Three unacceptable coaching failures that cost Bills dearly in first loss

The Buffalo Bills looked over-matched and out-coached in their dreadful Week 4 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Ralph Ventre | Sep 30, 2024

Sep 12, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott walks onto the field prior to the game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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It was a chance to make a statement to the rest of the National Football League, and the Buffalo Bills put up a dud with the coaching staff leading the way on Sunday night.

The Baltimore Ravens outplayed the Bills in the 35-10 thumping, taking advantage of a defense missing arguably its three best players, but a multitude of coaching failures made matters worse. The Ravens looked both better prepared and tougher while receiving a few gifts along the way.

Here are three brutal coaching miscues that cost the Bills in the Week 4 blowout loss to Ravens.

Cowardly Punts

It would be nice if Sean McDermott could settle on an aggressive fourth-down strategy and stick with it. On the game-opening drive, the Bills faced a 4th-and-1 at their own 39-yard line and rightfully kept the offense out on the field. They converted, only to kill the drive with two poor decisions on the next set of downs.

After James Cook gained eight yards on first down, the ensuing 2nd-and-2 appeared like an ideal opportunity to execute a play-action pass. Instead, the Bills ran it into the line with rookie Ray Davis for no gain. After a third-down incompletion, McDermott cowered and sent out the punt team on 4th-and-2 from midfield.

Later in the half, McDermott out-did himself with the decision to punt on a 4th-and-1 from the 39. If the strategy was the go for it on a scoreless game, why would the coach opt to punt in the exact same situation while trailing, 14-3, on the road? Is there a philosophy behind the decision-making process or is he just flipping a coin?

Out-schemed, Slow to Adjust

The Bills were playing on a short week, but that's not a sufficient excuse in today's NFL.

The Ravens were consistently putting pressure on Josh Allen, and the Bills were unable to solve it. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady showed a lack of ability to counter Baltimore's effective defensive game plan that locked up Buffalo's receivers throughout the night.

On defense, Buffalo looked overwhelmed and out-schemed throughout the entire first half with receivers running wide open and the running backs gashing them on both run and pass plays.

Derrick Henry ripped off an 87-yard run on a perfectly schemed and executed play on the Ravens first offensive snap of the game.

Trick Play Disaster

The actual play was bad enough, and the timing was even worse.

After trailing 21-3 following a hapless first half, the Bills showed signs of life coming out of the break. The defense forced a three-and-out and the offense punched in a touchdown that was set up by a miraculous 52-yard pass from Allen to Khalil Shakir.

Trailing 21-10, the defense delivered a second straight three-and-out that gave Buffalo the ball at its own 19-yard line with a chance to make it a one-score game. The Bills drove down to the Ravens' 44-yard line before attempting an unbelievably awful gadget play on 2nd-and-7.

Buffalo lined up wide receiver Curtis Samuel in shotgun and split quarterback Josh Allen out wide to the left. Samuel hastily tossed the ball to Allen who was stripped by Kyle Van Noy. The turnover killed any momentum the Bills had built and it was lights out for the rest of the night. Not to mention, Allen was shaken up on the play!

If Joe Brady wanted to get the ball into Samuel's hands at that point, a simple tunnel screen would have been a much smarter, and likely more effective, option.

Sep 29, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy (53) strips the ball from Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) while attempting to pass the ball during the third quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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