Terry Bradshaw earned the nickname “Blonde Bomber” during his playing career, when he helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win four Super Bowls. On Fox NFL Sunday, he delivered a blunt assessment of the Buffalo Bills that had something of a truth-bomb quality to it.
The studio crew was previewing the day’s games when Bradshaw turned to the AFC matchup between Buffalo and Baltimore.
“This should be a fun game,” he said, noting that the teams had played a 41-40 game the previous season. Both sides, he added, had standout quarterbacks and running backs: James Cook for Buffalo and Derrick Henry for Baltimore.
Then came his verdict: neither team had a good defense. Bradshaw called Buffalo’s defense “horrible” and said he expected Lamar Jackson, despite dealing with an ankle issue, to throw more and use play-action.
Bradshaw argued that a strong offense alone usually isn’t enough to win a Super Bowl. Without a good defense, he said, Buffalo might be entertaining to watch—but he didn’t expect the Bills to take home the title.
That prediction leaves a few possible outcomes. Bills fans may push back, pointing to the team’s ability to improve its defense or simply outscore opponents. Buffalo could prove Bradshaw wrong when Super Bowl LXI is played on Feb. 14. Or his assessment could hold up.
History offers some support for Bradshaw’s point. No team has won a Super Bowl after finishing the regular season among the league’s bottom three defenses in points allowed.
The weakest scoring defense to win the championship belonged to the 2011 New York Giants, who ranked 25th and allowed 25 points per game. The 2006 Indianapolis Colts ranked 23rd, while the 2009 New Orleans Saints ranked 20th.
Buffalo has made offensive strides under first-year head coach Joe Brady, an offense-minded coach. But the departure of Sean McDermott, who was known for his defensive approach, appears to have left the team struggling more on that side of the ball.
