Tweet
Sunday night following the Bills overtime loss to Baltimore, I wrote of reasons for optimism. Feel good semantics aside, this is the NFL and ‘almost’ winning doesn’t count. Therefore, today is about going back to reality, as evidenced by a glance at the league standings, which finds Buffalo as the sole occupiers of a big fat zero in the win column.
Playing an elite team on the road and coming close is nice, but it’s not good enough. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades… and politics.
For all the positive things Buffalo accomplished Sunday, especially offensively, there’s an equal supply of reasons the team dejectedly boarded their flight back home from Baltimore still searching for their first win.
If there was ever a dispute about the saying “good teams find a way to win while bad teams find a way to lose”, there shouldn’t be after this game. Buffalo put up over 500 yards of total offense and 34 points on the scoreboard against a team who hadn’t matched that all season— and Buffalo still found a way to lose.
Here are the four biggest reasons why.
Donte Whitner’s Missed Pick Six: With exactly 3:59 left in the first half and Buffalo already nursing a 14-point lead (24-10), Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco dropped back to pass. He looked right and launched an attempt along the right sideline to Anquan Boldin. Whitner made a break on the ball and had a clear angle and an even clearer path to the end zone once he secured the imminent interception that quality defenders make. But Whitner dropped a sure pick-six and Baltimore kept the ball. They’d eventually kick a field goal on the drive to cut the lead down to 11 and on the ensuing kickoff forced a fumble by C.J. Spiller, which led to another touchdown just before the half and Buffalo’s lead dwindled down to four. Had Whitner made the play a guy of his stature is supposed to make, the Bills would’ve went up 31-10 and it would’ve been hard even for them to blow that big of a lead. Sure enough, Whitner doesn’t make the play and just 14 seconds into the third quarter the Ravens had the lead.
Ironically, Baltimore’s Ed Reed had two big interceptions and a forced fumble in less than three quarters of play in his first game action of the season. Whitner meanwhile, has four interceptions and two forced fumbles during his five-year career. The difference between the two is mind-blowing.
Turnovers: Very few teams in the NFL are able to convincingly lose the turnover battle and still come away with the victory. Buffalo is surely not one of them. The Bills turned the ball over four times while forcing just two. As fantastic as Ryan Fitzpatrick played, and make no mistake about it, he was fantastic, he did force two bad passes that were intercepted both times by Reed. The kickoff Spiller fumbled very late in the first half was a killer, and of course the Shawn Nelson (blown call by refs) fumble in overtime ultimately decided the game. If Buffalo wants to enjoy a few victory celebrations before the season ends, they better find a way to protect the ball better, especially against quality teams.
Stupid Penalties: Granted, the Nelson fumble was a backbreaker and depending on your perspective (mine is clear), a horrible officiating call. But even so, it’s inexcusable for Geoff Hangartner to remove his helmet and slam it on the field in disgust, especially in the direct line of a referee. Ray Lewis recovered Nelson’s fumble at the Buffalo 44. By the time the officials tacked on the 15 yards because of Hangartner’s mistake, Baltimore was already in field goal range at the Buffalo 29. That wasn’t their only stupid penalty either. Earlier in the game Drayton Florence had a pass interference penalty on a deep ball intended for T.J. Houshmandzadeh when all he needed to do was turn his head around to make a legal play. The flag cost the Bills 40 yards and led to the Ravens’ first touchdown. Fred Jackson also had both a 21-yard run and 21-yard pass reception nullified by Steve Johnson holding and illegal formation penalties, respectively.
The Inability to Cover a Tight End: The Bills ineffectiveness at shutting down opposing tight ends is verging on ridiculousness. Todd Heap, who was nearly carried out of Gillette Stadium in a body bag after a dirty hit by Brandon Merriweather last week, not only returned to action Sunday against the Bills, he caught a pair of touchdown passes. That’s now six touchdown passes Buffalo has allowed to tight ends over their last three games.
