Analyst offers intriguing reason for Bills hope in 2026
Analyst offers intriguing reason for Bills’ 2026 hope, originally published on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as your preferred source by clicking here.
The Buffalo Bills find themselves in an unenviable position heading into the 2026 season: no one cares what they do in the regular season.
We know the Bills will win 10+ games and make the playoffs, but it’s what they do once they get to the playoffs that everyone will be watching closely.
Yes, Josh Allen let Buffalo down last year in Denver, but the defense of previous seasons was the reason the Bills season ended. So what’s the biggest reason to be hopeful in 2026 as Joe Brady takes the reins?
Sports Illustrated’s Eva Geitheim thinks it all has to do with defense.
"The Bills should have better corners in the playoffs," Geitheim wrote. "After seeing 31-year-old Dane Jackson and Tre’Davious White get beat in the divisional round, the Bills drafted corners Davison Igbinosun and Toriano Pride Jr. Will the additions pay off? Stay tuned, but the Bills needed to do something to prevent the defense from letting Josh Allen down again in the playoffs (assuming he doesn’t have another turnover-riddled performance)."
MORE:Ravens’ reason for optimism for 2026 isn’t centered on Lamar Jackson
Jim Leonhard under pressure
When you have a quarterback like Allen, it can be a blessing and a curse for a defense.
The blessing is that he can push the offense to score 30+ points every week, but the downside is that the defense could relax knowing that no matter what, they have a quarterback who can pick up the slack.
This has caused Buffalo some trouble as of late, so Leonhard is tasked with strengthening this defense, especially in the playoffs in his first year at the position.
Sean McDermott was fired for his defensive failures in the playoffs during his tenure, and now Leonhard is the next man up.
He has the quarterback to get his defense out of trouble, but in an ideal world there wouldn’t be any trouble he could get himself out of.
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