The Buffalo Bills’ secondary has been running out of answers all season. Sunday at Allegiant Stadium, it has to find one for Brock Bowers with its nickel spot in tatters.
All three of Buffalo’s nickel options are banged up. Starter Dee Alford (ankle) missed Monday’s overtime win over the Rams and was limited in practice this week, Jordan Hancock is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, and practice-squad backup Te’Cory Couch is also working back from a hamstring, according to the team. The Bills signed Anthony Kendall to fill in, then sent him back off the active roster.
Why the slot matters against Bowers
Bowers lines up in the slot about 40% of the time, according to ESPN’s Nick Suss, which puts him right where Buffalo is thinnest. Covering him will take an all-hands approach from the corners, safeties and linebackers.
He has been a problem since returning from a meniscus trim in Week 3. Bowers has 24 catches for 312 yards and three touchdowns in three games, and he caught eight balls for 110 yards in the Raiders’ Week 5 loss at New England.
Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard didn’t sugarcoat it. “Brock Bowers is a problem,” he said. “He’s one of the premier players in the NFL.”
Buffalo’s numbers explain the worry. The Bills rank 31st in pass defense at 280.4 yards per game and 28th in scoring defense at 28.2 points per game, according to the Raiders. Puka Nacua had 17 catches against them Monday, and the defense gave up 454 yards in the 37-34 win over Los Angeles.
There’s a familiar face on the other side, too. Taron Johnson, Buffalo’s longtime nickel, was traded to Las Vegas in March.
The Bills do have some help. Alford is expected to play after practicing on a limited basis Wednesday and Thursday, and Christian Benford and C.J. Gardner-Johnson were full participants both days. If Alford can’t hold up, though, Joe Brady’s team will be asking a patchwork group to slow a tight end who has topped 85 yards in all three of his games, with the bye waiting on the other side.
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