CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Is it possible for a football team’s defense to sue its own offense for non-support?
If so, the Bills ‘D’ should think about hiring an attorney.
On Sunday afternoon at a hot, humid Bank of America Stadium, Buffalo’s defense did everything that could have been expected of it, and then some … and still ended up saddled with a 9-3 loss.
It never forced a turnover, but held a good offense – quarterback Cam Newton, running back Jonathan Stewart, wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin and tight end Greg Olsen – to 255 yards, only 41 more than it surrendered to the Jets in a home victory the previous Sunday.
The game marked the first time the Bills were in a no-touchdown game since that 2009 epic when they fell, 6-3, to the Browns in what then was “The Ralph.”
Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier’s crew sacked Newton six times and hit him on seven other occasions while logging an impressive 12 tackles for loss.
In the third quarter, Carolina ran 12 plays for minus-5 yards … that despite the Panthers owning a numbing 18-minute edge in time of possession, though averaging less than four yards in their 66 plays.
And the reason was, Buffalo’s so-called offense was, in a word, pathetic.
It totaled a mere 176 yards, but even that figure was deceptive as 40 of those came on the last possession … which, had the Bills scored a touchdown, would have won the game.
The closest Buffalo’s ‘O’ got to the Panthers’ goal line was the Panthers’ 27, from which Stephen Hauschka scored the Bills only points on a 45-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to make it, 6-3.
This was a lost opportunity and every player and coach in Buffalo’s locker room knew it.
Of his defense, coach Sean McDermott, who was the Panthers defensive coordinator the past six years, maintained, “Those guys played hard.
“We felt good about our matchups up front and getting pressure on the quarterback (and) doing some things coverage-wise. I thought the pressure was there and that works with the coverage.”
Of course, McDermott had the advantage of knowing the Panthers’ offense after a half-dozen years on the Carolina staff.
“We knew the skill set of Cam Newton coming in and the (defensive) coaches did a phenomenal job. We pressured him, we confused him at times and we did some good things defensively.”
And even Newton admitted, “Sean has an unbelievable defense … very stout up front … guys in the secondary that can make plays and will make plays. (McDermott) knows things that can ruffle the (defensive) line’s feathers. But, at the end of the day, it was nothing that we weren’t prepared for.”
However, Panthers coach Ron Rivera, who remains close with McDermott, pointed out, “I thought Sean and Leslie Frazier did a nice job with their defense … they got very aggressive. Their defensive front was very active and created a lot of problems for us.”
As for facing his former defensive boss, Rivera added, “It was tough. I know talking to Mike Shula (offensive coordinator) about what to expect … he was right. You have to give coach McDermott and his staff credit … their team played very hard and very physical and they’re going to grow into a very good football team.”
But that was small solace to the Bills after the game.
“Every loss is tough,” safety Micah Hyde pointed out. “It doesn’t matter if you lose by 30 points or three, a loss is a loss.
“We feel like we played pretty well on defense, but at the same time we had some opportunities (for interceptions and more sacks) … myself included. We have to capitalize on tipped balls and create field position for our offense.”
He added, “I remember the stop on the goalline not letting them get into the end zone (Carolina got to the Bills’ 2-yard line but had to settle for a field goal with 2:26 to play). That was huge. We gave the ball back to our offense and were down just six … we kept (ourselves) alive.”
But, on this day, as McDermott pointed out, “We had a good opportunity, we just came up short.”
And the guilty party was Buffalo’s offense.
(Chuck Pollock, a Times Herald sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@oleanyimes herald.com)
