Tag: devin singletary

Bills snaps counts: Depth chart breakdown vs. Ravens

Buffalo Bills snap counts vs. the Baltimore Ravens, NFL Week 14.

The Bills hung tough with the Baltimore Ravens before falling 24-17 in the end.

It was a lackluster game from the offense until late and the defense led the way for Buffalo.

Who took charge in both that good and bad of the game? Here’s a full depth chart breakdown via snap counts for the Bills against the Ravens in Week 14:

Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary. (AP Photo/John Munson)

Offense

Notes:

  • With Ty Nsekhe out, rookie Cody Ford played every offensive snap for the third-straight game at right tackle, and the entire offensive line played every snap in what was a tough game for the unit.
  • RB Frank Gore played in a season-low 19 percent of snaps, he had four carries for six yards. Rookie RB Devin Singletary saw a career-high 81 percent of snaps and had 89 yards rushing.
  • After playing in a season-high 42 percent of snaps last week, WR Robert Foster dipped down to 25 percent vs. the Ravens. WR Isaiah McKenzie played in 45 percent of snaps last week, after playing in 74 and 77 percent in Weeks 11 and 12. He was back to 72 percent of snaps vs. the Ravens.
  • WRs Cole Beasley and John Brown both played in 97 percent of snaps. While often the 1-2 punch, Brown typically plays in a few more snaps for the Bills each game.
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Stock up, stock down following Bills’ loss to Ravens

Stock report from Buffalo Bills’ 24-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, NFL Week 14.

The Bills mustered together a late last-ditch effort against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14, but ultimately fell 24-17 to the AFC leaders.

A loss brought the Bills to 9-4 overall on the year, which puts Buffalo still in a prime position for the postseason. But the loss, at times, was ugly.

With that, here’s the latest stock report on the Bills following their loss to the Ravens:

Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Stock up

DC Leslie Frazier

This one goes with an asterisk, of sorts. Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier has a part in the Bills defense, but so does head coach Sean McDermott. We’ll give Frazier the nod here because McDermott was questionable with clock management in the game, and we have Frazier calling the plays. Man, did he call a heck of a game.

The Bills defense did what many haven’t this year, shut down quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson did have three touchdown passes, but he had his first interception since Week 5, only 145 yards passing and 40 yards rushing, his lowest total in a complete game played this season. Frazier might get head coaching sniffs this offseason, we’ll see. He deserves another crack at it.

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What they said: Bills offense feels it let down defense

What member of the Buffalo Bills offense said about “letting down” the team’s defense vs. Baltimore Ravens in Week 15.

The proof was in the pudding. The Bills defense played well in a 24-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

The offense, well… did not.

Buffalo’s offense had a look to tie the game up late, once again thanks to the defense. To the offense’s credit, they did score a touchdown and add a two-point conversion in the final frame. But they were outmatched all afternoon by the Ravens defense.

It wasn’t enough, and that’s what plenty of members of the Bills offense thought in the locker room following the game.

Here’s what some of reaction from the Bills offense was following their loss to the Ravens:

QB Josh Allen

“First, especially the first quarter, I have to find more completions early on. Take what they give us. Maybe felt like I was pressing a little bit when they were bringing some good pressures that we maybe hadn’t seenxz, or they brought it, and they brought a good game plan. They played a
great game. That’s a great team that we just faced. At the end of the day we didn’t make enough plays. Like I said I have to be better in that aspect. Our defense played fantastic. I want to shout them out and let them know, we’re going to have their backs. We’re going to have games like this where we’ll have to find a way to win, and our defense played spectacular today.”

WR John Brown

“Just have to make a few more plays. On offense we have to execute better. I have to make more plays. I should’ve made that last play.”

OL Jon Feliciano

“I think we had seven or something three-and-outs. We just have to do better on first down. They were in our backfield a little bit…

“We believed in our defense, and our defense did a hell of a job today. Man, we believed. I had no doubt in my mind if we would’ve scored that last touchdown, we would’ve won in overtime.”

Head coach Sean McDermott

“It’s a good defense. It’s a veteran defense. They’ve got Marcus Peters, who they traded for, Earl Thomas. They’ve got good players on their defense. They’re ranked where they are for a reason. I don’t think they surprised us at all. When we turned the tape on they played some good football – a lot of good football – and at the end of the day we did not execute. Our fundamentals, throwing and catching were not where they needed to be offensively.”

