The Bills kept the Titans behind schedule and controlled the line of s

The Buffalo Bills narrowly put away the Tennessee Titans Youth LeSean McCoy Jersey , 13-12, on the back of an outstanding performance from their their defense. crimmage with a run-obsessed gameplan, finishing with a game-winning field goal by Stephen Hauschka as the game expired.The Buffalo defense suffocated the Titans for most of the day. They had three turnovers, kept Tennessee out of the end zone, and limited the Titans to 221 yards of total offense. Marcus Mariota was 14-of-26 for 129 yards (5.0 yards per attempt) and an interception. The Titans runners combined for 100 yards on 25 carries. Kyle Williams and Jerry Hughes each had a sack. Hughes would’ve had two, but he shoved Mariota to try and avoid a roughing the passer penalty, which backfired when Mariota didn’t lose his balance.The Bills treated Josh Allen with kid gloves in this game, running at more than a 2:1 ratio compared to his passes. It was a good idea too, considering Tennessee’s stout defense. The Bills really struggled to break big plays, with their longest result of the day a 16 yard run from LeSean McCoy. Allen scored a rushing touchdowns and generally made smart decisions most of the day, but rarely attempted to attack the Titans defense. He threw for fewer than five yards per attempt, and though it wasn’t his fault, Allen had an interception bounce off Andre Holmes into the hands of a defender. The big plays weren’t available, but that was enough for today’s win.The other side of Buffalo’s treatment was their stronger commitment to LeSean McCoy and the running game. McCoy had more rushing attempts in this game than he had in the rest of the season to this point. the Titans defense mostly contained him, but he still produced more than 100 all-purpose yards. The Bills finished with an unsexy 43 carries for 144 yards and a Josh Allen touchdown.At 2-3 Youth Charles Clay Jersey , the Bills climbed out of the AFC’s basement, and preserved Sean McDermott’s winning record for at least two more weeks (the head coach is now 11-10 with the Buffalo Bills).NotesNew waiver addition Jordan Phillips had a good day, in on two tackles for loss.Rookie Taron Johnson netted his first career interception.Rookie Tremaine Edmunds had his second career forced fumble. Shaq Lawson and Jerry Hughes also forced fumbles on the day, and the Bills recovered two of those three.Corey Bojorquez appeared to injure his upper arm, but it didn’t impact his punting. He downed his next kick within the five yard line.Ray-Ray McCloud all but iced the game on his second career catch with a bubble screen for a first down at the end of the fourth quarter.This was the first game-winning drive of Josh Allen’s career.Bojorquez was the only notable injury to come out of this game in real time. Throughout the last thirteen seasons, the Buffalo Bills have had one constant presence in the lineup. No matter how bad the team was, Kyle Williams would line up at defensive tackle. In 2019, that will no longer be the case, as the Bills will transition to life without Kyle for the first time since the 2005 season (for those who are curious, Buffalo’s starting defensive tackles that season were Sam Adams and Tim Anderson. Justin Bannan and Ron Edwards also made starts that year).Whenever a team loses a player of Williams’s stature, the season after is a difficult one with regard to finding replacements. The Bills will have to remake the position, as they lose two of the four players who rotated in at defensive tackle most heavily in 2018.In the latest look at the state of the Bills roster, we look at the defensive tackle position.Star LotuleleiContract status for 2019: Signed; $11.5 million cap hit ($12.4 million dead cap if cut)Age: 29 (30 on 12/20/19)Playing time: 16 games (16 starts), 475 snaps (46.84% of defensive total), 75 ST snaps (17.08%)Key statistics: 17 tackles Youth Kelvin Benjamin Jersey , 1 tackles for loss, 1 pass defendedIt’s tough to evaluate someone like Lotulelei based solely on statistics, as so much of his job involves freeing other players to accumulate statistics of their own. At $11.5 million, his is the highest salary cap number on the Bills’ roster in 2019, and the contract is structured in such a way that makes it foolish to move on next season. Not that I think they need to, however, as Lotulelei did exactly what he was supposed to do this year. He ate blockers in front of rookie Tremaine Edmunds, and he prevented quarterbacks from stepping up into huge pockets, which was a big problem for the Bills last season. Buffalo’s run defense improved this