‘The Bills entered the game tied for 11th in red zone touchdown percentage, at 61.7%. But they are now 6-for-16 in the red zone in their five losses, while 24-for-35 in seven wins.’
Archives for December 2021
Plays that shaped the game: Patriots rely on heavy personnel to make big run plays
‘The run broke because the Bills’ linebacker on the opposite side of the run, Tyrel Dodson, got walled off and free safety Micah Hyde got caught overflowing to the left. Johnson’s lead block took out the linebacker on the play-side, Matt Milano. Patriots left guard Ted Karras got out on Edmunds and shoved him to the outside. Patriots right guard Shaq Mason got out on Dodson and pushed him to the outside. That appeared to be the gap that needed to be filled, and it opened up a big cutback line.’
Quarter by quarter: Promising Buffalo Bills drives stall out in loss to Patriots
‘The Bills had first-and-goal from the 6, but it did not go well from there. A no-gain, a nine-yard sack and an incomplete pass brought fourth down, and the Bills elected to kick into the wind. Bass was no good from 33 yards out.’
Report Card: Coaching, run defense come up small in damaging defeat to New England
‘Why, then, did it happen is a question fans should be asking. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is a popular target for fan angst after losses, but he deserves to take plenty of heat. Why did Allen, easily the team’s best runner, have only six attempts on a night rushing the ball was going to be so important? Why was such good field position consistently squandered? Why are the issues in the red zone not getting any better? There is a lot for this coaching staff to sort out on a short week.’
Bills face fairly tight cap in 2022 despite big NFL increase
‘However, the Bills have 41 players under contract for 2022, which is only 10 less than the offseason limit for cap accounting. There are many ways to make cap space. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is scheduled to play under the fifth year of his rookie contract at a salary of $12.7 million. That 2022 figure could decrease substantially if the Bills sign him to a new contract.’
Public speakers advocate for downtown Bills stadium
‘Some said the stadium is no great economic boon for Orchard Park, but it could be a game changer for Buffalo, one of the few Rust Belt cities with no downtown stadium. Similar comments were echoed at a stadium hearing held by the Buffalo Common Council.’
Instant reactions: Patriots prove they’re best in AFC East as Bills are blown off course
‘I’ve harped on this point all season that the Bills lack of a running game was going to catch up to them. It never mattered last year because they had uncommonly good luck with late-season weather and they were able to keep throwing the ball like they did all year. Monday night their inability to run, and more important to stop the run, killed them.’
Bills report card: Buffalo manhandled by Patriots and season could be gone with the wind
‘In what ranks as the most disappointing regular-season loss of the Sean McDermott/Brandon Beane/Josh Allen Era, the Bills came up small in a showdown against the one team, above all others, that they have to beat on a regular basis if they ever hope to become the team they believe they can be.’
Bills offense is broken; Sean McDermott not sure if it’s fixable
‘The Bills had plenty of opportunities to score but their offense just couldn’t execute in the red zone. This has been a consistent problem for Buffalo all season in disappointing losses. The Bills are a one-dimensional team without a dependable rushing attack and it showed again against New England. McDermott activated Zack Moss to add his physical running style to the backfield and it was barely noticeable. He combined with Devin Singletary and Matt Breida to run 19 times for just 60 yards at 3.1 yards per rush.’
Buffalo Bills getting dangerously close to ‘In the Hunt’ territory following loss to Patriots (Encouraged/worried)
‘Monday night was another game where the Bills blew multiple opportunities in the red zone. The team finished 1-for-4 due to lack of execution, penalties, turnovers and questionable play-calling. The red zone woes really stuck out on a drive when the Bills had a first and goal from the six and did not attempt to run the ball with Josh Allen once.’
Bills’ Isaiah McKenzie has one-word response to Sean McDermott’s lack of trust in returners
‘The implication there is that McDermott didn’t trust McKenzie or Stevenson to handle the kick and punt return duties. Instead he had safety Micah Hyde return punts and running back Matt Breida return kicks.’
Patriots beyond predictable on offense, but Bills get outphysicaled again (Week 13 report card)
‘Simply put, Buffalo was outphysicaled by New England in the first half. It’s a theme that we have seen a few times this season. On defense, Buffalo would make a few tackles for loss, yet then get blown off the ball and give up big chunks of yards to Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson. The biggest play of the first half was a 64-yard Damien Harris run for a touchdown. Tremaine Edmunds overpursued on the play which created a lane for the back. The Patriots OL and Harris did the rest. At the end of the first half, New England had 149 yards on the ground.’
Five takeaways: Patriots run all over Bills, seize control of AFC East race
‘Buffalo was dominated at the point of attack throughout the game, as the Patriots gained an average of 4.8 yards per tote while consistently picking up chunks of yardage, often on third down. On the 64-yard run from Harris, the Patriots faced a third-and-five and elected to line up in the I formation and run the ball right up the middle. Harris took the third-down handoff and burst through the line of scrimmage for first down yardage before finishing the run untouched en route to the end zone.’
‘They had one big run.’ The Bills weren’t hiding their frustrations after Monday night loss to Patriots
‘“We made stops when we had to,” he said, his voice filled with exasperation. “They had one big run. I mean, they got good backs. They kept coming back to a couple of runs. I mean, I don’t know how you want us to answer that question.”’
Bills coach Sean McDermott: Let’s not give Bill Belichick more credit than necessary
‘McDermott’s comments seemed to indicate he believes Buffalo wasn’t out-coached Monday so much as it stopped itself. McDermott repeatedly used the phrase “sloppy football.” The Bills also averaged 4.0 yards per play to the Pats’ 4.9.’