Archives for October 19, 2015

"But at the end of the day, this loss hangs on the heads of the Bills' defensive unit. A unit that has many of the same players it has had the last two years when it was one of the best defenses in the game.'

'The good news for the Bills: With Tyrod Taylor out, Manuel played well enough for the team to win. Unfortunately, a weak defensive performance hurt the Bills this week.'

'Just six games into his tenure as Bills head coach, Ryan seems on the verge of losing his team. Or at least his defensive crew. And who’d have thought that before the season?'

'The Bengals broke the game open by scoring 17 points on their first three second-half possessions to build a 34-14 lead.'

'"Logistically, it's very tough," Whaley told The Associated Press. "First of all, you've got to make sure they have a passport. So it's going to put us in a bind. We're going to go straight to work on that right now."'

'It was the second-most yards passing for Manuel, though 126 came on Buffalo's final two drives.'

'Backup EJ Manuel will make his first start in a little more than a year in place of Taylor, who sprained his left knee in a 14-13 win over Tennessee last week. McCoy returned to practice last week, and will start after being nagged by a pulled left hamstring he initially injured during training camp.'

'The banged up Bills began the game without starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor (knee) and wide receiver Percy Harvin (hip), and finished without top receiver Sammy Watkins (ankle), Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kyle Williams (knee) and right tackle Seantrel Henderson (concussion).'

'Perhaps a road trip is what the Bills need. They are 2-0 in away games this year, with both of those victories following losses. On the contrary, they are now 1-3 at home, having lost three straight at Ralph Wilson Stadium for the first time since 2011. And all three losses bordered on blowouts.'

'Watkins was hurt while catching a 22-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter and emerged from the locker room on crutches after halftime. His return is questionable.'

'Manuel, who took the majority of the first-team snaps in practice, has not played this season after losing the job to Taylor. Manuel completed 58 percent of his passes for 838 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions in five games last season.'

'The Bills roller coaster season hit another dive as the team fell to the Cincinnati Bengals this afternoon 34-21, the loss moving Buffalo's home record to just 1-3 on the year. It was an electric start for the team though, as EJ Manuel made his first start for the team since September of last year. On the very first play from scrimmage LeSean Mccoy made his presence felt, scampering for 33 yards and exciting the crowd. That was followed by a 19 yard gain on a pass to Charles Clay. Manuel would call his own number on third and goal from the two yard line as he punched it in for the first touchdown of the game.'

'Overall, it looked like the same inconsistent Manuel I’ve seen since he came into the league. He’s 6-9 in his career and I don’t know if he can play in this league or not. So far he’s shown us that he really can’t, but that doesn’t mean given a chance next week, it doesn’t improve.'

'The wrongdoing is somewhere in the middle between Rex Ryan calling too many players back into coverage, like Mario Williams intimated to reporters after the game, and the defensive line not winning enough one-on-one battles. Point blank, the defensive line needs to be much better, specifically when there is a pair of winnable matchups up front against the right tackle and the center of the Bengals.'

'The Buffalo Bills, infamously known by now for their penalties, had no answer for sloppy play and needless penalties that would lead to multiple successful drives by the Cincinnati Bengals.'