Archives for November 21, 2016

'The Bengals came into the game with the No. 10 passing offense in the NFL, averaging 265 yards a game. The Bills held Andy Dalton to just 207 yards on 43 attempts. The Bengals went three and out on four straight possessions before their final desperation drive.'

'The embattled Stephon Gilmore had two interceptions, the first takeaways by the Buffalo defense since the end of the game in LA a month ago. Gilmore had some dubious moments in coverage, but it was still the kind of game he can use to make his case as an elite cornerback on the free-agent market.'

'Keeping Ryan almost certainly means keeping Taylor and vice versa. Rex has invested two years in Taylor. Last season, he selected him over former first-round pick EJ Manuel and has never wavered from that decision. Ryan has gone out of his way to gush over Taylor while minimizing his shortcomings.'

'The sheer ineptitude was stunning – it’s almost as if the two teams were trying to one up the other’s screw up. Seriously, it was that bad.'

'The Bills' offense had plenty of chances to put the game away late but failed to do so. Their fourth-quarter drives lasted 2:41, 1:46 and 1:14 before punting. They got the clock down inside of the final three minutes on their last drive while the Bengals were out of timeouts, but failed to pick up one last first down that could’ve put the game away.'

'The Bills held the Bengals to just 23 yards in the third quarter, forcing two punts.'

'Stephon Gilmore intercepted an Andy Dalton pass early in the second quarter and returned it all the way to the Bengals’ 3-yard line, ending the Bills’ four-game streak of not intercepting a pass. That matched the longest such streak for any NFL team Rex Ryan had worked for.'

'LeSean McCoy scored from 7 yards out to cap the eight-play, 75-yard opening drive. Tyrod Taylor was 5 for 5 for 51 yards on the possession while McCoy gained 21 yards on his first carry and then scored on his second. Ryan Groy started for Wood, who broke his leg against Seattle, while Jordan Mills started at right tackle.'

'“Clearly we needed that one. Also, I knew it was going to be a dogfight, and I wasn’t so sure that it could come down to the last play of the game. That’s what it was. That team boasts a lot of talent. They are well-coached. I will say it’s a lot easier to play when there isn’t a penalty every other play. We kind of fixed that in the second half. We made a few adjustments, and I think we were competitive as heck the whole game. I feel fortunate to win the game, and we deserved it as well.”'

'The Bills defense, after a sluggish start, was dominant in the second half as the Bengals – playing without AJ Green who was hurt on the second play of the game – could not move the ball, at one point putting up four straight three-and-outs possessions. Cincinnati did made one last push in the final two minutes, but came up short in Bills territory as time ran out.'

'What’s interesting to me, though, is that when Ryan’s defense plays well, many fans remain silent. Sometimes I get the feeling that people want the defense to fail because it might hasten Ryan’s departure from Buffalo. I really don’t get all the hate for Ryan, and no matter how much you might dislike him, he got things straightened out in the second half.'

'The Bills finished off an 88-yard drive that consumed 8:12 spanning the end of the third and start of the fourth quarter. Although they failed to punch the ball into the end zone for the second time in the game after reaching first-and-goal, they settled for Carpenter’s 20-yard field goal that meant the Bengals needed a touchdown to win. It made a huge difference at the end of the game when Cincinnati had to throw a Hail Mary into the end zone on the final play.'

'Hey, I’m not going to quibble about a victory, and neither are the Bills. Sure, it was about as ugly as it could get, but here’s the thing: The Bengals, who were favored to win playing at home, were even uglier. In effect, what we learned Sunday is that both these teams are playoff pretenders; neither one is good enough – or even deserving enough – to play in January. So, good for the Bills, they won, and they kept their feint postseason hopes alive for another week. As we always say, any win is a good win.'

'“It’s a lot easier to play when there isn’t a penalty every other play (Buffalo was flagged 8 times for 70 yards in the first half) … we kind of fixed that in the second half (1 for 5) and made some adjustments.'

'Of the performance by Gilmore, whose struggles in losses to the Jets and Patriots, had put him under the microscope, coach Rex Ryan said, “I challenged him to be the player I know that he is … these last couple of weeks (Seahawks and Bengals) he’s played as well as any corner in the league. We have to get that kind of play from him.”'