Week 5 of the NFL season is in the books. As Week 6 quickly approaches, the Buffalo Bills are heading into their bye week with a 3-2 record. The bye week is almost always used as a time to reflect, regroup, and get healthy. The Buffalo Bills are in dire need of all three this week and will have some choices to make as well. The Bengals game was a back-breaker for them, and perhaps even a bit of a wake-up call. So, now that they’ve officially made it to the bye, what are some things the Buffalo Bills can do to get the season back on track?
Get Healthy
This one sounds quite obvious, but nevertheless it is of extreme importance that this team gets as healthy as possible. Specifically, on the offensive side. Two of their top passing threats are injured, including Charles Clay and Jordan Matthews. These are both huge losses for the team, and that was easy to tell in the Bengals game. Once Clay went down in the first quarter, the passing attack was never the same. Both Clay and Matthews had procedures done, which means both will be out for more than just the bye week. But…the bye week will be one less game we will have to suffer without them. On the defensive side of the ball, Ramon Humber may look to come back as soon as possible after having his own procedure done. Cornerback EJ Gaines and Shareece Wright both will also look to come back healthy after the bye. These are all key pieces, and having each one back will make this team much more powerful again.
Make Up Their Offensive Mind
It’s been five games, and Shady hasn’t even broken 300 total rushing yards or 1 TD yet. The most stellar runs are often called back due to a holding penalty, and most of his run plays get blown up entirely. They’re averaging just 3.4 yards per rush, and it’s showing. The incapability of this offense to extend drives is making the games this team plays much too close. Dennison’s switch to a zone-blocking offense is often times not working, and the way these coaches are still switching up the o-line is unacceptable. Consistency needs to be achieved, and McDermott cannot obtain that by deciding that Week 5 is a good time to look at different offensive line combinations. The O-line is where many of the issues are starting. If the run game is easily stopped, the Bills cannot be relied on to pass. It’s truly a lose-lose scenario for the Bills. Hopefully the bye week can re-energize this team and Rick Dennison will get this offense up and clicking a bit better.
Get Some Talent…Please???
This point could have it’s own article ENTIRELY, but I’ll try to sum it up short and sweet right here. The Bills NEED to make a decision. Is this team playoff caliber? The defense certainly looks it, but the offense needs some work. Whether you want to blame it on Tyrod Taylor, Shady McCoy, or the offensive line, we can all agree the offense is not currently getting it done. Personally, I put my own blame onto Tyrod, but I’m trying my best to give the guy a break. This man has lost every good target he’s ever had. Sammy was traded. Clay is hurt. Matthews is hurt. How can you trust a struggling rookie in Zay Jones and a past-his-prime Andre Holmes as your wide receivers. Nick O’Leary looks solid, but he’s not going to make your offense anything prolific. So, with all of that said…Sean McDermott, Brandon Beane, anyone else in charge of player personnel, the message is clear: Bring in some TALENT. Clay and Matthews are both out for extended time, and even when they’re both healthy, they’re not always the explosive playmakers that an offense needs. I know that the plan going into this year was to just try and be competitive, but plans can change. It’s time for the Bills front office to change theirs. Talent on the trade market is not easily acquired, I understand that, but this defense is too stellar to waste with an essentially broken, “efficient-at-best” offense. This offense needs explosion, a playmaker, someone we can get the ball to (besides Shady, the man needs a break). Not to mention, we have six picks in the first three rounds! We’ve got assets to burn. Try and ship out someone like Dareus even, get creative! The likelihood of this is extremely slim in my eyes, but this team needs talent. Something’s got to wake this offense up and spring Tyrod Taylor and company. In my opinion, the team will not win more than nine games in it’s current state of health and efficiency, and nine may not be enough to sneak into the playoffs.
Bills have some decisions to make, and I really hope they make some smart ones. It will be interesting to see if anything changes over the next week, and if so, look out. Thanks for reading, and as always, let’s go Buffalo!
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