The New Orleans Saints will head to Highmark Stadium on Sunday to face the unbeaten Buffalo Bills in Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season. To break it down, Matt Byham of
Buffalo Rumblings joins us to preview Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
NJ: The Bills have given up a league-high 468 rushing yards and 6.2 yards per carry; will the Saints, who’ve found success on the ground, be able to take advantage on Sunday?
MB: At first blush, it appears as though Buffalo has a major problem defending the run. While we can’t ignore the Week 1 stats versus the Baltimore Ravens, that game has heavily skewed the ranking thanks to the 238 net rushing yards given up to Baltimore. In their next two games, the gave up a net total of 230 rushing yards to the New York Jets (100 net rush yards) and Miami Dolphins (130 net rush yards). The Ravens account for better than half of that 468 yards.
Baltimore is built different than every other team, and Derrick Henry is a nightmare to handle. So, too, is Lamar Jackson, but the Detroit Lions sure did a great job containing him. Without taking this sidebar much further, I will say that concern about the Bills’ run defense is valid. They’re not built to take on brutally physical teams, preferring speed and sideline-to-sideline prowess out of most positions.
They do appear built to take on the backs in the mold of Alvin Kamara, but that doesn’t mean they’ll shut down the Saints’ run game. If New Orleans utilizes lead blockers well, they could take advantage of Buffalo’s slighter defensive ends and linebackers. If I’m Kellen Moore, I’d try to do everything possible to feature Kamara and run clock.
NJ: Bills RB James Cook is second in the league with 284 rushing yards and tied for the league lead with four rushing touchdowns; how can the Saints’ run defense contain him this week?
MB: They’ll have to encourage Josh Allen to attack them with the passing game. I don’t mean to sound snarky, but in truth the best way to limit Buffalo’s run game is to discourage them from running. They’re going to do it early and often, and then late, and often again. You might wonder if they ever throw passes on first down by the end of the first half.
As with any solid run attack, the key will be winning battles in the trenches. Cook has become a far more well-rounded runner, now equally adept inside getting dirty yards. But it’s his outside speed, where even his time speed doesn’t reveal just how quick he is in making decisions and cuts to get to the next level. Defensive speed and gap integrity will be huge in limiting Cook’s damage beyond the line of scrimmage.
Cook isn’t Henry, and he isn’t going to run guys over. He is a bit like Alvin Kamara, but with the type of juice to produce 1,000-yard rushing campaigns. Perhaps what you should consider is how would these Saints stop Kamara?
NJ: What do you think is Buffalo’s biggest strength and weakness heading into Week 3?
MB: It’s going to sound like a broken record, but it’s Josh Allen — and for so many obvious reasons. Apart from his ability as a quarterback, he’s an incredible leader (and really good, likeable guy) who makes everyone around him better. Mack Hollins became a household name after catching passes from Allen last season. But you’re here for more than that.
I’ll give you three other strengths…
First: The offensive line, which has the vibe of a Dyson Sphere that captures all the energy possible. But instead harvesting, they’re a near-impenetrable force in protecting Allen and dangerous when blocking in the run game. Spend some time watching how the line works in tandem.
Second: is offensive coordinator Joe Brady, and this goes back to Allen. Brady has done a lot to take the weight of the universe off Allen’s shoulders, instilling the mantra of “everybody eats,” the polar opposite to the now-estranged relationship that was Josh Allen & Stefon Diggs. Buffalo’s offense may be a bit frustrating to fantasy football enthusiasts, because one can never tell who will be the go-to any given week. That also means defenses have to plan for a heck of a lot more in the passing game, and are less likely to have every route by every player fleshed out enough to shut the passing game down. Instead of forcing footballs to a petulant Diggs, Allen is seeing the entire field better. That’s been vital to the reduction in turnovers (zero to this point in 2025). As a team, the Bills had 8 turnovers last season… TOTAL. But Brady also loves running the football, which has given Buffalo’s offense deadly balance since he took over midway through 2023.
