Buffalo's Offense Did Not Fit the Bill

Bills RB Fred Jackson and the offense couldn't find any answers
against the Steelers on Sunday.
(Source: Justin A. Keller)

Quarterback E.J. Manuel and the Buffalo Bills came into Heinz Field with high expectations. The Pittsburgh Steelers were looking for redemption after a humiliating loss to New England last week. Pre game warmups showed quarterbacks, punters and kickers struggle due to winds gusting up to 25 MPH. The team that would run the ball successfully and convert third downs would have the edge, Pittsburgh did just that.

The First drive of the game came from the Steelers. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and company quickly drove down the field and found themselves in Buffalo territory. With 10:33 in the first, Roethlisberger lined up in the shotgun with running back Le'Veon Bell to his left. Roethlisberger took the snap and saw a one on one matchup between Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin and wide receiver Markus Wheaton. Roethlisberger pulled the trigger with a lob pass, but was picked off by ball hawk Bills safety Jairus Byrd. Byrd flew in from the middle of the field to intercept and run back the pass all the way down to Pittsburgh's 29-yard line. Unfortunately Buffalo couldn't take advantage of the big play. Unable to capitalize in the red zone, the away team settled for a 20-yard Dan Carpenter field goal. The media has blasted Buffalo for their inability to get six points in the red zone, ranking in the top three worst in the NFL. Sadly, that was the highlight of the day for Buffalo, as they were completed dominated in all phases of game after that.

The Pittsburgh Steelers started to find their pulse in the second quarter, starting it off with a 36-yard kick from Shaun Suisham. The home team was just getting started. Right before the half a 34-yard shovel pass to Bell and a 24-yard reception by wide receiver Antonio Brown, landed Pittsburgh inside Buffalo's five. From the five, Roethlisberger hit wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery on a fade route to beat Buffalo corner back Stephon Gilmore. The score was 10-3 going into halftime, in favor of the team wearing black and yellow. This was by far the ugliest first 30 minutes for the Bills this season. After the lone score, Buffalo punted on every offensive possession in the first half. To make things worse, Buffalo combined for a total of 82 net yards on offense, while giving up 213 yards on defense. This was a sign of bad things to come for Buffalo.

The second half was practically a mirror image of the first half. Bell scored on a rushing touchdown, in which he was supposed to be on the sideline. Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus jumped too early on fourth down, giving Pittsburgh a new set of downs. Later, Manuel threw a pick and two field goals were added to the Pittsburgh lead. Buffalo finally found the end zone one the last offensive play of the game when Manuel found tight end Chris Gragg for a 2-yard toss and catch for the rookie connection. In a week where the NFL sautes the service, I'm sure Buffalo would've been happy to raise the white flag. But there's good news, the flight from Pittsburgh to Buffalo is only 37 minutes.

Steelers 23 Bills 10 FINAL

This was by far the worst outing for the Buffalo Bills this season. Here are five reasons why the Bills could not get the job done today:

1. Grim performance from Manuel- Manuel's first game back from injury was one he'd like to forget. Manuel went 22 of 39 for 155 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Before the last series, Manuel only had 64 yards passing to go with an interception. The rookie misfired badly on a fade to wide receiver Stevie Johnson in the end zone on the first drive, was frantic and unaware in the pocket, looking completely rattled all day long.

2. Inability to run the ball- running backs C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson combined for a miserable 78 yards on the ground. With Manuel struggling and the wind gusting, Buffalo needed to run the ball efficiently to come away with a victory. 

3. Third down efficiency- Buffalo struggled on third downs to say the least. The team went 3 of 14 on third down conversions (21%). That's a formula for disaster on the road. 

4. No big plays- Buffalo's longest run came on the last series when Jackson scampered for an 11-yard gain. The three longest passing plays were 23 and 20 yards to Johnson and 16 yards to Hogan. Those were the only three successful passes that went over 10 yards. 

5. Special Teams- When Buffalo was forced to punt, punter Brian Moorman and coverage did not deliver. Moorman punted nine times with an average of 36.9 yards per punt, with a 24.2 yard net. 

The Buffalo Bills (3-7) will try to bounce back when they take on AFC East foe New York Jets (5-4) at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Three stars for Buffalo in week ten:

1. Kyle Williams- 4 TKL, 1 SACK, 3 TFL

2. Jerry Hughes- 4 TLK, 2 SACK, 2 TFL

3. Jairus Byrd- 4 TKL, 1 INT, 1 PD