Archives for October 9, 2017

'The Bengals' six-time Pro Bowler got the better of the battle against the Bills' No. 1 draft choice. Green caught seven passes for 189 yards and a touchdown. He was targeted 13 times. One could argue the Bengals should have targeted him more, given the fact the Bills were without starting cornerback E.J. Gaines and then lost slot corner Leonard Johnson to a hamstring injury in the second quarter.'

'The Bengals' quarterback made a sharp, 20-yard throw to Green. Bills rookie Tre'Davious White was in tight coverage, but the pass and catch were too precise. Green added 29 yards of run after the catch to get to the Buffalo 4. Cincinnati scored on the next play to take a 17-13 lead, which held up the rest of the fourth quarter.'

'Part of that low total was their inability to convert on third down. The Bills were 6-for-18 on third down Sunday and were 4-for-13 in a loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 2.'

'That drive showcased the Bills' lack of offensive firepower and was emblematic of their disappointing day. The Bengals added a field goal later and Tyrod Taylor threw an interception on the Bills' following drive, dropping them to 3-2 at the bye week.'

'The Bills created turnovers on the Bengals' first two possessions of the third quarter, both at Green's expense. Jordan Poyer intercepted a pass that bounced straight off Green's hands on their first drive, and Lorenzo Alexander forced a fumble on the next drive, which Poyer recovered.'

'Hyde was able to haul in a tipped pass after Andy Dalton threw too high for A.J. Green. Hyde's fourth interception marked a new career high for him after logging eight in the last four years with the Packers.'

'The early 7-0 deficit marked the Bills' largest of the season. They answered with a 31-yard field goal with 10 seconds left in the quarter.'

'“Just keep working, keep working. That’s what you do. Keep working, you learn from the tape, and that’s what we’ve got to do. We’ve got to learn, and play better, and we’ve got to coach better. It’s what we do."'

'The Patriots, Jets and Bills tied atop the AFC East, just like we all predicted.'

'But an injury to top receiver Jordan Matthews and a heavy rainstorm during Sunday’s game didn’t make things any easier against the Bengals for Jones, who dropped another ball in the first half today.'

'That led a fan in the stands to attempt to toss beer on Tate. He missed, and wasted his beer, too.'

'When you’re on your Bachelorette Party but can’t miss the Bills Game!'

'Taylor completed 20 of 37 passes, but they went for just 167 yards, and he threw his first interception since opening day on the final possession that effectively ended the game.'

'You could point to a variety of reasons why the Bills lost to a Bengals team that really didn’t deserve to win anymore than Buffalo did and, at times, seemed hellbent on giving the game away with three turnovers and several other gaffes. But the overriding reason for this defeat is that the Bills cannot throw the ball.'

'The Bills had so many opportunities where they could have taken control of this game, and they basically failed at every turn. Two third-quarter turnovers resulted in only three points, and a big punt return by Brandon Tate in the fourth also yielded only a field goal. The defense wasn’t great (388 yards allowed), but that was the unit that kept this a close game. It was about 10 times better than the offense which simply couldn’t get anything done with 221 total yards. It’s bad loss to a team that was highly beatable, but the good news is the Bills are still tied for first in the AFC East at 3-2.'