The Skinny:
While everyone was wondering what it would take to get the Bills into the playoffs we all forgot that the first piece of the puzzle was a victory against the two win Raiders. The team forgot that as well as they played their worst game of the year in a 26-24 loss that eliminated them from a playoff berth for a 15th consecutive season. Derek Carr threw two touchdown passes using big pass plays to on both scoring drives. Sebastian Janikowksi hit four field goals to lead the Raiders to the upset win. Kyle Orton was widely inaccurate most of the game despite throwing a 42 yard touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins, a 29 yard scoring pass to Scott Chandler, and a 30 yarder to Robert Woods with 1:09 to play that brought them to within two but they didn't recover the onside kick and the game was over. The Watkins score gave the Bills an early 7-0 lead but they seemed to stop playing after that. Chandler's score pulled them to within two at 19-17 on the first play of the fourth quarter but the Raiders responded with a huge touchdown.
The Turning Point:
50 Yard Bomb: With the Bills leading 7-0 late in the first quarter Carr found Kenbrell Thompkins for a 50 yard gain to the Bills 4. They scored two plays later and had the momentum pretty much the rest of the way.
The Big Drive:
The Raiders Clinching TD Drive: Carr hit a 51 yard pass on 3rd and 22 to Andre Holmes as he leaped over Corey Graham for the catch. Dareen McFadden followed it up with a 26 yard run and the game was over when the drive was capped off by a 1 yard TD pass.
Stat I Did Like:
None: There was nothing to like in this game.
Stat I Didn't Like:
First Half Ground Game: The Bills ran the ball 10 times in the first half for 5 yards on their way to 13 yards on the ground for the entire game.
Quick Slants: - The Bills got some help in their battle to make the playoffs with the Ravens and Chiefs losing earlier in the day. Of course it didn't matter when they laid an egg in Oakland which makes this loss that much tougher to take. - The Bills won the toss but made the right call to defer which put their best unit on the field first. The Raiders went three and out in that series and the next two as well. - Orton went 4 of 4 for 61 yards on the Bills first series that ended in a touchdown.
Key Matchup Results:
The winners of the battles highlighted in our preview article: RG Erik Pears vs. SLB Khalil Mack: Winner: Mack. He moved around but went up against Henderson most of the game and owned him. He was constantly in the backfield. WR Sammy Watkins vs. CB D.J. Hayden: Winner: Watkins. He had a nice bomb for a touchdown and was open on several other plays but Orton struggled to get the ball to him. DE Mario Williams vs. RT Khalif Barnes: Winner: Barnes. Super Mario was just human against a bad offensive line. CB Stephon Gilmore vs. WR James Jones: Winner: Gilmore. He didn't really give anything until an 11 yard completion on 3rd and 10 in the third quarter. He got hurt on the play and did not return.
Keys To The Game Results:
How the keys highlighted in our preview article turned out: 1. Avoid The Letdown: Failure! They scored first but then letdown as they allowed the Raiders to hang around with two turnovers and giving up one big play on defense. 2. Commit To The Running Game: Failure! It probably didn't matter since when they did run they were unsuccessful but they were committed to throwing the football on this day. 3. Vertical Passing Game: Success! They took many shots downfield early including the 42 yard scoring pass to Watkins.
My Take:
Just when you think there was a culture change and the Bills were turning the corner the nightmare of the past 15 years reared its ugly head once again. Everything fell into place for the Bills today in the playoff race except they forgot to show up against a lousy two win team and got beat by the Raiders. There isn't much left to say except boy is it painful being a Bills fan. 15 years and counting since the Bills last postseason berth the curse continues and shows no signs of coming to an end.
What's Ahead:
It's hard to believe but another football season is coming to an end. The Bills travel to New England in hopes of getting their first win ever at Gillette Stadium but it is a complete letdown that it won't mean much more.
Gameballs
None - Complete clunker deserves no gameballs.
Goats
Seantrel Henderson - He was a human turnstile for Kahlil Mack.
Kyle Orton - Inaccurate, Ineffective, Unwatchable, just terrible.
Corey Graham - He played well but giving up the long bomb on 3rd and 22 was the backbreaker.
C.J. Spiller - His only positive play on the ground he fumbled. He didn't do anything well.
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Positional Breakdown and Grades
