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Only the Baltimore Ravens allowed fewer total yards per game in 2018 than the team from Orchard Park. And no club in the NFL surrendered fewer passing yards than the Buffalo Bills. Throw in 27 takeaways and it’s easy to understand the optimism surrounding a unit that added defensive tackle Ed Oliver with the ninth overall pick in April’s draft.
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But the Bills’ opportunistic play was offset by the miscues on the other side of the football. Regardless of where the mistakes were coming from this past season, a team better have one formidable defense to overcome a season in which your football team proves to be extremely giving.
In 2018, only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (35) coughed up the football more often than Sean McDermott’s squad this past season. The Bills and San Francisco 49ers finished tied for second in the league in this dubious category via 32 turnovers. There were 23 interceptions — by quarterbacks Josh Allen (12), Nathan Peterman (7) and Derek Anderson (4) — while Allen and Anderson also lost a pair of fumbles each.
Of course, there’s certainly more talent on the offense these days. And Buffalo’s quarterback depth chart currently reads Allen and Matt Barkley, who played for the team in 2018. Another year of experience and a better supporting cast should aid the cause of the Bills’ young starter. And speaking of the strong-armed hurler…