PLAYER NOTES
–DT Jordan Phillips was signed last Tuesday off waivers from Miami, and the fourth-year veteran and former second-round draft pick played 17 snaps and was in on three tackles and batted down a pass.
–WR Ray Ray McCloud was the target on a key play on the Bills’ game-winning drive, a quick screen that he turned into a seven-yard gain. He played 13 snaps in the game as the Bills desperately seek someone to step up at the position.
–FS Jordan Poyer was in on three tackles, one of which went for a loss, and he recovered a fumble in a game where he had to play a bigger role with his safety mate, Micah Hyde, sidelined.
–RB Marcus Murphy has battled a rib injury, but he never showed up on the injury report last week, so he was essentially a healthy scratch. Murphy has 70 yards rushing, but he has struggled terribly in blitz pickup.
–SS Micah Hyde was limited in practice due to a groin injury, but there seems a chance that he’ll be able to return to action after missing the Tennessee game.
–SS Rafael Bush wore a red no-contact jersey during his limited work in practice, and it’s uncertain how much his shoulder injury has healed as he also missed last week’s game.
–CB Tre’Davious White, who has a big assignment this week covering DeAndre Hopkins, was limited due to an ankle injury.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: CB Taron Johnson. The Bills had a gaping hole to fill at nickel cornerback in the offseason after they made the decision to not re-sign aging veteran Leonard Johnson, a player who had a solid 2017 season. The Bills targeted Johnson in the draft despite the fact that he’s a little undersized at 5-11, 192 pounds, and he played at lower level Weber State of the Big Sky Conference. But the fourth-round pick won the job in a training camp battle with veteran Phillip Gaines, and he has been one of the Bills’ most noteworthy players despite dealing with a shoulder injury that occurred in the second quarter of the first game and forced him to miss the Week 2 game. Johnson made his first career interception last week against the Titans.
GAME PLAN: The Bills made it clear last week against Tennessee that the offensive coaches don’t trust Josh Allen all that much, and for good reason. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll called 43 runs on 64 offensive snaps which took much of the burden off the struggling rookie who is completing just 53.3 percent of his passes for an offense that is averaging a laughable 121.8 yards passing. In Houston, the Bills have to establish the run again, if for no other reason than to minimize the damage defensive linemen J.J. Watt and Jadaveon Clowney could wreak on the Bills’ offensive line. However, the Bills have to be better on first down because if they get into undesirable second- and third-and-long situations on the road, as they did in Green Bay and Baltimore in their two road losses, they will have a miserable day.
On defense, the Bills did an excellent job keeping Tennessee’ dual-threat quarterback, Marcus Mariota, in the pocket and not letting him make plays on the perimeter. They did it with a strong four-man pass rush and solid coverage downfield. The issue against Houston is that quarterback Deshaun Watson is even more mobile, and he has much better weapons to throw to than Mariota. Cornerback Tre’Davious White will almost certainly travel with Texans star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins all day, and it will be his biggest test to date as Hopkins already has 39 receptions for a league-high 594 yards. The Bills have to control Watson/Hopkins and force him to go to secondary targets, and while that’s happening, stay aggressive and force turnovers which have proven critical in each of the Bills’ two victories.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Bills DEs Trent Murphy and Jerry Hughes vs. Texans OL. If the Bills don’t have the worst offensive line in the NFL, the Texans do. They have not been able to protect QB Deshaun Watson and he’s been taking a beating with 18 sacks and 53 QB hits. The Bills figure to dial up the pressure, and in Murphy and Hughes, they have two speed rushers coming off the edge, and if Watson steps up, the DTs led by Kyle Williams and Star Lotulelei will be there to clean up. If the Bills don’t get pressure, the Texans will be able to move the ball, especially if the Bills don’t get SS Micah Hyde back.
–Bills OL vs. Texans front seven. It works the other way, too. If the Bills get overrun by DE J.J. Watt and LBs Whitney Mercilus and Jadeveon Clowney, Josh Allen will be in for a horrific night. Like Watson, Allen has been a punching bag as he’s been sacked 19 times for 151 yards in losses. But just as important as protecting Allen, the Bills’ line will have to establish control up front in the run game. If the Texans shut down LeSean McCoy and Chris Ivory, the Bills will have almost no chance to move the ball.
