Depleted Payments produce a dud in playoff loss to Bengals
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Adversity lastly caught as much as the Buffalo Payments, who have been left depleted and defeated whereas closing an emotionally draining season two wins in need of their Tremendous Bowl aspirations.
Unable to attract on the motivational inspiration of injured teammate Von Miller displaying the Tremendous Bowl trophy he received final 12 months within the locker room this week or injured security Damar Hamlin’s surprise appearance on the stadium Sunday, the Payments delivered a dud in a 27-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in a divisional playoff game.
“Preserve their head up,” coach Sean McDermott stated he instructed his gamers afterward. “Though this hurts, I’m happy with them in the way in which that they dealt with themselves with class this 12 months within the ups and downs and the adversity they confronted.
“They’ll take that with them, however for proper now, this stings. I want it have been a distinct end result.”
The Payments have been flat from the start, seemingly spent from a two-month stretch wherein they watched in shocked horror as Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated on the sector in Cincinnati on Jan. 2, had their schedule disrupted by two winter storms, and confirmed indicators of fatigue in a sloppy 34-31 playoff-opening win over Miami final week.
The Josh Allen-led offense opened with two three-and-out possessions, wherein it gained a mixed 11 yards.
And Buffalo’s bend-but-don’t-break protection totally unraveled whereas permitting Joe Burrow to finish his first 9 makes an attempt for 105 yards and two touchdowns because the Bengals constructed a 14-0 lead with 3:47 left within the opening quarter.
It was a gap too large to climb out of for a hobbled protection.
Miller has been sidelined with a knee damage since November. And Buffalo has spent a lot of this season enjoying with a patchwork secondary lacking beginning security Micah Hyde (herniated disk) and Hamlin, his backup. Jordan Poyer, one other starter, was enjoying by way of an assortment of accidents.
“Whatever the struggles or not, we needed to see this by way of the tip,” left sort out Dion Dawkins stated. “It positively stings slightly bit extra realizing that this explicit group went by way of a lot and this chapter is closed.”
The Payments, whose three earlier losses this season have been determined by a mixed 8 factors, had an eight-game successful streak snapped. In addition they dropped to 13-2 when internet hosting an NFL playoff sport.
Regardless of matching a single-season report with 13 wins, the Payments’ playoff run ended within the divisional spherical for a second straight 12 months. Final 12 months, the staff was left annoyed following a 42-36 extra time loss to Kansas Metropolis wherein Buffalo blew a three-point lead within the last 13 seconds of regulation.
In opposition to Cincinnati, the Payments have been unable to muster a lot of a response.
They’d a season-low 10 factors and allowed the Bengals to rack up 30 first downs — probably the most since permitting 30 to the Chiefs within the playoffs final 12 months.
Receiver Stefon Diggs let his feelings get the most effective of him when he was noticed leaving the Payments’ locker room with a lot of his gear nonetheless on shortly after the sport ended. He wanted to be coaxed again by a teammate, and was current for McDermott’s postgame speech, which is all that mattered to the coach.
“He’s a aggressive man. What makes him good is what you noticed,” McDermott stated. “It hurts. I wouldn’t desire a man that doesn’t damage.
“We put all of it on the road on the market and tonight it wasn’t ok.”
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