Josh Allen and Buffalo’s revamped defense prioritize disciplined execution over individual heroics to neutralize Houston’s relentless pressure and secure a crucial season-opening victory on the road.
To beat the Houston Texans this week, the Buffalo Bills don't have to really do anything spectacular. In fact, one of the biggest messages coming out of the team's final preparations for the season opener is that they need to avoid doing too much.
That theme came through in different ways from Josh Allen, Joe Brady and Bradley Chubb on Wednesday when all three spoke to the media. Whether it's the quarterback making decisions, the offense sticking to its identity, or the defense learning a new system, Buffalo's focus is on trusting the player next to them and doing what the play requires.
Allen might have put it best when discussing what he's willing to do to win Sunday.
“Whatever it takes for us to win this game is what I'm willing to do,” Allen said. “Whether that's completing 30 balls or handing it off 40 times.”
That mentality is particularly important against a Houston defense that gave Buffalo plenty of problems last season. Allen acknowledged that there were situations last year and the year before where he could have played better, including taking sacks that put the Bills in difficult situations.
“There was times in the last, really last year and the year before, situations that I could have played better, and I took some bad sacks, and I put our team in some tough situations that didn't have to be like that,” Allen explained.
The goal this time around isn't for Allen to make every big play. It's to make the right play.
That's also what Brady wants from the team as a whole.
Buffalo's rookie head coach has repeatedly emphasized maintaining its identity rather than changing its approach based on the opponent. Houston presents plenty of challenges, particularly with a defensive front capable of generating pressure without having to blitz heavily, but Brady doesn't want the Bills chasing the matchup.
“If we change who we are based upon who we're playing, then we're not the type of team that, you know, we want to be,” Brady said.
That same mentality extends to the new-look defense.
Chubb, who was voted a captain in his first season with Buffalo, described Brady's message to the team as one centered around playing together and executing rather than trying to create something individually.
“Just playing together, playing as one, playing Bills football,” Chubb said.
For Chubb, that means understanding when to stick with the technique the defense calls for and when there is an opportunity to open things up. The new defensive system under Jim Leonhard gives Buffalo different ways to attack an opponent, but the players still have to trust the structure around them.
In Week 1, that could be just as important than any other game this season. They don't need Allen to throw for 400 yard, nor do they need Chubb to record three sacks. In all honesty, they don't need one player to take over the game. To beat Houston, it has to be a team effort.
Houston has already shown in recent seasons what can happen when Buffalo gets away from that approach. This time, the Bills appear determined to make sure they don't beat themselves trying to do too much.
