BiggieScooby Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 (edited) Heading into our road game Sunday in Cleveland our Bills have now lost their last 8 consecutive road games having been outscored 142 to 291. A lot of the blame for the Bills road woes falls on Ryan Fitzpatrick who has tossed 17 interceptions over the last 8 games to only 11 touchdowns. Sadly 4 of Fitzpatrick's interceptions have been returned for touchdowns. Asking Fitzpatrick not to single-handily win games by putting the Bills on his back is the way to go. Is there any doubt after our fast start last year that Gailey put a little too much faith in Fitzpatrick? During our 8 game road losing streak the Bills have turned the ball over 19 times while only generating 7 turnovers. It’s clear if the Bills play to their strengths (running the ball, stopping the run, controlling the football) this game should be much closer than our last 8 games which had an average score of 17.8 to 36.4. During this 8 game road losing streak the Bills have played 3 close games (Cincinnati 3 points, NY Giants 3 points, and New York Jets 4 points) 68-78 (22.7 to 26.0). In 5 games of these 8 games the Bills were absolutely manhandled 74-213 or 14.8 to 42.6. Speaking of giving up 30 points, during our 8 game road losing streak that started in Cincinnati last October the Bills haven't prevented an opponent from scoring less than 23 points. Also the Bills have given up 100 or more yards on the ground in 7 of 8 games, with the lone exception being 95 yards on 35 carries versus Miami. Worst of all the Bills have given up over 350 net total yards in 6 of 8 games, and over 400 total yards in 4 of these games. Offensively the Bills have been doubled in the touchdown department 15 to 30. The Bills have scored 4 rushing touchdowns in addition to 11 passing for a total of 15 touchdowns. Our opponents have scored 10 rushing touchdowns while throwing 20 touchdowns to only 5 interceptions. In addition to Fitzpatrick's 4 Pick 6's thrown, the Bills have yielded a blocked punt touchdown against Miami, and Week 1's 68 yard punt return versus the Jets. In essence this game boils down to becoming a new football team. Do we continue with the identity of our last 8 games or will we find a way to play a mistake free game with better defense? I think Chan issues this challenge and we respond with a dominating performance Sunday. https://docs.google....R0JxaWNBd0VULWc Edited September 19, 2012 by BiggieScooby
CodeMonkey Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 After this game they also have a tough stretch with 4 out of the 6 away at SF, AZ, HOU, and NE*.
Fan in San Diego Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 After this game they also have a tough stretch with 4 out of the 6 away at SF, AZ, HOU, and NE*. Brutal road stretch! 18 - 1 baby!
BiggieScooby Posted September 19, 2012 Author Posted September 19, 2012 Brutal road stretch! 18 - 1 baby! I'd be happy if we win 3 road games this year.
billsfan89 Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 After this game they also have a tough stretch with 4 out of the 6 away at SF, AZ, HOU, and NE*. That's why I honestly think that this game is a must win. Going 2-1 into a tough 6 game stretch would be huge. NE home, SF away, AZ away, Titans home, Texans Away, and NE away is not a easy task. Hell going 3-3 in that stretch would be considered a success on paper. Its possible that the Bills could be underdogs in 5 out of 6 of those games. That's why this Cleveland game is huge, they need to get a win against a opponent that they should be able to beat. 2-1 into that stretch allows them to play .500 and stay afloat.
ColdBlueNorth Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 That is brutal. They need to focus and get the job done. They also need to avoid falling behind early, even better take the crowd out of the game completely. I think the inability for Ryan to check down or out of plays on the road because of crowd noise is a big contributor to a lop-sided ugly game. If our defense is playing well, I vote run, run, and more run.
SactoBillFan Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 If the Bills can beat Cleveland and New England the next two games, they'll be in good shape. Plus it would be a good confidence builder before going on the road.
Best Player Available Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 I'd be happy if we win 3 road games this year. Then Make them good ones. The pats*, the Fish (never a gimmee with that team) , and the big one the 49ers. Beating the 49ers in their house would be a huge confidence builder.
atlbillsfan1975 Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 Then Make them good ones. The pats*, the Fish (never a gimmee with that team) , and the big one the 49ers. Beating the 49ers in their house would be a huge confidence builder. For some reason the Bills and 49ers always play each other tough it seems. i hope this stays consistent this year. I think this 49ers team is the real deal. Great D, good running game. And Smith seems to really be taking a huge step forward. He has some very good options in th epassing attack. The Cleveland game is big. I remember last year saying Buffalo needs to prove it canwin on the road. I said this after the NY Giants defeat. To make the playoff the Bills need to win every home game and take atleast 2 road games. For every home game you lose that road number goes up. Here is hoping they go get the first road victory this week and put Cleveland to 0-3 on the year!
3rdand12 Posted September 20, 2012 Posted September 20, 2012 big cat. The number that stands out is INT's against road teams. Gailey should continue to reign Fitz in. As he did last week. Well managed game mostly. Control the turnover ratio is the easiest way to stay in the game. With a defense that has the potential ours does, the defense gives Ryan a much better chance to look good. Less pressure to score and better field position i hope. I think we are going to start trending up on some our dreaded statistics this year. Starting with this one! Go Bills @cleveland
Recommended Posts