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Bills vs Raiders: postgame review
Well, when the Bills fell to 2-3, they missed the opportunity to tie for second in the AFCE with the defending champs. Missed opportunities have been the story of the Bills season thus far. They missed the chance to beat the Jets in week one. They missed a golden opportunity to beat the Broncos in Denver. And they just dropped a winnable game at home to the Oakland Raiders.
The Positives:
1) The offense moved the ball at will against a good Oakland defense.
2) Mike Williams had a tremendous game, with the highlight being his crushing block of Armstrong at the end of the 2nd quarter which game Drew the time to find Price for a 50yard gain.
3) Travis Henry and the running game were largely successful in moving the ball against a strong Oakland run D (80yards rushing).
4) Schobel had his strongest total game with 1 sack, and a lot of great run D and countless QB pressures.
5) Fletcher was the only LB who showed up today, and actually had a fairly solid game... and while he was beat by Garner for a 69y play, his safety support (Wire) was not there.
6) Except for one series in the 2nd half, the O-Line dominated the Raiders front, giving Bledsoe all day. In fairness to the line Bledsoe passed 53 times, and three of the 5 sacks were coverage sacks.
7) Moulds and Price schooled the Oakland secondary all game.
8) The special teams showed up and held the NFL's best special teams unit in check, not allowing any big returns or big plays. Special props to Coy Wire, Jackson, and Watson who all had huge special teams plays.
The Negatives:
1) Marcus Sullivan had his worst game as a starting guard this week, as he was taken to school by Sam Adams all game.
2) Drew tosses 3 ill advised INTs, and lost his patience early in the 4th quarter. In addition he looked slightly "off" all game... I guess this means he is human. However he did look spectacular at times, and his 400+yard effort and 2 TDs should have been enough.
3) Coy Wire, Clements, Winfield, Watson, and Prioleau all were shredded, and made no plays all game. 5 games, not one INT: enough said.
4) Defense, is yet again dominated by a team who only threw 5-15 yard patterns. Grey has to find a way to stop the quick slant, out, or cross. Not enough pressure from the front 4. When your O scores 30+ points you must win the game... so far this year we have a 2-2 record with 30 points on the board (and an 0-1 record when we only put up 20-30).
5) Aggressive play, hard hitting D has caused 0 fumbles in 4 of 5 games (today included), and only one sack against a weak Oak O-line.
Conclusion
For 50 minutes the Bills took everything the Raiders could dish out and matched them punch for punch. It is no shame to them that they blinked first. They are now 2-3, and still in the playoff race after a murderous early season schedule. With a little bit of luck we can still head into Miami with a chance to tie them in 3 weeks. Somehow our D has to get better or we could be looking at a 7-9 or 8-8 season.
The Positives:
1) The offense moved the ball at will against a good Oakland defense.
2) Mike Williams had a tremendous game, with the highlight being his crushing block of Armstrong at the end of the 2nd quarter which game Drew the time to find Price for a 50yard gain.
3) Travis Henry and the running game were largely successful in moving the ball against a strong Oakland run D (80yards rushing).
4) Schobel had his strongest total game with 1 sack, and a lot of great run D and countless QB pressures.
5) Fletcher was the only LB who showed up today, and actually had a fairly solid game... and while he was beat by Garner for a 69y play, his safety support (Wire) was not there.
6) Except for one series in the 2nd half, the O-Line dominated the Raiders front, giving Bledsoe all day. In fairness to the line Bledsoe passed 53 times, and three of the 5 sacks were coverage sacks.
7) Moulds and Price schooled the Oakland secondary all game.
8) The special teams showed up and held the NFL's best special teams unit in check, not allowing any big returns or big plays. Special props to Coy Wire, Jackson, and Watson who all had huge special teams plays.
The Negatives:
1) Marcus Sullivan had his worst game as a starting guard this week, as he was taken to school by Sam Adams all game.
2) Drew tosses 3 ill advised INTs, and lost his patience early in the 4th quarter. In addition he looked slightly "off" all game... I guess this means he is human. However he did look spectacular at times, and his 400+yard effort and 2 TDs should have been enough.
3) Coy Wire, Clements, Winfield, Watson, and Prioleau all were shredded, and made no plays all game. 5 games, not one INT: enough said.
4) Defense, is yet again dominated by a team who only threw 5-15 yard patterns. Grey has to find a way to stop the quick slant, out, or cross. Not enough pressure from the front 4. When your O scores 30+ points you must win the game... so far this year we have a 2-2 record with 30 points on the board (and an 0-1 record when we only put up 20-30).
5) Aggressive play, hard hitting D has caused 0 fumbles in 4 of 5 games (today included), and only one sack against a weak Oak O-line.
Conclusion
For 50 minutes the Bills took everything the Raiders could dish out and matched them punch for punch. It is no shame to them that they blinked first. They are now 2-3, and still in the playoff race after a murderous early season schedule. With a little bit of luck we can still head into Miami with a chance to tie them in 3 weeks. Somehow our D has to get better or we could be looking at a 7-9 or 8-8 season.
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