Where do I start? In the worst game the Bills have played in at least six years, I find it difficult to find a place to start. Offense, defense, special teams and coaching were all abysmal. Manhandled on the offensive and defensive lines; inability to cover receivers or block defenders; play calling and coaching blunders. This team just wasn’t ready to play. For that I blame the staff, from Beane on down. Let’s start with the coaching:
1. McDermott- Everything starts with him. This is his team and his staff. A staff that has for years failed in big games, both offensively and defensively. We blamed Leslie Frazier for 13 seconds; we blamed the Special Teams coach for not squib kicking in the 13 second game; We used the Hamlin excuse for the loss against the Bengals; Ken Dorsey became the scapegoat last season and was replaced. We promoted a linebacker coach to be defensive coordinator and gave him full reigns over the defensive play calling. All of this on McDermott’s watch and under his control.
In spite of these failures of his staff, I find his absolute inconsistency and inability to make in game decisions appalling. I wrote about in after the first game of this season when the Bills got very conservative late in the game, kicking a field goal instead of playing to end the game, and, but for a blown pass interference non-call, could have lost to a bad Cardinals team. A perfect example of this came last night. On the Bills first possession they were faced with a 4th and one from their own 39 yard line. The Bills went for it, as they should have, and made it easily on an Allen tush push. Three plays later, they faced a 3rd and 2 at the 50 yard line. A pass to Kincaid was dropped. On fourth down and two they punted. Why??? This is where I really believe that Andy Reid has such a huge advantage over someone like McDermott/Brady. Reid calls all the offensive plays. Reid KNOWS on third and two whether the Chiefs will go for it on fourth down. In that situation, if Brady knew the Bills would go for it on fourth and short it’s very possible that he calls a run/sneak or some other play to set up a fourth and shorter. Instead, we pass the ball, it’s incomplete, and instead of being aggressive and going for it on fourth and two we punted.
Now let’s see just how inconsistent and outright dumb McDermott can be. Remember the first drive of the game. He goes for it on fourth and one from his own 39 in a scoreless game and easily makes it. His second opportunity at the 50 yard line with a fourth and two he decides to punt. The next time this comes up is at the beginning of the second quarter. The Ravens have just torched the Bills for two easy touchdowns in their first two possessions. We are down 14-3 and momentum is clearly on the side of the Ravens. We are ONCE AGAIN faced with a fourth and one from our own 39 yard line. The almost identical situation that we faced on the first series of the game. I say “almost identical” in that on the first series we were tied. On this series, however, we are now down by 11 and have shown an absolute inability to stop the ravens offense. It’s a possession that we need points and need a possession to hopefully keep the game close and not give Jackson and Henry the ball back. What does McDermott do? He PUNTS THE BALL AWAY. WTF!!! Why? Why go for it on the first series and then punt on this series from the exact same spot? This is a perfect example of his inconsistent game management. If you are going for it on the first series in a tie game there is absolutely no reason for punting in that same situation when down 14-3.
2. Joe Brady: I have been very critical of Brady since he’s been named OC. As I’ve stated numerous times, I find his play calling to be very predictable game to game which allows good defensive coordinators to game plan for him. This season, however, I’d become very impressed by his play calling. But for the conservative play calling on the last drive of the Cardinals game I’d been very impressed. I felt the way he called plays in the Miami and Jaguars games was impeccable. Using his backs as receiving weapons, the short throws to Shakir and Kincaid and the usage of Coleman downfield was excellent. What I was afraid of though clearly transpired last night. Right off the bat the Bills threw on their first two offensive plays. Both throws were diagonal to the line of scrimmage. Both throws were easily defensed by the Ravens defense. These were the throws that the Bills had relied upon in their previous wins. The problem was, however, that the Ravens actually watched film and were ready for it. Through out the game Josh had an inability to throw the ball down field. Continuously the Bills receivers were closely covered and but for some great pin point passes by Allen we’d barely have had a completion.
