The Bills earned respect in New England loss

Despite losing at home to the New England Patriots, the Buffalo Bills earned respect league-wide as a team to be reckoned with in the AFC going forward.

The Bills are good? Yes, the Buffalo Bills might actually be good this season. Sean McDermott’s team won its first three games of the season before covering the seven-point spread at home to the division rival New England Patriots in defeat. Despite the loss, the Bills seem to have earned respect league-wide as a contender in the AFC.

On this week’s episode of Stacking the Box, FanSided‘s Matt Verderame and Josh Hill, along with former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, answer the question if the Bills did, in fact, earn respect in their home loss to the Evil Empire (46:22).

“I’m in just in the slightest,” said Schwartz. “The defense earned respect. Offensively, Josh Allen, he just isn’t the guy.” Schwartz would add that there is a reason to be excited about his future as a quarterback, but the team can only win one way and that’s with its defense. McDermott has his side of the ball humming, that’s for sure. Can Brian Daboll get more out of Allen down the line?

“I’m in,” says Verderame. “Tre’Davious White is the best corner nobody knows about. They’ve got some really good linebackers. [Tremaine] Edmunds, I think [Matt] Milano is very underrated. Defensively, Ed Oliver is a beast up front, along with some other guys. Micah Hyde, by the way, nobody’s played better in four weeks. He’s been absolutely dominant on the back-end.”

Verderame would go on to echo Schwartz’s sentiment in that Allen has to play better at quarterback. Buffalo seems to have one way to win and that is with its stellar defense. Being able to win nine or 10 games is certainly in play for the Bills this season. But will that be enough to make the playoffs in the AFC?

Outside of New England and the Kansas City Chiefs, it’s a total crapshoot in the AFC. Buffalo, unfortunately, plays in the same division as New England, so a Wild Card berth would have to do. That being said, they have a pathway to great success this year. They may not be rolling in the sacks as the 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars did, but the 2019 Bills can certainly win with defense.

Here are a few other topics that were discussed on this week’s episode of Stacking the Box:

• Was Nate Burleson more nervous playing a big NFL game, or interviewing J-Lo (21:26)?
• Does Dwayne Haskins save Jay Gruden’s job with the Washington Redskins (43:15)?
• The Detroit Lions are indeed a real playoff contender (44:50).
• Verderame melts down over Bill O’Brien and the Houston Texans (53:02).

All this and more!

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