The Buffalo Bills defense did their job by holding the Jacksonville Jaguars to only 10 points in the AFC Wildcard game this past weekend. The defense bottled up quarterback Blake Bortles, who passed for a measly 87 yards. However, the Buffalo offense looked flat and lifeless throughout the game. Besides LeSean McCoy, who ended up with over 100 yards of rushing and receiving in the game, the team’s wide receivers did not step up as playmakers.
They dropped balls and committed drive-killing penalties that stalled scoring. Tyrod Taylor was off the mark on several throws. At the end of the day, the Bills’ lone field goal signified the main problem that has hung over Buffalo’s 2017 season like a dark cloud. The offense’s inability to move the ball well enough and score touchdowns hammered a hard nail into the Bills playoff run.
The old ball and chain of an ineffective offense
One can argue that Tre’Davious White and Colt Anderson not dropping interceptions could have changed the game. Maybe it would have, but the ball would have been placed back into the hands of the Bills’ sluggish offense, which did little to inspire fans.
The mediocrity of Buffalo’s wide receivers was magnified. Zay Jones dropped a pass, and a perfect throw from Taylor bounced off the chest of Logan Thomas and into the hands of a Jacksonville defender.
A holding penalty on Deonte Thompson wiped out a long run by McCoy. A pass interference call on Kelvin Benjamin in the end zone pushed Buffalo from first and goal to the 10-yard line. Not placing the ball in the hands of McCoy three times is a bad call. Whether it was bad judgment on the part of offensive coordinator Rick Dennison or Taylor, only getting a field goal instead of a touchdown hurt the team. Tight end Nick O’Leary dropping a pass on third down added to the mental mistakes. The pass would have kept the chains moving for Buffalo.
Charles Clay stepping out of bounds and coming back in to catch a pass added to the psychological mistakes that piled up on Buffalo.
Taylor not up to playoff caliber
Tyrod Taylor did not help his cause of being the Bills’ franchise quarterback next year. He was inconsistent, missed open wide receivers, and misfired on several passes. His game passing yardage of 134 yards, as stated by NFL.com, is something that fans have witnessed too often this year. The NFL is a passing league. Taylor’s legs did not help that much, as the quarterback only managed 27 yards on the ground, as stated by The Buffalo News. In contrast, Bortles managed to blow past the defense for 88 rushing yards.
The Buffalo Bills gave their fans a nice season-ending gift of advancing into the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. Now that the drought is over, the Bills needs to look ahead to the 2018 draft. A quarterback, wide receivers, and a back-up running back should be the first order of business.