Bills Offensive Line a Work in Steady Progress

Tweaks made before playing Houston Texans paid off with great game on ground and little pressure on the quarterback.

Shortly after the Bills came out of the tunnel to face the Houston Texans, they threw a different offensive line at them, and the results were more than acceptable.

One of the changes was forced upon them when left guard Jon Feliciano was felled by a concussion that forced the Bills to deactivate him. Ike Boettger started in his place.

The other changes were the result of trying to get better at right guard, which appeared to happen when they benched Cody Ford, moved right tackle Daryl Williams to his spot and plugged rookie Spencer Brown in for his first start at right tackle.

The newfangled group wasn't perfect but did help the Bills compile a season-high 199 rushing yards and protected Josh Allen enough for him to complete 20 of 29 passes for 248 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Allen was sacked once, though only because he's such an instinctive scrambler.

Nevertheless, the Bills look like they have a combination they feel will only get better when Feliciano is cleared from the concussion protocol. And they're likely going to need to be sharper in Kansas City next Sunday night in front of a national TV audience.

Unlike the Texans and the Dolphins two weeks earlier, the Chiefs likely will not be shutout victims in this clash of franchises that met in the AFC Championship Game last January. So the Bills will need to score often and not leave as many points on the field as they did against the Texans in order to come out ahead of the offensive juggernaut commanded by 2018 NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes.

"I think it'll continue," coach Sean McDermott said Monday. "I like some of what I saw ... and we just have to continue to get better. So as we sit here today, I expect that to continue."

Still, McDermott saw enough of Brown to continue with him as a starter.

"Listen, just as a rookie in his first start, there's still a lot of work there," the coach said, "and that growth mindset is important that he takes that into this week and builds on last week's performance. That being said, I thought he showed poise, I thought he showed physical and mental toughness, I thought he gave us a little boost there on some of the runs that we were trying to get."

Brown drew a more favorable review from center Mitch Morse.

"He rose to the occasion," Morse said. "Spencer is an incredibly talented football player. Like any guy on the offensive line, I think he would say he’s got some work to do. But for the most part, I think Spencer performed admirably, was communicating very well, played beyond his years in that regard."

Added Allen: "I'm extremely glad we drafted him. He's a special player, and I have a lot of faith in him."

Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll couldn't complain, either.

"The offensive line, you've got to have five guys trying to work as one," he said. "There's a lot of things that Spencer did well for us, just like all the other guys. There's things we've got to clean up. You know, it was his first game, really, starting and finishing the game and really liked the way Spencer plays, his play style, his approach during the week as a young player.

"A lot of room for growth."

Williams being able to play guard could turn out to be crucial too. Like Ford, he began as a tackle, and being able to slide back and forth if necessary could help in times of injury crises.

Where Williams fits in the long run remains to be seen. Even though he just signed a three-year contract in March, the team won't be looking to have a cap hit of nearly $9 million, which is what Williams will cost them in 2023, for any guard down the road.

But for now, he's getting paid and Brown is getting experience and they're moving on to their most important test of the season.

Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.