ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 13: Tyrel Dodson #53 of the Buffalo Bills attempts to tackle Dalvin Cook #4 of the Minnesota Vikings during the third quarter at Highmark Stadium on November 13, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
Where to begin?
I really don’t have fun writing these articles after losses, especially a loss like the one we saw in Week 10 vs. Minnesota.
Everything looked fine and dandy: the Bills had a 17-point lead with 15 minutes left to play, and they had control for the majority of the game. Next thing you know, Dalvin Cook is breaking through for an 81-yard touchdown run on the first play of their drive. Just like that, it was a 10 point game.
I’m not going to recap the rest because we all know it was downhill from there. This will simply be a place for me to rant and talk about the things that prevented the Bills from winning Sunday so that I can clear my mind and move on. Now before I get into the meat of the article, just remember: the Bills are 6-3, with an easier schedule ahead, and they should get healthier.
What went wrong?
Second-half adjustments.
It’s been three weeks in a row now that the Bills have come out flat in the second half after failing to make adjustments. The Bills have scored a combined 12 second-half points in the last three games, failing to score a single touchdown in those six quarters.
That is not a recipe to win games. If McDermott, Frazier and Dorsey don’t pick up their slack and make the right adjustments after half time moving forward, then the team will run into problems down the road.
Coaching mistakes
The Bills went away from the run when it was working so well in the first half, and that seems to be a theme. The offense under Ken Dorsey has lacked diversity and defenses have adjusted to the Bills’ play style by the second half. The red zone offense has been atrocious and they need to convert those short field goals (or turnovers) into touchdowns to win games against good opponents.
On the other side of the ball, the defense has failed to make adjustments as well. Why Leslie Frazier didn’t double team Justin Jefferson more was beyond me. What more do you need to see to understand they can’t have Dane Jackson playing one on one coverage on arguably the best receiver in the game? Time and time again, Frazier refuses to go away from his original game plan and it cost the Bills on Sunday.
And, head coach Sean McDermott needs to find a way to get his guys going in the second half. The Bills have had a halftime lead in the last three games and have only won one (Packers). The offense and defense are both too good to be blowing leads like this.
Josh’s mental mistakes
I simply can’t defend Josh right now until I see him learn from his mistakes. He has thrown six interceptions in the last three games and just two touchdowns. He is forcing the ball into tight spaces and not taking the checkdown option which we saw him do so well earlier this year.
He is simply not taking care of the ball over the past three weeks. He is a super talented player, but boy i’m not sure where the bad mental mistakes are coming from.
If Case Keenum starts this game, the Bills most likely get blown out. I’m not pinning the loss on Josh because the offense did score 30 points, and that is usually enough to win games in the NFL. What is a problem is the inability to close out games. Not converting around the end zone, the Singletary fumble, etc. All that stuff adds up.
Injuries
I’m not using injuries as an excuse, but man it would’ve been nice to have Jordan Poyer and Tre White for this game, huh? I think it’s a completely different game with those guys in. The Bills are now 0-3 in games without Poyer. The sooner they get him and White back, the better that bodes for the defense, which is another reason I’m optimistic.
Play-calling
I was a defendant of coach Dorsey when he took over the offensive coordinator job and I think he has done an okay job up to this point. However, there has been some major flaws. Daboll had a lot of flaws, too, and fans gave him a lot of crap for it. Dorsey definitely needs to take a look and see what he can do better.
We went away from the run game in the second half of the game on Sunday after we saw Singletary running very well. Almost every play was a pass, usually a shot down the field, and that is simply a stale and one-dimensional offense. The Bills need to be able to mix it up and run the ball, make screens work, make end-arounds work, and the quick passing game that Josh is so good at.
They have hardly utilized Hines at all and he brings a diverse skill set to the offense. They need to see more creativity and more dedication to what is working. Maybe, when the Bills have a large 17-point lead in the fourth quarter, it may be time to call a run play?
I know it’s Dorsey’s first year as an offensive coordinator in the league, and he may be working with some underachieving lineman and a banged up Allen, but we need to see Dorsey grow and develop as a play caller.
Ending on a positive note
I’m always going to end on a positive note. While this is obviously not the result Bills fans wanted and it always seems like we’re on the opposite side of ‘the greatest game ever’, one of these times that’s going to change.
The Bills are 6-3, right in the mix of things, and most importantly, they have another game next week. They just crossed the halfway point in the season and this is the lowest it will get. Also, keep in mind. We went through a rough patch last year. The Jags game, the Colts game, the Patriots game in the wind, the Buccaneers loss, etc. This team is built for postseason success, and they will get it going again.
Poyer and White will be back soon. Allen will get healthier and he will become better as the season goes on. They very well could be getting OBJ. The schedule eases up and the Bills have three home divisional games left.
The Browns will be coming to town on Sunday, and then the Lions on Thanksgiving. In the next 11 days, the Bills could very well be 8-3 and right back where to where they want to be.
Go Bills!
