The Buffalo Bills have given up 405 yards a game on defense this season, though Buffalo had managed to start the season 3-0.
Buffalo, however, was not able to overcome a 458-yards-against showing against the Bengals Sunday.
Giving up big chunks of yardage has been a bit of a problem for the Bills, who have given up 17 passing plays of 20 or more yards, tied for fifth-most in the league. Buffalo has surrendered four passes of 40 yards or more, which is also tied for fifth-most in the league, and the Bills have given up five rushes for 20-plus-yards, which ranks third-worst.
“It’s concerning, it is. You’ve got to get off the field,” Bills coach Chan Gailey said. “You can’t give up the big plays. The big plays hurt us this past week, the long runs, the long passes hurt us this past week.”
Cincinnati went 5-for-12 for a 41-percent conversion rate on third down in its victory over Buffalo last week, which is the Bills’ average third-down defense percentage through four games this season.
“You’ve got to be able to get off the field on third downs,” Gailey said. “We hadn’t done that as well as we need to.
“The yards do concern you. You can’t give up those yards on a consistent basis. You can’t give up those kind of yards on a consistent basis and expect to win.”
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