In spite of a poorly constructed game plan the Bills, thanks to a Herculean effort by Josh to find Shakir on a 54 yard bomb while running for his life, the Bills were still in this game. Down 21-10, the Bills defense forced a three and out and we got the ball back at our own 19 yard line. On second and ten Josh throws a lazar to Coleman who shows why the Bills drafted him by making a great catch down the sideline. Next is a run by Cook for four yards followed by another Cook run for the first down. 1st and 10 from the Baltimore 47, Cook gains three. On second and seven from the Ravens 44, while the Bills are moving the ball very well and where the Bills are probably in four down territory, Brady calls for a trick play. Not just any old trick play but, rather, a play where Curtis Samuel lines up as QB and Josh is lined up outside to Samuel’s left, in a flanker position. The ball is snapped and Samuel and Josh run towards each other. Samuel flips the ball to Josh in a very awkward manner causing Josh to have to stop and reverse ground. Running to his left and trying to make something happen Josh’s arm is hit and the Ravens recover. Six plays later the Ravens score and the game is for all intents over.
I know I complain about Brady’s predictability so this may sound hypocritical, but that was not the time to try a trick play like that. We were moving the ball. We had momentum on our side. My son Ryan, who goes to school and plays lacrosse at Loyola of Maryland, was at the game. He said that there were tons of Bills fans there who were going crazy. The game was still in our hands and then he calls one of the dumbest plays at a crucial time and the game is over. It just makes no sense. .During the first three games of this season the Ravens pass defense was the second worst in the NFL. With a talent like Allen, Brady should have been able to figure out a gameplan to dissect it and be more successful. We picked up Curtis Samuel and MVS this offseason and they’ve been useless. Last year we picked up Harty and Sherfield with the same result. We drafted a tight end who is supposed to create matchup issues with defenses. But for a play or two this season Kincaid has also been somewhat invisible. This is on Brady.
3. Defense: Just putrid. When faced with a team that can pound the ball and also pass the Bills were drastically overmatched. From the raven’s first play where they’d hoped and planned that the Bills would be in a certain defensive lineup (called game planning) leading to an 87 yard TD run by Derrick Henry to having no answer to Jackson hitting wide open receivers down field through out the game to having no answer to Jackson’s planned runs, Babich and his defense were overmatched. The secondary was slow, Hamlin looked brutal, the cornerbacks, time and time again missed tackles which, instead of leaving the ravens with second and 10 or 11, allowed the Ravens backs to gain 5,6 or more yards. The linebackers were unable to fend off the blocks of the ravens line. The defensive line was outmuscled and failed to put any real pressure on Jackson. The few times the defense did stop the Ravens were the result of a Jackson fumble as well as some ill timed penalties. But for those few instances our defense had no answers to Jackson, Henry, Hill and the rest of the Raven’s offense.
4. Josh Allen: Last night was a perfect example of why, on occasion, Josh plays hero ball. During the first three games this year we saw a huge maturation of Josh. He took what defenses were giving him and moved the ball down the field methodically. He wasn’t faced with the situations, like he’d been exposed to in previous games, where he had to try and take over a game. Last night was different. He started the game hesitant. On two separate third down runs he slid a yard short of the first down marker. I understand that we want him to be more careful but in those two instances the old Josh, as well as Lamar Jackson, would have taken a bit of a hit and gotten the first down. Last night Josh could have easily thrown two or three interception. His rhythm seemed off. Yes he threw a great ball to Coleman who dropped it. Yes he threw two more bullets to Keon for completions. That said, he gets no help. His throw to Shakir was phenomenal- a throw I doubt any NFL QB, other than Josh, could make. Last night, however, there were few easy throws- throws where the receiver is open and could run after catch. It was always throws into tight coverage. Something needs to be done here. Josh is so much more effective when he runs hard and takes chances. Yes there are downside risks. These are the same downside risks that Lamar Jackson takes each game. Josh is by far our best player. Playing it safe makes him less explosive on a team that lacks explosiveness.
5.. Next up Houston. CJ Stroud is a better passer than Jackson. We saw how Kyler Murray gave our defense issues in the first game. They don’t have a running back like the Ravens but their receiving corps is much better. We’d better hope Taron Johnson and Terell Bernard return as we could get torched by this offense.
GO BILLS