The Bills lost to the Houston Texans, 22-19 in a heartbreaking overtime defeat.
The Buffalo Bills first playoff appearance of this decade did not disappoint. The Bills and Texans battled all four quarters, forcing overtime.
Ultimately, Deshaun Watson and the Texans offense made enough plays in overtime giving Houston the Wild Card victory.
After a heartbreaking loss, here’s how the Bills graded out in what will be their final report card of the 2019 season:
Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Quarterback: C
Josh Allen started the first half strong, with a touchdown reception on the opening drive that seemingly set the tone for the rest of the game. The Bills never capitalized on that momentum, settling for field goals throughout the game.
When looking at Allen’s stat line it shows that he wasn’t consistent, he completed 24 of his 46 throws, 264 yards, zero passing touchdowns, and zero interceptions. To be fair, Allen wasn’t sharp in the second half and when the Texans were sending pressure he was making rash decisions. As the game progressed Allen started looking for the game winning play, when a more effective option was available.
Allen also tried to extend plays when they were dead, and cost his team valuable yards down the stretch. Allen has been an enigma all season, and Saturday was no exception. At times he extended plays with his legs, and made some sensational throws. Other times, especially late in the game he made some head-scratching decisions, like taking a deep shot to Patrick DiMarco in the fourth quarter.
Here are several ideas to consider as the Bills’ brass makes this choice ahead of their second post-season game in three seasons.
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Duke Williams made a statement with his performance in the team’s finale Sunday. Williams, in his first season in Buffalo, was the primary target against the Jets, reeling in 6-of-12 targets for 108 yards.
Williams had been inactive in Buffalo’s previous eight games.
The former Canadian Football League star gives the Bills a large-bodied target that Buffalo’s receiving corps lacks. At 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, he is a strong option to battle for 50-50 balls in the air. He can also be considered the best blocking receiver on the team.
If Williams did play well enough to name him as an active player for Saturday’s Wild Card matchup, then who will be relegated to sideline duties next week?
Here are several ideas to consider as the Bills’ brass makes this choice ahead of their second post-season game in three seasons:
Andre Roberts
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Andre Roberts. Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Andre Roberts was inactive last Sunday with a foot injury. The veteran plays the majority of his snaps on special teams as Buffalo’s primary punt and kick returner. Roberts has played sparingly on offensive this season, catching three passes for 20 yards and rushing the ball once for seven yards.
If Roberts is healthy, Buffalo will want to have him back returning kicks. However, if his injury lingers into next week, the Bills could suit up the same group of receivers who faced off against the Jets in Week 17.
Potentially without Roberts, receiver Isaiah McKenzie can see time at Roberts’ returner role.
What we learned, Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets, NFL Week 17
There’s little that should be taken away from the Buffalo Bills’ final game of the 2019 regular season, a 13-6 loss in the rain against a New York Jets’ team that was finishing up its playoff-less season.
The Bills, with nothing to play for on Sunday, rested several key players and played mostly backups throughout the contest. In what looked like a preseason game, the Bills struggled to do much of anything on offense. The Jets struggled as well, but did just enough to outlast the Bills as both teams ran for the proverbial bus, just hoping to get this game over and done with.
The Bills wanted to get this game out of the way without any significant injuries before they made their journey out to the Central time zone for a Wild card Matchup against the Houston Texans. Unfortunately, the Bills were unable to escape without significant injury.
Levi Wallace and Ty Nsekhe were knocked out of Sunday’s contest and failed to return. Cody Ford, Taron Johnson and Siran Neal also left the game with injuries, but returned. The injuries were the last thing the Bills’ coaching staff wanted to see. The injury to Wallace was particularly troubling. The Bills’ No. 2 cornerback was hurt making a first quarter interception. It was a non-contact injury, which is never a good thing, as he planted his foot awkwardly in the wet New Era Field turf while trying to pivot and intercept a pass from Jets quarterback Sam Darnold. Wallace turned his ankle on the interception and hobbled off the field with help from a couple of teammates. The Bills get ready to face a Houston passing attack.
