The Bills were historically bad on defense, and Bills Offense v3.0 is buggier than your newest iPhone
Despite an embarrassing Thursday Night Football meltdown in front of a national TV audience from the Bills in Week 9, plenty of people stood by The Process, trusting Sean McDermott and Co. to get things back on track in Week 10. Sure, the red-hot Saints marched into town winners of six straight, but the Bills had a few extra days to lick their wounds, regroup, and get themselves prepared. They were also back home at New Era Field, a place where they were previously unbeaten this season. Things had gone so well at home for the Bills, in fact, that McDermott said playing there feels “like heaven”. On Sunday, the New Orleans Saints put that notion to bed, rushing the Pearly Gates and taking up residence en route to a historic day running the football. Our rapid recap takes a look at the good and (mostly) bad from the Week 10 loss.
Buckle up and bundle up, #Bills fans. Drew Brees has never thrown a TD pass in Buffalo, fingers crossed that continues today. #BillsMafia
— Rise Sports (@_risesports) November 12, 2017
The Good….
It didn’t snow? Charles Clay came through the game relatively healthy? In perhaps the least superficial (and definitely least camo-y) Veteran’s Day commemoration of the weekend, the Pegulas gave a service dog to a vet? Otherwise, it was a bleak afternoon across the board for the Bills.
At least Drew Brees still hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in Buffalo!
Every QB needs an O-Lineman that will block for him like Terron Armstead does herepic.twitter.com/zFPpr4DlQ6
— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) November 12, 2017
And The Bad
Oh right. Brees has been around long enough to know when he doesn’t need to do more than he has to. And when you can orchestrate a 94 yard drive without ever having to throw the football, why do anything else? The Saints (THE SAINTS) ran the ball 24 straight times, including a third quarter drive that looked like this:
The Bills defensive provided all the resistance of a damp tissue. The pass rush was M.I.A. yet again, and the run defense got it stuffed down their throats. Both Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara went over 100 yards rushing, and Trey Edmunds added a 41 yard TD sprint that effectively served as the salt in a gaping wound. The Saints scored six rushing TDs and never punted, the first time that’s happened in the NFL since 1941. There were long stretches of the game where it looked like the Bills didn’t even have linebackers on the field. The inexplicable tackling issues were back. Bad is an understatement.
Tyrod Taylor’s 56 yards passing were the fewest he’s had in a game since taking over at the Bills’ starting quarterback.
— Matthew Fairburn (@MatthewFairburn) November 12, 2017
The Good….
Tyrod Taylor completed a contested pass to Kelvin Benjamin! Against rookie CB phenom Marshon Lattimore no less!
And The Bad
That pass came on the second play of the game, and Tyrod didn’t complete another pass to Benjamin all game. It was a “total team effort” in looking totally lost again on offense, even with some new weapons and a few extra days to figure out how to deploy them. The play-calling was terrible. Note to Rick Dennison: take that option play to Mike Tolbert out of the playbook, douse it in gasoline, and light it on fire in a garbage can in the parking lot (the shotgun pitch to Pat DiMarco too for that matter). An electric Shady run is so consistently followed up by a Mike Tolbert plunge that it should be considered the 4th law of Newtonian physics.
Outside of one well-executed designed run on the first offensive series, the Saints forced Tyrod to play from the pocket. While he’s made strides as a passer this season, not being able to use his mobility forces him to essentially play with one hand tied behind his back. The offensive line did him no favors, but his decision-making was suspect as well. The decision to throw deep to Kelvin Benjamin Deonte Thompson on 3rd and 2 from near midfield was a poor one given the game situation. It was so bad, it actually seemed like Tyrod missed Zay Jones (you read that right). Add it all up, and Tyrod hit the bench well before the game ended. NOT GREAT. Nathan Peterman played well enough in garbage time that some fans will be clamoring for him to start, but Sean McDermott was emphatic Monday that Tyrod is the starter moving forward.
Jags went high-low on Philip Rivers. Flipped him. He’s an old man, too. That’s gotta hurtpic.twitter.com/Q6UNHW4UXy
— Jason McIntyre (@jasonrmcintyre) November 12, 2017
The Good….
The AFC in general is just as awful as the Bills, and at 5-4 they’re still in a playoff spot. The teams they’ll be competing with for a wild card are equally (or even more) awful. That includes next week’s opponent, the Los Angeles Chargers. Nobody knows how to lose a game like the Chargers, and with Philip Rivers’ availability in doubt, there could be a great opportunity for the Bills to cure what ails them with a little SoCal sunshine.
The AFC sucks balls this year
— YardsPerPass (@YardsPerPass) November 14, 2017
And The Bad
It’s the Bills in the second half of the season we’re talking about here. We’re all doomed.
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