RB Devin Singletary

“We feel like we’re letting our brothers down.”

WR Cole Beasley

“We got in a funk early and we tried to get out of it and guys did a good job battling. But, we didn’t have it today and it’s a shame because our defense played their [expletive] off.”

OL Mitch Morse

“I think it’s a tale of two halves, or even three quarters. I can only speak for myself. Just one person off, here and there, and I put that onus on me putting everyone in the right position. Kudos to them. They played their tails off and they out-executed us, out-executed me today.”

** Beasley, Morse comments via WKBW-TV.

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Report card: Bills lose 24-17 to Ravens

In a classic AFC slugfest, the Ravens came away victorious over the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field to clinch a playoff birth.

The Bills received plenty of national attention after their Thanksgiving victory over the Dallas Cowboys, and with the national media watching two weeks in a row the team fell flat. The Bills offense was smothered by a dominate Ravens defense in Week 14 at New Era Field as the visitors took a 24-17 win.

While Buffalo’s defense had a stout performance they couldn’t stop MVP front runner, Lamar Jackson for four quarters.

A fourth quarter touchdown did make the final few minutes interesting, but it was too little too late.

Here’s how the Bills graded out in this week’s report card following their loss to the Ravens:

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Quarterback: D

Josh Allen had an atrocious first half, let’s not kid ourselves.

He was 8-for-17 passing, threw for just 39 yards, and was constantly hounded by a ferocious Baltimore defense. His production increased in the second half, which gave Buffalo an opportunity to tie the game in the fourth quarter but he couldn’t produce on the final throw of the game.

While the Bills kept it close throughout the game, Josh Allen simply wasn’t good enough during the first three quarters. Allen missed on a majority of his deep shots, which resulted in drives stalling out, or stopping before they could even start. He also missed on some of his shorter throws, with most of his misses sailing over the head of his intended receiver.

Allen’s final stat line was 17-for-39, 146 yards, and one touchdown, and one successful two-point conversion throw. Frankly, this may have been Allen’s worst game of the season and it couldn’t have come at a worst time.

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PODCAST: What went wrong with Bills offense in loss to Ravens?

Buffalo Bills NFL podcast following Week 14 24-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

The Buffalo Bills fell to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday at New Era Field, 24-17. It certainly wasn’t the Bills’ finest game offensively, but there is a lot of optimism and growth than can come from a loss like this.

No, this isn’t the Bills first loss in 2019. The reason that this loss feels differently though, is that the Bills hung tough with the NFL’s finest team.

The Baltimore Ravens offense has been one of the most explosive forces in 2019, and have been a delight to watch as a fan. The Bills defense contained the young and very spry Lamar Jackson on the ground, perhaps laying a blueprint for a future team, or even themselves, to continue to restrict Jackson”s scrambling ability.

The problem though, Lamar Jackson can throw pretty well, and in tight spaces. Jackson torched the Bills secondary on a blown coverage touchdown to tight end Hayden Hurst, and several mid-range passes, but overall, the defense did it’s job. Held the hottest and one of the highest scoring offenses to a reasonable score. Unfortunately, the offense couldn’t take advantage.

The team is already looking ahead, as they have a big Sunday Night Football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that is also currently in the playoff picture, and looking to improve their spot. The Bills have a competitive, but not overwhelming final three game stretch, including a Patriots team, that of course shouldn’t be overlooked, but is not having their best season in quite some time, despite their record.

Here’s the latest episode of The Bills Wire Podcast following the Bills’ loss to the Ravens:

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Instant analysis: Bills stumble on road to playoffs vs. Ravens

The Ravens knocked off the Bills 24-17 and showed why Baltimore currently holds the top spot in the AFC.

The Buffalo Bills fell to the Baltimore Ravens in a matchup of two potential playoff-bound teams. The Ravens knocked off the Bills 24-17 and showed why Baltimore currently holds the top spot in the AFC.

The game showcased two outstanding defenses, as both teams stunted the progress of their opponents all afternoon. Bills quarterback Josh Allen could muster only 39 yards through the air in the first half on 8-of-17 passing, while Lamar Jackson completed only 5-of-10 passes for 30 yards. Allen was sacked four times in the first half, while Jackson threw his first interception since Week 5.