Nsekhe and Ford, Buffalo’s two right tackles, were banged up in this game and their absence was felt greatly. The Buffalo offensive line struggled all day against the Jets’ defensive front.
The Bills finish the 2019 regular season at 10-6, earning the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs. Their wild card matchup with Houston will be the first game of the coming weekend, kicking off at 4:30 at NRG Stadium.
Here are four things we learned about the Bills from Sunday’s game and how they relate to Buffalo’s attempt to finally win a playoff game for the first time since 1995 this coming Saturday in Texas.
Stock report following the Buffalo Bills’ Week 17 loss to the New York Jets.
The Bills fell in their final regularly scheduled game of the 2019 season against the Jets, 13-6.
In terms of stock reporting, it was a different one considering plenty of old faces were in the lineup. The game played out like a preseason contest with plenty of backups for the Bills.
Here’s how some of those players saw their stock move following the Bills’ loss to the Jets:
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Duke Williams. Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Stock up
WR Duke Williams
The one that everyone wanted to see happen, happened. Receiver Duke Williams started for the Bills and played a heck of a game with his opportunity.
His overall stat line was shaky with 12 targets and only six catches, but a few of them were off target. Of note, one was certainly a drop on third down which he would’ve liked back. All in all, Williams had 108 yards receiving in a game with a backup quarterback tossing him the ball against a solid defense that was playing their starters. Promising signs.
The Bills lose in their final game of the regular season to the New York Jets.
In the final game of the NFL season, the Buffalo Bills lost to their divisional rival, New York Jets, 13-6. A rainy day in Orchard Park led to sloppy performances from fringe players on the Bills roster.
Thankfully, it was a meaningless loss due to Buffalo locking the fifth playoff seed in the AFC with their victory over the Steelers.
With the final report card of the regular season, let’s see how the backups performed against the New York Jets:
Matt Barkley #5 of the Buffalo Bills. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
Quarterbacks: D
We’ll get Josh Allen out of the way first. He played just two series and threw the ball five times. He completed three of those passes for five yards, but it wouldn’t be fair to add his performance to this grade.
Backup Matt Barkley started the game under pressure, getting hit on his first throw that looked like a fumble but was called an incomplete pass. On his second drive he found more momentum, finding running back T.J. Yeldon, and receiver Duke Williams. Ultimately, it didn’t lead to any points, which was a common theme for the Bills offense in this game.
Barkley also had issues with turning the ball over. Barkley threw two interceptions, both of them were ugly, and he fumbled the ball. He never found a rhythm throughout the game either, so he could never develop a chemistry with his receivers. This led to balls to being under-thrown, overthrown, and a really bad night from the backup.
His final stat-line was 18/35, 232 yards, two interceptions, and one lost fumble which should’ve been two. Oof.
Williams hopes his game vs. the Jets is enough to make him active in the Wild Card round.
During the Bills’ 13-6 defeat at the hands of the New York Jets, several backups had a chance to showcase their abilities in hopes of seeing the field during next week’s Wild Card game against the Texans. .
Perhaps the player with the most to gain, was wide receiver and fan favorite, D’haquille “Duke” Williams.
After being called up from the practice squad earlier this season, Williams has been inactive since the Bills week 8 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I was just ready to play. I’ve been sitting out a long, long time,” Williams told the media after today’s game. “There’s only so long you can keep a dog on a leash… and once they let me off, they told me they was gonna let me out this week, all I could think about was go get it, attack, play dirty in the run game, play dirty in the pass game, catch everything that come to you and that’s what I did today.”
After hauling in six catches for 108 yards, Williams knows that a good game today could be the difference between seeing the field next week vs. the Texans and being on the inactive list.
