdowns and you're going to make games more interesting than they need to be,” Leonhard said.
That inconsistency has been particularly noticeable because Buffalo has still managed to start the season 2-0 despite giving up 31 points per game.
Leonhard isn't hiding from the problems, either. In fact, he said he left the field following the Lions game angry about the way the defense had played before becoming more encouraged after watching the film.
“We're not playing our best ball,” Leonhard said. “The numbers say that. We're all pissed off, but at the same time we're 2-0 and we're identifying our issues and we're going to go jump on them.”
That balance appears to be where Leonhard wants his defense to be right now: acknowledging the mistakes while recognizing that the unit has shown enough flashes to believe it can improve.
The first-year defensive coordinator also believes the Bills are still in the process of establishing exactly what this defense will become under his direction.
“We're still trying to figure that out,” Leonhard said when asked about the defense's identity.
For now, that means Leonhard is adjusting his expectations based on what the defense can consistently execute, while challenging his players to take ownership of the areas that need improvement.
That improvement will have to come quick with the schedule not getting any easier from here. Up next are games against the Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, and Los Angeles Rams over the next three weeks.
