Archives for December 14, 2015

'“It is impossible to win when you make that many penalties,” said left guard Richie Incognito, who was flagged for a holding and a facemask penalty in the fourth quarter. “We have to take ownership of the fact that we did not get it done in crunch time.”'

'Guess this gives Kelly, whose team held onto a share of first place in the NFC East, the last laugh.'

'“We don’t take it personal,” said Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins. “We know this is a tough game for him. He loved being an Eagle. We know that. So this whole offseason, the trade and everything, it’s been tough on him.'

'LeSean McCoy had 74 yards rushing and 35 receiving in his return to Philadelphia. He kissed the Eagles logo at midfield before the coin toss, but ran off the field immediately after the game.'

'The Eagles regained the lead in the second quarter with a lightning bolt of their own after a strange sequence of events. First, Bills returner Marcus Thigpen muffed a punt and the Eagles recovered on their Bills 37. But consecutive holding penalties against Eagles' tackle Dennis Kelly had the Eagles looking at a first-and-30. After a 4-yard run, Bradford spotted rookie receiver Nelson Agholor open down the middle and hit him with a 63-yard touchdown pass for a 14-7 lead with 10:38 left in the second period.'

'They still make too many mistakes to be a good team. On Sunday, those mistakes included 15 penalties for 101 yards and many of those flags came at the worst possible times. The Bills were penalized four times for encroachment and four times for illegal procedure, and those pre-snap errors are the mark of a bad team.'

'The Bills would have one last shot at a tying field goal as they got the ball with two minutes left, but Tyrod Taylor was intercepted by Ed Reynolds to seal the victory for Philadelphia.'

'We shouldn't be surprised the Bills lost yesterday because this is how the season has gone. They've been a very inconsistent team who can be their own worst enemy. The quarterback left plays on the field, there were way too many penalties and the coach should have been more aggressive on fourth downs. Basically the same story from a number of losses this season.'

'I’ve had to write about this in the “Arrow Down” section a few times this year and it’s pretty frustrating. I’m not sure why, but all season long when the Bills had the ball late in the half or near the end of the game and needed a score to overcome a deficit, they just haven’t seemed to have the sense of urgency needed. Sunday, for example, down ten points, they faced 2nd down with 3:18 on the clock. Their next offensive snap – on 3rd down – came with 2:31 left. That’s :47 seconds between plays when time is very valuable, putting even more pressure on themselves.'

'“Penalties, we got ourselves to blame. You can’t have that many penalties. It’s a no brainer when you jump off-sides. I don’t know how many holding calls, but it was probably a record out there,” Head Coach Rex Ryan said. “We have ourselves to blame on this one.”'

'It may not have been the personal foul problem that got in the way early on into the season, but the Bills never could get themselves going in the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles — and a large portion of that had to do with taking penalty after penalty, leaving them in many unfavorable positions in crucial portions of the game.'

'Quarterback Tyrod Taylor regressed a bit Sunday, missing on a few deep balls, including one intended for Robert Woods that was picked off safety Ed Reynolds with just under a minute remaining. The interception was Taylor’s first since October 4 and ended a pick-less streak at 222. He completed 19-of-36 for 268 yards and one score – a 47-yarder to Sammy Watkins in the first quarter. Taylor is now 0-5 in games in which he throws at least 30 passes.'

'Well it's December so you knew that game was coming. The one that would end the Bills season with a few games to play. That happened today in a game many, including myself, were confident they would win the game. He should have known right there I was setting myself up from another emotional letdown from the team I love. It is now 16 straight non playoff seasons even though I'm sure they aren't officially eliminated, trust me they are. The more things change, the more they stay the same in the final month of the season.'

'Greg Roman got way too cute with the trick plays again. They aren't working. Went deep way too many times on third down instead of moving the chains with shorter pass plays.'

'Buffalo committed 15 penalties for 111 yards including four neutral zone infractions on defense.'