Buffalo Bills

Bills' expensive pass rush ranks at bottom of NFL

Published Dec. 15, 2015 3:18 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Buffalo Bills boasted the fourth-best overall defense in the NFL last season. They led the league with 54 sacks and were nearly unstoppable up front on defense. This year has been a different story, despite having the same (expensive) front four.

Mario Williams, Jerry Hughes and Marcell Dareus have headlined the group with Kyle Williams missing most of the season. However, they've failed to come close to their production from a year ago. In 2015, the Bills are 30th in the league with just 19 sacks and boast one of the worst pass rushes in the NFL. In fact, Pro Football Focus ranks them as the worst pass rush in all of football.

Last year, Mario Williams had 14 1/2 sacks alone, while Dareus and Hughes added 10 and 9 1/2, respectively. Hughes and Williams are tied for the team lead with four sacks each this season despite being two of the four highest-paid players on the roster.

Rex Ryan expected to have the No. 1 defense in the league, and would have been disappointed with the fourth-best. Knowing his team is 20th this season has to make him frustrated, given his success as a defensive mind in his career.