No. 2: A Suspect Bills Offensive Line

With veteran quarterback A.J. McCarron out (clavicle) for an indefinite amount of time, there’s a real chance Sean McDermott pegs Josh Allen his Week 1 starter.

OK, that’s fine. Possibly. If he wins the competition over second-year pro Nathan Peterman, why not?

But an initial assessment of Allen’s supporting cast, especially up front, is more than problematic. I broke down some of the worries Buffalo has along its offensive line heading into this season already. A lot of it has to do with the turnover, namely seeing linemen Eric Wood, Richie Incognito and Cordy Glenn depart during the offseason.

As a result, Pro Football Focus dropped the Bills O-line all the way down from No. 7 overall, to close out 2017, to No. 29 in advance of Week 1.

Yikes.

The true reality of what Allen might have to face this season was on display when the Bills hosted the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3 of the preseason — a game in which Allen was sacked five times and completed a mere six passes on 12 attempts for a measly 34 yards.

You know, this preseason bout:

In fairness to Allen, he was able to evade some pressure and extend plays here and there. And he did have a number of hot-read throws he was able to make.

Still, a developing quarterback’s worst nightmare is having to face regular, consistent pressure with almost zero time to process receiving options. And considering he’ll need time to develop this skill, having to do so behind a porous O-line, such as the one Buffalo looks to field this season, could be disastrous for his maturation process.