That doesn’t bode well for a Bills offense that came off as badly overrated in the opener.
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And on third-and-2 from the Bills’ 47 in the third quarter, Wright tackled quarterback Tyrod Taylor for a 2-yard loss. Dynamic rusher LeSean McCoy (16 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown) often found company in the backfield. They get after the quarterback on third down.
However, right guard Marshal Yanda was called for a holding penalty on a 4-yard run by Justin Forsett and the Ravens never recovered. The Bills faced third-and-13 at the Baltimore 37 and Taylor avoided a sure sack with a Houdini escape, then rather than run, he had the wherewithal to find Charles Clay open for a 33-yard gain.
Still, no one on the Bills excused Taylors play. A Reggie Bush rush and a couple of short receptions from Robert Woods set up a 49-yard field goal for the Bills. Neither team has been able to move the ball on the ground very well. It finished off a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive (10-7). The game remains there for the taking for the Bills. Thank goodness the Bills are playing on Thursday. The Bills were held to just 65 yards rushing.
NO HAPPY RETURNS: In his debut with the Ravens, Devin Hester, one of the great kick returners in National Football League history, took back two kickoffs for 18 yards and two punts for 0 yards. Penalties were once again a problem for the Bills as they took 8 for 89 yards. Only three of Buffalo’s nine drives reached Ravens territory. If you give up 13 points, you’re supposed to win the game.
“He’s as good as it gets”, Ryan said. We had a big drop, an uncharacteristic drop by Sammy (Watkins) on that one. In addition, backup OT Seantrel Henderson (suspension) is out for the game while backup OL Ryan Groy and reserve RB Jonathan Williams are listed as questionable on the Bills injury list. They seem reluctant to try to force the ball into Watkins hands. Why?
Baltimore kept quarterback Tyrod Taylor from getting comfortable in the pocket.
Justin Tucker connected for a 50-yard field goal with 35 seconds remaining in the first quarter to put the Ravens ahead, 3-0. The Patriots can’t be expected to lose all four of those games, but the Bills (not to mention the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins) have a golden opportunity to make some early headway in the division if they can score some wins.
It was Flacco’s first regular season action since tearing his MCL in Week 10 of the 2015 season. It’s something that, hopefully, we can get the film from this one day and watch it when we’re sitting old somewhere.
Coming into the 2016 season, there was cause for concern on the defensive side of the ball for the Buffalo Bills while the offense looked primed for a big season. “At other times, I thought they had outstanding push against us”.
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Ryan is now Buffalo’s head coach, and it pained him to see his offense struggle against a defensive unit that a year ago yielded 401 points.
