Archives for December 7, 2015

'Sunday could have — really should have — been total disaster for the Bills’ offense. No starting right guard. No starting right tackle. Against the J.J. Watt-powered Texans? The medics were probably on edge, waiting to pounce. And yet, Roman crafted a perfect game plan.'

'Despite a 5-7 record, the Eagles could be tied for the NFC East lead if Dallas beats Washington on Monday Night Football.'

'Heavily-armed members of the Sheriff’s SWAT team, K9 unit and bomb squad all had a presence outside Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park. There were also additional uniformed and plain clothes deputies in the stadium and parking lots.'

'And then, after milking the clock down to 37 seconds, Carpenter was summoned for a 36-yard field goal, and this time he nailed it to put the game safely out of reach.'

'Rex Ryan said the Bills committed about 20 guys to him, and while that would be highly illegal, it did seem like at times Watt was overwhelmed by Buffalo blockers. He was credited with four tackles, one for a loss, and he did have a sack wiped out by an offsetting penalty. But overall, Watt did not look anything like the runaway NFL defensive player of the year.'

'Because if you told me Watt, the NFL leader in sacks and quarterback hits, would be held to zero in both categories, that the Bills would score touchdowns on three of their first four drives against the hottest defense in the NFL, and that quarterback Tyrod Taylor would throw for three touchdowns, run for another and finish with 127.2 rating, I’d have said “keep praying.’’'

'Most encouraging was that with the game tied 21-21, Buffalo made the plays to win down the stretch, overcoming a few bad mistakes in the second half, while Houston was the team that beat itself with penalties, dropped passes and conservative play calls. That’s a recipe for defeat the Bills have cooked up plenty of times, but not this day.'

'This was a big, big win for the Bills. They had to have it, and they got contributions from several areas to pull this one out. It certainly wasn't perfect, but the Bills made just enough key plays, and Houston wasn't able to match those. What I liked best was how the Bills closed it out.'

'It seemed like every Taylor completion was notable. He started with a perfect fade to Sammy Watkins in the end zone early before hitting the second-year wide receiver with two huge deep throws that tilted the game. He also threw a dart to Robert Woods in the end zone and ran in a score of his own.'

'Apparently you really do never know, because the Texans double covered Mulligan and allowed Clay to score the winning touchdown in a 30-21 win.'

'Even with the Bills playing backups at both right guard and tackle, Watt couldn't find a way to affect the game in the manner in which he normally does. He had one tackle for loss in the first half but finished with just four total tackles.'

'"It's gonna be special," Ryan said. "There's no question, it'll be special. We're not gonna send him out for warm-ups. Maybe that's what we need to do. But no, I think obviously it's gonna be special. He cares a great deal about a lot of those guys over there. His teammates and things, and you know what that community means to him, and he's a Pennsylvania guy. So obviously that's gonna be a huge game for him."'

'At this point, five teams have a realistic shot at the final two wild card spots. With a win over the Texans, the Bills now have a tiebreaker over them. They still find themselves behind the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers heading into Sunday Night Football. The Steelers play the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night and would fall behind the Bills in the standings with a loss.'

'"I think they did a good job executing what they were trying to do," Watt, who finished with just four combined tackles, added. "They had a few different things they were putting out there and trying a few different things. We just need to play better, we need to execute better, we need to do our jobs better."'

'Offensive coordinator Greg Roman seems to have tapped into the creative section of his playbook. The Bills went with some new looks against the Texans. That could have been due to the matchup against J.J. Watt. Hopefully the offense sticks with some of these same looks in upcoming games.'