Bills defense shows progress, though too early to gauge how much against QB-depleted Ravens

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Let’s hold off scheduling a parade for the Buffalo Bills defense for now.

Though the numbers are encouraging, it’s premature to suggest the unit having successfully fixed its issues against a Ravens opponent that was down to its emergency third-string quarterback five minutes into the second quarter.

Even coach Joe Brady was somewhat measured in his comments following a 36-10 win over Baltimore on Sunday. In praising the defense’s performance, he also made sure to note the outing should set a standard going forward.

And that’s the challenge for a defense that's had more downs than ups this season, and a Bills team that, at 6-1, has Super Bowl aspirations and enters Week 9 with the AFC’s best record.

It’s one thing to limit the Ravens to 144 yards and 10 first downs with undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano making his NFL debut after Lamar Jackson (thumb) and backup Tyler Huntley (toe) were sidelined through 11 offensive snaps.

There remain bigger tests ahead with Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, New England’s Drake Maye, Green Bay’s Jordan Love and Chicago’s Caleb Williams still on the schedule.

And it continues to beg the question as to whether general manager Brandon Beane will consider adding reinforcements especially to a thin secondary before the NFL’s trade deadline on Nov. 10.

If there is a bright side, the Bills defense finally began exhibiting signs of an attacking identity even before Fagnano took the field.

Jackson was hurt on the first snap when jamming his thumb on the arm of oncoming edge rusher Greg Rousseau. And Huntley left after losing a fumble when sacked by safety Cole Bishop.

Buffalo’s run defense continued to hold firm in limiting Derrick Henry to 53 yards rushing and a touchdown, and the Ravens to 76 yards rushing overall — the fourth time this season the Bills have allowed 80 or fewer.

More promising was the secondary holding Zay Flowers without a catch on five targets after he entered the week ranking fifth in the NFL with 608 yards receiving.

The Ravens, especially without Jackson, were a flawed opponent, no different than the Bills defense’s next-best outing of the season in a 24-16 win over the now 0-7 Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3.

This is still the same defense that’s allowed 350-plus yards and 29 or more points five times this season only to be bailed out by a Josh Allen-led offense that upped its league-leading average to scoring 33.3 points per outing.

Coordinator Jim Leonhard understands the defense still has much to prove.

“We did it one week,” Leonhard said on Monday. “We’re not willing to sit back and say we’ve arrived.”

Scoring efficiency. With 27 touchdowns and 16 field goals, the Bills have scored on 43 of 70 drives this season not ending in a kneel-down. Buffalo’s 233 points through seven games are the second most in the Super Bowl era under a first-year coach behind only Mike Martz and the 2000 St. Louis Rams, who scored 296 points in their first seven outings.

Discipline. The Bills finished with 10 accepted penalties for 87 yards against them on Sunday, the fourth time they’ve been flagged 10 or more times this season. Entering Monday, the Bills are tied for sixth with 61 flags accepted. And they're fourth in 526 penalty yards, while having played one fewer game than the three teams ahead of them.

Rousseau. The sixth-year player was a force in finishing with three quarterback hits, two passes defensed and his team-leading seventh sack, one short of a career high.

CB Maxwell Hairston. The second-year player was limited to a season-low 16 snaps in having lost the season-opening starting job to rookie Davison Igbinosun, who got his first interception.

WR Josh Palmer’s injury troubles continue after pulling up on a deep route with a right hamstring issue.

9 — Number of times the Bills have opened 6-1 or better in team history.

Hit the road for the third time in four games to face the Minnesota Vikings in a “Monday Night Football” showdown of 6-1 teams.

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