The Buffalo Bills entered their annual “home” game in Toronto on Sunday with faint playoff hopes, and came out like gangbusters to start the game as they took an early 14-0 lead over the struggling Atlanta Falcons. By the time the game ended, the Bills found themselves on the losing end of the score, 34-31, in overtime. The loss may not have officially ended Buffalo’s playoff hopes, but one thing is certain after this performance – the Bills are NOT a playoff team. Atlanta, a team that played for the NFC championship last year, has totally imploded this year, going into the matchup in Toronto with a 2-9 record. The Bills, as they are apt to be, turned out to be the cure for what ailed the Falcons. The Bills had a chance to put Atlanta away early, but instead of doing that, their defense, dominant on the first two series of the game, relaxed, allowed two drives that included multiple big plays and turned what looked like a rout into a 17-17 tie at halftime. Buffalo has been a maddening team, not just this year, but over the past several seasons, in that they put together good performances, then cave in at some point and find a way to lose. EJ Manuel had a decent game. He is beginning to show some consistency – he makes good decisions, doesn’t turn the ball over, shows poise and makes plays when called on to do it. He did it twice at the end of the game, driving the team into field goal position before Stevie Johnson fumbled it away at the end of regulation, and then again in overtime, when he seemed well on his way to driving the team into a position to score before Scott Chandler put the ball on the ground to set up the Falcons for the winning points. C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson both had stellar games, and the defense sacked Matt Ryan six times, and got a fumble recovery from Kiko Alonso. In the end, however, Buffalo showed that they just do not know how to close out games. Coach Doug Marrone, again, was emotional afterwards and looking for reasons why his team just handed an opponent another victory. Watching his post-game press conference, I can’t help but think how much he’s starting to resemble Chan Gailey, and Dick Jauron before him, and Mike Mularkey before him, etc. etc. reciting the same script over and over again after tough losses. It’s only his first season, but I’m still on the fence about the new coach. On the one hand, he looks like a college coach overwhelmed by the pro game and unable to correct what ails his team. On the other hand, it’s probably unfair to compare him to guys like Gailey and Jauron, since he at least has a pulse.
The Bills now have to use what’s left of another lost season to sort out what players they can move forward with next year and beyond. They have clearly found gems in some of the younger prospects playing major roles this year, especially Manuel. But they’ll also have to clear out more of the veteran players who contribute to the losing culture that still remains. Another game played Sunday was between Indianapolis and Tennessee, a big AFC South matchup with playoff implications. With the game on the line, Colt QB Andrew Luck threw an ill-advised pass into the arms of a Titan defender, which he promptly dropped. It was a game-changing play that didn’t get made. The Titan player who dropped the ball was former Bill safety George Wilson, and I was reminded of how many times he did the same thing in Buffalo. There are still some players on the Buffalo roster like Wilson, good guys who aren’t terrible players, but who make two mistakes for every good play they contribute. Until the roster is purged of guys like that, the Bills will continue to lose.
