Archives for October 9, 2017

'Wood said, "I just try to be a pro, never give them a reason to get rid of you. There's so much turnover in this business. It's pretty well-documented we haven't been to the playoffs in a long time, and at this point I'm our second-longest tenured Bill and I've seen a ton of change around here … seven head coaches in nine years, two of them were interim, but seven in nine years is pretty crazy to think about.'

'The Bills (3-2) got off to an encouraging start by relying heavily on kicker Stephen Hauschka and a defense that led the league, allowing only 13.5 points per game in the first four. The combination wasn't enough this time. Buffalo's depleted offense couldn't take advantage of Cincinnati's three turnovers.'

'"When we create three turnovers, we have to find a way to get the ball into the end zone," said safety Jordan Poyer, who had one of the interceptions. "Somehow, some way, we need to figure out how to get the ball into the end zone. It's a tough loss."'

'George Iloka's interception of Taylor was the Bills' first turnover since the their first possession of the season.'

'Clay was hit in his left leg by Bengals safety Shawn Williams after a 24-yard catch. He remained on the ground in apparent pain before being walked to a medical tent on the sideline with assistance from two members of the Bills' training staff. Clay later walked gingerly to an awaiting cart.'

'Following back-to-back impressive wins over the Denver Broncos and the Atlanta Falcons, the Buffalo Bills came up short against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday from Paul Brown Stadium. The Bills defense forced three turnovers from the Bengals offense, but Buffalo's offense could not make a play when they needed to in a 20-16 loss.'

'After getting 185 total net yards in the first half, the Bills managed just 36 yards on 26 plays in the second half. McCoy was effective in the opening 30 minutes with 51-yards on 10 carries. But in quarters three and four, the Bills best offensive weapon was held to 12-yards on 9 carries. The passing game also went into a deep freeze, recording just 20-yards after halftime. That put way too much pressure on the defense which wasn't able to produce a touchdown as they did one week earlier in Atlanta.'

'It's absolutely fair to say Taylor did not have any weapons coming into the game, and then even lost his best, most reliable target in TE Charles Clay in the first quarter. But he's still the QB of the team and had several opportunities to put points on the board that never materialized. He also held on to the ball too long a few times causing him to take a sack. He was taken down six times overall. Taylor finished 20-for-37 for 166 yards, one TD pass and one interception.'

'Running back LeSean McCoy was once again held to less than 100 yards on the ground. He carried the ball 19 times for less than 70 yards.'

'Losing Clay was a game changer.'

'Buffalo (3-2) is now 1-11 all-time when Taylor has 30 or more attempts in a game.'

'Clay, who is began the day second on the team with 18 catches, was hurt after a 24-yard gain. He was helped to his feet by trainers and carted off the field.'

'After back-to-back efficient showings from Tyrod Taylor, the Bills quarterback struggled against a stout Bengals defensive line. Taylor ended the afternoon completing 20 of 37 pass attempts for 166 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.'

'The formula has been established. Ride your opportunistic defense, make some big plays on special teams and hope your offense can be efficient and error-free. But as we learned in a 9-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers and again on Sunday, there are going to be times when that formula isn’t going to be enough; when you’re going to need your quarterback and your offense to win you a game.'

'We have seen this so often during the playoff drought. They get off to a good start of the season and then they lose a game they could or should have win. The Bengals were ripe for the taking but the Bills were very Billsy and couldn't make the plays they needed to and came away with a loss. Yes, they had injury issues but so did Cincinnati. This team is much improved but the bottom line is they just aren't talented enough to handle a rash of injuries.'