THE ROCKPILE REVIEW – At the One-Quarter Mark

It’s the end of September, and one quarter of the Bills’ 2025 campaign is in the books. It’s a good time to take stock.

Let’s take a moment to think about the realities of the NFL season. The first four to six games of the season are problematic, because the wins and losses count but the games are, in a sense, preseason games. Every season it’s the same: teams spend October and as much as half of October trying to figure out how to play.

It wasn’t always this way. In the 50s and 60s, the season was 12 games long. Teams played five preseason games, the first two or three to get into shape and practice plays, the last two or three to fine-tune offenses and defenses. Along the way, the teams figured out which rookies could contribute. There was no free agency; except for trades, there were no new veterans in training camp.

Today, those five preseason games are the first five games of the regular season. The games we now call preseason games are actually scrimmages designed to install offenses and defenses and work out new and unproven players to see if they might be able to contribute to the team. The players who will actually play during the regular season barely see the field in the modern preseason.

In the modern NFL, each season teams are faced with the problem of playing preseason games in September that actually count in the standings. That is, the objective is to win games at the same time the coaches are trying to put together the team that will win games when the actual season begins sometime in October. That’s when we begin to see which teams actually are good and which teams that, despite having won a lot in September, really aren’t so good.

What are the team objectives while they play these preseason games that count?

1.    Win games

2.    Avoid major injuries

3.    Work your rookies and newcomers into the offensive, defensive, and special teams units

4.    Begin to develop your offensive and defensive identities

So, how are the Bills doing as the preseason winds down and the true regular season—mid-October and beyond—approaches? Very well, thank you very much.

Number one, win games. Can’t do better than 4-0. Every team in the AFC that began the season with serious hopes of playing for the Lombardi trophy (Bengals, Ravens, Chargers, Chiefs) is now chasing the Bills. In fact, every team in the entire AFC is now chasing the Bills. Some fans are quick to say, “Yes, they’re four-and-oh, but blah, blah, blah.” It’s preseason, and all the “blah, blah, blah” is simply stuff the team will continue to work on as the preseason winds down and the real games begin. Four-and-oh is four-and-oh, and at this point in the season, pretty much nothing else matters.

Number two, no major injuries. Check. As usual, the Bills know more than they’re saying, but—knock wood—there have been no season-ending injuries, and the guys who are down at the moment, including Ed Oliver, Matt Milano, and Spencer Brown, all seem likely to return in the upcoming weeks. Tyler Bass may be the biggest question mark, but Matt Prater has proven to be an excellent replacement.

Number three, work your rookies and newcomers in. Check. Getting the newcomers up the learning curve in preseason is critical to late-season success, because there will be injuries, some guys are going to be asked to step up. TJ Sanders and Deone Walker both are getting serious playing time on the defensive line. Dorian Strong held up at corner against the Ravens, and the Bills were working into the lineup against the Saints. (Max Hairston, the Bills’ number one draft pick, is missing out on the opportunity to work into the rotation, at least for now, but Tre’Davious White and Strong are getting the job done at the #2 corner spot.) Cole Bishop, not a rookie but was still playing like one this summer, now seems to be settling into his safety spot. Put aside his spectacular read, reaction, and interception against the Saints; he was consistently in position, consistently tackling, and just generally playing like he belongs out there. Jackson Hawes is playing like he belongs out there, too. Joey Bosa is making plays, which is why the Bills brought him to Buffalo. Shaq Thompson, who played for Sean McDermott in Carolina, is making his presence felt.

Number 4, establish your identity. It’s happening. The Bills are a team that can run the ball and can pass efficiently. They are a team that can be exposed to good running attacks but that stops the pass effectively—Sean McDermott’s style. They are resilient; they make mistakes, but they play through them, and at the end of the game they are ready to deliver the plays they need to win. They delivered those plays in spectacular fashion against the Ravens. The games against the Jets, the Dolphins, and the Saints all seemed closer than fans expected them to be, but in each game the Bills took charge when they needed to close out the win.

Is everything great with the Bills? No; there are plenty of areas of concern. For me, one of my biggest is that three-headed running-back-by-committee that worked so well last season is missing. James Cook has been spectacular, but Ty Johnson has done little and Ray Davis has disappeared. It’s a long season, and pounding James Cook for 120 yards every game isn’t a great plan for a long season.

Pass rush hasn’t been great, but maybe the Bills will benefit when Oliver returns, their two free agents come off suspension, and their rookies continue to develop. All of those guys also may help shore up the run defense, too.

Here are a few things I particularly like:

1.    The passing game. Every play, the Bills plug in a different collection of skill position players, and every play the defenses have to adjust. Each guy is a threat in his own way: Kincaid, Knox, Hawes, Shakir (oh, my, what a run after catch!), Coleman, Palmer, Moore, Shavers, Samuels, Cook, Johnson. And Josh Allen knows how to find them. His throw in the middle to Shakir on third and eight was miraculous.

2.    Terrell Bernard. Lightning quick to the ball.

3.    Tre’Davious White. A lot of fans are bashing him, but if he weren’t getting the job done as the number two corner, the Bills wouldn’t be leading the league in yards passing per game. Sure, teams are completing passes underneath against White, but he’s not giving up big plays, and he’s making big tackles. His play on the ball and his tackle to hold Alvin Kamara to two yards on fourth and three was spectacular. Unless I’m mistaken, I saw White lined up once or twice as the single deep safety.

4.    Keon Coleman is looking like his head is now into the game and in sync with Josh Allen.

5.    Cook has been sensational.

The Patriots are coming alive. Sunday night will be another challenge as the Bills continue to become the team they want to be.

Let the regular season begin!

GO BILLS!!!

The Rockpile Review is written to share the passion we have for the Buffalo Bills. That passion was born in the Rockpile; its parents were everyday people of western New York who translated their dedication to a full day’s hard work and simple pleasures into love for a pro football team.