ORCHARD PARK - For whatever reason, the game plans that have been formulated by the Buffalo Bills coaching staff on both sides of the ball have not been up to snuff and several times this season, the Bills have stumbled out of the starting gate.

Whether it’s the offense sputtering like it did in Sunday’s 34-10 victory over Tennessee with three consecutive three and outs, or the defense being unable to get a handle on what the opposing offense is doing which, against the Titans, resulted in back-to-back scoring drives and a 10-0 deficit, the weeklong preparation has seemed spotty.

However, you can also say this about the Bills’ coaching staff: More times than not, it has made the proper in-game adjustments to get things turned around, and that was clearly evident when Buffalo dominated the Titans over the final 2 ½ quarters and outscored them 34-0.

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“I thought the coaches did a really good job at halftime, players as well, settling down and communicating and making good adjustments,” Sean McDermott said. “Sometimes when you're not playing well, you're not in a rhythm and you're on your heels, you're a little bit like, ‘Hey, what's actually going on?’ So the communication and really the identification of it by the coaches from the press box down and then they get that communicated to the players, and they're like, ‘OK, I understand what you're saying’ and they can adjust from there.”

In the second half, the Bills were close to flawless as they outgained the Titans 299-72, scoring on all five of their possessions while the Titans did not score, and after earning 13 first-half first downs managed five in the last two quarters with three of those coming during a meaningless garbage time possession down 27-10.

“We came in the locker room, and we kind of told ourselves, ‘We gotta start fast out here. And we’ve gotta really come out with some energy, come out strong with some juice,’” safety Taylor Rapp said. “And so that’s what we did. And that’s how the second half was. We had some nice momentum, for sure.”

Building on this performance will be critical this week as the Bills head to Seattle for a tough test against a 4-3 Seahawks team that leads the NFC West.

Here’s a look ahead to the matchup:

Bills keys to victory

The Bills are on the road for the fifth time in eight weeks, and this is their first trip to the West Coast so that’s an added burden, but it can’t be an excuse at the beginning of the game. Slow starts have been a problem this season as they have been outscored 48-33 in the first quarter, including 21-6 in their only two losses to the Ravens and Texans. But over the final three quarters, it has been a completely different story as the Bills have outscored their opponents 166-81. In a difficult place to play, the Bills must start well and maintain that level throughout the game.

Seahawks keys to victory

With Geno Smith firing on all cylinders this season, the Seahawks have the No. 1 passing offense in the NFL at 271 yards per game, so it’s no secret what they will try to do against Buffalo. However, while the Bills rank just 17th against the pass, they have a top-flight trio of cornerbacks in Taron Johnson, Christian Benford and Rasul Douglas. How the Seahawks fare with apparently only two of their threesome of wide receivers - DK Metcalf is expected to miss the game with a knee injury, leaving Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba - might determine the outcome.

Matchup to watch

Amari Cooper made a nice initial impression with Buffalo as he caught four passes for 66 yards and a touchdown against the Titans. It was clear that his presence on the field, even though he played only 19 snaps, made a difference in the way the Bills attacked through the air because he opened things up for other receivers. Cooper will have a bigger workload this week, and he’ll be facing a secondary that features CB Devon Witherspoon and FS Julian Love who have played at a high level through the first seven games.

Top players for Seahawks

▶ QB Geno Smith: He leads the NFL in completions (191), attempts (279) and passing yards (1,985), but it hasn’t all been great because he’s been sacked 20 times and thrown six interceptions.

▶ RB Kenneth Walker: A physical 210-pound runner who averages 4.7 yards per attempt because per Pro Football Focus, he has forced 24 missed tackles on his 65 attempts, the third-highest total among all RBs.

▶ WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba: The prototypical slot WR in the NFL, he’s got size at 196 pounds, but also tremendous quickness to get open in the short areas. He leads the team, with 37 catches, 18 of which have resulted in first downs, but his average is just 8.6 yards per reception.

▶ WR: Tyler Lockett: Now in his 10th season with the Seahawks, he's still a productive player as he has 30 catches for 384 yards which would lead the Bills in both categories. But if Metcalf is indeed out, things become a little tougher for Lockett and JSN.

▶ DT Leonard Williams: Now in his 10th season, the former Jet and Giant is in his second year with the Seahawks and he’s still a 302-pound problem in the middle. PFF grades him as the 10th-best interior linemen against the run, plus he has generated 19 pressures which is tied for ninth among DTs.

▶ DE Derick Hall: A strong pass rusher who has a team-high five sacks and is tied with fellow edge rusher Boye Mafe with 24 QB pressures.

▶ LB Tyrel Dodson: The former Bill has found a home as a starter in Seattle. He leads the team with 450 total snaps, is tied for the lead in tackles with 55, leads with 20 stops which PFF defines as a play that caused a failure for the offense, and he has a forced fumble.

▶ CB Devon Witherspoon: The No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 draft earned a Pro Bowl invite as a rookie and he has continued to play well, though his catch percentage allowed this season is 74.3% after it was 57.4% last year.

▶ FS: Julian Love: A rangy defender who has two interceptions including one Sunday against the Falcons, he leads the team with four passes defensed, and he’s a force in run defense and is tied with Dodson for the team lead with 55 tackles.

Who wins? Bills 30, Seahawks 24

If the second half of the Tennessee game is any indication, the Bills may have unlocked something in their passing game. Josh Allen was playing pitch and catch with Amari Cooper, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid and during a 27-point eruption in the second half, those four combined for 15 receptions for 248 yards. That’s as good as the Bills have looked all season and it resulted in season highs in passing yards (323) and total yards (389). Against an average Seattle defense, the Bills should keep it rolling in a high-scoring game.

What time does the Bills vs Seahawks game start?

Kickoff is set for 4:05 p.m. at Lumen Field

Who is favored to win Bills vs Seahawks?

The Bills have opened as a 3-point favorite for the game. The money line is Bills minus-155 (bet $155 to win $100) and Seahawks plus-130 (bet $100 to win $130). The over-under is 48.

How to watch Bills vs Seahawks game on TV, streaming

▶ Cable/Network TV: FOX. The game will be available locally via the following stations: WUHF channel 7 (Rochester area), WUTV channel 29 (Buffalo area), WSYT channel 68 (Syracuse area), WFXV channel 33 (Utica area), WYDC channel 48 (Elmira area), WXXA channel 23 (Albany area), and WICZ (Binghamton area).

▶ Online streaming services: You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV - you must watch on your phone or tablet.

▶ TV streaming: You can also stream if you have subscriptions to Spectrum, DirecTV, fuboTV, NFL+, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV.

On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs Seahawks game

You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on channel 389 (Bills feed) and channel 234 (Seahawks feed), and on traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:

• Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)

• Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)

• Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)

• Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)

• Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)

• Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)

• Newark (WACK 1420 AM)

• Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)

• Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)

• Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)

• Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)

Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, and he has written numerous books about the history of the team. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

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This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills schedule, Week 8: What to know about Seahawks game