Third: Coaching and front-office consistency. Look, there are plenty of fans on Buffalo Rumblings anxious to see someone else get a shot at head coach and now even as general manager. Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane are in their ninth season together. NFL teams thrive on solid coaching and front offices, where processes become second nature and it’s about building and re-stocking for sustained success. Sure, 99.99% of their success is due to the fire-breathing unicorn that is Josh Allen. There’s zero drama at quarterback because Allen is the answer. Managerial stability has been a major plus for a franchise that didn’t make the playoffs for 17 seasons prior to McDermott and Beane’s arrival. Guess who ruled the AFC East then? Right, Brady and Belichick… and Josh McDaniel.
Everyone says that quarterback is the most important position to solve in the NFL. On the field, certainly. But to me HC and GM are equally key. When that pair is on the same wavelength and simpatico, helping each other’s surrounding core succeed, the sky’s the limit.
Onto weakness(es): You might believe I’m about to mention the run defense. That’s a good option, as it’s been bad. But I’m still not sold that it’s as awful as the stats say simply because Derrick Henry is HIM.
Instead, it’s the Bills’ safeties. Taylor Rapp and Cole Bishop are the current starters (Damar Hamlin has resumed his depth role), and they were dreadful against Henry and the Ravens. Things have gone a bit better the last two games, but it’s still a glaring weakness. Where before McDermott had Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer to lock down the back 40 as interchangeable players, now there’s athletic limitation and inexperience. Everyone saw what that meant in Week 1, where it looked like Henry ran untouched all night. Thankfully Buffalo’s defense has played its best in crunch time.
There’s a potential weakness to focus on this week should starting right tackle Spencer Brown be sidelined due to injury. Anyone taking his place will hopefully be up to the task, but no one else on the roster is anywhere near the type of talent that is Brown.
NJ: Who is one under-the-radar Bills player that stood out this offseason and might be a difference-maker against the Saints?
MB: Let me introduce you to Bills rookie defensive tackle Deone Walker, who came to One Bills Drive as a fourth-round pick this past April. Walker is a gargantuan human being, standing 6’7” and weighing 331 pounds. Initially he was thought to be a one-tech space eater on the d-line, but his real strength has been the role of a penetrating three-tech. Against the Dolphins, it was Walker’s rush up the middle that caused Tua Tagovailoa to throw a poor decision to linebacker Terrel Bernard.
Walker isn’t a fulltime player on the defensive line, and he’s not even the team’s highest-drafted d-tackle — from his own draft class. But his play continues to impress, such that fellow rookie defensive tackle T.J. Sanders (Round 2) has trended underwhelming in comparison. There’s real speed and athletic ability to Walker’s game, and it’s going to be fun watching him develop in the trenches.
NJ: According to
FanDuel Sportsbook, the Bills (-1600) are currently 15.5-point favorites over the Saints (+900) in Sunday’s matchup; what is your final score prediction?
MB: The one thing I avoid when talking Bills football is making predictions about the final score. It’s not that I lack confidence in Buffalo each and every week, it’s really just a fair bit of sports superstition hanging around.
I really don’t even like picking winners in copy, but I do see the Bills exiting Sunday’s game with a win. Their goal is the Super Bowl, which means they must defeat the teams that don’t match their point in development. The Saints are in a full rebuild, and in taking time to understand Canal Street Chronicle’s readers, many are unsure if Kellen Moore was the right hire. Some might say that’s ridiculous three games into a head coach’s first gig, but I say it’s unfair to dismiss any point of view. That being said, it’s reasonable to view the Bills and Saints as franchises booking different flights in January.
Saints fans know this story well, where Drew Brees became an all-world player in Sean Peyton’s system, which surrounded their leader with plenty of productive talent everywhere on offense. Their finest moment meant hoisting a Lombardi Trophy, and hopefully that’s the same for Allen, McDermott, Beane, and so many others in bringing Western New York and Bills Country the franchise’s first Super Bowl win one day.
Back to the final score thing? We’ll see what happens late in the afternoon on Sunday.
Thank you again to Matt Byham for joining us to preview Sunday’s matchup! You can check out the rest of his work
here.
