Archives for December 25, 2017

‘”We want to go down to Miami and solidify a win,” Hughes said. “We understand it’s going to be tough. We know it’s going to take an all-team effort. We’ve got to come out and put this game behind us. If we take care of business, who knows what might happen?”‘

‘Benjamin’s non-touchdown overshadowed what was his best performance since coming to the Bills in a trade deadline acquisition with the Carolina Panthers. After registering nine catches for 120 yards in his first four games with the Bills, he had five catches for 70 yards Sunday against New England. Benjamin has been playing through a torn meniscus in his right knee suffered in Week 11 against the Chargers, an injury that will likely require surgery after the year.’

‘”Honestly, you kind of expects it coming into this league playing against the Patriots. We saw it happen Sunday night where it seems like there is always some call, something that happens to be a pivotal part of the game. That’s just sports. That’s just how things are going to roll. Sometimes you’re going to get some calls, sometimes you’re not. I think for us, we can be a little bit more stronger mentally and understand that, you know, especially in these kind of games coming in here, everything’s going to be against us. You’ve got to come out here with your back against the wall.”‘

‘But for any critical fan with loftier standards for the future, this one had to be tough to take. The Patriots were beatable. The Bills played admirably on both sides of the ball at times. Jordan Poyer had a pick-six against Brady. Tyrod Taylor played well, by his standards. Kelvin Benjamin, playing on a bad knee, had his best game as a Bill.’

‘Common sense has evaporated from the replays process, wiping out compelling plays.’

‘I’m not suggesting the NFL is fixed, but I’ll admit the thought entered my mind in the third quarter when Patriots coach Bill Belichick challenged the spot on a failed fourth-down run by Dion Lewis. Overturning the spot of the ball is hard to do, but every Bills fan had to know what was coming. Predictably, Lewis was awarded the first down. It did look like he extended the ball to the first-down marker, but the bigger issue is that replay reviews should not be judgment calls.’

‘The biggest problem with Taylor’s performance was execution. He misfired on third-and-2 from the Patriots’ 6, then followed that up by failing to convert a fourth-and-2 with an ugly looking under-handed toss out of bounds.’

‘With significant hype about what might happen in the first meeting with the New England Patriots since Rob Gronkowski’s cheap shot against the Buffalo Bills’ rookie cornerback, the answer was simple: Not much.’

‘”When Kelvin Benjamin gains control, his left foot is off the ground,” the NFL Football Operations department posted on Twitter. “The receiver only has one foot down in bounds with control. Therefore, it is an incomplete pass.”‘

‘Say it with me: Field goals don’t beat the Patriots. Why Sean McDermott settled for one in the fourth quarter instead of going for it on fourth and 1 is a real head scratcher. I liked going for it on fourth and 2 from the Patriots’ 6-yard line, but if you’re going to do that, why not run on the plays before that? The ongoing love affair for Tolbert is baffling. Taking a 12-men-on-the-field penalty was sloppy.’

‘Fourth-down fail. On the next play, Sean McDermott opted to go for it on fourth and 2. The Bills called the same play, with Clay running to the left flat. This time there was no trigger from Taylor, who scrambled and had to throw it away. The Bills either needed a different play or a quicker trigger.’

‘The tradeoff is the backs have room. Dion Lewis rushed 24 times for 129 yards. Lewis bounced around three teams his first four seasons in the league but has been a steady role player for the Pats the past three years. He plays 30 percent of the snaps and is having his best season, with 977 yards from scrimmage.’

‘That makes it all the more curious why coach Sean McDermott didn’t get more aggressive late. The Bills had fourth and 1 from the Patriots’ 32-yard line with 13:13 to play while trailing 23-16. Sean McDermott instead elected to try a 50-yard field goal, which Stephen Hauschka missed wide right.’

‘Too many men: Sean McDermott’s defense was flagged for too many men on the field for the second time in the game just before Gillislee’s touchdown.’

‘The Bills had to settle for a field goal, which tied the game at 13. As frustrating and confusing as league’s decision was, it wouldn’t have been necessary if Charles Clay hadn’t dropped a touchdown on the play before.’