‘The recipe for the Bills has to be this: The offense is great every week, the defense is average, the special teams is sound, the coaching staff handles the clock correctly and comes up with a solid game plan. Literally none of that is happening right now.’
Archives for November 6, 2023
Ryan O’Halloran: The Bills’ identity has been established – they’re an also-ran in the AFC
‘Chew on this, Bills fans: If the playoffs started today, your team would be watching for the first time since 2018. And that status would be earned and deserved. They are ninth out of 16 teams. They are behind the New York Jets. They have the same amount of losses as the Houston Texans. They have one more win than the mired-in-chaos Las Vegas Raiders.’
Buffalo Bills return to rotating cornerbacks, part from plan, part from injury
‘Jackson and second-year cornerback Christian Benford started, each playing the first defensive series. Then, on the third drive for the Bengals offense, Douglas got his first snaps with the Bills, alongside Benford. Those two played a series together, and then it was Douglas and Jackson for the fourth drive.’
Damar Hamlin launches scholarship fund to honor ‘my Cincinnati heroes’
‘“I’m humbled by the opportunity to set up a scholarship program to honor this team of professionals — my Cincinnati heroes — who helped save my life on January 2,” Hamlin said in a release. “I created this scholarship program to recognize each of them for what they have done for me, while also lifting up kids in underserved communities who are in need of some support as they look to go to a private high school, trade school or on to college.”’
Three questions: Burrow or Allen? How damaging is defeat? Where’s Bills’ run game?
‘Burrow gets the ball to the right place a little quicker and a little more consistently. Accuracy, touch and pocket presence, reading coverages – he has been a shade better than Allen. He’s more surgical. If they’re both playing behind a good to excellent offensive line, Burrow has been better than Allen.’
How it happened: Top plays, standout players from Bills’ loss at Cincinnati
’21:06-8:54: First-half time of possession for the Bengals and Bills, respectively. Cincinnati ran 15 more offensive plays (36-21).’
Plays that shaped the game: Josh Allen interception highlights Bills’ offensive struggle
‘The propensity to turn the ball over is one of the reasons the Bengals are a bad matchup for the Bills.’
Report Card: Buffalo Bills fail big test against Cincinnati Bengals
‘The Bills have too many good players on offense to look this disjointed as frequently as they do more than halfway through the season. That falls on Dorsey, who is going to be firmly on the hot seat if this continues. Listen closely to the comments coming out of the Bills’ locker room Sunday night. It was a whole lot of “we’re just executing the play that’s called” talk – which doesn’t come across as a ringing endorsement of the guy calling them.’
Bills fall flat with first place on the line: 6 reasons for concern after loss to Bengals
‘While their inferiority against Cincinnati is still in its infancy, it is very real, and the simple truth is that the Bengals are just a bad matchup for the Bills. Obviously, they have a quarterback in Joe Burrow who is every bit the equal to Buffalo’s Josh Allen and hey, don’t shoot the messenger here, but he may be better.’
Bills report card: Josh Allen knows playoff math ‘not pretty’ after loss to nemesis Bengals
‘They still have road games at Philadelphia, Kansas City, the Chargers and Miami, plus home games against the Jets and Cowboys. Maybe the Broncos next week and Patriots on New Years’ Eve (who they’ve already lost to) will be easier marks, but where are there five or six wins for this team in that gantlet?’
Buffalo Bills offense abandons battered defense, loses again to Bengals (Instant Observations)
‘The Bengals responded with another touchdown drive on the next possession and then Buffalo’s offense just collapsed. On four more drives the rest of the half, the Bills ran just 14 plays and gained just 37 yards. They went punt, interception, punt, end of half. Dalton Kincaid had three targets on the first possession and then didn’t have his next until the final drive of the half. Allen had an interception on the third drive on a horrible decision/throw, and then Buffalo went ultra-conservative the rest of the half.’
Buffalo Bills don’t have ‘a good answer’ on why offense tanked vs. Bengals – again
‘When Josh Allen is given the freedom to run the show without huddling, defenses usually can’t keep up. From Week 5 to 8, the Bills ran no-huddle on four drives and finished all of them with touchdowns. Last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Bills experimented with no-huddle in the first half and scored another touchdown. With the offense floundering after an electric first drive that went 85 yards on just seven plays, the Bills refused to implement their no-huddle offense on Sunday night in a 24-18 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.’
New Bills RB wonders why he’s even allowed to play with this teammate
‘Buffalo’s running back room currently features James Cook, Latavius Murray and Ty Johnson. If the Bills’ backs struggle, it may just be a matter of time before Fournette is elevated from the practice squad or signed to the 53-man roster. Whenever that happens, Fournette seems convinced that he will be able to help lead the team to a great season.’
Bills outclassed by Bengals in primetime; Buffalo falls to 5-4
‘The Bills’ defense did a reasonable job holding down the Bengals’ offense, limiting the Cincinnati running game to 54 total yards and coming up with a number of critical stops to keep Buffalo in the game. But it wasn’t enough, as the Bills fell to 5-4 and the Bengals improved to 5-3.’
Seven Takeaways: Another slow start plagues Bills in loss to Bengals; WR’s disappearance, dwindling defense, rookie mistakes factor into defeat
‘It’s clear the Bills’ offense operates most effectively when increasing its pace of play, as it did on to begin its second possession of the third quarter. But, for whatever reason, Buffalo has been reluctant to fully commit to the up-tempo style with which it has found such success over the past several seasons.’