Tag: Buffalo Bills

What we learned from Bills’ Week 10 loss to Browns

What we learned, Buffalo Bills vs. Cleveland Browns, NFL Week 10

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

Coming into week 10, the Bills had survived several games this season where they did not play well, but found a way to win. Their luck finally ran out in another ugly game Sunday along the banks of Lake Erie.

The Bills faltered on both their final defensive and offensive possessions of the game after coming from behind to take a lead in the fourth quarter. Cleveland went on a 10-play, 82-yard drive to take the lead on a Baker Mayfield to Rashard Higgins seven-yard touchdown pass with 1:44 to go. Josh Allen and the Bills got the ball back with a chance to either drive for a game-winning touchdown or game-tying field goal. Buffalo got to the Cleveland 35, but faltered from there as Allen threw incomplete on a back-shoulder toss on third down. Stephen Hauschka trotted onto the field to attempt a 53-yard field goal that would tie the game, but was both wide and short as Cleveland held on to win, 19-16.

There was a lot to be concerned about following this game for Buffalo, including questions on offense, defense, and with the coaching staff. The Bills offense again failed to deliver enough production to win the game, while the defense again had trouble stopping the run. Sean McDermott and the Bills’ coaching staff also had a rough day as there were game management decisions to question in the final two minutes.

The Bills are now 6-3 and suddenly find themselves falling back toward a gaining pack in the AFC wild card race as Buffalo has now lost two of its last three.

Here are four things we learned from the Bills’ loss Sunday in Cleveland:

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Bills snap counts: Depth chart breakdown vs. Browns

Buffalo Bills snap counts vs. Cleveland Browns in Week 10, 2019.

Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox. Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

The Bills fell is another gross game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 10, 19-16.

Buffalo falls to 6-3 on the year and with the loss and news around the league, the loss looks like a big one.

Who played the biggest and smallest roles in Buffalo’s defeat?

Here’s a full depth chart break down via snap counts for the Bills vs. the Browns in Week 10:

Offense

Notes:

  • The rotation at right tackle resumed with a health Cody Ford (elbow) in the lineup. Veteran Ty Nsekhe played in 61 percent of snaps while the rookie saw 41 percent.
  • Tight end Lee Smith took two penalties in only 18 snaps played vs. the Browns.
  • Rookie running back Devin Singletary was the No. 1 in terms of snap counts playing in 67 percent of snaps as opposed to Frank Gore’s 33 percent, but Singletary only have eight carries in the game.
  • Rookie tight end Dawson Knox played more snaps than veteran Tyler Kroft for the second-straight week, 58 percent to 43 percent.
  • In terms of snap counts, Isaiah McKenzie saw another big role for the Bills. He played in 66 percent of snaps last week, second-most amongst his position. Against the Browns, he played in 54 percent, trailing Cole Beasley’s 67 percent and John Brown’s 93 percent.
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Ravens hitting their stride at the right time

The Ravens are hitting the point of the season where championship-caliber teams differentiate themselves, and they’re only getting better.

The Baltimore Ravens were supposed to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10. With Cincinnati winless and having a rookie quarterback getting his first NFL start, it seemed obvious that Baltimore was going to move to 7-2. But the beating the Ravens put on the Bengals proves they’re hitting their stride at the best possible time.

Before kickoff, I noted that this could be a trap game for Baltimore. While they were clearly the superior team on paper, we’ve seen the Ravens embarrass themselves previously under similar circumstances. In fact, it’s a familiar hole they’d fallen into too many times under coach John Harbaugh right as they looked to be on a roll and near the top of the league. But not this week and not this season apparently.

Baltimore’s offense got off to a quick start and never relented, finding room on the ground and through the air against the hapless Bengals. Quarterback Lamar Jackson had another brilliant game, going 15-of-17 for 223 yards, three passing touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. He also torched Cincinnati on the ground to the tune of 65 yards and a touchdown, including his highlight-reel 47-yard run. It was a finely tuned game from the starting offense that saw them hang five total touchdowns before putting in backups in the fourth quarter.

The defense got in on the action as well, shutting down the Bengals offense. They pressured quarterback Ryan Finley, largely held running back Joe Mixon down and made two big plays, returning an interception and a fumble for touchdowns. What had been the worst unit on the team earlier this season has quickly turned around into an explosive and dangerous defense.

And that’s really the look of the entire team right now. They’ve gotten better with each and every game. They’re stronger than they were in Week 3 and far more dynamic both on offense and defense. They’ve beaten up on the top teams in the league and are now destroying the teams they should be beating. For as easy as that sounds in theory, look at how the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs all lost in Week 10 to teams with no better than a .500 record.

This is the point where championship-caliber teams start to differentiate themselves. Injuries have piled up on all 32 teams, and there’s more than enough game film to establish weaknesses and mismatches. Yet Baltimore is the only team actually getting better right now.

