Big Turk Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 The Bills D is becoming what we though it could be this season, especially in the last half of the season, which is not all that surprising considering it took a while for the payers to really learn and adjust to the new scheme and know where they were supposed to be all the time. 1st Half of the season D numbers: 381.1 Yards Per Game Total allowed(1 500+ yard game allowed, 2 400+ yard game allowed, 4 300+ yard games allowed) 117.8 Yards Per Game Rushing allowed 263.3 Yards Per Game Passing allowed(4 300+ yard passers allowed, 1 200+ yard passer allowed) Opposing QB's: 338/177, 52.3 Completion %, 2279 yards, 6.74 Y/A, 20 TDs, 12 INTs, 78.7 QB Rating 3rd Down Stats: 50/129(38.7%) Opponents First Downs: 21.4 2nd Half of the season D numbers(thru 7 games): 271.8 Yards Per Game Total allowed(1 400+ yard game allowed, 2 300+ yard game allowed(Pittsburgh had exactly 300 yards) 122 Yards Per Game Rushing allowed 149.9 Yards Per Game Passing allowed(0 300+ yard passers allowed, 1 200+ yard passer allowed, 2 under 100 yard passers allowed--amazing) Opposing QB's: 229/119 51.9 Completion %, 1264 Yards, 5.52 Y/A, 7 TDs, 10 INTs, 60.3 QB Rating 3rd Down Stats: 37/103(35.9%) Opponents First Downs: 16.1 Nothing short of staggering difference...110 yards less over the 2nd half of the season versus the first half of the season, with the majority of the difference coming against the pass. Much has to do with the return of Gilmore and Byrd, but still that is a huge difference. It appears this team is intentionally sacrificing some rushing yards to prevent passing yards, which is smart considering most big strike plays are pass plays. They also have slightly improved 3rd down percentage while vastly improving opponent 1st down's per game by allowing over 5 fewer... Opposing QB rating is just ridiculous in the 2nd half of the season...teams are completing barely over half their passes, for an embarrassing 5.5 Y/A with a 60 QB rating...that has got to be 1 in the NFL over that time span, those are like best pass D in the NFL type numbers...also seem to be cutting down the big pass plays, with teams averaging over 1.2 yards per attempt fewer from the first half to second half... This defense is going to be just scary next year to play against after having a full off season and training camp to get even better and more comfortable...this has the makings of a top 3 defense next year and potentially #1...unlimited potential on this side of the ball... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsBytheBay Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Nice work. Very exciting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 number 1 defense next year!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibs Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 The Bills D is becoming what we though it could be this season, especially in the last half of the season, which is not all that surprising considering it took a while for the payers to really learn and adjust to the new scheme and know where they were supposed to be all the time. 1st Half of the season D numbers: 381.1 Yards Per Game Total allowed(1 500+ yard game allowed, 2 400+ yard game allowed, 4 300+ yard games allowed) 117.8 Yards Per Game Rushing allowed 263.3 Yards Per Game Passing allowed(4 300+ yard passers allowed, 1 200+ yard passer allowed) Opposing QB's: 338/177, 52.3 Completion %, 2279 yards, 6.74 Y/A, 20 TDs, 12 INTs, 78.7 QB Rating 3rd Down Stats: 50/129(38.7%) Opponents First Downs: 21.4 2nd Half of the season D numbers(thru 7 games): 271.8 Yards Per Game Total allowed(1 400+ yard game allowed, 2 300+ yard game allowed(Pittsburgh had exactly 300 yards) 122 Yards Per Game Rushing allowed 149.9 Yards Per Game Passing allowed(0 300+ yard passers allowed, 1 200+ yard passer allowed, 2 under 100 yard passers allowed--amazing) Opposing QB's: 229/119 51.9 Completion %, 1264 Yards, 5.52 Y/A, 7 TDs, 10 INTs, 60.3 QB Rating 3rd Down Stats: 37/103(35.9%) Opponents First Downs: 16.1 Nothing short of staggering difference...110 yards less over the 2nd half of the season versus the first half of the season, with the majority of the difference coming against the pass. Much has to do with the return of Gilmore and Byrd, but still that is a huge difference. It appears this team is intentionally sacrificing some rushing yards to prevent passing yards, which is smart considering most big strike plays are pass plays. They also have slightly improved 3rd down percentage while vastly improving opponent 1st down's per game by allowing over 5 fewer... Opposing QB rating is just ridiculous in the 2nd half of the season...teams are completing barely over half their passes, for an embarrassing 5.5 Y/A with a 60 QB rating...that has got to be 1 in the NFL over that time span, those