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If you missed the Buffalo Bills game Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, you’re not alone. The Bills defense was also absent on Sunday at New Era Field. For a team that has adopted the mantra “Defend our dirt,” they did very little defending against the Saints.
Here is recap of the Saints’ drives:
New Orleans Saints drives vs. Buffalo Bills 11/12/17
| # | Quarter | Time | LOS | Plays | Length | Yds | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Quarter | Time | LOS | Plays | Length | Yds | Result |
| 1 | 1 | 10:58 | NOR 25 | 9 | 4:40 | 75 | Touchdown |
| 2 | 1 | 4:54 | NOR 45 | 8 | 3:20 | 44 | Fumble |
| 3 | 2 | 13:50 | BUF 48 | 8 | 4:47 | 48 | Touchdown |
| 4 | 2 | 5:43 | NOR 20 | 10 | 4:04 | 75 | Field Goal |
| 5 | 2 | 0:24 | NOR 28 | 2 | 0:24 | -1 | End of Half |
| 6 | 3 | 15:00 | NOR 25 | 9 | 5:20 | 75 | Touchdown |
| 7 | 3 | 8:29 | BUF 3 | 1 | 0:05 | 3 | Touchdown |
| 8 | 3 | 6:55 | NOR 6 | 10 | 6:33 | 94 | Touchdown |
| 9 | 4 | 14:18 | NOR 27 | 14 | 9:25 | 38 | Field Goal |
| 10 | 4 | 3:55 | BUF 44 | 2 | 0:51 | 44 | Touchdown |
| 11 | 4 | 1:54 | BUF 44 | 4 | 1:54 | -2 | End of Game |
What you’ll notice there is that the Saints never punted. Thomas Morstead might as well have stayed back in New Orleans, as he did not see the field once. He even went so far as to add himself to the Saints inactives list. The only time the Saints received the ball and did not walk away with points was when they fumbled near the goal line on their second drive. That was Buffalo’s only defensive stop of the day.
The Bills defense was historically bad yesterday. This video explains just how bad. pic.twitter.com/y0fs1KWX5K
— Buffalo Rumblings (@BuffRumblings) November 14, 2017
Over the last 10 years, teams are 0-14 when causing 1 or fewer turnovers and forcing 0 punts. In fact, the last time a team won a game where they did not force a punt or more than one turnover was 1949. Nineteen forty-nine. I think it’s safe to say that that is not a formula for winning.
Here’s another historical anecdote to describe how bad the Bills’ defense was on Sunday. On top of their zero punts and 1 turnover, the Saints put up over 150 yards through the air and over 250 yards on the ground. The last time an offense matched those numbers was the 1961 Philadelphia Eagles. The Saints had one of the best offensive performances since the AFL-NFL merger. When the Bills needed a win, their defense turned in a historically bad performance.