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After watching Buffalo destroy our run defense on the first drive of the game, I thought we were in for a long day. The Pats started out with Brace, tried Wright at the nose, brought Brace back in, tried the 3-4, thought I saw the 4-3, snuck a guy up in the box at one point, and an unusual package with no DL, but nothing seemed to work. Fortunately, the Bills are who we thought they were, and they abandoned the run.
Overall, the Bills offense distribution was pretty even, 27 passes to 23 runs (54% passing). But the running game was really on a roll. The distribution should have been like 90% run, especially when your starting QB is Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Looking back at the drive charts, that first drive ate up 9:24 on the clock and they drove all the way to the NE 2 before settling for a field goal. They ran the ball 9 times, throwing only 4 times, all short passes.
The breakdown is even worse when you look at everything AFTER that first drive. 23 passes, 14 runs, 62% passing. Part of that was because the Bills were down by two scores, but part of the reason they were down two scores is because they didn't run the ball. Looking at the drives that followed:
Drive 2: Fred Jackson runs for 8 yards. Then 2 pass attempts, both resulting in sacks. Good job.
Drive 3: The Bills get called for holding, putting them in 1st and 20. They run the first time, then throw twice and punt.
Drive 4: Jackson gains 5 yards, and the Bills pick up the first down on a short pass. Jackson picks up another 14 yards on the ground. The Bills try to throw the ball but can't find anyone open, so Fitzpatrick runs for a few yards. But the Bills are called for holding, putting them in 1st and 20. Jackson is able to pick up 12 yards in 2 downs, then Fitzpatrick throws a pick to kill the drive and leads to a touchdown for New England. 31 yards on 4 carries this drive...maybe you should consider running the ball more.
Drive 5: Not much time before the end of the half so I can understand the 2 passes, which led to a missed FG.
HALFTIME
Drive 1: 2 runs and a pass, 3 and out and punt.
Drive 2: 6 passes vs. 4 runs (including TO's end-around). It seemed like they were gaining momentum until a penalty on TO's end-around, which forced them to throw back-to-back passes which missed, and resulted in a punt.
Drive 3: It's the start of the 4th quarter, and in comes Trent Edwards. Down two scores, it's understandable that the Bills would be pressing. But 4 straight passes and no runs? 2 of those attempts ended up in sacks, though one would be nullified by Brace's facemask penalty.
Drive 4: This drive started with 9:50 left, plenty of time. Fitzpatrick returns and is immediately sacked on a pass attempt. This is the last-ditch effort which included several 4th down attempts. Only 2 of the 12 plays on this drive were runs, and it ended with a dropped pass.
Drive 5: This drive starts at the NE 28 thanks to a nice punt return. The Bills took two pass attempts to score.
The Bills averaged 4.6 yards per carry, and Jackson was averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Jackson had 30 yards on 6 carries on that first drive, 67 yards on 11 carries in the first half, and only 4 carries the entire second half. Lynch struggled at times, but the RB duo had 82 yards on 15 carries, and only 23 yards on 8 carries in the second half. Part of that was situation, but mostly it was poor play-calling for the Bills.
I really hope Vince Wilfork is healthy for next week. We can't rely on horrible opposition coaching to bail out our run defense again.
Overall, the Bills offense distribution was pretty even, 27 passes to 23 runs (54% passing). But the running game was really on a roll. The distribution should have been like 90% run, especially when your starting QB is Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Looking back at the drive charts, that first drive ate up 9:24 on the clock and they drove all the way to the NE 2 before settling for a field goal. They ran the ball 9 times, throwing only 4 times, all short passes.
The breakdown is even worse when you look at everything AFTER that first drive. 23 passes, 14 runs, 62% passing. Part of that was because the Bills were down by two scores, but part of the reason they were down two scores is because they didn't run the ball. Looking at the drives that followed:
Drive 2: Fred Jackson runs for 8 yards. Then 2 pass attempts, both resulting in sacks. Good job.
Drive 3: The Bills get called for holding, putting them in 1st and 20. They run the first time, then throw twice and punt.
Drive 4: Jackson gains 5 yards, and the Bills pick up the first down on a short pass. Jackson picks up another 14 yards on the ground. The Bills try to throw the ball but can't find anyone open, so Fitzpatrick runs for a few yards. But the Bills are called for holding, putting them in 1st and 20. Jackson is able to pick up 12 yards in 2 downs, then Fitzpatrick throws a pick to kill the drive and leads to a touchdown for New England. 31 yards on 4 carries this drive...maybe you should consider running the ball more.
Drive 5: Not much time before the end of the half so I can understand the 2 passes, which led to a missed FG.
HALFTIME
Drive 1: 2 runs and a pass, 3 and out and punt.
Drive 2: 6 passes vs. 4 runs (including TO's end-around). It seemed like they were gaining momentum until a penalty on TO's end-around, which forced them to throw back-to-back passes which missed, and resulted in a punt.
Drive 3: It's the start of the 4th quarter, and in comes Trent Edwards. Down two scores, it's understandable that the Bills would be pressing. But 4 straight passes and no runs? 2 of those attempts ended up in sacks, though one would be nullified by Brace's facemask penalty.
Drive 4: This drive started with 9:50 left, plenty of time. Fitzpatrick returns and is immediately sacked on a pass attempt. This is the last-ditch effort which included several 4th down attempts. Only 2 of the 12 plays on this drive were runs, and it ended with a dropped pass.
Drive 5: This drive starts at the NE 28 thanks to a nice punt return. The Bills took two pass attempts to score.
The Bills averaged 4.6 yards per carry, and Jackson was averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Jackson had 30 yards on 6 carries on that first drive, 67 yards on 11 carries in the first half, and only 4 carries the entire second half. Lynch struggled at times, but the RB duo had 82 yards on 15 carries, and only 23 yards on 8 carries in the second half. Part of that was situation, but mostly it was poor play-calling for the Bills.
I really hope Vince Wilfork is healthy for next week. We can't rely on horrible opposition coaching to bail out our run defense again.
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