Buffalo Rumblings
Coming off an embarrassing 30-13 loss at the hands of the Miami Dolphins, the Buffalo Bills are in need of a bounce-back game in the worst way. Given that their opponent, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, are among the NFC’s top teams this season, it doesn’t seem like the ideal scenario for said bounce-back game to occur.
Opportunity is often won, however, and the Bills cannot afford to wait for good things to come to them. Trailing the New England Patriots in the AFC East Division race, the Bills need a win to keep their hopes of a sixth-straight division title afloat. A loss might not sink their battleship, but it puts their dreams on life support.
Buffalo looked lost last week, and while they were dealing with plenty of injuries, the fact remains that their listless performance was well below their standard. How can the team bounce back this week? Great performances from some key players would be a good first step.
Here are five Bills to watch this week against the Buccaneers.
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QB Josh Allen
For every “whoa” play Allen made last week, there were just as many plays that left me scratching my head. On the occasions where Buffalo’s receivers were able to uncover quickly, Allen held the football, as he either wasn’t anticipating openings or he was confused by the defense Miami showed. I think Allen and the offense anticipated a lot of man coverage, but with the Dolphins sitting in zone for much of the game, Allen was flustered, perplexed, and hesitant for much of the afternoon.
Regardless of what the Bucs choose to do — and they run a healthy mix of zero-blitz and sit-back zones — Allen needs to trust what he sees and fire the ball on schedule. Against the Kansas City Chiefs two weeks ago, Allen trusted his reads and made big play after big play by throwing decisively and quickly. He didn’t have to throw downfield much, but he did it just enough to keep the Chiefs honest. Against Miami last week, it seemed like he wanted the big one too often, and when he didn’t take those early wins, his receivers were unable to win downfield in order to make those plays happen.
Allen doesn’t need to be Superman, but he can still be heroic by keeping the offense on schedule and making crisp reads.
[Insert Pass-Catcher Here]
Your guess is as good as mine, friends. Will Khalil Shakir run routes that go beyond the line of scrimmage? Will Joshua Palmer come back from ankle and knee injuries to make an impact? Will Keon Coleman see targets on plays that aren’t 20-yard back-shoulder fades? Will Curtis Samuel see targets… period? How about Elijah Moore? Will Tyrell Shavers see more snaps and more targets? Will Gabe Davis and Mecole Hardman come in from the practice squad and make an impact? Will Dawson Knox be a suitable fill-in for Dalton Kincaid?
I’m usually against asking so many questions, but I’m having...