are like best pass D in the NFL type numbers...also seem to be cutting down the big pass plays, with teams averaging over 1.2 yards per attempt fewer from the first half to second half... This defense is going to be just scary next year to play against after having a full off season and training camp to get even better and more comfortable...this has the makings of a top 3 defense next year and potentially #1...unlimited potential on this side of the ball... You beat me to it.....I was going to be doing a breakdown on this too. Great Job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSBill Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 The Bills D is becoming what we though it could be this season, especially in the last half of the season, which is not all that surprising considering it took a while for the payers to really learn and adjust to the new scheme and know where they were supposed to be all the time. 1st Half of the season D numbers: 381.1 Yards Per Game Total allowed(1 500+ yard game allowed, 2 400+ yard game allowed, 4 300+ yard games allowed) 117.8 Yards Per Game Rushing allowed 263.3 Yards Per Game Passing allowed(4 300+ yard passers allowed, 1 200+ yard passer allowed) Opposing QB's: 338/177, 52.3 Completion %, 2279 yards, 6.74 Y/A, 20 TDs, 12 INTs, 78.7 QB Rating 3rd Down Stats: 50/129(38.7%) Opponents First Downs: 21.4 2nd Half of the season D numbers(thru 7 games): 271.8 Yards Per Game Total allowed(1 400+ yard game allowed, 2 300+ yard game allowed(Pittsburgh had exactly 300 yards) 122 Yards Per Game Rushing allowed 149.9 Yards Per Game Passing allowed(0 300+ yard passers allowed, 1 200+ yard passer allowed, 2 under 100 yard passers allowed--amazing) Opposing QB's: 229/119 51.9 Completion %, 1264 Yards, 5.52 Y/A, 7 TDs, 10 INTs, 60.3 QB Rating 3rd Down Stats: 37/103(35.9%) Opponents First Downs: 16.1 Nothing short of staggering difference...110 yards less over the 2nd half of the season versus the first half of the season, with the majority of the difference coming against the pass. Much has to do with the return of Gilmore and Byrd, but still that is a huge difference. It appears this team is intentionally sacrificing some rushing yards to prevent passing yards, which is smart considering most big strike plays are pass plays. They also have slightly improved 3rd down percentage while vastly improving opponent 1st down's per game by allowing over 5 fewer... Opposing QB rating is just ridiculous in the 2nd half of the season...teams are completing barely over half their passes, for an embarrassing 5.5 Y/A with a 60 QB rating...that has got to be 1 in the NFL over that time span, those are like best pass D in the NFL type numbers...also seem to be cutting down the big pass plays, with teams averaging over 1.2 yards per attempt fewer from the first half to second half... This defense is going to be just scary next year to play against after having a full off season and training camp to get even better and more comfortable...this has the makings of a top 3 defense next year and potentially #1...unlimited potential on this side of the ball... And as the stats show, the one glaring weakness still remains, Run Defense! This needs to be addressed with better LBs in the off-season. If it can be fixed, watch out league! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 I heard Gilmore sucked though. Also, I noticed you omitted PPG. That's the final element separating them from an elite defense, IMO (w/o having looked at the numbers) And as the stats show, the one glaring weakness still remains, Run Defense! This needs to be addressed with better LBs in the off-season. If it can be fixed, watch out league! It's not nearly as bad as fans would have you believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last Guy on the Bench Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 This post was a great Christmas present. Very encouraging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted December 25, 2013 Author Share Posted December 25, 2013 (edited) I heard Gilmore sucked though. Also, I noticed you omitted PPG. That's the final element separating them from an elite defense, IMO (w/o having looked at the numbers) It's not nearly as bad as fans would have you believe. 