The Buffalo Bills' defensive line can't play much better than it has thus far.
The crew leads the league in sacks with 49 and has held opposing offenses to only 3.8 rushing yards per attempt and six total rushing touchdowns.
The offensive line, however, has seen its ups and downs.
"I think, obviously, we have to get better," coach Doug Marrone said Wednesday, via buffalobills.com. "There’s been times in games where there’s been spurts where you think, ‘Okay, here we go. We’ve finally got it going,’ but there’s been a setback, for whatever reasons.
"Those guys will continue to work hard. We need to challenge them this week. We’ve got a tough challenge going against Oakland’s front. We’ve got to be able to respond well and play with that consistency that they need, where people will say, ‘Hey, you know what? Those guys are doing a good job.’"
Buffalo's been middle of the road when it comes to slowing down pressure on the quarterback this season, and injuries to the running back corps (as well as the line) have kept the offense from operating at its full potential.
They'll face a defense in Oakland that's struggled to contain just about any rushing attack though, not to mention pressure the quarterback, and a familiar face -- running back C.J. Spiller -- will be returning to the mix.
"We have to get that running game going," fellow ball carrier Fred Jackson said. "We get a weapon back for us this week in C.J. We get him going. We get myself going. That opens up some play action…allows Sammy (Watkins) to work safeties. Get Rob (Woods) involved in the game.
"If we do that on offense, our defense has been playing well all season and that gives us a good opportunity to win a game."
