Bills Come Up Short

In their first playoff game since I was in high school and before the existence of this blog, the Buffalo Bills came up just short in a valiant 10-3 loss. Neither Jacksonville nor Buffalo could mount much offense. The Bills scored first, notching a field goal after they had it first and goal from the one. Jacksonville managed to tie the game just before the half.

The best offense for either team was the Jaguars' Blake Bortles scrambling. Buffalo's Tyrod Taylor never threw the ball down the field. He is not a risk-taker. The all-time leader in fewest interception percentage per pass, Taylor usually opts to throw short. His interception today was a fluke; a ball tipped up into the air a few times.He is a good runner and very adept at avoiding sacks. Hes willing to throw the ball away rather than take a sack or force a pass into traffic.

Taylor's steady hand is appreciated, but without the potential of a big play, Jacksonville's defense could contain Taylor's short passes. Too often,. the Bills lost yardage. Losing yards is part of the price if risk is involved, but the Bills had far too many plays in which they lost yardage for such a conservative approach.

Taylor's injury on 4th and 3 with just over a minute to go was heartbreaking. Nathan Peterman came in and picked up the first down, but soon threw an "interception" to Jalen Ramsey, who first committed an uncalled pass interference, and then trapped the ball against the ground. Instant replay has not been kind to the Bills in their last two playoff games.

Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander came up big. He was impressive.

Hopefully, the Bills don't make wholesale changes. Taylor needs better pass-catching options, but Buffalo is on the right track.