[ad_1]
The Buffalo Bills have earned the expectations they’ve been given this offseason. They were a dangerous team in 2020, going 13-3 and qualifying for the AFC title game.
But if there’s one axiom to adopt for the NFL, it’s this: last year doesn’t mean squatting this year.
That was borne out in Buffalo’s disappointing 23-16 first week loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at Bills Stadium.
Buffalo struggled in almost every phase of the game, despite a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter. Josh Allen was ordinary at best. The offensive line seemed to be struggling with the Steelers front. The Bills’ defense was solid at the start but couldn’t do it all, allowing Ben Roethlisberger to pick up the pace after struggling early on.
Oh, and when the Steelers returned a blocked Bills punt for a touchdown, it capped a 20-0 run that stole the game’s momentum.
The Bills made it interesting with a late field goal and a side kick with less than a minute to go, but the Steelers recovered to preserve the win.
The offensive ineffectiveness was the most worrying element on Sunday. The Bills have scored all three times they’ve reached the red zone, but two of them were short baskets. They also lost a fumble when Allen spat it out late in the first half, and the Bills were stopped twice on a fourth down in the second half.
Buffalo didn’t have an answer for the Steelers up front. TJ Watt, armed with a new contract that makes him the highest-paid defenseman in the NFL, terrorized the Bills with two sacks and forced the fumble on Allen.
Can these problems be corrected? They have some tough games early in the season before the week 7 exemption. They need to keep Allen much cleaner if they are to have any chance of defeating the Kansas City level contenders of the world.
We also have to keep in mind that the Steelers could be pretty good.
But for the Bills, the Super Bowl speech has been tabled for now. Fortunately, they still have plenty of time to get off the mat.
The Bills also started slow last season.
A reminder: The Bills were sometimes ordinary at the start of last season. They won their first four games of 2020 with a total of 19 points, none on playoff teams. Then they lost two straight games to contenders – the Tennessee Titans and the Kansas City Chiefs – by a total of 35 points.
They didn’t have a positive points differential until Week 9. And they didn’t really hit their stride until after Hail Mary’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals. This year’s model therefore has time to understand it. Remember, we have an extra regular season game to play with this year.
Head coach Sean McDermott took this team from the trash can to the platform. It’s a talented roster that has renewed its depth over recent drafts, free agency, and some smart trades.
It wasn’t the performance that he or his coaching staff were probably expecting in week 1. It might just be exactly the kind of game McDermott can show his team and say, “You see, can -being we’re not as good as everyone thinks “and use it. as a coaching fuel.
[ad_2]
Source link