26.6 points per game over the first 8 20.1 points per game over the last 7 Would be even better over the last 7 if taking out KC's 2 defensive TD's that the D had nothing to do with...would be at 18.1 PPG Edited December 25, 2013 by matter2003 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdand12 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Great post Matter ! Very encouraging breakdown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBillsMagic1 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Pettiness n marrone. R a good combo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 26.6 points per game over the first 8 20.1 points per game over the last 7 Would be even better over the last 7 if taking out KC's 2 defensive TD's that the D had nothing to do with...would be at 18.1 PPG And that's all well and good, but also helped tremendously by Sunday's goose egg. Even counting the KC game, it's still only one of three where we held the opposition to less than 20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oman128 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 It seems every season the Bills start slow, and fans always think next year is our year.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Not to be a naysayer, but what were the record of our opponents in the 1st half of season vs 2nd half of season? That probably explains, in (large?) part, why we are so improved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Its pretty obvious that the defense has improved........what we need to now is bring the offense closer to the level of the defense And to fix run defense? SCORE MORE......when playing from behind teams abandon the run Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted December 25, 2013 Author Share Posted December 25, 2013 Its pretty obvious that the defense has improved........what we need to now is bring the offense closer to the level of the defense And to fix run defense? SCORE MORE......when playing from behind teams abandon the run teams are running more because they are afraid to pass, IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Not to be a naysayer, but what were the record of our opponents in the 1st half of season vs 2nd half of season? That probably explains, in (large?) part, why we are so improved. First 8 opponents are 69-51 through 15 games (.575) Last 7: 45-60 (.428) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 To the eye, they improved some when their secondary got healthy but have otherwise been playing good football all season. And that makes sense, they have been remarkably healthy all season. They aren't perfect and this is a style of defense we reallly have never seen in Buffalo so I get that some people are fixated on the big plays..........but when you combine the turnovers and QB pressure with the yardage allowed they are certainly a modern, championship level defense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section122 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 First 8 opponents are 69-51 through 15 games (.575) Last 7: 45-60 (.428) This to me explains the improvement. Obviously stats are going to look better against weaker opponents. That said the defense is doing what it is supposed at this point. They are beating up on weaker opponents. At the end of the year all teams will have played good and bad opponents. Our schedule just had a weird breakdown of tough at the start and weak at the end. It is certainly encouraging that they have moved into the top 10. One more lb and I think they can move into the top 5. That is the one weakness in the unit and teams can still exploit it. A strong showing Sunday would go a long way towards proving their improvement throughout the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlelouie Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Yep, JR in Pittsburgh, you bring up a very valid point. I have to agree with you the teams they played in the 2nd half were bottom dwellers that a high school team could beat. That does put a damper on their perceived improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRQ_BillsFan Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 First 8 opponents are 69-51 through 15 games (.575) Last 7: 45-60 (.428) +1 this has a lot to do with it. But still impressive either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted December 26, 2013 Author Share Posted December 26, 2013 Yep, JR in Pittsburgh, you bring up a very valid point. I have to agree with you the teams they played in the 2nd half were bottom dwellers that a high school team could beat. That does put a damper on their perceived improvement. Just because a team has a poor record doesn't mean they can't move the football. Miami controls their own destiny for the playoffs still with a win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 First 8 opponents are 69-51 through 15 games (.575) Last 7: 45-60 (.428) Thanks. I think this certainly is an important variable, as is fewer injuries. I honestly do think there has been improvement, but the variables make it hard to know for sure the primary causes. I will say that a good performance against New England this week will go a long way, in my mind, to showing serious improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Thanks. I think this certainly is an important variable, as is fewer injuries. I honestly do think there has been improvement, but the variables make it hard to know for sure the primary causes. I will say that a good performance against New England this week will go a long way, in my mind, to showing serious improvement. Agreed. But the defenses performance against a Miami team with a winning record and their performance against an Atlanta one with losing record shoots holes in the correlation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Security Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Some to do with opponents, some to do with weather, typically harder for offense in bad weather (even though there are some monster high scoring games in bad weather this year). