Ed Oliver (91) and the Bills' defense were relentless Sunday in a shutout win over the Houston Texans.

 Harry Scull Jr. / Buffalo News

When it comes to the play of Tremaine Edmunds and Ed Oliver, Buffalo Bills fans have been wanting more.

On Sunday, the former first-round draft picks gave it to them.

Edmunds and Oliver were all over the field in the Bills' 40-0 victory over the Houston Texans at Highmark Stadium, leading another dominant defensive showing against a backup quarterback.

“Defense feelin' good,” Oliver said in his postgame news conference. “Second shutout. I think we held them to 97 yards, something like that, so our coach got us in. We've got to protect our reputation every week, so basically that's what we did. Went out there, and we ain't overlooking nobody. We had to protect our reputation.”

It was actually 109 net yards gained by the Texans, but Oliver was close enough. The point is, the Bills were on fire defensively, as they have been throughout the first month of the season. Buffalo has allowed just 44 points in the first four games of the season, which is the second fewest in franchise history in the same time span, trailing only the 1982 squad that gave up 40.

At the conclusion of the 4 p.m. games Sunday, the Bills ranked No. 1 in the NFL in both points (11.0) and yards (216.8) allowed per game.

“I'm so impressed by the defense,” wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders said. “I've been on three Super Bowl teams, and every team that I've played on, defense was the ultimate factor. Defense wins championships, we all understand that. They've just got to keep it hot, keep doing what they're doing.”

While the Bills’ offense slept-walked through most of the first half, the defense was ready to go right from the very start. Veteran defensive tackle Star Lotulelei drew a holding penalty on the game’s first play from scrimmage and the Texans were behind the sticks from then on. After the defense forced a three-and-out on Houston’s first drive, Bills quarterback Josh Allen gave the ball right back to the Texans by throwing an interception on the first offensive play.

No worries, though, as the Buffalo defense made a goal-line stand. Veteran defensive end Jerry Hughes stopped Texans running back David Johnson for no gain on a third-and-3 play from the Bills’ 6-yard line, then deflected a pass by Texans rookie quarterback Davis Mills intended for Johnson on fourth down to force a turnover on downs.

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From there, it was time for Edmunds and Oliver to shine. Edmunds, chosen 16th overall in 2018, and Oliver, the ninth overall pick in 2019, have faced questioning from fans and media members about their production to this point in their careers. Being selected in the top half of the first round brings with it some lofty expectations that, quite frankly, haven’t always been met.

One game won’t erase all of that, but Sunday’s effort showed more of what’s expected of them.

Edmunds stopped Houston’s third drive in the first quarter, making the fourth interception of his career when he stepped in front of a Mills pass intended for Anthony Miller.

“Just being able to make that play was huge for the defense as a whole,” Edmunds said. “It was a good time for it. I wouldn’t be able to make that play if the other guys weren’t doing their jobs. Everyone was executing at a high level to allow me to make that play.”

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“Those guys did a good job applying pressure. I was reading the quarterback’s eyes, kind of dropped out, kind of rolled with the receiver and was able to make a play on the ball. Those guys did a good job of getting pressure on the quarterback and making him uncomfortable back there.”

Edmunds started the next defensive series with a great tackle in the open field against Texans receiver Brandin Cooks after just a 3-yard gain. He finished with a team-high six tackles to go along with his interception. It was the kind of around-the-ball performance the team needs out of its middle linebacker.

The same goes for Oliver, who finished with four tackles – tops among defensive linemen – one of which was particularly impressive. He buried Houston running back Phillip Lindsay for a 6-yard loss on a second-down play, eventually leading to another Houston punt just before the first quarter came to an end.

“You know, it's just how it go down,” Oliver said. “Every game not going to be like that, but when your opportunity come, you can't freeze up, you just got to go hit 'em in the backfield like I did.”

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Never mind that the Bills have played backup quarterbacks the past three weeks – two shutouts in that time span is impressive, especially considering the defense hadn’t registered a single one under Sean McDermott during his first four years on the job.

“It felt real good, but I can’t even say I’m surprised because I know the amount of work we put in,” Edmunds said. “To see it show up on Sundays is a blessing. We’ve got to continue to work. There’s a lot of room. We have left to grow. We can still be a lot better, and that’s what makes me happy, to know there’s still a lot of meat left on the bone. We have to continue to get better. We’re not at the highest peak right now.”

That should be a scary thought for the rest of the NFL.

2. There were some major shakeups along the offensive line. The Bills were without right guard Jon Feliciano because of a concussion, but that wasn’t the only change along the offensive line. Usual starting right tackle Daryl Williams slid inside to Feliciano’s spot, with rookie Spencer Brown getting his first career start.

Additionally, left guard Cody Ford was benched, replaced by Ike Boettger. Ford struggled a good deal in Week 3 against Washington.

“Just overall trying to improve our football team,” McDermott said. “Like I’ve said before, line play is hard to grade by the naked eye until you can watch the film, but I did like the way we ran the football today.”

