The Buffalo Bills defense has remained afloat for most of the 2024 season despite injuries to key players deep in the second tier. The proverbial ship began to take on water in the first half of the team’s Week 4 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, as the AFC North team identified weaknesses in the midfield and attacked them frequently, often with success.

Nickel cornerback Taron Johnson and cornerbacks Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard have been ruled out for Buffalo’s game Sunday night football clashing, as has been the case for most (or, in Milano’s case, all) of the campaign up to this point; Cam Lewis, Dorian Williams and Baylon Spector, respectively, performed relatively well through the first part of the season, but struggled in Week 4 when Baltimore running back Derrick Henry broke off an 87-yard touchdown run on the Ravens’ first offensive play.

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The Ravens used play-action and screen passes throughout the first half to test Buffalo’s second-tier defense, and the team largely failed to do so. The counterattack was an issue, as Baltimore often had success with passes to screens, the most glaring example being a second-quarter success in the third and 14th quarters on a Justice Hill deflection that the 26-year-old converted into a first down.

The interior second tier – especially Williams and Spector – largely struggled in coverage, and the Ravens pass catchers often trailed behind them (some may chalk it up to scheme, but the execution wasn’t great either). The most notable example was perhaps Isaiah Likely’s reception in the second quarter, during which he slipped past the crowd and opened up wide for a 26-yard catch; On the next play, Mark Andrews got behind them but failed to catch Lamar Jackson’s pass.

The Ravens also had a really good red zone play where they had Hill go one-on-one with Williams; The running back made a nice jumper and got wide open for a touchdown pass to give Baltimore three points.

The Ravens made a concerted effort to attack Buffalo’s depleted secondary thanks to Henry’s support and their quick passing game plan, and the strategy proved fruitful in the first half. The former NFL Offensive Player of the Year finished the first half with 109 rushing yards on nine carries, top-scoring both on the ground and through the air. Jackson was 11 of 13 for 135 yards and two scores, and the Baltimore offense averaged 10.4 yards per play, gaining an impressive 281 yards and converting on all three third-down opportunities.

In other words, this is the half of Buffalo you’ll want to forget.

Perhaps it was unfair to expect the Bills’ depth defenders to allow the unit to continue humming along at a near-elite level without Johnson, Milano and Bernard, but the first-half implosion was nonetheless inauspicious. The group showed some signs of life late in the first half, and Williams forced a foul on Jackson, which Spector recovered. Perhaps the unit will build on this in the second half; if not, Johnson and Bernard are expected to return in the coming weeks.

Baltimore leads Buffalo 21-3 at halftime.

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