
The Buffalo Bills already had Josh Allen. Now, opposing defenses have an entirely different problem figuring out who they're supposed to take away.
Head coach Joe Brady explained Monday in a news conference how DJ Moore and Dalton Kincaid are changing the way defenses have to play Buffalo, and that's creating opportunities everywhere else.
Moore's arrival gave Allen another proven weapon, but his value isn't limited to the catches that show up next to his name. Brady saw that on film after Buffalo's season opener. He believed Houston was leaning safety help toward Moore on one play while also bracketing Kincaid. That left Joshua Palmer with an opportunity downfield. That's exactly the kind of choice Buffalo wants to force.
"If teams are going to double a Dalton Kincaid, that leaves a DJ Moore and an opportunity; that leaves a Josh Palmer, a Khalil Shakir," Brady said.
Houston couldn't account for everybody. Few defenses can. Brady had a good way of describing what Moore and Kincaid accomplished without touching the football.
"They made the play without making the play," Brady said.
That's what Buffalo hoped Moore would add to an offense that already had Allen, Kincaid, Shakir and Palmer.
Allen doesn't need much help creating problems on his own. Giving him favorable matchups because a defense is occupied elsewhere makes his job considerably easier.
"If they want to take someone away, we have somebody else that we can go to," Brady said.
Buffalo showed it against a Houston defense Brady called one of the best in football. Allen threw for 334 yards, and the Bills finished with 36 points in the win. Moore had 100 receiving yards in his Buffalo debut. Kincaid went for 130. Palmer delivered the 34-yard touchdown that ultimately put the Bills ahead.
That's three different problems before a defense even starts worrying about Allen taking off with the football. One game won't tell Buffalo everything about its new offense. It did offer the rest of the NFL an uncomfortable first look.
Double Moore, and Kincaid could hurt you. Shift attention toward Kincaid, and Moore is still there. Try to account for both, and Allen has already shown he'll happily find somebody else. Brady isn't hiding what Buffalo wants to do. Stopping it could be another story.
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