It's officially been 16 seasons since the Buffalo Bills have missed the playoffs. 16 seasons. This drought is old enough to get it's learners permit and driver's license. It's almost old enough to vote too. This drought drags on one year longer as the Bills forgot to show up to Washington D.C. last Sunday, putting on a dumpster fire of a performance. It only took 3 Redskins possessions to put the game away for Buffalo. Buffalo's season, no matter how it ends, will be a disappointing ending to a year that was started with such hype. Let's break down the game.
Offense: The offense was just awful until it no longer mattered. They pulled the game close in garbage time, which is a routine the Bills like to follow when the game is out of hand. They finished with 452 yards of total offense, which is a good game in most situations. Buffalo got most of those yards when the game was considered "over," though. Buffalo committed no turnovers, but it didn't do a whole lot of good, as they still couldn't get the ball moving. It was a dreadful performance, and the only notable performances were by 2 key players, so let's talk about them.
Tyrod Taylor's day was not great early on, but he finished strong and anybody could tell he was the real leader of this Buffalo offense. He finished his day 16/27, 212 yards, 2 TD's, and 0 INT's. He also added 79 yards on the ground with 9 rushes. He looks like he has control of the huddle, and proved he can still make plays with his feet when the rest of the team is having a rough time. He continues to turn the ball over at an extremely minimal rate, throwing only 1 INT since October. Although I think it's too soon to consider him our franchise QB, he is making a strong case to be that guy.
The other notable performance was by WR Sammy Watkins. He makes his presence known in every game, as long as he's thrown the ball! He reeled in 5 catches for 111 yards and 2 TD's. He also looks to be a player this team can really build around, along with Tyrod Taylor. He makes an impact when he's given the chance to, and overall he plays hard. He's a true playmaker, and just needs his opportunities.
As far as the defense goes, it was a circus. Kirk Cousins lit them up with 308 yards and 5 total TD's, and the ground game of the Skins carved up the Buffalo D for another 123 yards. There wasn't much to take away from this game defensively. They had nothing going on Sunday, and the lack of communication came to a head this game. This defense needs a changeup, and Rex has his work cut out for him.
Overall, it was just a miserable performance from the whole team. With Tyrod and Sammy as bright spots, this team can start to see where they can build around. The last 2 games are meaningless, but still, they face an awfully banged up Dallas team this Sunday. It will be interesting to see how the Bills finish, and it will be an offseason that will come with many changes. Thanks for reading, and as always, let's go Buffalo!
Sources:
Stats: http://espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=400791695
Image #1: http://media.nbcwashington.com/images/652*435/502108128.jpg
Image #2: http://img.ccrd.clearchannel.com/media/mlib/2079/2015/12/default/buffalo_bills_v_washington_red_0_1450629461.jpg
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