Bills defense gets last thing it needs after being beat into submission by Ravens

The Buffalo Bills entered Week 4 as one of the most dominant teams in the league. 

Bills quarterback Josh Allen had the offense humming through the first three games of the season. Buffalo scored at least 31 points in each of their three contests, and Allen emerged as an early favorite for the NFL Most Valuable Player of the Year award after passing for seven touchdowns and rushing for two more scores on the ground.

The Bills entered their Week 4 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens with high expectations, but their experience at M&T Bank Stadium didn’t turn out the way they had hoped. The Ravens trounced the Bills in front of a national audience on Sunday Night Football and sent them back to Buffalo with significant concerns.

The 35-10 drubbing sent the Bills back to Buffalo with significant concerns, but the bad news didn’t end there. As the saying goes, when it rains, it pours.

Von Miller’s suspension is a brutal blow for the Bills defense

Bills outside linebacker Von Miller received a four-game suspension without pay for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, the league announced on Tuesday.

Miller will be eligible for reinstatement on October 28, right before the divisional matchup against the Miami Dolphins in Week 9.

The NFL did not clarify the reason for the suspension, but it likely stems from an alleged assault charge during the 2023 season. Miller turned himself in last November after Dallas police issued a warrant for his arrest in connection to a third-degree felony assault, according to Tom Schad of USA Today.

Miller denied the accusations and the alleged victim later recanted, according to WFAA. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in March that he did not place Miller on the commissioner's exempt list because he did not feel it was appropriate based on the facts at the time, per ESPN.

Although Buffalo’s home game against the Tennessee Titans in Week 7 should be manageable, the Bills will have to face three potentially potent offenses on the road without Miller.

The Bills will head south to face C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans in Week 5 before visiting Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets in Week 6. After the Titans provide a brief respite at home in Week 7, Buffalo will travel across the country to battle the Seattle Seahawks in a hostile environment.

Although Miller is no longer in the prime of his career, he has still been able to show glimpses of his elite burst off the line and unworldly bend around the edge. 

Miller recorded one sack in each of Buffalo’s first three games this season while playing in a rotational role. He played just nine snaps against the Ravens in Week 4.