The Bills may be on the cups of the playoffs. However, the Ravens revealed that they should be considered among the best in the league. The Bills took a team that is a tier above them in the standings to the brink, but it was not enough in the end.

Josh Allen was under duress all afternoon. Baltimore sacked the quarterback six times and racked up 12 quarterback hits. The Ravens pass rush was superior to anything the Bills have faced this year, but this was a disappointing performance by the group in the trenches. Between the wind and the swarming attack of the Ravens’ defense, Allen struggled to accurately find his receivers all afternoon.

The first half showed a glimmer of promise for the Bills, as they went into the break down only four points. Buffalo only allowed a Justin Tucker field goal int he first half.

The Ravens defense helped out their offense, as a strip-sack by the Ravens’ Matt Judon gave Lamar Jackson possession on the Bills 24-yard-line. The Bills defense hung strong, but an impromptu Lamar Jackson toss to Nick Boyle gave Baltimore a 10-point lead.

Buffalo could only answer with two Stephen Hauschka field goals to pull the game within four points.

The second half, though, did not start well for the Bills. Lamar Jackson found Hayden Hurst free in the Bills secondary. A blown coverage gave the Ravens tight end space to rumble for a 61-yard score.

The Bills defense could delay the inevitable for so long. Baltimore would later tack on seven more points on an impressive nine-play 51-yard drive culminating with a four-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Willie Snead.

Buffalo, however, responded with a great drive of their own, ending with their first touchdown of the afternoon. Buffalo possessed the ball for the seven-play, 78-yard drive. Cole Beasley scored on a short three-yard touchdown pass from Allen. In a quizzical move by Bills head coach Sean McDermott, the team attempted a two-point conversion at this point. Once again, Allen looked to Beasley once again, and the successful try brought the Bills back within seven points.

Buffalo’s defense held strong, forcing a three-and-out and giving the Bills’ offense the ball with plenty of time to try and tie the game. Buffalo was aided by multiple Ravens’ penalties. The Bills could only get to the Ravens’ 16-yard-line, and the final offensive play reflected the team’s performance all game; Allen’s pass to John Brown went off the receiver’s hands, possibly with some help from Baltimore cornerback Marcus Peters, and the incompletion ultimately ended the Bills attempt to tie the game.

The theme: it was all just out of reach for Buffalo today.

Allen ended the day 17-of-39 for 146 passing yards and a touchdown pass. However, he received the brunt of several big hits, as Buffalo’s offensive line provided little resistance against the Ravens’ blitzes. The Bills failed to make adjustments to pass protect Allen. It’s easy to criticize several of his throws, as Allen was off-target more so than in recent weeks. But, you may have to believe that Allen struggled to set his feet and read plays properly when every play he was being hit from all directions.

Allen was the recipient of two blind-side hits, one of which forced a lost fumble. He saved the Bills on several occasions, as Baltimore’s defense was in Buffalo’s backfield early and often.

The Bills also tried to stretch the field on several plays. The Bills attempted several deep balls throughout the afternoon. Unfortunately for Allen and his receivers, they were off target.

There will be much discussion on how the Bills can rebound from this performance on offense. Outside of their touchdown drive, it was tough sledding for the Bills.

Devin Singletary was used early and often in the game, helping establish the ground game for the Bills. Once again, the rookie showed his escapability, rushing 17 times for 89 yards. He also led Buffalo with six receptions.

While the Bills defense gave up 24 points, they were impressive in collapsing and containing Jackson on the afternoon. The Ravens finished nearly 100 yards below their season average, totaling an unspectacular 118 yards on the ground. Jackson, while the 1,000-yard mark for rushing this year, only ran for 40 yards on 11 carries against Buffalo’s defense. He completed 16-of-25 passes for 145 yards.

Tremaine Edmunds, middle linebacker for the Bills, picked off Jackson, which was the Louisville product’s first interception thrown since Week 5.

Jordan Poyer led the way with 10 tackles. The entire unit, while they did not put up massive numbers, was an integral part of containing Jackson.

