BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The frustration was evident on Thanksgiving as Tre'Davious White left the field in New Orleans with a non-contact injury.
The Buffalo Bills' All-Pro corner was having another strong season as the defense led the league in a variety of categories including fewest passing touchdowns allowed (eight), yards per game (275.2) and point margin per game (13.1). Two opponents had been held scoreless and only two others in the first 12 weeks of the season had put up 30 points or more.
White tore his ACL, ending his season. At the time, he was the only player who had not given up a passing touchdown this season among nearest defenders with at least 50 targets.
The Bills had Super Bowl aspirations but were down one of their best players. Fast forward to Week 17 and the team sits at 9-6 -- going 2-2 in the games without White -- and will host the Atlanta Falcons (7-8) this weekend (1 p.m. ET, Fox).
How exactly has it gone for the Bills without White? There have been positives and negatives.
On the positive side, the passing defense is No. 2 in the league since Week 13 (158.3 yards per game) -- behind only the Miami Dolphins -- and has allowed three passing touchdowns and come away with three interceptions. They are tied for sixth in passing touchdowns allowed (3) and have allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 54.6% of passes (third-fewest) since Week 13.
“We all had to elevate our game individually to bring this secondary and bring this defense to where we want to go [without White],” safety Micah Hyde said. "I can honestly say the guys that have stepped in, and some of the guys that you don't even see that are out here practicing every single day that are putting in the work, our group, our secondary group is honestly one of a kind.”
On the negative side, the run defense has been an issue since White went on injured reserve. The Bills have allowed at least 135 rushing yards in the four games since, something they did just twice from Weeks 1-12.
Second-year corner Dane Jackson has largely filled in for White, and has done well, not making any major mistakes.
“It's hard to replace a player like [White], but Dane Jackson has done a really good job,” ESPN’s NFL Matchup analyst Matt Bowen said. “He’s been kind of a seamless fit for what they want to do defensively, and I thought they'd be much more zone heavy without Tre'Davious. We go back to last week, complete opposite. Played a lot of man coverage versus [Patriots quarterback] Mac Jones, and really challenged those receivers on the Patriots and really challenged Mac Jones with how they played.”
Bowen noted that the Bills' “fundamentally sound, smart defense” is structured in a way that they don’t need a Jalen Ramsey-type corner for the secondary to be successful. Jackson has five passes defensed and played 100% of the snaps in the first two games he started -- versus New England and Tampa Bay.
Jackson allowed four receptions on five targets for 50 yards as the nearest defender against New England. And while he has compiled a 75.6 passer rating (one of the highest on team) when opposing quarterback target him, he’s allowing some catches, but not giving up massive yardage.
“[Jackson’s] a young player that is a hard-nosed player for us,” McDermott said. “There's going to be some ups and some downs, but I love how he stays mentally tough through the downs and levelheaded through the ups part of it as well.”
Another issue: Buffalo has been less successful disrupting opposing quarterbacks since White has been sidelined, but it’s not necessarily a direct correlation.
The Bills had a higher sack rate (5.5%) when White was in coverage this year compared to when he was not (4.5%) despite blitzing more frequently without him. Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier called blitzes on 23% of plays when White was in coverage compared to 33% when he was not.
“I think if you wanted to really speak about what maybe they lack, I don't think they have a true pass-rusher, but clearly, they have a type of defensive end that they like,” said Greg Cosell, an NFL Films senior producer and analyst on ESPN's NFL Matchup. “... They like long, athletic [defensive] ends, but those guys are not sudden, they're not explosive.”
Buffalo ranks 27th in sacks this season (28), and part of that has been to try and fit the matchup.
“We’re seeing the last couple of weeks, they're turning up the heat a little bit more,” Bowen said. “And that could be based on playing Mac Jones (twice), a young quarterback who doesn't have elite movement traits, he's more of a pocket thrower. Let's go after him.”
Luckily for the Bills, Frazier has shown an ability to be creative with the players he does have available. Safeties Hyde and Jordan Poyer have continued to put together strong seasons and keep the secondary going.
Poyer and Hyde have combined for 10 interceptions and 19 passes defensed. When throwing in Poyer’s direction, opposing teams have a passer rating of 3.6. That will need to continue as the Bills move forward.
“Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer over the top, I think they're the best safety combo in the NFL,” Bowen said. “An ideal fit for what Leslie Frazier and Sean McDermott want to do and that's going to help a young corner in that situation that's kind of thrown into the mix in trying to replace, who I think is a top five corner in the league, in Tre'Davious White.”
Buffalo can clinch the a playoff spot this week with the win, plus some help -- either a Baltimore Ravens loss to the Los Angeles Rams or a Los Angeles Chargers loss to the Denver Broncos and a Las Vegas Raiders loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The Bills will win the AFC East with wins against the Falcons and the New York Jets (4-11). Their goals go far beyond even that while continuing to adapt without one of the team’s best players.
“Our team has been resilient all season long, took bumps in the road, won a few, lost a few,” Poyer said. “But in the end, now we're here with a chance to continue playing well with playoff implications on the line, like I said. So, we're playing meaningful football in December, I think that's what matters.”