Embarrassing First Half in Bills Preseason Loss to the Bengals
Josh Allen got a taste of what life as a starting NFL quarterback is like and he showed he has a long way to go. Allen completed only 6 of 12 passes for 34 yards and was sacked 5 times for 39 yards in losses in the Bills 26-13 preseason loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
After the game Allen admitted the speed of the game was an eye opening experience and he admitted he was holding onto the ball way longer than he should have. He said at times he was having trouble dissecting what the Bengals defense was trying to do, but the biggest problem was finding open receivers and getting the ball to them.
Allen said they'll have plenty of film to look at to figure out what he needs to improve on, but that's why they play preseason games....looking to get better.
His offensive line will have to get better too. We're beginning to see how important Eric Wood and Richie Incognito were to the offensive line. The Bengals were beating the Bills linemen play after play on Sunday and if those issues aren't addressed quickly, it's going to be a long season. I won't be surprised to see the Bills bring in offensive linemen cut from other teams when rosters are trimmed from 90 to 53 players this Saturday.
The Bills defense didn't have much to be proud of either in the first half, giving up 246 yards in offense to the Bengals, 57 of it coming on the Bengals first play from scrimmage - a 57-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton to John Ross. Missed tackles and uncovered receivers again a concern for the Bills defense.
Andy Dalton had a very efficient afternoon, completing 11 of 16 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns in only 20 minutes of playing time.
Nathan Peterman replaced Allen in the second half and the Bills offense suddenly seemed to have some wheels. Peterman completed 16 of 21 for 200 yards and a touchdown.
Based on what I've seen in training camp and what we all witnessed Sunday, Peterman should be the starter on opening day September 9th in Baltimore. Allen will eventually be the Bills franchise quarterback but he needs some seasoning and I think both quarterbacks know that.
AJ McCarron did not play on Sunday, but the Bills did get some good news this week when they found out his shoulder injury is not a broken collarbone. He was able to do some throwing earlier in the week.
The Bills close out the preseason with a Thursday night meeting against the Bears in Chicago.