Ford came into the game briefly in the third quarter after left tackle Dion Dawkins was shaken up, with Brown flipping to left tackle, Williams bouncing out to right tackle and Ford going in a right guard. That lasted just one play, though, as Dawkins came right back in.

Benching Ford, a 2019 second-round draft pick whom the Bills traded up for, is a clear message being sent by the coaching staff.

“He’s been a true pro all the way. And we believe in Cody,” McDermott said. “Let’s make sure I’m clear on that, and we’re clear. Cody Ford is still a good football player.”

3. The secondary also had a different look. Nickel cornerback Taron Johnson, who was questionable for the game with a groin injury, was inactive. In his place, the Bills used Cam Lewis, who was called up from the practice squad Saturday. Buffalo was also without starting safety Jordan Poyer, who was ruled out for the game Friday because of an ankle injury suffered in Week 3 against Washington. Jaquan Johnson started in Poyer’s place.

Johnson made his first career interception in the fourth quarter. Tre’Davious White made sure the former sixth-round pick kept the ball.

“The weather definitely played a part in it,” Johnson said about the Texans’ struggles. “The quarterback handling the ball, making bad decisions. But we have to capitalize off of them. And we did.”

4. A pair of rookies made their debuts. Defensive end Boogie Basham, the team’s second-round draft pick, and offensive tackle Tommy Doyle, a fifth-round pick, both suited up for the first game of their respective careers. Basham made an impact play in the second quarter when he got his first career sack.

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Doyle came into the game midway through the fourth quarter when the Bills put their backups in with a 33-0 lead. The team closed the game with the following offensive line, from left to right: Brown, Boettger, Ryan Bates, Ford and Doyle.

5. Harrison Phillips returned to the lineup. The Bills made a change along their defensive line, with Phillips returning after being a healthy inactive the past two games and Vernon Butler Jr. taking a seat.

“The defensive line as a whole, I thought came out – it really started back in the week in practice, the way they approached practice, focused, kind of workmen-like attitude, and so that was good to see, in particular after the week before," McDermott said.

6. The weather was a factor early. McDermott said the Bills were confident in their weather forecast early in the week that rain would be a factor, so they adjusted their practice plan accordingly.

“The guys get mad when I make them practice with a wet football in practice when it’s really sunny outside, so sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn’t, I guess,” he said. “Yeah, you’ve got to be able to play in this weather, you guys all know where we live here in Buffalo. So you’ve got to be weatherproof that way.”

The Bills did fumble three times – once on a botched snap by Allen, and once each by Devin Singletary and Stefon Diggs as they ran with the ball, but the Bills were fortunate to get the ball back each time. Allen recovered his own fumble, while Sanders jumped on Singletary’s and Williams recovered the one by Diggs.

“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t, especially ball security and snapping the ball,” center Mitch Morse said when asked if the wet weather had much of an impact. “There was one snap that I wish I could have back. I don’t think that was so much weather as it was a mishap on my end. I think ball security was of the utmost importance. I definitely think the weather played a significant role, especially early on in the game.”

7. There was a brief power outage. It came in the second half during a steady rain, but it was quickly restored. When the TV feed was restored, just one camera angle was used. Around the same time, McDermott challenged that quarterback Josh Allen broke the plane of the end zone on a run, but the call of Allen being out of bounds inside the 1-yard line was upheld.

“What I was told was we had New York with everything that they needed,” McDermott said. “I just felt where we were ... I didn’t have a great angle on it, but I felt like where we were in the game, I was pretty comfortable using it either way and using that if we burn a timeout there, we burn a timeout.

8. Tyler Bass set a team record. With four field goals, the Bills' second-year kicker now has 175 points in his career. He became just the sixth player since 1950 to reach that milestone in the first 20 games of his career. 

"He’s been extremely consistent," McDermott said. "That team kinda within the team with Reid (Ferguson) and Matt (Haack) and then Tyler, I don’t take that for granted. Their relationship, what they do for our football team, that kind of goes under the radar in a win like this. But those field goals are important. I love his moxie, his swagger. Doesn’t always come in the way of kickers, but I know the rest of the team appreciates that."

9. The Bills’ remaining inactives were the same as last week. Running back Matt Breida sat for the second straight game, while defensive end Efe Obada was inactive for the third straight game. Obada did not practice Thursday because of an ankle injury, but practiced fully Friday and was not on the final injury report, meaning it was a coaching decision to sit him.

10. Old friend Andre Roberts had a quiet game. The Texans’ primary return man finished with one punt return for 6 yards and four kickoff returns for 67 yards, an average of just 16.8 yards per return. McDermott had high praise during the week for Roberts, who spent the last two seasons with the Bills.

“He's one of the best,” McDermott said. “I wouldn't be surprised if he's in the Hall of Fame one day for what he's done as a returner. He's as quality of an individual and a man as I've been around. I really appreciate the way he helped lead this football team, and helped us build the culture that we have. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. It'll be a big challenge for us on special teams. He does a great job, so we'll have our work cut out for us there.”

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