Buffalo will be in the national spotlight next Sunday when they face the Steelers in Pittsburgh. The game, which has been flexed to a night game, will feature two teams who are still deep into the playoff race.

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5 takeaways from the Bills’ 24-17 loss to the Ravens

Five takeaways from the Buffalo Bills’ 24-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Bills make it interesting

The Bills lost. But Buffalo did make things interesting late. After struggling to make it into the Ravens’ territory throughout the game, the Bills offense finally did late and score. Quarterback Josh Allen hit Cole Beasley with a pass on the goal line and then the Bills went for the two-point conversion and completed it, once again to Cole Beasley.

Defensively, the Bills then forced a three-and-out. Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander had a huge play in that series, breaking up a third-down pass which would have gone for a first down.

On the ensuing Bills drive, the Bills didn’t look great offensively. Running back Devin Singletary had an impressive run or two, but the Bills were bailed out by some penalties. Regardless, in the end, the Bills had a look at it. Not many expected this to be a one-score game with the explosive Ravens in town and the Bills hung around enough to likely earn some respect since both teams played huge at times.

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Bills opponent outlook: Ravens history, statistics and more

Everything you need to know about the Baltimore Ravens, the Buffalo Bills’ Week 14 opponent.

Dec 1, 2019; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs during the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens square off this Sunday in a match up of AFC Heavyweights in Orchard Park. The Ravens are the hottest team in the NFL right now, defeating the Patriots and the 49ers over the last month. For the Bills, the chance to hang with a team of this caliber, is one to salivate at.

Here is all of the history that you need to know between the Ravens and Bills to get you ready for Sunday:

  • Since the Ravens inception in 1996, these two have played the Bills eight times.
  • They first played on Halloween in 1999, with the Bills getting a narrow 13-10 victory.
  • Their most recent encounter was the season opener just last year. The Ravens won 47-3 in that game.
  • Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson both made their NFL regular season debuts in last years game. Allen came in for a struggling Nate Peterman after he failed to move the offense down field, and Lamar was given the opportunity to get repetitions after the Ravens were well ahead.
  • The Ravens lead the all-time series, 5-3 , outscoring the Bills 180 to 112 in those eight encounters.

2019 So Far

Baltimore is way ahead of what many experts thought that they would be. Lamar Jackson’s growth, combined with excellent coaching from the Ravens staff, has propped the Ravens up as the best team in the NFL currently. Greg Roman, their offensive coordinator, is the dual-threat quarterback whisperer, and has this Ravens offense exciting to watch, and efficient, utilizing well sold trickery and misdirection.

After a good start, which saw them begin the season  2-2 with a blow out victory over Miami, a close victory over the Cardinals, and losses to Kansas City and division rival Cleveland, Baltimore hasn’t looked back since. Garnering eight straight wins, the Ravens have mostly dominated, with seemingly no end in sight.

Their major victories have been giving the Patriots their first loss of 2019 on primetime television, a double-digit victory over the Seattle Seahawks, led by another MVP candidate in Russell Wilson, lopsided victories over the Texans and Rams, and most recently, a strong four quarter effort to defeat the San Francisco 49ers.

It’s safe to say that 2019 has been good for the Baltimore Ravens. They currently sit at second in total offense, behind the Cowboys. Baltimore has accumulated 5,049 yards of total offense this season, with one fewer game than the Cowboys currently. Although they haven’t really needed too, they are the 26th ranked passing offense, with 2,555 yards passing for Jackson. By a long shot, they are the number one rushing offense, with 2,494 rushing yards in total, over 700 rushing yards ahead of the second best rushing offense, who they defeated in last week.

The Ravens also happen to be the highest scoring offense, by nearly 60 points ahead of the 49ers, who come in at number two. Baltimore is tied at first with Seattle for 26 passing touchdowns, and first in rushing touchdowns with 18.

Jackson comes in 18th for passing yard leaders this year, with 2,532 passing yards, just 59 yards behind Josh Allen. His 25 passing touchdowns are good for second in that category, only one touchdown behind Russell Wilson. Jackson is also 11th in completion percentage, with 66.5%. He’s doing well in the interception category as well, throwing only five this year, tied for 23rd with Matthew Stafford, Gardner Minshew, and Joe Flacco.