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibuya Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 the D looked like crap in losses to KC, Pitt, Atlanta and TB so these meaningless showings late in the year just irritate me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bufcomments Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 The Bills D is becoming what we though it could be this season, especially in the last half of the season, which is not all that surprising considering it took a while for the payers to really learn and adjust to the new scheme and know where they were supposed to be all the time. 1st Half of the season D numbers: 381.1 Yards Per Game Total allowed(1 500+ yard game allowed, 2 400+ yard game allowed, 4 300+ yard games allowed) 117.8 Yards Per Game Rushing allowed 263.3 Yards Per Game Passing allowed(4 300+ yard passers allowed, 1 200+ yard passer allowed) Opposing QB's: 338/177, 52.3 Completion %, 2279 yards, 6.74 Y/A, 20 TDs, 12 INTs, 78.7 QB Rating 3rd Down Stats: 50/129(38.7%) Opponents First Downs: 21.4 2nd Half of the season D numbers(thru 7 games): 271.8 Yards Per Game Total allowed(1 400+ yard game allowed, 2 300+ yard game allowed(Pittsburgh had exactly 300 yards) 122 Yards Per Game Rushing allowed 149.9 Yards Per Game Passing allowed(0 300+ yard passers allowed, 1 200+ yard passer allowed, 2 under 100 yard passers allowed--amazing) Opposing QB's: 229/119 51.9 Completion %, 1264 Yards, 5.52 Y/A, 7 TDs, 10 INTs, 60.3 QB Rating 3rd Down Stats: 37/103(35.9%) Opponents First Downs: 16.1 Nothing short of staggering difference...110 yards less over the 2nd half of the season versus the first half of the season, with the majority of the difference coming against the pass. Much has to do with the return of Gilmore and Byrd, but still that is a huge difference. It appears this team is intentionally sacrificing some rushing yards to prevent passing yards, which is smart considering most big strike plays are pass plays. They also have slightly improved 3rd down percentage while vastly improving opponent 1st down's per game by allowing over 5 fewer... Opposing QB rating is just ridiculous in the 2nd half of the season...teams are completing barely over half their passes, for an embarrassing 5.5 Y/A with a 60 QB rating...that has got to be 1 in the NFL over that time span, those are like best pass D in the NFL type numbers...also seem to be cutting down the big pass plays, with teams averaging over 1.2 yards per attempt fewer from the first half to second half... This defense is going to be just scary next year to play against after having a full off season and training camp to get even better and more comfortable...this has the makings of a top 3 defense next year and potentially #1...unlimited potential on this side of the ball... nice post. It was to be expected they improve as the season went on. Byrd missed some time in the beginning, Gilmores injury, the secondary not a full strength at the start. McKelvin has improved, so has A. Williams who made a big leap this year. They found the perfect slot role for Robey, who has been a very pleasant surprise. Then add 10 sacks with Hughes, which you have to admit was unexpected. They need 1 run stuffing LB to go with Kiko. They gonna be nice if everybody stays aboard on D next year. Petine is an excellent coach. Look at the improved play from Kyle, Mario and Dareus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Per today's D&C: "The Bills have held six of their last seven opponents under 200 net yards passing and now rank fifth in the NFL in pass defense, and third in yards per pass attempt." