Another game and another dismal performance by the Buffalo Bills. They didn't just lose to the 49'ers on Sunday, they got destroyed. And just in case you didn't stick around until the end of the game, and I do not blame you one bit, the final ended up being SF- 45 BUF- 3. To say that the defense got manhandled would be a vast understatement. The Bills surrendered a franchise record 621 yards of total offense to a team that is better known for their defense than their offense. There was not one aspect of the game the Bills could slow. Alex Smith threw for over 300 yards and the 49'ers ran for over 300 yards as well. The offense averaged 9.9 yards a play and dominated the time of possession. I could keep these mind boggling stats coming but I do not really see the point.
Much like last week against the Patriots the Bills gave their fans a little reason for hope to start the game. The defense held strong the first couple of possessions forcing a field goal and a punt. On the punt Leodis McKelvin returned it for a TD just to have it called back on a penalty to Jairus Byrd. This would be the first indication of things to come. With less than a minute left in the first half the Bills were trying to get some points before half and Ryan Fitzpatrick hit Scott Chandler over the middle of the field for what would have been a first down. Instead Chandler fumbled the ball and it was recovered by San Francisco. The next play Alex Smith wound up and threw a strike for a TD and before you knew it the flood gates had opened. The Bills got no pressure on Smith and did not even register a tackle for a loss let alone a sack. The defensive backs, especially young CBs Aaron Williams and Stephon Gilmore could not cover any of the receivers they faced. But that is enough about the defense, the offense deserves their share of the blame as well. Countless times Fitz had his man open down field and overthrew his man for what would have been a big gain. Couple that with another horrible throw that could have been a touchdown but was instead intercepted and led to a 49'ers score. It is not like he didn't have any time to throw either. He had a solid pocket most of the time which is all that you could ask for from a patchwork offensive line. The run game never got a chance to get going because the Bills spent most of the game chasing a lead. Both CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson split the carries and did not see much success. The cherry to top all of this off is that the Bills once again see their injury list growing. Mark Anderson, Nick Barnett, Aaron Williams, Jairus Byrd, Colin Brown, and Chad Rinehart each had injuries with varying severity that they are going to have to nurse.
The Bills are now 2-3 and head to Arizona to face the 4-1 Cardinals next Sunday. At the very least this could be the defense's chance to get their stuff together. The Cardinals surrendered 9 sacks last Thursday against the Rams and Kevin Kolb has not been great throwing the football. If this defense gets controlled again like they did today I would hope to see major changes in personnel or game plan because to this point it just isn't working. It is going to be tough for the team to put this loss behind them but if they can get it together the season is not lost, yet. Either way for my sake and yours I hope there isn't another game like this one for a long long time.
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