Buffalo Bills Have the Blueprint for Beating the Patriots

A stout defensive line that creates pressure with a four-man rush. A running game that can milk the clock. A physical, versatile secondary that can mix up coverages.

The Buffalo Bills didn’t lay out the blueprint for beating the New England Patriots, but they’ve done a good job of building their team to those specifications.

The Patriots showed signs of improving last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, but the Bills will be yet another measuring stick. Last week was a show-me game; this week is a prove-it game.

“We’ve got to be as consistent as we can,” said quarterback Tom Brady. “Coach talked [Wednesday] morning about, ‘As great as last week was, it’s over, and we’ve got to start putting it in this week.'”

The Patriots can prove exactly how far they’ve come by beating a team that’s been built to beat them.

The Bills have had a revolving door of head coaches and general managers over the years, but despite a lack of a consistent direction for the team-building process, they have found the right mix of players to match up with the Patriots through high draft picks and free agent signings.

The defensive line fits the profile: up the middle, a first-round, third overall pick in 2011 in Marcell Dareus, paired with a veteran in Kyle Williams, drafted in 2006 and in his second contract with the Bills; off the edges, a prize free-agent from 2012 in Mario Williams, and Jerry Hughes, acquired in a trade.

Last season, the Bills were known for their exotic pressure packages under defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. They were able to harass, hurry and harry Tom Brady into passer ratings of 76.4 and 68.4 in their two matchups with the Pats. Through five games last season, the Bills sent an extra defender after the opposing quarterback on 79 of 213 dorpbacks (37.1 percent), according to stats website Pro Football Focus.

This season, the Bills have dialed it down dramatically. Their blitz number is down to 39 of 216 dropbacks (18.1 percent) under Jim Schwartz, who is known for a more conservative defensive approach that relies on a four-man rush to generate pressure.

Schwartz’s scheme puts pressure on the front four to get after the quarterback. The Bills defensive line has answered the bell so far, logging 17 sacks as a team to tie for the league lead.

“You’ve got to block those guys no matter what defense they’re in,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said. “It’s still the same guys that are hard to block. I would say the scheme is quite a bit different. I mean, they had a four-man rush last year, too. I’m not saying that. But there was a lot more pressure.”

The defensive line is the catalyst for everything the Bills do on defense, but they’re not impervious.

The Patriots had success in the running game last year, with 425 rushing yards on 77 carries (5.5 YPA), but this is a recharged defense against the run, which boasts the league’s second-best rushing average against (3.0 YPA). With fewer linebacker pressures, there are more unblocked linebackers available to make tackles at the second level.

But the coaches could have just as much of an impact on this game as the players.

One other possible reason for the Bills’ improvement is the arrival of defensive line coach Pepper Johnson, formerly an assistant with the Patriots. His playing experience has helped him teach technique, and also to quickly earn the respect of the players on the team.

“He’s done a very good job coaching the defensive line, being with those players from a technical standpoint, communicating to help our defense,” Bills head coach Doug Marrone said. “I think he’s been good for some of the younger players that we have that are coming into this league. I think we have three coaches on our staff that played over ten years in this league and he’s really an asset to the young guys on learning what it means to be a pro.”

Both Belichick and Marrone tried to write off the potential impact of Johnson’s knowledge of the organization, but the Bills would be foolish to not tap into him for an inside perspective on the Patriots.

“They obviously know what we’re doing,” Brady said. “I’m sure they have some calls and some things that we like to do. They know our style, and Brandon has practiced against us for a lot of years, and Pepper has obviously been here a lot of years, and Coach Schwartz coached with Coach Belichick, so there’s a lot of familiarity I think for both sides.”

Brady should be just as concerned with Buffalo’s secondary as with its defensive line. The Bills have added several pieces to that group over the years in a clear effort to stop the things that the Patriots like to do on offense.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Stephon Gilmore is a former first-round pick, and is just the type of big-bodied, physical cornerback that can knock receivers off the line of scrimmage and play man coverage, but also has the quick trigger to drop into zone and be effective. Another former first-round pick, Leodis McKelvin plays a similar style, though less physical at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds.

Talented, quick-twitch cornerbacks like Corey Graham and Nickell Robey can cover the slot and take away some of Brady’s most beloved targets in that area of the field. Their starting safety Aaron Williams is a converted cornerback, with the ability to play deep zone or to play man coverage on tight ends or slot receivers.

In sum, it’s a group that can mix up coverages to not only keep Brady guessing, but also keep his receivers guessing — and that can be lethal to an offense where the receivers are constantly reacting to the movements and responsibilities of their opponents.

And that’s only when the Patriots have the ball. The Bills also have a running game that can milk the clock and keep the ball out of Brady’s hands.

Between Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller — who complement each other with a similar style of play — the Bills have enough firepower in the backfield to take advantage of some of New England’s weaknesses stopping the run.

“I think they’re one of the best running back combos in the league,” cornerback Darrelle Revis said.

Jackson and Spiller have combined for 143 total touches, which accounts for 59.8 percent of the Bills’ total receptions and carries. Yet, despite their strong running game, they have an average of 29:06 time of possession through Week 5, which ranks 21st in the NFL. Don’t be surprised to see the Bills ride their backs early and often.

Things get even tougher for the Patriots, though, when you factor in the starting quarterback: EJ Manuel Kyle Orton, who starts only his second game for the Bills.

Studying up on an old quarterback in a new scheme has challenges, but it’s not impossible.

“That’s a little tough,” safety Devin McCourty said. “You try to pick apart one game, but you can’t get too into it. But I think our coaching staff always does a great job of giving us information on Kyle Orton as a player throughout his 10 years in the league.”

There’s enough information on Orton for the Patriots to have a good scouting report of his tendencies as a quarterback as well as his strengths and weaknesses, but things change when you factor in a new system with new teammates.

The Bills could make things difficult for the Patriots’ defense by showing them things they’ve never seen before, but they would be served just as well to stick with what they know and what has worked.

It’s all part of the plan to keep the ball away from a Patriots’ offense that has struggled to find its rhythm, while also exploiting New England’s weaknesses in run defense. But none of this should come as a surprise to the Patriots. This is a formula teams have been using to try to beat them for years. Sunday should be no different.

Follow @ErikFrenz