Pollock: Major special teams issues need to be addressed ... again by the Buffalo Bills; Josh Allen, Taron Johnson injury updates

A column by CHUCK POLLOCK, Sun Senior Sports Columnist

In the relief of the Bills surviving Sunday’s season opener against Arizona, a gaffe-filled 34-28 triumph, two things were sort of overlooked.

One occurred in the first quarter when Taron Johnson, among the NFL’s elite nickelback’s, injured his forearm, had it taped up, but never returned to the game.

Then, in the final period, quarterback Josh Allen hurdled his way into the end zone for a 6-yard score, injuring his left (non-throwing) forearm. After a double-taping he returned to finish the game.

In Monday’s meeting with the media, coach Sean McDermott updated the two forearm injuries.

For Allen, the news was good. He was OK’d by doctors, practiced Monday, and is good to go for Thursday’s game in Miami.

Johnson, not so much. He’s out for the Dolphins and McDermott offered no further information on the extent of the injury or how long it would keep him out.

Unfortunately, if ever there was a time when a team needed its Pro Bowl secondary star, it’s two nights from now against Miami, possessor of one of the NFL’s fastest and most potent offenses … particularly through the air.

LOST IN the consolation of escaping with a less-than-impressive win was how close Buffalo came to giving this one away.

Yeah, the Bills rallied from 14 points down in the final minute of the second quarter and were seemingly in control, up 31-20 with under nine minutes to play. But, alas, the Bills’ sketchy special teams made it a game on the ensuing play, turning the Cardinals’ DeeJay Dallas loose on a 96-yard touchdown sprint … the first such score since the NFL instituted its new “Dynamic Kickoff” this season.

And Buffalo’s error-prone kicking teams weren’t done, Tyler Bass, whose field goal had just put Buffalo up 34-28, promptly booted the kickoff out-of-bounds, handing Arizona the ball on its own 40 with just under two minutes to play, all three timeouts, and a touchdown from victory.

The Cardinals drove to the Bills’ 32-yard line facing 2nd-and-10. TV replays show rookie wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. open by 20 yards on the right side. Quarterback Kyler Murray didn’t see the fourth overall pick — one of several open receivers he missed during the game — and instead opted to throw to undersized (5-foot-7) Greg Dortch who fell down on the play.

Buffalo ultimately held for two more downs but if Murray had seen Harrison, targeted only three times with one catch for four yards, it could have been the winning touchdown. Interestingly, film review afterward indicated the play had progressed far enough that overlooking Harrison when he broke free was not Murray’s fault.

After the close call, McDermott admitted, “We’ve got a lot of room for improvement. We’re beating ourselves in an undisciplined fashion and manner at times. Pre-snap penalties in particular and just beating ourselves overall with some execution issues. We can take a lot from this game.”

AND THAT brings me to Buffalo’s special teams.

A controversy evolved after the Bills’ “13 seconds” playoff loss at Kansas City after the 2021 season. Days later McDermott fired special teams coordinator Heath Farwell, which suggested the coach was holding him responsible for the ridiculous decision to opt for a deep kickoff, running no time off the clock and not forcing Kansas City to use a timeout.

McDermott never answered questions about who made the call though subsequently several players anonymously said it was, in fact, the head coach.

With Farwell gone, McDermott elevated Matt Smiley, whom he’d hired as special teams assistant when he took the Buffalo job in 2017, to the coordinator’s job.

Last season, in the 22 categories used to rank special teams, the Bills were 28th of 32 squads. And Sunday afternoon two huge gaffes almost cost the game.

Immediately after McDermott fired Farwell, he was hired by the Jaguars for whom he still works.

But it begs the question: Why is Smiley still employed by the Bills given his unit’s recent performance?

(Chuck Pollock, a Wellsville Sun senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@wnynet.net.)

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Pollock: Major special teams issues need to be addressed … again by the Buffalo Bills; Josh Allen, Taron Johnson injury updates

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