The Bills had a terrific regular season by plenty of standards. They were one of the top scoring offenses in the NFL, they clinched their division before most people had run out of Thanksgiving leftovers, and quarterback Josh Allen took his game to another level.
There was one thing that continued to show up as a potential achilles heel for Buffalo this season, primarily starting with their Week 4 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens — run defense was a problem.
With Derrick Henry running all over Buffalo back in Week 4 to the tune of 199 rushing yards and a touchdown, Sunday’s Divisional Round rematch with the Ravens caused plenty of people to worry about Buffalo’s ability to contain he and Lamar Jackson. Buffalo more than answered the call.
It wasn’t perfect. Henry and his running mate, Justice Hill, had multiple good runs over the course of the game, especially in the second half. But the Bills largely were up to the task, doing something that few other teams were able to accomplish this season. Henry and Jackson combined for 123 rushing yards in the game, which Buffalo will gladly count as a victory considering Baltimore became the first team in NFL history to have one 2,000 yard rusher (Henry) and one 1,000 yard rusher (Jackson) in the same season.
Run defense is a mentality, and Buffalo didn’t get bullied. They brought their lunch pales and stood tall, forcing numerous negative plays and short gains on the day. Not allowing Jackson and Henry to take over was the recipe all along, and it worked. Buffalo’s run defense questions were certainly quieted with the performance that has them in the AFC Championship Game.