By CHUCK POLLOCK, Wellsville Sun and Olean Star Senior Sports Columnist
When the Bills needed a desperation deflection near the end zone of the potential game-winning touchdown pass to clinch the gaffe-filled, season-opening, 34-28 victory over Arizona 10 days ago at Highmark, critics were quick to say, “I told ya so.”
The narrative was if Buffalo had any chance to win a fifth-straight AFC East title, its offense was going to have to outscore what the injury- and defection-depleted defense gave up.
Visit our friends at www.wellsvillesun.com
Then, last Thursday, with the Bills offense on cruise control, that same maligned defense stuffed one of the NFL’s most potent offenses, 31-10 at Miami Gardens. The sweating throng of Dolphins fans were moved, early on, to booing questionable play-calling in the 85-degree night.
Coordinator Bobby Babich saw his Buffalo defenders hijack three passes, one for a “pick six,” as Miami moved the ball for yards, but not points.
It could have been a fluke, but to do it in a short week after traveling 1,350 miles to get there against a quality foe wasn’t happenstance, especially having lost their two best defenders — linebackers Matt Milano and Terrel Barnard.
So here are the Bills, 2-0, one of the NFL’s 10 unbeatens, and alone atop the AFC East. The upcoming schedule — Monday night versus Jacksonville at Orchard Park, at Baltimore, Houston and the Jets — is brutal. Three straight road games always are. So the current enthusiasm might be temporary, but for now, Buffalo fans are excited and delighted.
“OUR JOB as a coaching staff is to provide a plan, and not only what the plan is, but the why,” Babich said. “Obviously, Miami, you look at the week before … there were three plays that went for 150 yards (combined) or something like that.”
“(Limiting) that was a big factor. And then being able to win that game … We’ve played them plenty of times, we know the lifeblood of that organization, that offensive program, is explosive plays. So for the guys to understand what we were trying to get accomplished and execute that is a credit to our players.”
Babich continued, “Making sure we were keeping a roof over everything … keeping the ball in front of us was one of our big things, and they did a great job of that. (Also) from what I’ve seen, it looks like they tackled pretty well.
“What a lot of people don’t realize is the amount of work that goes into their lives when they’re not in this building. Wherever they live in the off-season, and all the work that they put in there … it’s still part of their job when they’re away from here, and you put in a lot of work we do at training camp.”
He added of Bernard’s first-quarter pectoral injury, “You sacrifice and come back here for the spring. You see the work that guys put in. You hate when they’re not able to play, because this is what they do it for. They do it for Sundays, and the opportunity to play for a championship. Obviously, I feel terrible for him, but he’ll approach it the right way. We’ll get him back when he’s ready and we’ll be able to rock and roll.”
As for facing the Dolphins, Babich admitted, “I had a pretty good feel going into it. I spent a lot of time trying to find some things that would stick out to us as a defense, and trying to put our guys in position. I think the game declared maybe a little bit earlier than it did last week, and it helps when you have a 2024 game (home win over Jacksonville) to look at … you know (things) as opposed to the opening game.
“There’s some other things that we had to adjust to as the game went on. But it’s a credit to the coaching staff, the great communication. Obviously, Sean (McDermott, head coach) is involved, too. It’s a collective effort. So good job by everybody involved.”
And the Dolphins couldn’t disagree.
(Chuck Pollock, a Wellsville Sun and Olean Star senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@wnynet.net.)
