Which players must the Washington Commanders keep quiet to stand any chance of beating the Buffalo Bills in Week 3?
Hosting the Buffalo Bills represents the biggest challenge that the 2-0 Washington Commanders have faced during the 2023 NFL season so far. Sure, they have been inconsistent at 1-1, but Sean McDermott boasts a loaded roster that is among the class of the AFC.
Buffalo is also fortunate enough to feature three players the Commanders must contain, starting with arguably the most important guy on the field.
Commanders must harrass Josh Allen
There's nothing revolutionary about saying Josh Allen is playing the most important position in football. Every team runs through the success of its quarterback, but few can count on their signal-caller to beat defenses in so many ways.
He's a big-play passer, but Allen's greatest threat comes from his skill as a runner. The 6-foot-5, 237-pounder is no fleet-footed scrambler. Instead, the former first-round pick is like another fullback who can't wait to run through and over would-be tacklers.
If he's not making gains with his legs, No. 17 is throwing on the run and turning seemingly broken plays into soul-sapping reverses for defenses. The Washington Commanders must harass Allen by restricting him to the pocket.
That's how defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio's unit kept Russell Wilson under duress during Week 2's wild 35-33 win over the Denver Broncos. Washington's defensive line led the charge, with every member of the starting front four generating five or more pressures, per Pro Football Focus.
The Commanders DL cooked vs the Broncos 👨🍳 pic.twitter.com/WpdBLWA6Mw
— PFF (@PFF) September 18, 2023
Montez Sweat, Chase Young, Daron Payne, and Jonathan Allen need to swarm all over Buffalo's QB1 the same way. They must rush with discipline, though, to prevent Allen from breaking free and exploiting any rushing lanes.
Del Rio would also be smart to assign a spy to Allen. Linebacker Jamin Davis forced a clutch fumble against the Broncos, and he possesses the size and speed to handle the task.
Keeping the heat on Allen will limit his opportunities to find his best receiver.
Commanders face tough task vs. Stefon Diggs
Josh Allen is at his best whenever he looks the way of All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs. The latter can stretch the field on any play and presents an unfavorable matchup for most coverage schemes.
The Washington Commanders' best chance of corralling Diggs might be to let cornerback Emmanuel Forbes shadow him all over the field. The rookie is already proving he can handle difficult assignments, evidenced by the way the 16th player taken in the 2023 NFL Draft shackled Broncos' wideout Courtland Sutton, according to Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus.
"Commanders first-round rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. had an interception of Russell Wilson in the third quarter while otherwise blanketing opposing wide receivers, allowing just one reception for five yards and often lining up opposite wide receiver Courtland Sutton, who was very quiet until the tail end of the game."PFF's Brad Spielberger
If Forbes can match Diggs for speed, the first-year playmaker's aptitude for man coverage can take away the Bills' primary source of game-breaking plays on one side of the ball. But the Commanders can't ignore a key figure on Buffalo's defense, either.
Commanders OL must contain Leonard Floyd
Washington Commanders' offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy would be wise to give left tackle Charles Leno Jr. some help against Buffalo Bills' edge-rusher Leonard Floyd. The offensive lineman struggled mightily against Randy Gregory last week, with the outside linebacker recording a sack, one pressure, another quarterback hit, and two tackles for loss.
Floyd could take over this game in the same way. He's already logged 1.5 sacks this season and still knows how to collapse the edge.
What the Commanders need is a plan for slowing Floyd down in obvious passing situations. The scheme needn't be too complicated. It's simply a matter of chipping the pass-rusher on the outside.
Where things get tricky is with Antonio Gibson. The running back most likely to be on the field for Bieniemy's offense on third downs isn't much of a blocker.
Gibson's shortcomings should prompt Bieniemy to keep a tight end over Floyd and take away the Bills' best means of creating outside pressure on quarterback Sam Howell. He'll have enough to deal with trying to avoid underrated defensive tackles Ed Oliver and Jordan Phillips.
If the Bills are allowed to collapse the pocket from every angle, Howell will taste his first defeat as a pro.