Quick Takes Edition 5
I’m a little late this week with my sports takes; so let’s get right into it.
Buffalo Bills (3-2)
A sleepy loss in London. No, really – it was a sleepy loss. The situation first came to light the week before when I saw that Jacksonville was already in London playing the Falcons. Even before that Jaguars/Falcons game concluded I was confused. Aren’t the Jaguars playing the Bills next week in London? I had erroneously thought that I had misread the schedule. No – I had not, and when I realized that Jacksonville was playing two consecutive games in London I thought that wasn’t quite right. I still think the Bills would win, but the entire travel schedule seemed to be adversely tipped. That was before the game, and then following the opening kick-off it became more apparent that (surprise!) jet-lag is going to be a real factor in this game because one team has it; the other has not. I thought this short-sighted on the NFL’s part (they sometimes do curious things in scheduling), but now the loss seems more irritating as it seems this was all by design. This game was a test case on whether jet-lag (apparently) is real. The disadvantage was done intentionally. Personally I think it is a failed test case on a couple different fronts. First, I would think by the year 2023 we would have all agreed that jet-lag, particularly when you’re loosing time, is a real thing. Anyone that’s flown a red-eye can tell you that, and they don’t have to play football once they’ve reached their destination to verify. Second, it was a fail to have done it in the regular season when games matter. If you want to have regular season games in London – that’s fine, but given that the games do count in the standings the playing conditions (not counting weather or aspects you can control) should be as even as you can make it. If the league really wanted to test if jet-lag is a thing, then it should have been an exhibition or pre-season game selected. Not one that could potentially have playoff implications.
All this being said the London game, from a Bills’ perspective, was a cascade of failures. I thought Jacksonville having already played in London was a factor. So was the fact the Bills arrived so late in the week. That part is on them. They should have landing in London by Wednesday the latest – instead it took another 48-hours, and the game showed that 48 hours meant a lot. While the defense played strong all things considered, the offense appeared to be operating under water. All teams have injuries, but they were a factor in this game, and Matt Milano is back on IR. Lastly, and it has to be said, the officiating was certainly sub-par. For years now I’ve heard that a receiver, “Has to make a football move,” but in the first have the Jaguars had a drive extended when replay upheld a ruling on the field after a Bills’ challenge of a fumble. The broadcast called it, “A unique situation.” I guess that’s what you say when you’re trying to cover up mistakes.
That single play did not cost the Bills the game, but as I indicated it was the cascade of errors. From travel arrangements on their part, injuries that happen that are no one’s fault, to league scheduling, and not the best officiating performance. There are enough variables going into an NFL game – it doesn’t need to be compounded by adding scheduling and travel arrangements to it. I do see the Bills bouncing back against the Giants on Sunday night. They should because, well, they’re playing the Giants. The only outside factor is if the league has another experiment up their sleeve.
Notre Dame #21 (5-2)
Yes, Louisville is undefeated, but there is no condoning losing to a 25th ranked team when you’re ranked #10. The loss has dropped the Irish to 21, and I guess they should be glad they’re still in the Top 25. There were signs a loss was on the horizon in their late comeback against Duke the week before where the stole the game on a final 95 yard drive at the end. The Duke game should never have come down to a 95 yard drive, and the Louisville game probably should have been something like 34-17 Irish if I had to pick before the game. It wasn’t. The Irish struggled offensively, and this game, combined with the Duke game, are continuing exhibits of Notre Dame’s frustrations. The Irish continue to be one of those 616 teams, and by that I mean from a ranking perspective they continually fall into that nebulous area of #6-16 category. Very talented, show nothing but potential, but fall short in the critical games. Ten defensive players on the last play when they could have upset Ohio State, the Reggie Bush Push, and the continued defensive lapses on fourth and long on seemingly the final stops of games. In the Bush Push years ago against Southern Cal they fall short of upsetting the Trojans on the play(s) before when they could have stopped a fourth and long. It happened again against Ohio State this season, and it doesn’t seem to matter who is the coach. Charlie Weiss? Marcus Freeman? Many of Notre Dame’s bids for almost upsets have happened defensively at the ends of games – and particularly on fourth and long. This week they’re playing arch rival #10 Southern Cal, and it’s quite possible that with two losses and the CFP bid now gone, this team will come out like a deflated balloon. I expect USC to handle the 21st ranked Irish the way the Irish should have handled Duke and Louisville in the preceding weeks. It is only Freeman’s second year, but as he moves forward these are the things he needs to address.
Buffalo Sabres (0-1)
I’ve send many times before and I will say again for emphasis now – There are two things in sports that are absolutely meaningless. April baseball and October hockey.[1] However, I did hear a lot of hype around the Sabres season this go around how, The playoff drought will end, and This team is on the verge of something big. Apparently all this media hype was greeted to a 5-1 uninspired loss, on opening night at home no less, against the New York Rangers.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.Again, I’m not going to contradict my opening statement. October hockey is for the most part meaningless, but there is a caveat for the opening game. When you haven’t had a playoff appearance in over a decade, and you’re trying to change the culture of the team and the fans, then opening night is significant. It would have been easier to accept a 5-4 shoot-out loss, but 5-1 and the game already decided early in the third period? That’s not good. It sets a bad tone. We’ll see what comes out of it Saturday night in Long Island, but with the Lightning ready to strike on Tuesday back in Buffalo this team could find itself 0-3 before it knows what happened.
Although a case can be made that all hockey at its core is somewhat meaningless from October to March, and the MLB is attempting to adjust their playoff format in that same direction.