With everything coming together on defense and opponents having no answer for Jackson and this unique offense, Baltimore is unquestionably one of the best teams in the league right now. And considering they’re built for cold-weather football, the Ravens are looking really scary. If they can keep this level of play up, there’s no reason to think Baltimore shouldn’t be a front-runner for the Super Bowl.

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Report card: Bills lose 19-16 to Browns

The Buffalo Bills fall to 6-3 after their loss to the Cleveland Browns. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll will be called into question.

The Buffalo Bills and the Cleveland Browns had a slug-fest on Sunday, where the Browns won 19-16 It was an ugly game where both defenses played physical, and forced mistakes.

Neither offense looked impressive, but the *outcome* did enough to give the Browns a victory.

The Bills fall to 6-3 on the year, and here’s how Bills Wire graded things out for Buffalo in Week 10:

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

Quarterback: C-

Josh Allen had 41 passing attempts on Sunday, and completing just 53 percent of his passes. That is not very good. Allen throughout the game looked flustered, which lead to plenty of throws going over the heads of his receivers or landing at their feet.

Allen had some moments where he was elusive in the pocket making defenders miss, but he couldn’t find the right the pass in those crucial moments. Allen finished the game with a respectable 266 yards, and didn’t throw an interception but, he didn’t throw a touchdown, either. He was effective with his legs in the redzone though, scoring twice.

Ultimately, Allen had an underwhelming performance that cost Buffalo the victory in Cleveland. Bills fans will be looking for Allen to bounce back next week in Miami.

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What Ryan Fitzpatrick was mad about during latest Dolphins’ win

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Flores mad about NFL concussion policy during win vs. Colts.

The Miami Dolphins will host the Bills in Week 11. Once thought of as an easy win, the home team is actually on a two-game winning streak as Buffalo enters the game on the heels of a loss to the Browns.

Former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick led the Dolphins to a 16-12 win over the Colts. Albeit was a win over backup-QB led team as Brian Hoyer started, a win is still a win.

But Fitzpatrick wasn’t all happy after this one. Why?

Late in the fourth quarter, Fitzpatrick was forced to undergo a concussion test. The NFL spotters made the call to yank him from the game.

Fitzpatrick didn’t like that.

Colts defender Grover Stewart caught Fitzpatrick with a helmet-to-helmet hit causing the concussion test. But Fitzpatrick’s problem was the timing of the test, not the test itself.

Stewart hit Fitzpatrick, then two more snaps took place for Fitzpatrick, including a sack. There was then a field goal by Miami, an ensuing kickoff, and a quick Hoyer interception. At that time, Fitzpatrick was trying to go on the field but was pulled back to the sideline for the test. He wanted the test to be somewhere a bit earlier when he wasn’t needed on the field.

“I understand why they call down and have spotters. But I sat out the game for five minutes,” Fitzpatrick said.“I understand the process, but if they are going to do it they need to do it right away.”

After the interception, backup Josh Rosen handed the ball off three times and the Dolphins added another field goal. So things weren’t all bad but sending in an ice cold backup doesn’t help.

Miami head coach Brian Flores was also unimpressed and was seen upset on the sidelines as the situation unfolded.

“Once they call down it’s out of everyone’s hands,” Flores said. “They call down when they call down.”

In the win Fitzpatrick was 21-for-33 passing for 169 yards with an interception. He added another 23 yards rushing and a score on the ground in the win.

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PODCAST: Did the Bills offense hand the Browns a win?

Buffalo Bills podcast following Week 10 loss to the Cleveland Browns.

The Buffalo Bills failed to defeat the Cleveland Browns, falling 19-16 in Cleveland to fall to 6-3 on the season. While at first glance, it’s easy to point the finger at kicker Stephen Haushcka for missing a game-tying field goal, the problem is much deeper, yet obvious.

For months, many of the Bills critics have questioned the Bills offense, with much push back from biased “Billievers” and Josh Allen apologists. If this game doesn’t change those opinions, nothing will. Poor clock management, conservative play-calling and key plays not extending drives were all a major part of this team’s misfortunes in Cleveland.
Daboll has been a figure who, if this Bills season goes south quick, could find himself as the scapegoat when it comes to appeasing the fan base at the end of the season. His play calling has seemingly limited this offenses potential, and does not look as explosive as it could. It has even led many to believe that Josh Allen isn’t the franchise quarterback that the team thought he was.
Fortunately for Buffalo, if there is anything positive to examine, the Bills are not down and out, and have the opportunity to build their cushion as the first Wild Card spot, although there are some teams beginning to catch up.
Billswire Podcast Hosts Matt and Jeremy discuss the Week 10 loss to the Cleveland Browns:

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