Fansided

Bears, Texans, Giants, Bills, Steelers: The Missing Ingredient For 3-3 NFL Teams

By Henry McKenna

Sep 8, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 8, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 21, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; San Diego Chargers cornerback Brandon Flowers (26) breaks up a pass to Buffalo Bills wide receiver Robert Woods (10) during the second half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. San Diego beats Buffalo 22 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 21, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; San Diego Chargers cornerback Brandon Flowers (26) breaks up a pass to Buffalo Bills wide receiver Robert Woods (10) during the second half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. San Diego beats Buffalo 22 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Buffalo Bills

There’s a lot of parity amongst these 3-3 teams. The Bills beat the Bears but lost to the Texans. And there’s a lot of parity amongst AFC East teams. The Bills beat the Dolphins who beat the Patriots who beat the Bills. All this should mean that any team has the opportunity to rise above the crud. The Bills have an incredible array of talent on defense, but their offense is so inept that it’s losing games for them. So it’s hard to bet on them.

Missing ingredient: Seasoned Passing Catchers

E.J. Manuel was inept, but Kyle Orton should suffice. The trouble is no quarterback will excel if their best wide receiver has the 39th most yards in the NFL — meaning most teams have two wide receivers that are producing more yards than Sammy Watkins, the Bills’ best. And the Bears have three pass-catchers that are exceeding Watkins. Even the maligned Patriots’ offense has two past Watkins (Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski).

Between the below-average to average passing and the below-average pass-catching, this Bills’ offense is ailing. It seems that in order to re-enable their passing offense, they need their young quarterback to develop. If they’ve given up on Manuel, which appears to be the case, then they’ll need someone to supplant Orton. Meanwhile, Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods and Mike Williams need to develop. Needless to say, this “missing ingredient” may take more than a few weeks to fix. It’s a bit messy at the quarterback position in Buffalo.

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