As the biggest event in the NFL, the Superbowl, is just over 24 hours away, and 30 other teams' seasons have all come to an end, it's time to look back on the Buffalo Bills 2015 campaign. It all began with an offseason full of excitement and unmatched hype, as season ticket sales were at an all time high. Rex Ryan got hired as the new Bills head coach. A new quarterback came to the surface for Buffalo, as Tyrod Taylor earned his spot as the starter. Key transactions such as the signings of Charles Clay and Percy Harvin, along with the trade for Lesean McCoy had this fan base ecstatic for the season to come. The Bills even managed to lock up a great playmaker in DT Marcell Dareus for 6 more years. Still, as has been the usual for the past 16 years, the Buffalo Bills missed out on the playoffs...again.
Going into the season, the Buffalo Bills had a "run first" mentality, and they did just that. The Bills lead the NFL in rushing, averaging 152 yards per game. They ran the ball 506 times (2nd in the NFL) for a league leading 2432 yards. They also had 19 rushing TD's which is tied for 1st in the NFL. An extensive part of this rushing offense came from QB Tyrod Taylor, who made his first NFL start last season. Other key contributors were superstar Lesean McCoy and rookie stand-out Karlos Williams. Let's not also forget the men up front. Cordy Glenn, Richie Incognito, Eric Wood and John Miller all had solid seasons on the offenseive line. With the league's best rushing attack along with several young runningbacks in the Bills system, this team doesn't need a lot of improvement in the backfield.
The passing attack was also efficient, but other times it was a pain to watch. Let's start by saying the Bills only passed 465 times, which is good for 31st in the NFL. With that said, it's expected that their passing #'s in general will take a large hit. They ranked 28th overall in passing with just 208.9 yards passing per game. Tyrod Taylor carried most of the passing load, except when EJ Manuel got his 2 starts due to an injured Tyrod Taylor. This passing attack had 7.7 yards-per-attempt, which ranks 6th in the NFL. They also managed to prevent turning the ball over, throwing only 9 picks, which is ranked 9th in the NFL. This passing attack was certainly not spectacular, but it was where the Bills needed it to be, considering how dominant their rushing attack was. Overall, Buffalo's offense finished the year ranked 13th in the NFL. The defense is really what seemed to hold this team back.
This Bills team came into this year boasting the most sacks over the past 3 seasons and just came off a 4th overall ranked year. This year, Buffalo defense ranked 19th overall, and it was unfortunately deserved. This defense lacked discipline, hustle, and overall just couldn't get off the field. The coaching is also to blame, as several times the defensive players were complaining about what they were forced to do and how late calls were being received inside the huddle. The defense was also heavily penalized, which was a huge factor in them not being able to get off of the football field. Buffalo had the 6th most picks this year, but ranked 31st in sacks. Several key injuries also hindered this defense, including Kyle Williams, Aaron Williams, Nigel Bradham, Stephon Gilmore, Leodis McKelvin, and Marcell Dareus late in the season. This defense has a lot of needs, and with Mario seemingly on his way out, it'll be interesting to see how they handle these needs and issues.
However it's looked at, this Bills team was exceptional in some areas, but were inexcusably poor in others. Doug Whaley, along with Rex Ryan will need to step up this offseason to ensure the Bills needs are fulfilled for hopefully a successful season this year. If the defense can fix it's flaws and the offense can continue to grow and succeed, this team may finally find a balance and can gain some consistency. Thanks for reading, and as always, Let's go Buffalo!
Update: This article pertains to the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Next article will take a look at specific players and how they've contributed over the season. Thank you!
Sources:
Stats: http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/team/_/stat/passing/sort/sacks/position/defense/seasontype/2
Image #1: (AP Photo/Bill Wippert)
Image #2: https://nbcprofootballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/cd0ymzcznguwzdbhnduynddiytjhm2yyzthlmtjjotqwyyznpwm1zje1ntc2yzk4m2m2nzi3y2e3ytazm2flyjhhmmy1.jpeg?w=250
Should be a lot of off-season news though.
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