Bills Defense: Late-Down Woes Are the Survivor Question

Leonhard's first job: fix the late downs

Buffalo's path to a better defense in 2026 runs through one specific problem — getting off the field on late downs. That's the biggest key coordinator Jim Leonhard has to solve, and it's the storyline framing the Bills' defensive outlook this season.

It's a telling admission. A defense that can't close out third and fourth downs keeps opposing drives alive, hands the ball back to its own offense less often, and stays on the field long enough to break. Fixing that is exactly the kind of unglamorous, unit-wide project that decides whether a defense actually improves or just talks about it.

What it means for your survivor pick

Here's the honest read for survivor players: this is a work-in-progress, not a finished product. Leonhard's late-down fix is a goal for the season, and there's no result yet proving it's solved. When you're deciding who to pick this week, you want a team whose strengths are already banked — not one betting on a coordinator to correct a known weakness. Treat the Bills as a defense to monitor, not a lock, until they show they can get off the field when it counts. If you're setting up your bracket, the smart move is to keep options open — start a free survivor pool and check the survivor pool FAQ if you're new to weighing risk like this. A defense chasing a fix isn't a safe pick on reputation alone.