The current era of the Buffalo Bills has progressed into possibly being worse than the Cleveland Browns, and that speaks volumes of a team who has not won a game in regulation in over 21 months.
Through their first two games, the Bills have a mere 23 points. This includes a 47-3 loss in their opener to Baltimore. Now the Arizona Cardinals have a mere six points, after being shut out 34-0 by the Los Angeles Rams, but the Rams a Super Bowl contender. The last I checked, no one is figuring the Ravens or the Los Angeles Chargers to be anything more than a one-and-done Wild Card team, and both will likely need a lot of dominoes to fall into place.
Already things have been so bad in Buffalo, that cornerback Vontae Davis announced his retirement.
At halftime, with the Bills down 28-6.
Buffalo could have started fourth overall pick Josh Allen at quarterback right out of the chute, but instead opted for Nathan Peterman. I understand what Cleveland is doing with Baker Mayfield, and the New York Jets have already turned to Sam Darnold.
The Bills went to the playoffs last season for the first time in over a decade. Then traded last year’s starter Tyrod Taylor to Cleveland for a third-round draft pick, and prized free agent quarterback AJ McCarron at the end of the preseason. (Taylor cost the Browns victories with interceptions late in the fourth quarter in both games thus far, and McCarron will be lucky to see the field while backing up Derek Carr in 2018.)
However, trading Taylor away to go in favor of Nathan Peterman makes you wonder how owners Terry and Kim Pegula seem to have things going the right way with the other franchise they own, the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, but have gone majestically backwards with the Bills. The Sabres were the worst team in the Eastern Conference last year, and are poised to make a legitimate run for the playoffs this upcoming season. The Bills went from a playoff team to afterthought since the end of last season.
Peterman over his last four games (including the playoff loss to Jacksonville) has thrown eight interceptions. Allen threw two today, matching Peterman’s pair from last week. The Bills managed only 80 yards on the ground all day,
The jokes about the Alabama Crimson Tide opening as less than a touchdown underdog against the Bills have already started. At this point, the Buffalo Bulls of the Mid American Conference seem to be playing with more heart than the Bills.
Getting back to Davis for a moment, the 10-year veteran claimed:
"...Today on the field it really hit me fast and hard: I shouldn't be out there anymore.”
If Davis wanted to call it quits, he could have at least remained with his team until after the game, and taken himself out at the half. Instead, he beat the traffic, and is probably glad the game was at home, so he would not have to pay out of pocket for a flight home.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez is likely out in Cleveland after his abysmal (2 XPs and 2 FGs missed) performance on Sunday. The Browns have already announced they will be either trading or releasing troubled receiver Josh Gordon in the next 24 hours, and head coach Hue Jackson will assuredly not have that same job by Halloween.
For Buffalo, they have already turned to their rookie signal caller, have their coach locked up for the next several years, and the franchise only has $8.2 million in salary cap space through the end of this season.
The impending blizzards in western New York are clouding any light that may try to peer through the tunnel.
Help is not coming, Bills' fans.
-JC24