Bills Vs. Bengals Game Breakdown

It's one step forward and two steps back for the Buffalo Bills as of late. They fall to the Cincinnati Bengals 34-21 as their record has dropped to an unimpressive 3-3. EJ Manuel got the start while Watkins and McCoy returned to the lineup. McCoy had a great day, while Manuel had a rather pedestrian day while Sammy got hurt after just his 4th reception yesterday. Defense and coaching seemed to be the story of the day as Buffalo falls one more game behind the New York Jets and the New England Patriots. Let's break down the game.


Offense: The offense, as expected, had an average day behind the QB play of EJ Manuel. He didn't lose them the game, but he didn't make a huge effort to try and win the game either. EJ put up 263 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT while completing 28 of 42 pass attempts. Overall, the Bills put up 368 yards of offense.

The receivers, who were catching EJ Manuel's passes, had average days. With the injury to Percy Harvin and the halftime loss of Sammy Watkins, the Bills are down to about 3 healthy WR's going into London. Charles Clay led the team as usual, with 9 receptions for 62 yards. Watkins also put up 48 yards and a touchdown with his 4 receptions.

Rushing wise, the only player who received carries was Lesean McCoy. Returning from injury, he looked explosive, productive and elusive. He put up 90 yards on 17 carries and added a touchdown onto the board. EJ also rushed 6 times for 22 yards.

Defense: The story of the day was the defense, and it wasn't because they played well. They got eaten alive by Andy Dalton, as he threw 243 yards and 3 touchdowns on this Bills defense. They also got rushed on, giving up 112 yards. The biggest issue with this defense was the lack of pressure, as Dalton was rarely touched throughout the day. The Bengals just had too many weapons, and the Bills couldn't find an answer.

Buffalo has faced several key injuries, including Harvin, Watkins, Kyle Williams, Aaron Williams, Karlos Williams and Marquise Goodwin. They are currently in London, where only 3 healthy receivers made the trip. Buffalo won't have a lot of options, but expect them to bring a man or 2 overseas to fill in the blanks at the WR spot. EJ Manuel will also most likely look to take the start, facing a very beatable Jaguars team. For Buffalo to get things back on track, this defense has to get after the QB, while getting everyone healthy during the upcoming bye week. I'm confident Buffalo will have a much more positive second half of the season if they can sneak out of London with a win and a healthy squad. Thanks for reading, and as always, let's go Buffalo!