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At 5-4, the Buffalo Bills are certainly not in ideal position when it comes to the AFC playoff chase, but by no means are they out of the race, either. Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk wants to know: which Bills player needs to be the second-half MVP for a playoff-caliber close to the 2014 season?
The answer is, of course, Kyle Orton.
It's difficult to expect more than what the Bills have gotten out of Orton, who in his five starts has completed 65.6 percent of his passes at 277 yards per game and 7.3 yards per attempt, with 10 touchdowns and just three interceptions. That's quality quarterback play no matter which way you slice it.
But we also know that the Bills are a good team that lets its opponents hang around too frequently in games. Orton can't help with the conservative coaching that's part of that problem, but he can be much better in the red zone, which is the team's biggest Achilles heel at the moment. That was highly observable in the Bills' loss to Kansas City last weekend, when Orton missed some key throws in the red zone that might have won them the game. Take it away, Jon Ramsey:
Here's the miss to 84, really nice play design, mimics the flat to TE that they always run. Chiefs stare at 14 #Bills pic.twitter.com/hBBdlzEUrk
— YardsPerPass.com (@YardsPerPass) November 11, 2014
Hali makes another great play... Woods jukes the DB, but Hali jumps into throwing lane and Orton misses #Bills pic.twitter.com/fQCiTI960x
— YardsPerPass.com (@YardsPerPass) November 11, 2014
This is the 3rd down pass to Hogan, a much tougher throw than the 4th down play, but there is space #Bills pic.twitter.com/9iHi2UxKq0
— YardsPerPass.com (@YardsPerPass) November 11, 2014
This is the 4th down play... Sammy is pretty open, no idea why Orton's throw was so off #Bills pic.twitter.com/7fs0VR78Qr
— YardsPerPass.com (@YardsPerPass) November 11, 2014
On 1st and 2nd down... everyone was blanketed... but those last 2 plays.... you would hope that Orton would complete 1 of them #Bills
— YardsPerPass.com (@YardsPerPass) November 11, 2014
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