Buffalo Bills: Defense has to share the blame

The Buffalo Bills have been the talk of the league the past three weeks due to their quarterback play, but their defense should share some of the blame.

The Buffalo Bills 2017 season has took a turn for the worst to say the least the past three games. The once 5-2 Bills, who were competing with the Patriots for the AFC East crown just three weeks ago, are now 5-5 and out of a playoff spot. After two embarrassing losses to the Jets and Saints, head coach Sean McDermott decided to bench starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor, and go with fifth-round rookie Nathan Peterman.

The move was a head scratcher to many immediately, as Peterman was an unproven rookie that many NFL fans have never even heard of. The move turned out to backfire drastically, as Peterman threw five interceptions in the first half, and was benched for Taylor to start the second half.

The move by McDermott was a bold one to say the least, and had a high chance of failing. The Chargers defensive line is one of the best in the league, and caused Peterman headaches all day. Joey Bosa was in Peterman’s face for four of his five interceptions, and was a big reason for his historically awful NFL debut.

No doubt, the Bills quarterbacks have struggled the past three weeks. They have failed to consistently move the ball downfield, and are a big reason for the Bills freefall. However, the Bills defense has not helped the offense at all. The Bills have given up a combined 135 points the past three games, which is a staggering number.

No team in the NFL will have success giving up an average of 45 points a game. Since the Marcel Dareus trade, the Bills have given up 638 yards on the ground. The Bills have also not been able to produce any type of pass rush, only sacking the opposing quarterback four times during their three-game losing streak.

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The Bills defense has completely fallen apart since the trade deadline, and should share the blame with the offense. The Bills offense was not built to carry this team. The defense was the main reason the Bills started 5-2, and must provide whoever the Bills starting quarterback is going forward some help. If the Bills defense continues this trend, the season will be all but over in the next couple of weeks.