Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry’s incredible performance in stopping the Bills for much of the Week 1 game is the reason why the Ravens were heavy favorites. While Sean McDermott’s squad survived the deadly duo, the team must brace itself for an even bigger problem in Week 2.

And that too without their best player. Before discussing why the Jets and their QB Justin Fields can be a problem, it’s important to understand that the Bills will be without one player who was crucial in helping them win against the Ravens. It’s Ed Oliver. As Sal Capaccio described, “Complicating matters for Buffalo is the fact that defensive tackle Ed Oliver, their best player on that side of the ball last week, will miss this game with an ankle injury.” He was walking around in a boot after getting stepped on during practice.

“Things happen, come up through practice … Unfortunate, but an opportunity for somebody to step up early in the year here and show us what they’ve got,” coach Dermott said after giving the heartbreaking update on last Friday (Sept 12). He is one of the elite tackles in the league, and his expertise was evident as he had six solo tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 2 QB hits against the Ravens. He was able to stop Jackson and Henry at or behind the scrimmage line three times.

This explains why McDermott called it an “unfortunate” event. The Bills had a tough time against the Ravens until the Houston product stepped up. Last year, the Tackle struggled with his hamstring injury but missed only 2 games. However, this time, he is expected to miss multiple games, as ESPN reported. But as the coach reminded, this will give an opportunity to the other players to show their potential. Coach will hope for rookie defensive tackle T.J. Sanders and defensive tackle Deone Walker to step up for Week 2.

However, this isn’t enough. The Bills have made more changes to elevate their defense game. The team brought in defensive tackle Zion Logue and Keonta Jenkins from the practice squad. In Oliver’s absence, Logue will be an important addition. “Zion’s a heckuva player. I’m happy for him to get an opportunity this week,” DaQuan Jones said. The former Georgia player played in Weeks 5 and 6 last season. While the Bills released him, they signed him again for the practice squad. McDermott knows the void left by Oliver, so it was obvious for the team to bring in key pieces to fill the gap. However, there’s another trouble waiting for the team.

The Bills must overcome this major hurdle posed by the Jets’ Justin Fields

The issue with the Bills’ run defense was obvious in the game against the Ravens. As Sal Capaccio noted, Lamar Jackson ran for 70 yards and a touchdown, while Henry opened the season with 169 yards and two scores. Although the Bills managed to pull out a win over Baltimore, it will be tough against the Jets, who racked up 182 rushing yards last week.

“The Bills were gashed on the ground by the Baltimore Ravens, who totaled 238 yards and a whopping 8.21 yards per carry,” he wrote. While Breece Hall had 107 yards and Justin Fields had 48 in their season opener. The Jets’ ground game looked dominant despite their 34-32 loss to the Steelers. And Fields was impressive. “I thought Justin Fields was fantastic. I thought he was actually the best quarterback in that game,” ESPN’s Mina Kimes said. Buffalo must prevent New York from establishing its ground game, which would allow the Jets to control both the clock and tempo of the contest. Stopping the run becomes crucial for the Bills to maintain offensive opportunities and game flow.

With a strong offensive line and crucial players like Hall, Fields, and Braelon Allen, the Jets are likely to target the Bills in the same way the Ravens did. If Josh Allen and the Bills are going to avoid a repeat of their struggles and gain a Week 2 win, they must slow down the Jets.