One Stat Recap: Buffalo Bills fall short against the Baltimore Ravens

The Buffalo Bills faced one of the league’s best teams on Sunday in the Baltimore Ravens and had a chance to tie the game late despite the offense and special teams performing poorly for the majority of the game.

The Ravens caused problems for the Bills’ offense all day with their aggressive blitzing and cover-0 scheme. This resulted in a season-high six sacks allowed by the Bills and a season-low 2.33 net yards per pass attempt. Net yards per pass attempt is defined by passing yards minus sack yards divided by passes attempted plus times sacked. Teams are an abysmal 21-123 this millennium in games with a net yards per pass attempt that low. It gets even worse if you look at the last five years (2015 through Sunday). Not a single team has won a game over the course of that period with a net yards per pass attempt as low as the Bills put on Sunday against the Ravens. The last time a team won a game with a net yards per pass attempt below 2.34 was in 2012 when the Christian Ponder-led Minnesota Vikings beat the John Skelton-led Arizona Cardinals.

The Bills still control their destiny despite the loss. A win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football will earn them a playoff spot. Josh Allen and the offensive line will need to rebound and improve their performance against another tough AFC North defense.