Marcell Dareus excels on banged-up Buffalo Bills defense

The Buffalo Bills could have folded on the road against the stingy Detroit Lions. They were missing two key defenders in lineman Kyle Williams and linebacker Nigel Bradham. They were coming off two straight losses in which the team saw its AFC East lead evaporate. Instead they got key contributions from other players and their defense excelled in a 17-14 Buffalo victory at Ford Field. One of the biggest contributors on the stat sheet? Defensive tackle Marcell Dareus.

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“We knew Marcell had been playing extremely well,” coach Doug Marrone said after the game, per ESPN. “Kind of under the radar really because from the statistical standpoint, but he really had been playing well.”

After posting just two sacks in the first four games, Dareus sacked Matthew Stafford three times while being a consistent jamming force in the middle of a line that held Detroit’s running game to just 69 yards. Many have attributed Buffalo’s dominant front to Kyle Williams and end Mario Williams, but it was Dareus who stole the show in Week 5. The Lions went 1-for-11 on third down and tallied less than 200 yards passing for an offense that produced one touchdown and three field goal attempts all day.

Many discounted Dareus after a tumultuous offseason that saw him have multiple run-ins with the law. Not so, per coach Marrone, who said of Dareus, “He’s been to work. We’ve had zero issues. He’s worked hard in the weight room. He’s worked hard on the practice field. All of those things. Not one issue with anything.”

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