CINCINNATI — The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for the Bills.
Despite the 20-16 loss to the Bengals on Sunday afternoon at Paul Brown Stadium, Buffalo, at 3-2, is still tied with the Patriots and (cough, cough) the Jets atop the AFC East.
Now coach Sean McDermott’s team has 13 days to figure out how to solve the problem that figures to ultimately become the team’s undoing.
The Bills are 12 points away from being 5-0 and if their season stops short of ending the 17-year playoff albatross hanging from the franchise’s neck, the reason might well be that 9-3 defeat at Carolina in Week 2 and the one yesterday afternoon.
This team’s defense is playoff quality.
Even though Buffalo surrendered 388 yards total offense to the Bengals, it translated to only 20 points and, five games into the season, the Bills still lead in the NFL in fewest points surrendered (just under 15 per game).
The reason McDermott’s team’s record isn’t better is … duhhh … the offense.
Buffalo is scoring a mere 18 points a game, in the bottom quarter of the league.
And the main reason is the Bills lack of skill at the wide receiver position thanks to the trading of Sammy Watkins, free agent losses of Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin and retirement of Percy Harvin.
It was manifested again on Sunday as quarterback Tyrod Taylor targeted wideouts only 12 times, producing a mere three catches for 34 yards.
That situation combined with a knee injury suffered by starter Charles Clay, putting second-year pro Nick O’Leary in his spot, meant Buffalo’s tight ends still totaled eight catches for 88 yards. But Buffalo’s TE’s aren’t field stretchers and without any deep threat from the wideouts — the thumb injury that kept Jordan Matthews out didn’t help — let the Bengals focus on Buffalo’s running game.
Against Cincinnati, Buffalo’s ground attack produced only 84 yards on 24 carries (3.4 per try) and feature back LeSean McCoy was held to 63 yards on 19 carries, and he has a bruise for every one of them
Through five games, quarterback Tyrod Taylor has had only 24 completions for 316 yards — an average of 13 yards per reception — to his wide receivers with a mere four TDs and that won’t get it done in a pass-happy league.
For instance, by himself, Bengals star wideout A.J. Green now has 25 catches for 504 yards and three touchdowns. He toasted the Bills for seven receptions for 189 yards and a TD.
After the game, McDermott was grilled about Buffalo’s wide receiver woes.
‘“I’m confident in these guys,” he said three times in the same brief answer.
When pressed about their lack of production, McDermott said, “You just keep working … you learn from the tape, you play better and coach better.”
The problem is, the crew that Buffalo puts on the field doesn’t exactly remind anybody of the Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf.”
With Matthews out, the quartet of Brandon Tate, rookie Zay Jones and journeymen Andre Holmes and Kaelin Clay don’t have opposing defenses playing deep to stop the long ball.
Those four combined, this season, total 14 catches for an average of 11 yards per reception.
And those pathetic numbers have adversely affected Taylor’s numbers which are assessed by cynical fans weekly.
On Sunday, he took a season- high six sacks, but four of them were because his wideouts just couldn’t get open.
When asked what was stalling Buffalo’s passing attack, McDermott was measured.
“It’s never easy to lose a player like (Clay, 20 catches, two touchdowns this season) …but you adjust,” he said. “Whether it’s throwing, whether it’s catching, there’s protection. It’s not just one area. We’ve got to get better.”
But even Tate, who made his first two catches of the season, including a 12-yard touchdown reception, conceded, “We need to do a better job of executing.”
And Jones, when asked why the passing game was struggling, allowed, “I’m not quite sure. I didn’t play my best game (one catch in six targets) and I’m sure other guys would say the same.”
But in response to a query about no wideouts seeming to be open, he said pointedly, “If that’s your opinion, that’s fine. I’m just going to continue to do my job the best I can.”
Meanwhile, despite a substandard receiving corps, Taylor took the blame for the loss.
“We didn’t make enough plays on offense to win.” he said. “I’ll take full responsibility for that. It just wasn’t a great performance.”
Of the sacks, he added, “It’s my job to get the ball out quicker … we just weren’t on the same page and didn’t correct.”
But, cycling his inner McDermott, Taylor said of his receiving corps, “I have full confidence in those guys … everyone’s capable. We’re going to continue to work on the chemistry and knowing each other. It’s a new group.
“Things haven’t been perfect up to this point — there’s still going to be some bumps in the road — but we’ll continue to push through that and find some ways to win. Today, we just didn’t play up to our full capability.”
But, given the personnel at wideout, you wonder if that can or will happen.
(Chuck Pollock, a Times Herald sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@oleantimesherald.com)
