Bills’ weakened second-level defense collapses in the first half against the Ravens

The Buffalo Bills’ defense was able to stay afloat for much of the 2024 season despite injuries to key secondary starters. The proverbial ship rocked in the first half of the team’s Week 4 clash against the Baltimore Ravens, as the AFC North team identified weaknesses in the middle of the field and attacked them frequently, often with success.

Nickel cornerback Taron Johnson and linebackers Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard were sidelined for Buffalo Football on Sunday evenings Clashes like all have occurred throughout most (or, in Milano’s case, all) of the election campaign up to this point; Cam Lewis, Dorian Williams and Baylon Spector were relatively well represented in the first part of this season, but got off to a rocky start in Week 4 when Baltimore running back Derrick Henry broke off an 84-yard touchdown run on the Ravens’ first offensive play.

Related: Bills WR Khalil Shakir sets an NFL record in the first quarter against the Ravens

The Ravens used play-action and screen passes to test Buffalo’s defensive second level throughout the first half, and the unit was largely unequal to the task. Tackling was an issue as Baltimore often had success on screen passes. The most blatant example was a third-and-14 screen in the second quarter against running back Justice Hill, which the 26-year-old converted into a first down.

The second level of the interior – especially Williams and Spector – struggled greatly in coverage, with the Ravens’ pass catchers often ending up behind them (some may attribute this to a plan, but the execution wasn’t great either). Perhaps the most notable example of this was a reception by Isaiah Likely in the second quarter in which he sneaked past those behind him and stood wide open for a 26-yard grab; Tight end Mark Andrews got behind them on the next play but couldn’t intercept Lamar Jackson’s pass.

The Ravens also devised an admittedly appropriate red zone play, taking Hill one-on-one with Williams; The running back made a nice juke and went deep in the game, throwing in a touchdown pass that put Baltimore ahead by three points.

The Ravens made a concerted effort to attack Buffalo’s depleted second level using Henry and their quick passing game, and the strategy proved fruitful in the first half. The former NFL Offensive Player of the Year finished the first half with 109 rushing yards on nine carries, hitting paydirt both on the ground and through the air. Jackson was 11 of 13 for 135 yards and two scores as the Baltimore offense averaged 10.4 yards per play and gained an impressive 281 yards and converted on all three third-down situations.

In other words, it’s a semifinal Buffalo wants to forget.

It was perhaps unfair to expect the Bills’ fullbacks to enable the unit without Johnson, Milano and Bernard to continue playing at a near-elite level, but the first-half implosion was unfortunate nonetheless. The group showed some signs of life at the end of the first half when Williams forced a Jackson fumble that Spector recovered. Maybe the unit will build on that in the second half; If not, Johnson and Bernard are expected to return in the coming weeks.

At halftime, Baltimore leads Buffalo 21-3.

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