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leelee Phoenix Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Not to be a naysayer, but what were the record of our opponents in the 1st half of season vs 2nd half of season? That probably explains, in (large?) part, why we are so improved. It also helps that the secondary was healthy then, and not being forced to play Justin Rogers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H2o Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 (edited) The Bills D is becoming what we though it could be this season, especially in the last half of the season, which is not all that surprising considering it took a while for the payers to really learn and adjust to the new scheme and know where they were supposed to be all the time. 1st Half of the season D numbers: 381.1 Yards Per Game Total allowed(1 500+ yard game allowed, 2 400+ yard game allowed, 4 300+ yard games allowed) 117.8 Yards Per Game Rushing allowed 263.3 Yards Per Game Passing allowed(4 300+ yard passers allowed, 1 200+ yard passer allowed) Opposing QB's: 338/177, 52.3 Completion %, 2279 yards, 6.74 Y/A, 20 TDs, 12 INTs, 78.7 QB Rating 3rd Down Stats: 50/129(38.7%) Opponents First Downs: 21.4 2nd Half of the season D numbers(thru 7 games): 271.8 Yards Per Game Total allowed(1 400+ yard game allowed, 2 300+ yard game allowed(Pittsburgh had exactly 300 yards) 122 Yards Per Game Rushing allowed 149.9 Yards Per Game Passing allowed(0 300+ yard passers allowed, 1 200+ yard passer allowed, 2 under 100 yard passers allowed--amazing) Opposing QB's: 229/119 51.9 Completion %, 1264 Yards, 5.52 Y/A, 7 TDs, 10 INTs, 60.3 QB Rating 3rd Down Stats: 37/103(35.9%) Opponents First Downs: 16.1 Nothing short of staggering difference...110 yards less over the 2nd half of the season versus the first half of the season, with the majority of the difference coming against the pass. Much has to do with the return of Gilmore and Byrd, but still that is a huge difference. It appears this team is intentionally sacrificing some rushing yards to prevent passing yards, which is smart considering most big strike plays are pass plays. They also have slightly improved 3rd down percentage while vastly improving opponent 1st down's per game by allowing over 5 fewer... Opposing QB rating is just ridiculous in the 2nd half of the season...teams are completing barely over half their passes, for an embarrassing 5.5 Y/A with a 60 QB rating...that has got to be 1 in the NFL over that time span, those are like best pass D in the NFL type numbers...also seem to be cutting down the big pass plays, with teams averaging over 1.2 yards per attempt fewer from the first half to second half... This defense is going to be just scary next year to play against after having a full off season and training camp to get even better and more comfortable...this has the makings of a top 3 defense next year and potentially #1...unlimited potential on this side of the ball... Optimism has no place here. We should be tanking games for draft position. Edited December 26, 2013 by H2o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leelee Phoenix Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Some to do with opponents, some to do with weather, typically harder for offense in bad weather (even though there are some monster high scoring games in bad weather this year). Not just this year, every year in the long run. Wind (and very heavy precip at the time) are the only elements that lower scoring. Snow actually raises scoring. But, I won't complain, I've made some nice money knowing that on people overreacting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted December 26, 2013 Author Share Posted December 26, 2013 (edited) the D looked like crap in losses to KC, Pitt, Atlanta and TB so these meaningless showings late in the year just irritate me What KC game were you watching? They got 3 FGs the entire game from their offense and they were barely moving the ball at all. I was at the game and everyone was screaming to just run it again on 3rd and goal at the 1 and kick the FG if he didn't get in to give us a 10 point lead cause there was no way KC was scoring 10 more points the way we were playing... the D looked like crap in losses to KC, Pitt, Atlanta and TB so these meaningless showings late in the year just irritate me Pittsburgh got a total of 300 yards of offense on a day our offense literally could not do anything but go 3 and out every series, Tampa Bay had two big plays accounting for 118 yards of offense and barely 100 the rest of the game including 7 yards in the second half. Their QB was 9 of 25 for 90 yards...Guess people see what they want to see... Edited December 26, 2013 by matter2003 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumbalaya Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 This is just another stat for losers to look at. Can we stop the good teams when it counts? Can we make a big play on offense with the game on the line against a good team? Do we show up on the road? Those answers for this season and the last decade remain "No". Is team better losers than the previous losers? Possibly, but it matters not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Security Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 This is just another stat for losers to look at. Can we stop the good teams when it