Bills’ new defensive coordinator Bobby Babich joked on Monday about finding a silver lining in watching Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray lead the Cardinals up and down the field in the first half of their season opener.
Despite the challenging experience, Babich gained valuable insight into Arizona’s offensive strategy and, more importantly, figured out how to adjust to it at halftime.
While much of the focus was on Josh Allen’s impressive four-touchdown performance, the quarterback’s ability to lead the Bills to a 34-28 victory was also due to the defensive coaching staff’s skill in making quick adjustments.
After letting the Cardinals take a 17-3 lead with two touchdowns and a field goal, converting 5 of 7 third-down attempts, and gaining 190 yards on their first 36 plays, the Bills’ defense tightened up in the second half.
Buffalo allowed the Cardinals only a field goal in the second half—their other score was a 96-yard kickoff return—and restricted them to just 80 yards over their last five possessions.
The two halves were so different that the Bills ended up winning the time of possession by 1 minute, despite the Cardinals having the ball for 20:06 in the first half.
“Hopefully, you’re doing the right things, you’re making the right adjustments and you’re seeing things clearly,” Babich said. “It’s like anything, if you get a chance to get a mulligan in the second half, and your answers aren’t good, it’s not good.”
Another positive was the players’ commitment.
“You’re going to go through adversity, period,” defensive back Cam Lewis said. “It’s going to be some ups and downs, but we stay together, keep playing as a team.”
