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The Buffalo Bills are already preparing for their Week 4 matchup with the New England Patriots, and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard knows his defense will have a difficult evaluation ahead against quarterback Drake Maye.
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Buffalo enters the week 3-0 following its 24-16 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, but Maye presents a different challenge despite his early-season struggles.
Drake Maye presents a tricky challenge
Maye has struggled through the first three games of the season, throwing just one touchdown pass compared to six interceptions while being sacked nine times.
Still, Leonhard isn’t taking the Patriots quarterback lightly. He remembers the dynamic version of Maye that Buffalo saw late last season and knows the young quarterback is capable of making explosive plays even when things aren’t going well.
“You’re watching a guy now that’s you can tell he’s going through some stuff and struggling a little bit, but at the same time he drops back and hits his top step and lets one rip and it’s an explosive play,” Leonhard said.
Leonhard also referenced the version of Maye he coached against with the Denver Broncos in last season’s AFC championship game.
“You turn on the tape from last year, and it was dynamic,” Leonhard said. “We played him in Denver, obviously at the end of the year, and you got to see the best version of what he was going into that game.”
For Buffalo, the goal will be to continue applying pressure and hope Maye’s struggles continue for at least another week.
Great players are eventually going to come out the other side,” Leonhard said. “You just hope it’s after you play them.”
Davison Igbinosun ready for bigger role
The Bills also received an encouraging performance from rookie cornerback Davison Igbinosun against the Chargers.
The second-round pick played 10 defensive snaps in Week 1 and 15 in Week 2 before seeing his role increase significantly Sunday. When Christian Benford left the game with a toe injury early in the third quarter, Igbinosun stepped into the starting role.
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He played 29 defensive snaps and finished with five tackles and a pass breakup against Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston.
Leonhard said the early-season rotation helped prepare Igbinosun for the increased responsibility.
“You don’t want a guy’s first opportunity to play to be when he has to,” Leonhard said. “He’s gotten some snaps the first two games, he’s learned from it, and he stepped up. He played huge and tackled really well.”
With Benford’s status now something to monitor, those early reps could prove valuable as Buffalo continues through the season.
Bills monitoring Josh Allen’s health
Buffalo will also keep an eye on Josh Allen entering the practice week.
The was some concern about a potential lower-body injury for Allen following Sunday’s win, but head coach Joe Brady didn’t appear worried about his quarterback’s status.
“Josh is always a little [sore] the day after the game, but I’m never usually concerned about him,” Brady said.
Further updates on Allen and Benford are expected once the Bills begin releasing their official injury reports later in the week.
For now, Buffalo can turn its attention toward New England and a Maye-led offense that has struggled to protect its quarterback or take care of the football. The Bills will look to keep Maye under pressure while relying on young players such as Igbinosun to step up if injuries force them into larger roles.
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This story was originally published September 29, 2026 at 8:24 PM.