“Today was my playoff game,” Williams said. “I tried to show these coaches that I’m available for them if they need me come playoff time. You know, I went to sleep with it on my mind last night, like if you grind hard enough and show these coaches that you want to be playing next weekend, it’s suppose to happen today and it did and I played good. Like I said, I left a few plays on the field that’s still in the back of my head right now, but hopefully I showed these coaches enough that they’ll have me up for Houston.”
During his postgame press conference, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott said he was impressed by Williams.
“He’s a tough football player,” McDermott said. “He’s popular with the fans… love the juice and the toughness, he brought us some energy.”
While Quarterback Josh Allen played limited reps during today’s game, he added that Williams is a, “big bodied possession guy” and that, “the way he plays the game is infectious.”
It remains to be seen whether Williams has done enough to crack the lineup next week for the Bills playoff game, but in his rookie season in the NFL, after coming over from the Canadian Football League, Williams can at least cherish the fact that he even has the opportunity to do so.
The Buffalo Bills fell to the New York Jets 13-6 to close out their regular-season slate of games.
The Buffalo Bills fell to the New York Jets 13-6 to close out their regular-season slate of games. The game had the feel of a preseason game since the Bills were already locked into the fifth spot in the AFC playoff standings and the Jets playing out their schedule as New York was eliminated from the playoff picture weeks ago.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott removed most of his starters by the end of the first quarter, leaving the majority of snaps to players who will provide depth in the Wild Card round.
The most special moment of the game occurred midway through the first quarter, as McDermott called a timeout so that veteran linebacker Lorenzo Alexander could be acknowledged while leaving the field.
Buffalo Bills outside linebacker Lorenzo Alexander (57) signs autographs before an NFL football game against the New York Jets Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Impressively, Buffalo’s reserves on defense kept the Jets offense under wraps. The unit allowed only 272 total yards. Jets quarterback Sam Darnold was quiet, totaling 199 passing yards on 23-of-36 day. He threw one touchdown, a third-quarter score to wide receiver Jamison Crowder.
Trent Murphy recorded two sacks on the day, while Siran Neal and Corey Liuget each registered six tackles.
Offensively, Buffalo saw some unfamiliar faces gain some decent yardage. TJ Yeldon carried the ball seven times for 18 yards. He also caught three passes for 24 yards. Wide receiver Duke Williams was targeted often, catching six passes for 108 yards. Tight end Tommy Sweeney was a presence over the middle of the field, catching five balls for 76 yards.
Isaiah McKenzie also put pressure on the Jets defense, running two jet sweeps for 30 yards.
However, there was a lack of continuity with the second-string garnering most of the meaningful snaps on the day. Matt Barkley struggled throughout the afternoon. Barkley turned the ball over three times: two interceptions and a lost fumble. He did not inspire much confidence if he were to see the field in a dire situation in the playoffs.
Barkley finished completing 18-of-35 passes for 232 yards and the aforementioned turnovers. Several passes sailed and found the turf off Barkley’s hand.
Several bills limped off the field at several points in the game. Offensive tackle Ty Nsekhe, cornerback Taron Johnson, defensive back Siran Neal, and cornerback Levi Wallace all missed snaps during the game.
Buffalo Bills cornerback Levi Wallace (39) is carted off the field during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019 in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
However, Wallace’s injury could have major ramifications going forward, as his lower-body injury looked somewhat severe. The Alabama product could not put weight on his leg leaving the field. As the counterpart to Tre’Davious White in the Bills secondary, his possible absence will be problematic for the Buffalo.
The Bills conclude their season at 10-6, their first double-digit win total in 20 years. Buffalo will travel to Houston for Wild Card playoff action next weekend.
Five takeaways from the Buffalo Bills’ Week 17 loss to the New York Jets.
This one didn’t mean a whole lot to the Bills, but in the one thing they had to do against the New York Jets in Week 17, they failed miserably.
And it had nothing to do with the final 10-3 score in favor of the Jets, either.
With that, here’s five takeaways from the Bills’ loss to the Jets:
Buffalo Bills cornerback Levi Wallace. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Injury bug bites Bills
The Bills lost, who cares? The game had no meaning for Buffalo. The main goal was to not get injured. Well, the Bills did that.