Here is the Bills defensive production against tight ends in 2010:
Anthony Fasano (Miami): 3 receptions, 46 yards
Jermichael Finley (Green Bay): 4 receptions, 103 yards
Aaron Hernandez (New England): 6 receptions, 65 yards
Rob Gronkowski (New England): 3 receptions, 43 yards, TD
Dustin Keller (NY Jets): 4 receptions, 28 yards, 2 TDs
Marcades Lewis (Jacksonville): 4 receptions, 54 yards, 2 TDs
Todd Heap (Baltimore): 3 receptions, 59 yards, 2 TDs
And you wonder why this edition of the Bills is the first team in franchise history to allow 30 or more points in five straight games?
Playing an elite team on the road and coming close is nice, but it’s not good enough. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades… and politics.
For all the positive things Buffalo accomplished Sunday, especially offensively, there’s an equal supply of reasons the team dejectedly boarded their flight back home from Baltimore still searching for their first win.
If there was ever a dispute about the saying “good teams find a way to win while bad teams find a way to lose”, there shouldn’t be after this game. Buffalo put up over 500 yards of total offense and 34 points on the scoreboard against a team who hadn’t matched that all season— and Buffalo still found a way to lose.
Here are the four biggest reasons why.
Ironically, Baltimore’s Ed Reed had two big interceptions and a forced fumble in less than three quarters of play in his first game action of the season. Whitner meanwhile, has four interceptions and two forced fumbles during his five-year career. The difference between the two is mind-blowing.
Turnovers: Very few teams in the NFL are able to convincingly lose the turnover battle and still come away with the victory. Buffalo is surely not one of them. The Bills turned the ball over four times while forcing just two. As fantastic as Ryan Fitzpatrick played, and make no mistake about it, he was fantastic, he did force two bad passes that were intercepted both times by Reed. The kickoff Spiller fumbled very late in the first half was a killer, and of course the Shawn Nelson (blown call by refs) fumble in overtime ultimately decided the game. If Buffalo wants to enjoy a few victory celebrations before the season ends, they better find a way to protect the ball better, especially against quality teams.
Stupid Penalties: Granted, the Nelson fumble was a backbreaker and depending on your perspective (mine is clear), a horrible officiating call. But even so, it’s inexcusable for Geoff Hangartner to remove his helmet and slam it on the field in disgust, especially in the direct line of a referee. Ray Lewis recovered Nelson’s fumble at the Buffalo 44. By the time the officials tacked on the 15 yards because of Hangartner’s mistake, Baltimore was already in field goal range at the Buffalo 29. That wasn’t their only stupid penalty either. Earlier in the game Drayton Florence had a pass interference penalty on a deep ball intended for T.J. Houshmandzadeh when all he needed to do was turn his head around to make a legal play. The flag cost the Bills 40 yards and led to the Ravens’ first touchdown. Fred Jackson also had both a 21-yard run and 21-yard pass reception nullified by Steve Johnson holding and illegal formation penalties, respectively.
The Inability to Cover a Tight End: The Bills ineffectiveness at shutting down opposing tight ends is verging on ridiculousness. Todd Heap, who was nearly carried out of Gillette Stadium in a body bag after a dirty hit by Brandon Merriweather last week, not only returned to action Sunday against the Bills, he caught a pair of touchdown passes. That’s now six touchdown passes Buffalo has allowed to tight ends over their last three games.
Here is the Bills defensive production against tight ends in 2010:
Anthony Fasano (Miami): 3 receptions, 46 yards
Jermichael Finley (Green Bay): 4 receptions, 103 yards
Aaron Hernandez (New England): 6 receptions, 65 yards
Rob Gronkowski (New England): 3 receptions, 43 yards, TD
Dustin Keller (NY Jets): 4 receptions, 28 yards, 2 TDs
Marcades Lewis (Jacksonville): 4 receptions, 54 yards, 2 TDs
Todd Heap (Baltimore): 3 receptions, 59 yards, 2 TDs
And you wonder why this edition of the Bills is the first team in franchise history to allow 30 or more points in five straight games?
Comment