Football Team at Bills (-8)
Raise your hand if you had Taylor Heinicke with more Passing Points Earned through two games than Josh Allen.
Yes, it came against the Chargers and Giants, but dare we say that Heinicke looks … average. Hey, in the NFC East, unless the Cowboys run and hide, average might be formidable.
The thing that Washington has going for it is that its offensive line has put up two good games. The Football Team ranks sixth in Pass Blocking Points Earned and second in Run Blocking Points Earned. That combination puts them first overall in Blocking Points Earned.
HOWEVER …
Ron Rivera called this a measuring-stick game. His team looks to be on the short end.
Washington is going up against a defensive line that looks very good. The Bills dominated the Dolphins in Week 2, with their pass rush holding Miami to only 34% of plays with a positive EPA, the second-lowest percentage in a game in the first two weeks of the season. Seven different Bills have recorded a sack in the first two games.
Meanwhile, though Allen hasn’t done much throwing the ball yet, he could cause Washington significant trouble with his legs. Giants quarterback Daniel Jones didn’t just have a 46-yard run against the Football Team’s defense; he had eight other rushes for 49 yards.
Devin Singletary running against the Washington defense will be interesting to watch. Saquon Barkley had a 41-yard run against the Football Team last week but had only 16 yards on his 12 other carries.
Singletary has had back-to-back games averaging better than six yards per rush. He’s sixth in Rushing Points Earned Per Play among the 30 running backs with at least 20 carries through two weeks. He could certainly have a big game, but the Bills need to be wary. He’s fumbled three times, though the Bills recovered all three.
Washington’s players described themselves as dissatisfied with how they played against the Giants. They’ll need to be ready for an aggressive approach. The Bills have passed 10 of 12 times immediately after rushing for a first down and 11-of-13 times after passing for a first down. If Allen is efficient and Singletary is elusive, that might keep Washington on its heels the entire game.