Throughout the course of the game, the Bills lost cornerback Levi Wallace and offensive lineman Ty Nsekhe. Both plays suffered ankle injuries. Wallace was injured as he intercepted Jets quarterback Sam Darnold while Nsekhe went down on a running play.
Losing Wallace is a big loss. The Bills will want their No. 2 cornerback in the Wild Card round. The Bills will play either the Chiefs or Texans in that game. Both teams sport good passing offenses. In Nsekhe, he’s provided better offensive line play than rookie Cody Ford at tackle. He looked to have re-injured his ankle injury that kept him out for five games. If that’s the case, he’s likely done for the playoffs.
Sure, Josh Allen wasn’t injured in this one, but these could still be big losses for the Bills, who’ve remained relatively healthy all season.
Buffalo Bills WR Duke Williams discusses being inactive ahead of playing the Jets.
Duke Williams is what seems to be the 2019 version of something the Bills have had in recent years.
The Bills lack an elite wide receiver on their roster and instead are sporting a deeper, well-rounded unit highlighted by John Brown and Cole Beasley this year. This has been the case in the team’s recent history, not just in 2019, so the fan base often gravitates to backups or practice squad players that could have potential.
After all, nobody is more popular in Buffalo than the backup goalie or quarterback, right?
But Williams, as of late, hasn’t gotten his chance to show if he truly could turn into something. Over the past eight games, he’s been inactive after scoring a touchdown earlier this year in some playing time.
The 26-year-old could certainly be bitter about that, but he’s not at all. He’s looking at the big picture.
“I’m not going to ever be mad for not playing,” Williams told the team’s website. “I could still be ungrateful and be at home doing nothing but I’m here doing what I love and that’s what it is. I’m not mad at all.”
“End of the day I’m just thankful to be in this locker room with these guys,” Williams added.
Once a highly-touted prospect for the Auburn Tigers in college, he found himself in trouble off the field which led to his stock dropping once he eventually got to the NFL. He briefly spent time on the Rams’ practice squad as an undrafted rookie, but had to rejuvenate his career in the CFL. Now that he’s back, Williams appears to have changed his mindset for the better. He’s still young and could have opportunities in the future. And near future.
It’s unclear exactly how much, if at all, Williams will play for the Bills in Week 17, but he should see his first chance in awhile to get out there. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott said this week a “majority” of the team’s starters will play, to some extent, against the Jets in a meaningless contest. The Bills already have their position in the playoffs locked in place.
But with that, not bringing in Williams and risking injury to impact players would be an insane move, so expect to see him at some point.
In three games this season, Williams has notched six catches for 58 yards including his game-winning score in Week 5 against the Titans.
Five Buffalo Bills storylines to watch for during their Week 17 meeting with the New York Jets.
The Bills are hosting the New York Jets to roundout their 2019 regular season.
Things are set for both sides standings-wise heading into this one, and we’ll start with the most obviously overlying storyline for the Bills.
Here are five storylines to watch for as the Bills host the Jets in Week 17:
Buffalo Bills quarterback Matt Barkley. Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
How much will starters play?
Naturally, this.
Only Sean McDermott’s coaching staff knows the true answer to this one, but all we know is the Bills’ starting players will see playing time, or at least a “majority” of them will, including quarterback Josh Allen. It’s not the worst plan, but the Bills have to be extremely careful for the obvious.
If an injury occurs to any starter, let alone a guy like Allen, McDermott is going to be heavily criticized. Also making things a bit more nerve-wrecking is the Jets. Their defensive coordinator is Gregg Williams, who has a history of wanting to put some heat on opposing players, quarterbacks specifically. It doesn’t feel comfortable that Jets safety Jamal Adams said he wants to put a “hunting” on the Bills this weekend, too.
Having said all that, playing the starters for a very, very brief time is a fair move. But don’t get too cute.
