CLEVELAND – Everyone inside FirstEnergy Stadium knew where Baker Mayfield was going with the football.
The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback stared down intended receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in the fourth quarter Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium, then threw the ball anyway. Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White, who was trailing Beckham in coverage, turned around just as the ball arrived. Safety Jordan Poyer, who correctly read the play, arrived a split second later.
Both Bills were in a position to make a huge play, but neither of them could. The ball slipped through White’s hand and bounced off his chest just before Poyer collided with his teammate, both players tumbling to the ground along with the ball.
“It could have gone either way – his pick or my pick,” Poyer said. “It's unfortunate that it happened that way. He played the ball well. I thought I played the ball well. Neither one of us came down with it. Plays like that are unfortunate, because that could have been a huge play in the game.”
For all the good the Bills’ defense has been able to accomplish this season, there is one key area that it has been deficient. Buffalo has just 11 takeaways this season, a total that ranks tied for 20th in the NFL.
“Takeaways aren't there,” Poyer lamented. “Offenses know that we're a team that likes to go after the football, whether they're running the ball or the ball is in the air. Teams are doing a really good job of limiting us to be able to make plays on the ball, whether it's a running back keeping two hands on the ball when he's getting tackled or the quarterback making good decisions.”
In the Bills’ last three games, two of which have been losses, the defense has failed to record a takeaway. That’s a big reason why the team’s defensive players have so often said they feel like they need to do more, despite ranking third in the NFL in both yards (304.2) and points per game (16.7).
White has been the Bills' biggest ballhawk, with three interceptions and two forced fumbles. Poyer, fellow safety Micah Hyde and defensive end Trent Murphy have one each as the Bills are tied for 16th in the NFL with six total picks.
In addition to the missed opportunity on Mayfield’s throw, the Bills also were unable to jump on a muffed punt by the Browns’ Dontrell Hilliard in the first quarter that would have set up the offense inside the Cleveland 30-yard line.
Not being able to take the ball away more often means the Bills’ offense has a longer way to go to reach the end zone. That’s problematic given the seasonlong struggles on that side of the ball.
“We preach it all week. Being able to take the football away is going to change the whole dynamic of the game,” Poyer said. “The last two weeks, we haven't been able to do that. It might be the last three weeks, we haven't been able to do that. I know coach is going to keep harping on it, because we have to find ways to steal possession ... and give our offense better field position. We weren't able to do that today.”
Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds scored the Bills’ first defensive points of the season Sunday with his safety on a sack of Mayfield in the third quarter. The only other non-offensive points scored this season came when Hyde returned an onside kick attempt by Miami for a touchdown. Oddly enough, it was a play Hyde admitted he shouldn't have made – simply falling down would have allowed the team to run out the clock on the win.
“We definitely got to take the football away more than what we're doing,” Edmunds said. “We've got guys who can do that. We can't stress it too much, though, because when you get caught up in that, that's when assignments and things start getting messed up. You've just got to play your techniques, and those plays are going to come.”
The sooner that starts, the better.
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November 11, 2019 at 09:24PM
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One thing lacking from Bills' defensive resume: Takeaways - Buffalo News
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