season, as well—the Bills were 16th in the league this year, allowing 114.9 yards per game, an improvement from 124.6 per game last year, which ranked 29th. Harrison PhillipsContract status for 2019: Signed; $802,760 cap hit ($581,280 dead cap if cut)Age: 22 (23 on 1/25/19)Playing time: 16 games (0 starts) Youth Ryan Groy Jersey , 389 snaps (38.36% of defensive snaps), 78 ST snaps (17.77%)Key statistics: 35 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 QB hits, 1 fumble recoveredPhillips turned out to be a very good draft choice by the Bills, as the former Stanford Cardinal stepped into a rotational role right away during his rookie season. Phillips was just as productive as Williams in terms of overall tackles, as each player had the same number on the year. The big difference in their numbers came in the form of quarterback hits, as Williams had 14 compared to two for Phillips. If “Horrible Harry” can step right into a starting role next year, it will allow the Bills to improve other positions of need; however, multiple mock drafts have Buffalo taking another defensive tackle early in the 2019 NFL Draft. In any case, Phillips will be part of the Bills’ defensive line next year.Kyle PekoContract status for 2019: Signed to reserve/future contract; $645,000 cap hit ($0 guaranteed)Age: 25 (26 on 7/23/19)Playing time: N/AKey statistics: N/APeko is the younger cousin of veteran nose tackle Domata Peko, currently of the Denver Broncos. Kyle Peko does not have the size or the pedigree of his older cousin, but he does possess solid athleticism for the position. He joined the Bills in September, signing with the team’s practice squad after his release from the Broncos’ practice squad. He has appeared in seven games during his NFL career Youth Tre'Davious White Jersey , totaling eight tackles in the process.Robert ThomasContract status for 2019: Signed to reserve/future contract; $645,000 cap hit ($0 guaranteed)Age: 27 (28 on 2/19/19)Playing time: 2 games (0 starts), 17 snaps (1.68% of defensive total)Key statistics: N/AThomas was called up from the practice squad for Buffalo’s games against the Los Angeles Chargers and the Minnesota Vikings in Weeks 2 and 3, respectively. He did not contribute much to the roster, but he did allow cornballs like Skarekrow and I to make plenty of Matchbox Twenty puns for a few weeks.Jordan PhillipsContract status for 2019: Unsigned; UFAAge: 26 (27 on 9/21/19)Playing time: 12 games (0 starts), 268 snaps (26.43% of defensive total), 47 ST snaps (10.71%)Key statistics: 19 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 3 passes defended, 1 fumble recoveryPhillips was claimed off waivers from the Miami Dolphins prior to Buffalo’s Week 5 tilt against the Tennessee Titans, and he made an immediate impact with the team. Phillips was a ball of energy from the start, and he did a great job eating space and helping to give Lotulelei a rest at various points throughout games. A former second-round pick, Phillips flamed out in Miami due to issues of work ethic, but he seemed to revel in the second chance he received in Buffalo. While he may want to test the market, the Bills would be wise to make contact with him and his representation to inquire about retaining his services. Positional OutlookIt would appear that Buffalo has two set defensive tackles going into next season Youth Star Lotulelei Jersey , as neither Lotulelei nor Harrison Phillips are in danger of losing their roster spot. With the surname Phillips quickly becoming the new Williams in Buffalo (Cam Phillips, a wide receiver, is on the team’s practice squad), the Bills might as well re-sign Jordan Phillips to keep the trio intact. Whether the team brings Jordan Phillips back or not, another defensive tackle will be necessary. With some outlets predicting that the Bills will spend their first draft choice on one, it’s possible that the Bills add a blue-chip talent here. If that pick is someone like Ed Oliver, then I can suspend my desire for an offensive player for a round. There have also been rumblings that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to release Gerald McCoy, an outstanding veteran who has some gas left in the tank at 30 years old. The Bills need to add a player or two here. No matter how they do it, I think that retaining Jordan Phillips should be a priority. If the team has a chance to sign McCoy, that should be a no-brainer, allowing them to send their draft capital to help the offense. If McCoy’s price tag is too high, then drafting a potential stud in Oliver could be a great consolation prize. And yes, I’m still having trouble letting Kyle go.