Week 1: Bills vs Cardinals Preview
The Bills open their 2024 season at home against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at 1 p.m. Will the mantra “everyone is going to eat” show up in the first game when we see the revamped offense that Joe Brady has been molding all off-season? Josh Allen and company should have ample opportunities against a Cardinals' defense that ranked 31st in points against last season. The Bills' defense will have their hands full against a young, explosive offense returning a healthy Kyler Murray and Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate, Marvin Harrison Jr. In this preview, I will cover three players to watch from both teams and my matchup of the game. Let's dive in.
3 Bills Players to Watch
DT Ed Oliver: Oliver was a menace throughout training camp and the preseason, consistently creating pressure in the interior. With the return of his linemate, DaQuan Jones, Oliver must continue wreaking havoc against the strength of the Cardinals' offensive line. Center, Hjalte Froholdt and right guard Will Hernandez helped lead the NFL in yards before contact per rush (3.1) in 2023 and were bolstered this offseason with newcomer Evan Brown at left guard. If Oliver can generate pressure up the middle, it will help the Bills with their outside rush.
LB Dorian Williams: Williams has been elevated to the starting linebacker opposite Terrel Bernard due to the rash of injuries the Bills linebacker corp saw this preseason. Williams is a capable yet inexperienced linebacker and draws a difficult task to start the season. He must remain disciplined in his responsibilities when things break down and Kyler Murray starts to scramble. He will also need to drop into coverage against one of the up-and-coming tight ends in the NFL, Trey McBride. These will be two areas I expect the Cardinals to exploit on offense and an area that the Bills will try to limit exposing Williams to when possible.
QB Josh Allen: Allen may be an obvious choice, but it's for good reason. The lack of chemistry on offense concerns me in week one. I expect offensive coordinator Joe Brady to take a few favorite plays and run them early to help ease the nerves and get some completions for the new receivers. The key will be for Allen to utilize the run game and not force the ball if they start slow. Lean on Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid early to settle down if necessary. The Cardinals' defense is young, but the team is entering the game with a chip on their shoulder, as seen with defensive lineman L.J. Collier’s quote, “I really do think Week 1 in Buffalo we're gonna put the league on notice..” This is a game where the Bills offense should be able to put up some points.
3 Cardinals Players to Watch
WR Greg Dortch: Dortch is a dark horse x-factor candidate heading into the game this Sunday. He is coming off a down year after his 2022 season but is a proven separator with a knack for finding soft spots in coverage out of the slot. Taron Johnson will have his hands full with Dortch on Sunday but can utilize his size advantage to knock him off his spots. Expect him to be used in motion a lot to help the Cardinals dictate the coverage and add a layer to their running game with John Conner and Trey Benson.
TE Trey McBride: McBride is coming off an 81-catch season in 2023, with half resulting in first downs. His size and speed will need to be accounted for by the Bills. Will they put a linebacker on him and hope to keep up in coverage, or sacrifice size for the coverage abilities of a safety? This matchup decision will have trickle-down effects that may help the running game or other receivers, depending on who the Bills match up with McBride.
QB Kyler Murray: Murray looked close to his usual self in his 8 starts last year and will be 100% coming in this Sunday. Murray can take over a game with his arm and legs, but the Cardinals were second in rushing yards per game after his return last season. They will likely utilize the ground game early against the Bills to help their passing game. The Bills' defense will be successful if they can make Murray and the offense one-dimensional early and stay in their nickel package to cover the weapons the offense bolsters.
Matchup of the Game
WR Marvin Harrison Jr. vs. Rasul Douglas and Christian Benford: Will Harrison hit the ground running in his NFL regular season debut? Benford and Douglas will be the primary defenders matching up against the highly touted receiver out of Ohio State. This will be a good indicator of Harrison’s talents translating to the NFL game and the skill level of the Bills’ top corners. If Harrison can get into a rhythm early with Murray, it could open up the passing game for the other Cardinal pass-catchers and turn this game into a shootout.
Prediction: Bills 31 Cardinals 20
