Buffalo Bills vs Baltimore Ravens: Observations For the Bills Herd
What a sweet way to lose.
Only the Bills.
Buffalo completely dominated the first half, but relinquished a 24-10 lead.
After falling behind 34-24, Buffalo came storming back in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter to ultimately lose in overtime 37-34.
The Bills held the Ravens in the extra frame but turned over the ball after a very questionable fumble call. Ughhh...
Turnover Differential
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I'm as upset with the turnover situation as you are.
And what's up with the secondary that caught 28 interceptions last year?
Jairus Byrd is demonstrating that his rookie year may have been a fluke and as surprising as many would think, the defensive backfield has been the weakest aspect of the Bills defense through six games.
I'm very frustrated with the four turnovers the Bills surrendered, but they need to force some as well if they want to stay in games in the future. The turnover differential for Buffalo is embarrassing.
Ryan Fitzpatrick Proved a Very Important Point
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Fitzpatrick showed that a QB with guts can perform well even on this heavily-criticized team.
He completed 29 of his 43 passes that included four touchdowns. Sure, he threw two interceptions as well, but come on what did we expect from a career back-up from Harvard.
Baltimore is known for their defense and blitzed Buffalo's green offensive line often, but Fitzpatrick had no issue completing passes on critical third downs.
I love Fitzpatrick, he's a keeper. His 102.0 QB rating is second in the NFL behind only Peyton Manning.
Just think what a quarterback with an above-average skill set could do in Chan Gailey's offense.
Steve Johnson Showed Us Something
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The Bills have been ridiculed for their idiotic early round draft picks in the last ten years.
But for as many busts that have roamed the field (or sidelines) in Buffalo, the Bills have had their fair share of late round gems.
George Wilson, Demetrius Bell, Fred Jackson, Cordaro Howard, David Nelson and Steve Johnson are all seventh round or un-drafted guys that are currently starting for the Bills.
Howard held his own in his first start, and Steve Johnson exploded onto the scene with a touchdown and eight catches for 158 yards. Johnson has six touchdowns on the year. This third year player out of Kentucky isn't messing around. He's a very solid and underrated receiver.
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Wait For The 3-4
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Going into the 2010 season, Bills fans were giddy about the fact that their team was going to employ the ultra-aggressive 3-4 defense.
Sorry for all you who were pumped before the year, but the Bills are not running a 3-4.
Most of the sets I saw more resembled a 5-2 than anything else.
They were far from great; they gave up 37 points, but for the most part played the mediocre defense we were expecting.
The new defensive system won't be fully deployed until next year.
The personnel simply isn't there yet.
Running Game
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Buffalo went into this game having abandoned their run to start the season.
CJ Spiller had totaled only 19 carries and Fred Jackson had be certainly under-utilized going into the Ravens' contest..
The Bills started this game determined to run the ball, and although they weren't extremely successful, the run game did exactly what the Bills wanted it to do.
It put Buffalo in many 3rd and short situations and ate clock.
The Bills ran 35 times for 132 times. Not exactly ideal production, but an emphasis on the run is definitely a step in the right direction..
The Defense
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OK, this will be short and sweet.
The Bills defense is historically bad.
They gave up 30+ points for the fifth straight time which marks the worst streak in Buffalo's history.
The defensive line got decent pressure on Joe Flacco which shocked me, but the linebackers were hardly impressive and the secondary was about as disappointing as you can get.
I still feel that Paul Posluszny could be serviceable with better players around him, but the harsh reality is that the Bills defense is going to give up lots of yards and points, and we'll just have to suffer through it.
Donte Whitner was caught out of position on numerous occasions, and Jairus Byrd played very timid.
What a shame.
The OT Fumble
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I hate when people blame the refs in a loss.
It just looks bad.
I don't care what you hear from MIke and Mike, or from your favorite blog, but the Shawn Nelson fumble in OT was very questionable, to put it lightly.
Any other time, the whistle would have most likely been blown and forward progress would have been established.
The big, bad Ray Lewis stripped and recovered the fumble, but I personally don't think the Ravens should have been awarded the football.
Did anyone see him make a play the rest of the game. For as much as he talks, I didn't.
Offensive Line?
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What an upgrade Cordaro Howard is over Cornell Green.
Neither are franchise guys, but Howard played an outstanding game on Sunday against a blood-thirsty Ravens' defense.
Fitzpatrick did a stand-up job finding the blitzes pre-snap, but the offensive line played as well as they did against New England in Week Three.
The BIlls still need a franchise left tackle, but as least now they know the depth on their roster has potential and is gaining valuable experience.
Lee Evans and Roscoe Parrish
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The Bills have one of the more unknown receiving corps in the NFL, but they definitely can produce.
Evans, the speedster, hauled in six catches for 105 yards and three touchdowns while Parrish caught eight passes.
You may or may not think the Bills have a threatening receiving unit, but Evans, Parrish and Johnson are quietly becoming a formidable unit.
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