The Buffalo Bills began play in the AFL in 1960 and, until yesterday, the team has never posted two consecutive road wins to begin a season. In a quirky scheduling anomaly, both wins took place in the same stadium in New Jersey, meaning that the Bills may well finish the season with more wins in the Meadowlands than the New York Giants will be able to register through their seven remaining home games. Let's hope that the Bills can replicate their winning ways in New York state with five of their next six games in Orchard Park.
It felt that the Bills were in complete control of the game, even as they gave up an opening drive touchdown to Saquon Barkley whose five carries took the Giants 75 yards to the endzone. With efficient play on both sides of the ball for the remainder of the first half, the Bills posted three touchdowns and took a lead which they would not relinquish. Perhaps channeling a bit of Tyrod Taylor, Josh Allen reduced his turnovers from four last week to zero yesterday. Along with his ball protection instincts, his passing accuracy was likely the best we've seen in any of his starts. With some decent receivers to throw to and with Brian Daboll's creative play calling, he is really showing what the team's brain trust saw when they drafted him last year.
The game produced a couple of notable injuries. Of concern to Bills fans will be the state of Devin Singletary's hamstring. The rookie running back clearly pulled it on a fourth quarter play as he ran toward the left sideline. Head coach Sean McDermott had no update after the game. Hamstring injuries can range from a mild strain to something which could keep Singletary out for a while.
The injury which concerned me the most as a football fan was the apparent concussion suffered by Giants receiver Cody Latimer. Latimer caught a pass in the redzone and was hit by Bills safety Jordan Poyer a half nanosecond after the ball reached his hands. The league has been trying to rid the game of helmet-to-helmet hits but not only did Poyer's helmet connect directly with Latimer's on the hit, no penalty was called on the play. I know that even if a defender leads with his shoulder in initiating contact (the "right" technique and the one that is being emphasized in high school and college football), if the intended target turns or lowers his head before contact, helmets can and often do collide - sometimes with devastating consequences. Poyer (and his teammate Micah Hyde) is a talented and hard-hitting safety for the Bills and his ability to deliver punishing hits keeps opposing receivers honest on certain kinds of passing routes but the kind of hit he put on Latimer yesterday is one of a few glaring elements of tackle football which makes North American parents register their kids in soccer rather than in junior football.
At least Latimer was removed from the game and, after being subjected to what the NFL calls its "concussion protocol", was ruled out for the rest of the afternoon. Last week, the Giants top receiver Sterling Shepard wasn't so lucky. After taking a hit to the head, he appeared woozy but waved off the team's training staff, stayed in the game and ended up on the field for all but one of the team's 69 offensive snaps. Only after the game was he subjected to the "protocol" and then eventually ruled out for yesterday's game.
After two successful trips to New Jersey, the Bills return to western New York for their home opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bills are an early six point favourite and should find themselves at 3-0 a week from now. With the Patriots home to the Jets next week, the schedule sets up a likely week four showdown in Orchard Park between two undefeated teams for the outright lead in the AFC East.
To mark the new Ken Burns 18 hour film on country music, a friend reminded me of a great Bob Newhart line: "I don't like country music but I also don't want to denigrate those who do. For those who like country music, denigrate means to put down."
No comments:
Post a Comment