Sports The Buffalo Payments (5-2) uncover the total skills on this planet on offense and the Seattle Seahawks (4-3) are correct as talented on protection. But both groups are peaceful browsing for consistency. Their Week 8 matchup is the finest test for Josh Allen’s offense and Mike Macdonald’s protection.
There’s an outside probability we’re witnessing a Mighty Bowl preview.
The Payments are coming off a gain over the Titans that started as poorly as anybody could presumably uncover imagined, with Buffalo falling proper into a 10-0 hole. But with wait on from contemporary commerce acquisition Amari Cooper, the Payments scored 34 unanswered system for a rout.
The Seahawks also place collectively a blowout in Week 7, beating the Falcons 34-14. Quarterback Geno Smith and Kenneth Walker coasted on offense whereas the protection picked off Kirk Cousins twice.
Let’s dive into five questions ahead of this premier Week 8 matchup.
1. For Eric, what makes Mike Macdonald’s protection so special? And for Henry, what makes Josh Allen special satisfactory to beat it?
Eric D. Williams : Macdonald’s protection has been praised around the league for its adaptability, with an ability to originate the appearance of tension sooner than the snap. He then changes the mumble after the snap, bringing tension from beautiful angles and playing sound most foremost protection within the secondary within the wait on of that.
But prior to now, it’s been a mixed accept. The protection conducted successfully last week in a motorway gain over the Atlanta Falcons but struggled at house two weeks within the past in opposition to the San Francisco 49ers. No doubt one of many reasons the team moved on from Pete Carroll and hired Macdonald used to be to herald a recent defensive formulation to match wits with NFC West offensive masterminds Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan.
But the defensive numbers have not the truth is improved. The Seahawks are No. 28 in bound protection, permitting 146 rushing yards a sport. And Seattle’s seven takeaways are tied for 17th within the league. In opposition to Allen & Co., Macdonald’s protection gets one more replace to point its price.
Henry McKenna : Allen’s coaches sustain announcing that he has improved his speak of the offense. That can mean a want of things, but my sense is that they are impressed with the formulation he’s working pre-snap to obtain the team into essentially the perfect play and post-snap to obtain the ball into the hands of essentially the perfect matchup.
Provided that Allen misplaced Stefon Diggs (and a handful of other starters) this offseason, the QB desired to derive the slack. And he’s completed that with 15 complete touchdowns (12 passing, 3 rushing). As you identified, Eric, the Payments could presumably well be radiant to bound the ball in opposition to the Seattle protection. But that will presumably space up Allen properly to work the ball within the passing sport.
Allen has a stunningly radiant season by the utilization of turnovers. He has zero interceptions and four fumbles this twelve months. But the superior statistics demonstrate he’s been about as fortunate because it gets — and that he’s peaceful putting the ball in harms plan. That is correct files for the Seahawks.
[McKenna: Bills’ Josh Allen has yet to throw a pick. Is the gunslinger now a game manager? ]
Tom Brady’s Week 7 Vitality Rankings | DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE 2. Which participant matchup is most compelling for this sport?
Williams : For me, it’s whoever Seattle lines up at correct address in opposition to talented Payments edge rusher Greg Rousseau. The Seahawks are on their fourth probability at correct address this season. Projected starter Abe Lucas by no formulation made it to the inaugurate of the season following offseason knee surgery.
Lucas’ replacements — George Fant (knee) and Stone Forsythe (hand) — uncover also missed time, leaving the Seahawks so desperate that they brought wait on 42-twelve months-frail offensive address Jason Peters. Appropriate element Lucas and Fant returned to practice this week.
Final week in opposition to the Falcons, Seattle started Division II product Mike Jerrell — and he held up. But if Jerrell makes his second straight inaugurate, he’ll face a tricky test in Rousseau, who leads the Payments with 29 quarterback pressures and is second with 3.5 sacks on the twelve months.
McKenna : It need to be Amari Cooper and Devon Witherspoon. Witherspoon couldn’t shadow Cooper on your complete sport, but on every occasion they peep one one more downfield, it could well most likely presumably well be price watching.
Cooper, unquestionably, used to be an instant success in Buffalo’s offense after the Payments traded picks to the Browns in exchange for the five-time Legit Bowler. There used to be an unstated connection between Allen and Cooper that can rob years to develop. Cooper beat man protection for a landing — even when he couldn’t uncover identified the audible called at the line of scrimmage. Cooper also seemed in sync with Allen beating zone, with a 27-yard chunk after Allen stumbled on his receiver sitting in a hole within the protection. Cooper played correct 19 snaps (35%) but managed four catches on five targets for 66 yards and a landing.
Witherspoon will seemingly be up to the field. He presumably hasn’t totally met expectations because the fifth total decide in 2023, but he’s peaceful as actual as cornerbacks obtain. He has allowed correct 217 yards and 0 touchdowns in protection, per PFF. He has no interceptions and one stride breakup, but that’s largely as a result of the shortage of targets going his plan: 35 in complete. Or no longer it’s laborious to imagine Cooper having a immense gainer if Witherspoon is within the condo.
