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Fitzpatrick has completed just 56.5 percent of his passes for 337 yards for 2 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in the Bills’ last two games.
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Jackson is the league-leading rusher with 917 rushing yards, but the Bills continue to struggle offensively lately.
Remember that feeling we all had when the Buffalo Bills (5-4) had just beaten the New England Patriots (6-3) in Week 3? The Bills were 3-0 and the whole city was buzzing about the possibility of the Bills going to playoffs which would end the curse of “Music City Miracle.”
That feeling seems to have evaporated away as the Bills have lost four of their last six games and are now going to be in must-win games every week.
The Bills’ schedule doesn’t get any easier either.
Miami (2-7) is no longer expected to be a cake walk after winning their last two games and the Bills have to face them twice (one at home and one on the road). The Bills also have to face the New York Jets (5-5), San Diego Chargers (4-5), and New England Patriots (6-3) on the road and the Tennessee Titans (5-4) and the Denver Broncos (5-5) at home.
It’s easy to see why the city isn’t thinking that the Bills have a chance any more. The Bills lost their last two games by a combined score of 71-18 against the Dallas Cowboys (5-4) and the New York Jets (5-5).
The offense which looked so promising early in the season has looked awful.
In his last two games, Ryan Fitzpatrick who just earned a brand new six-year $59 million contract, has completed just 56.5 percent of his passes for 337 yards for 2 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.
Fitzpatrick has to be held accountable. No more excuses about the weapons he has and the offensive line.
The offensive line has actually been very good. They’ve allowed the fewest sacks (10) in the NFL and running back Fred Jackson is the league’s leading rusher with 917 yards.
The offensive line did just lose its anchor in center Eric Wood, but Andy Levitre is capable of handling the job. He’s been filling in at left tackle with starter Demetrius Bell and rookie Chris Hairston out with injuries.
Hairston will be back this week though and he’s fared well in the games he was healthy for. Bell is getting closer to a return too.
Like I said before, no more excuses.
The Bills’ pass-rush has to start getting to the quarterback. It’s been non-existent this year except for a fluke game against the Washington Redskins where they had 10 sacks.
Rookie defensive lineman Marcell Dareus was drafted with the idea that he would drastically improve the defense, but it hasn’t worked out as planned. They’ve allowed 386.9 yards per game which ranks as fourth highest in the NFL.
Strong safety George Wilson is the Bills’ defensive player having a Pro Bowl-caliber season, but even his performance hasn’t been able to help the Bills. Teams are passing for an average of 261.4 yards per game, which is the sixth most in the NFL.
The Bills need to figure it out on defense because they have the talent. Not too long ago, the Bills had one of the best pass defenses in the league.
The Bills’ 3-4 defense has clearly been a failure, but maybe a switch back to 4-3 might help them. Their outside linebackers are already undersized as it is. Why not put out a defense that will maximize their talents?
Hopefully the Bills can figure out what’s wrong and fix it because their game at Miami this week is officially being declared as a much win game.
The Bills can’t afford a loss to a beatable team right now because it appears that they will need to win at least five of their next seven games if they’re going to have a chance at making the playoffs.