As for rushers, Jackson is in the top-10 of the NFL, 977 yards for him on the ground, with a good chance of crossing 1,000 this Sunday, averaging 81.4 yards per game. Mark Ingram, the starting running back, is not far behind, sitting at 12th with 837 rushing yards. Ingram has been a complementary and integral part of the offense, not only with yardage and production, but with selling fake handoffs. Gus Edwards sits at 32nd in yardage with 460 yards.

Obviously, with such a run heavy team, receivers aren’t having “career-years,” but it does not matter, they are doing their part to put their team in a winning position. Tight end Mark Andrews leads receiving for Baltimore, with 693 receiving yards, coming in at 32nd in the NFL. Andrews is fourth amongst tight ends however, just behind Travis Kelce, Darren Waller and Zach Ertz.

Marquise Brown is the leading wide receiver for the team. The rookie sensation is 58th in receiving yards with 520 yards by air, and six touchdowns of his own. Willie Snead is the next closest, ranked 125th with only 289 yards.

Historically, Baltimore has always been a defensive heavy team, and this year is no different. Despite losing some talented players, they traded for Marcus Peters and have a very young, and talented defense. The Ravens are currently the seventh ranked defense, allowing 3,881 yards against them. They are the 11th ranked passing defense, giving up 2,742 yards by air, and are the sixth ranked rush defense, allowing 1,139 yards on the ground. Baltimore is also the fourth ranked defense in points allowed, giving up 219 points so far, just behind the Buffalo Bills.

How do they match up versus the Bills?

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4 Ravens to watch against the Bills

The Baltimore Ravens have a chance to clinch a playoff spot and extend their lead on the No. 1 seed. But these four players need to show up

The Baltimore Ravens enter Week 14 with a chance to not only clinch a playoff berth but to extend their lead on the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture. To do that, they simply need to handle their own business and beat the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills won’t be an easy task, however. They sit at 9-3 and are trying to reinforce their standings in the postseason. With such an important game for both teams, Baltimore will need to see solid play from a few particular players to pull off the win.

Keep a close eye on these four Ravens in Week 14 against the Bills.

RB, Mark Ingram

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

With the potential for cold weather and high winds again this week, Ingram should see a heavy workload. And considering the Bills’ run defense is a little porous thanks to a defensive line that has struggled to tackle ball carriers, it seems like the type of matchup Ingram should be licking his lips over.

As we’ve seen all season long, Baltimore loves pounding down a defense early and often in order to open them up against the pass and Jackson running outside the tackles. If Ingram and the Ravens find some early success when running inside, they should be able to eat up a lot of time and apply pressure on Buffalo’s offense to make up the ground quickly. Once that happens, Baltimore has pretty much already won the game.

But that means Ingram has to show burst through the hole and make defenders pay for getting in his way. Luckily, that’s his forte.

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Can Buffalo slow Baltimore’s offense and other questions for Bills Wire in Week 14

With similar makeups and two of the best mobile quarterbacks in the league, the Ravens and Bills are in for a good fight this week.

The Baltimore Ravens are on an eight-game winning streak and if they win out, they’ll be guaranteed the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture. While that might seem easy to do considering how Baltimore has played in recent weeks, they’ll get another big test in the surging Buffalo Bills in Week 14.

The Bills have been getting better as they rebuilt their roster. They even surprised many by earning a playoff berth in 2017. With their eyes on the postseason again this year, the Ravens are standing in their way and mark a chance to add a statement win to a pretty easy schedule.

To get better insight on what Buffalo has going for them and what to expect from this team this week, I say down with Bills Wire managing editor Nick Wojton to pick his brain.

1- Lamar Jackson gets all the attention but Josh Allen is no slouch when running the ball. How can the Ravens slow him down on the ground?

Like Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen is tough to bring down and is an excellent runner. Why I think Jackson gets much more hype is his running style. He’s so elusive it’s amazing to watch. Allen has some wiggle, but not close to Jackson’s elusiveness. Think more, a younger Big Ben. He’s tough to take down, and if it’s not there, he’ll take off and fight his way for yards. He’s just recently started sliding more to avoid contact, which is a great sign. So to answer, slow Allen down by taking him down. Don’t let Allen escape that first tackler, who’s often on him behind the line of scrimmage.

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