Bills Knocked off the AFC East High Horse, 5-2 After Loss to Miami

Al Davis, with all of his antics, did make one of the most poignant statements in all of sports; “Just win baby!”  These three words have been uttered as much as any sports’ cliche in existence.  But why do I bring it up now?  Because everything is good when you are winning, and today’s loss to the Miami Dolphins has brought to the forefront many of the deficiencies of this Bills team.  And, it astonishes me how rarely these deficiencies are discussed until a loss is incurred.  They’ve always been there, but it’s just different when you’re winning.

With all of that said, today’s outcome can easily be understood in four short words; Miami wanted it more!  And it was made clear that they meant business when they marched down the field on their first drive of the game with relative ease, scoring a touchdown in the process.  Even when it appeared that the Bills may have the Dolphins on the ropes in the 3rd quarter after Lynch’s incredible touchdown run (which I’ll reference again later), Miami never wavered, and stuck to the game plan that, for all intents and purposes, was beating the Bills in the first half as well.  Buffalo dodged a couple of bullets with a turnover, and a blocked kick, but Miami were moving the ball fairly effectively despite only putting 7-points on the board in the first two quarters.

Now, to those defienciencies I was talking about earlier.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.  Buffalo are simply incapable of generating a consistent running game.  More disturbing however, is the fact that they are atrocious in short yardage situations.  Buffalo failed to punch the ball into the end zone on their first drive, which could have been a decisive moment in the game.  Having the ball 1st and goal from the 5 (also 3rd and goal from the 1), and an opportunity to answer the Dolphins opening drive touchdown, Buffalo had to find a way to will their way to pay dirt - but they couldn’t.  Later, on a huge 3rd and 1 play in the 4th quarter, Trent Edwards was stripped of the ball as he attempted to reach over the pile to get the 1st down.  Regardless of whether or not he needed to do it (it did appear he already had it), the Bills should feel confident enough to give the ball to their horse in order get that 1 big yard.  Instead, they feel the need to quickly get to the line, and let their quarterback make himself vulnerable because they lack that confidence.

Staying on Edwards and the offense, this was certainly his poorest effort of the season.  That said, he was under duress for much of the second half, and Buffalo were simply unable to account for blitzers, or those on the defensive line.  Should we be also surprised at this point to see Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters beaten so badly once again on the safety?  He has yet to recover from his holdout, and it is not in the physical sense.  He is not right upstairs at present time, and that has to be remedied for the Bills to stay in the hunt for the division. 

Defensively, the Bills weren’t bad, but they weren’t good either.  And, sticking with the theme of this blog, where is the pass rush?  Buffalo’s inability to consistently generate a pass rush finally caught up with them today, and rest assured this problem will rear its ugly head again if not corrected.  I know Schobel was out today, but they still need to get some pressure on the quarterback.  I said it in the pregame blog, and it rang true - give Pennington the time, and he’ll make you pay.

Game Balls

Offense: Lee Evans; Evans racked up 116-yards on 7 catches, some of which were tough grabs in tight coverage and along the sidelines.  Evans has started to get his game going of late, and this is one of the bright notes to take from this game.

Defense: Paul Posluszny; He ended the day with 6 tackles, and was once again around the ball for much of the afternoon.  He also jarred the ball loose on Ricky Williams’ fumble in the first half, which at the time was a big swing in momentum.

Special Teams: Rian Lindell; Three attempts, three field goals.  What more can I say?

Quick Hits

-The score showing on the board at the end of the game may not have been the only loss incurred by the Bills today.  Josh Reed left the game with what was said to be a sprained Achilles tendon.  This could potentially be a very big loss.

-I don’t care that I’ve said it over and over, Marshawn Lynch has the most impressive 60+ yard games that I’ve ever seen.  Please, please give the man some room to run the ball.

-Before the game today, it was announced that Dick Jauron agreed to a 3-year contract extension.  I’ll discuss this further later in the week.

When all is said and done, the Bills were simply outplayed today, and didn’t deserve to win.  They  will once again have the opportunity to show their resolve, and rebound a week from now against the Jets.  This game will be enormous, as 5-1 can quickly turn into 5-3 with a road trip to New England on the horizon.  Of course I’ll keep you posted on the status of Reed, and any other news from One Bills Drive.  Until such time…

Go Bills!

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