3. What sport has been an outlier on the Payments’ and Seahawks’ schedules? Is there a sport that also doesn’t make sense?
Williams : Now not obvious how Seattle misplaced to the New York Giants at house in Week 5, significantly with quarterback Daniel Jones being benched in favor of extinct Seahawk Drew Lock last week.
In that sport in opposition to Seattle, Jones had his most effective outing of the season, passing for 257 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 38 yards. Those numbers are referring to for a Seattle protection going through a unheard of higher quarterback with a the same body form to Jones in Allen. Seattle also handiest ran the ball 11 instances in that sport and has essentially the most passing makes an try of any team this season (280). New Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is peaceful working to consistently originate balance on offense.
McKenna : For the Payments, their matchup in opposition to the Texans used to be potentially their biggest disappointment — significantly with Allen starting the sport 3-of-9 and finishing with correct 131 passing yards. The Houston protection is spectacular, but as we noticed with the Packers this week, the Texans are beatable — significantly if C.J. Stroud takes his foot off the gas. But it is rarely essentially an outlier, since the Payments uncover currently misplaced each sport to an over-.500 team (Texans, Ravens) and won each sport in opposition to .500-or-worse groups (Cardinals, Dolphins, Jaguars, Jets, Titans).
If the Payments beat the Seahawks, then that will technically make for an outlier final consequence.
4. Which participant or coach will wish to rob essentially the most possession in worthwhile this sport for his team?
Williams : Another immense sport for Seattle, which formulation one more replace for Geno Smith to demonstrate he’s the long-term resolution at quarterback for the Seahawks. Smith, 34, has been a actual performer for Seattle this season, main the NFL in passing yards (1,985).
Smith played successfully in a mettlesome motorway gain over the Falcons last week. But he also struggled earlier this season in a house loss to San Francisco and is now 0-5 in opposition to the reigning NFC West champs. The Seahawks want a pragmatic, atmosphere friendly performance from Smith to uncover a probability to defeat the Payments.
McKenna : For the Payments, Josh Allen is the straightforward, easy resolution. But whereas you dig deeper, I the truth is derive Sean McDermott could presumably neutral be the upright resolution. McDermott has a reputation for bungling gradual-sport scenarios. He struggles in excessive-tension scenarios, whether or no longer it’s a traditional-season sport in opposition to a playoff opponent or an precise playoff sport. So there is already a history of struggling in shut games, and I derive that’s what we are in a position to anticipate in this one.
On high of that, the Payments had been going through a rash of injuries to their protection that has thinned out the unit significantly. So no longer handiest will McDermott uncover to administer the sport to perfection, but he’ll also uncover to wait on develop yet some other actual sport opinion after they need to not uncover the skills they planned to uncover. The matchup between Allen and Macdonald is though-provoking. But Geno leads the NFL in passing yards. It is going to be a huge job for McDermott to gradual down the Seattle offense, even supposing DK Metcalf can not play as a result of his MCL wound.
5. The Payments made a commerce to comprise a depth chart hole. Who is a correct commerce purpose for the Seahawks?
Williams : Seattle already made a pair moves, acquiring linebacker Ernest Jones from the Titans and defensive address Roy Robertson-Harris from the Jaguars. Jones is acquainted with the NFC West, having played his first three NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. He brings playmaking ability and leadership to the second stage of Seattle’s protection, whereas Robertson-Harris offers a bound stuffer for the inside of the defensive line.
On the opposite hand, with Seattle’s fight along the offensive line, a participant enjoy the Rams’ Joe Noteboom could presumably make sense. A extinct starting left address in Los Angeles, Noteboom offers versatility as a participant who has starting reps at both guard and address within the league. At 29 years frail, Noteboom is peaceful young for an offensive lineman and can neutral be a free agent at the conclude of the twelve months, so there is a probability Seattle could presumably sustain him around past this season.
McKenna : How about Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones? He’s peaceful playing successfully at age 31, but he’s no longer the form of participant New England wants. The Patriots would uncover the wait on of getting whatever commerce price a starting-caliber frail enjoy Jones could presumably well earn on the originate market.
Jones, meanwhile, has shown the flexibility to play each secondary space. He established himself as an elite nickel corner sooner than captivating to the perimeter out of necessity. But he excelled there, too. And again, out of necessity, the Patriots uncover every so often played him at security. He’s the form of participant who could presumably come in to hand for Seattle, which could presumably use Jones all around the attach its protection. Tariq Woolen could presumably neutral be getting wait on from wound, however the Seahawks are peaceful thin on the wait on conclude. You might want to presumably be ready to by no formulation uncover too many defensive backs.
Sooner than joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years masking the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Neighborhood and Boston Globe Media. Practice him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna .
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, masking the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Practice him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams .
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