The Buffalo Bills are looking to stay in the win column against the New Orleans Saints.
The Bills (3-0) host the Saints (0-3) at Highmark Stadium for their first 1 p.m. home game of the season.
The Bills haven’t beaten the Saints in Buffalo since 1983, but they have a good chance to change that on Sunday as they are favored by 16.5 points.
Here are Bills Wire’s three keys to victory against the Saints:
Improve on third down defense
The Bills currently have the worst third down defense in the league when playing at home. They have allowed teams to convert over 61% of the time in their own house.
They’ll have a friendlier matchup in Week 4 to get their third down defense in check. The Saints played in a similar hostile environment at the Seattle Seahawks last week and went 5-15 on third down (33%). If the Bills defense flops on third down again, it will be a problem.
Efficiency throwing the ball
Last week the Saints allowed just 2.6 yards per carry to Seattle, but they allowed quarterback Sam Darnold to throw for over 12 yards per attempt through the air while completing 14-of-18 and posting a rating of 154.
I’m not saying that Josh Allen needs to throw it downfield more, but there should be opportunities to carve up the Saints with efficient passing.
Shut down the run
The Bills currently allow the most rushing yards per game in the NFL (156). The Saints have a first-year starter at quarterback in Spencer Rattler, who has had ups and downs thus far, but they still have Alvin Kamara in the backfield.
The last time the Saints came to Buffalo, in 2017, Kamara ran for 106 yards and a touchdown on 8.8 yards per attempt in a road win. These are obviously completely different teams from then, but if the Saints have any shot of hanging around on Sunday they’ll likely need a massive showing from Kamara.
Last week, the Dolphins were able to hang around because they ran for over five yards per carry.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: 3 keys to a Buffalo Bills victory vs. New Orleans Saints in Week 4
Reporting by Kam Towle, Bills Wire / Bills Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
