Orchard Park, N.Y. — The way Buffalo Bills right tackle Spencer Brown played on Sunday against Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, it almost looked like he’d gotten the answers to a test earlier in the week.
Brown was the main reason the Bills shut down Crosby in the 38-10 blowout against the Raiders. He didn’t have a single quarterback hurry or sack in four quarters after tallying a sack and six pressures last week against the Denver Broncos. After the game, Brown said it was an intense Thursday practice that prepared him to shut down one of the NFL’s most feared pass rushers.
Second-year undrafted defensive end Kingsley Jonathan played the role of Crosby on the scout team this week, giving Brown a sneak peek at a critical early-season test on Sunday against Crosby.
Brown aced the exam.
“That’s one of the hardest practices I had during a game week. Kingsley put on the 98 jersey and he was watching Crosby tape,” Brown said. “He must have because he was busting out all of Crosby’s moves. … It’s almost like I saw it before it happened.”
Brown sat at his locker stall with a smile on his face, determined to listen to the advice veteran teammate Dion Dawkins gave him while the team was still on the sideline.
Dawkins told Brown not to listen to anybody after the game. The third-year tackle has received a fair amount of criticism for his play over the past few seasons. Last week in the opener against the New York Jets, Brown gave up a team-high five pressures and was responsible for one of two sacks on quarterback Josh Allen. Retired All-Pro tackle Mitchell Schwartz called out Brown on social media about his struggles on Monday Night Football.
Brown admitted it’s hard to battle the noise. He understands that everybody — fans, media, and even former players — has an opinion. But he insists he’s not listening. The only opinions he’s concerning himself with are those of his coaches and teammates.
Since high school, Brown has kept a…
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