counts? Can we make a big play on offense with the game on the line against a good team? Do we show up on the road? Those answers for this season and the last decade remain "No". Is team better losers than the previous losers? Possibly, but it matters not. Bills are pretty bad much of the time needing stops, and also bad on 3rd and 10. I will say I was impressed when they needed stops in the 2nd half and late against the Bengals, even though they were bad earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorkington Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 We only have stats to look at. Our record, once again, is in the dumps. Give us this, at least Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldTimer1960 Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Forgive me for not reading the entire thread, but is it shocking that the Defense improved after playing the first several games under a new coaching staff AND having been missing almost all of their starting secondary for the first 5-6 games? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDH Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Per today's D&C: "The Bills have held six of their last seven opponents under 200 net yards passing and now rank fifth in the NFL in pass defense, and third in yards per pass attempt." It'll be interesting to see what they do on the road vs. Brady. This should give us a really good idea of where they're at heading into next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAWNDO Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 It seems every season the Bills start slow, and fans always think next year is our year.... One of these years we will be right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 The Bills D is becoming what we though it could be this season, especially in the last half of the season, which is not all that surprising considering it took a while for the payers to really learn and adjust to the new scheme and know where they were supposed to be all the time. 1st Half of the season D numbers: 381.1 Yards Per Game Total allowed(1 500+ yard game allowed, 2 400+ yard game allowed, 4 300+ yard games allowed) 117.8 Yards Per Game Rushing allowed 263.3 Yards Per Game Passing allowed(4 300+ yard passers allowed, 1 200+ yard passer allowed) Opposing QB's: 338/177, 52.3 Completion %, 2279 yards, 6.74 Y/A, 20 TDs, 12 INTs, 78.7 QB Rating 3rd Down Stats: 50/129(38.7%) Opponents First Downs: 21.4 2nd Half of the season D numbers(thru 7 games): 271.8 Yards Per Game Total allowed(1 400+ yard game allowed, 2 300+ yard game allowed(Pittsburgh had exactly 300 yards) 122 Yards Per Game Rushing allowed 149.9 Yards Per Game Passing allowed(0 300+ yard passers allowed, 1 200+ yard passer allowed, 2 under 100 yard passers allowed--amazing) Opposing QB's: 229/119 51.9 Completion %, 1264 Yards, 5.52 Y/A, 7 TDs, 10 INTs, 60.3 QB Rating 3rd Down Stats: 37/103(35.9%) Opponents First Downs: 16.1 Nothing short of staggering difference...110 yards less over the 2nd half of the season versus the first half of the season, with the majority of the difference coming against the pass. Much has to do with the return of Gilmore and Byrd, but still that is a huge difference. It appears this team is intentionally sacrificing some rushing yards to prevent passing yards, which is smart considering most big strike plays are pass plays. They also have slightly improved 3rd down percentage while vastly improving opponent 1st down's per game by allowing over 5 fewer... Opposing QB rating is just ridiculous in the 2nd half of the season...teams are completing barely over half their passes, for an embarrassing 5.5 Y/A with a 60 QB rating...that has got to be 1 in the NFL over that time span, those are like best pass D in the NFL type numbers...also seem to be cutting down the big pass plays, with teams averaging over 1.2 yards per attempt fewer from the first half to second half... This defense is going to be just scary next year to play against after having a full off season and training camp to get even better and more comfortable...this has the makings of a top 3 defense next year and potentially #1...unlimited potential on this side of the ball... Great info. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Per today's D&C: "The Bills have held six of their last seven opponents under 200 net yards passing and now rank fifth in the NFL in pass defense, and third in yards per pass attempt." The opposing QBs in that group include Alex Smith, Geno Smith/SIms, Glennin, Chad Henne, Tannehill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malazan Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Defenses historically improve as the season goes on so keep that in mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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