Archives for November 21, 2016

'Buffalo's defense clinched it by knocking down Andy Dalton's desperation pass into the end zone on the final play. The Bengals managed only five first downs while being shut out in the second half.'

'"We're in a desperate position," defensive tackle Kyle Williams said. "You look at it: We were kind of two teams teetering on the brink."'

'Mike Nugent missed a pair of extra-point attempts as Cincinnati (3-6-1) has lost three straight to further derail its playoff hopes.'

'"I feel a little deflated about the injuries because I know what this team can do if we're healthy," Bills coach Rex Ryan said. "I feel great. We needed a win desperately. We'll see where we go from here."'

'Bills leading rusher LeSean McCoy injured his left thumb while being tackled late in the first half after rushing for 33 yards on five carries and a touchdown.'

'The Bills announced afterward that McCoy would undergo surgery, but he isn't likely to miss the next game, Nov. 27 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.'

'McCoy will need a surgical procedure to correct his dislocated thumb, but the expectation is he plays next week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Woods left the game with a left knee injury, departing the locker room after the game on crutches.'

'Nugent's two PAT misses would come back to haunt the Bengals, asCincinnati would drive down to the Buffalo 27-yard line. However, instead of being able to kick a potential game-winning or game-tying field goal, the Bengals would need a touchdown. Dalton's final heave to the end zone would be deflected to the ground to seal a Bills win, 16-12.'

'With the season on the line, the defense rose to the occasion and sealed the deal on a day when the Bills offense was practically paralyzed after losing both Robert Woods and LeSean McCoy in the first half.'

'It wasn’t the most entertaining game. But it was a win on the road against a conference opponent that has gone to the playoffs the last five seasons in a row and six of the last seven. So it was a good win no matter what.'

'The Bengals scored twice in the first half, but kicker Mike Nugent missed both extra points. Had he made even one, Cincinnati could have kicked the tying or game-winning field goal at the end of the fourth quarter. Instead, Andy Dalton’s last second heave in to the end zone fell incomplete to end the game.'

'According to the team, McCoy will need to have surgery to fix his thumb injury. However, the expectation from the Bills is that they'll have their top running back Sunday in the team's next game against Jacksonville on November 27.'

'It wasn’t ideal, but a win is a win. Under any normal circumstances, the effort the Bills put forward in totality wouldn’t warrant a victory. However, it just turned out that they went up against a team that played even worse than they did — and that was much of the defense’s doing.'

'But let’s give the Bills some credit. They had to overcome two more debilitating injuries. Wide receiver Robert Woods, who was coming off a career game with 162 receiving yards against Seattle, had to depart with a gruesome-looking knee injury in the first quarter. And running back LeSean McCoy couldn’t return after dislocating his thumb near the end of the first half.'

'Many Bills fans will hold on to their playoff hopes based on this win and losses by Kansas City and Baltimore. The fact is with the injuries mounting and Taylor still not playing consistently well, this is clearly not a playoff team. They get the win and I'm happy about it but this was an ugly win and it shows how far away they are from seriously competing with the big boys in the AFC.'