Before the Buffalo Bills season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers even kicked off, something was odd about the team’s active roster, as running back Zack Moss was omitted from the lineup.
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Moss was noted as a healthy scratch, which had numerous analysts around the league scratching their heads. Buffalo Rumblings Bruce Nolan tweeted, “Zach Moss being the #Bills best pass protecting RB and being a healthy scratch against a ferocious PIT D could potentially be a narrative for this week.”
Zack Moss healthy scratch??? Trey Sermon healthy scratch??? What’s going on?!
While Moss’s absence was not the sole reason for the Bills 23- 16 loss, it appeared to be a contributing factor. Last season, before injuring his ankle, Moss had rushed for 481 yards and four touchdowns. During the playoffs against the Indianapolis Colts, Moss ran 21 yards on the ground, caught 14 passes for 95 yards, and a touchdown.
During the postgame conference, McDermott revealed why held Moss out of the game. “It was just numbers,” McDermott said, One Bills Live‘s Chris Brown tweeted.
USA Today’s Bradley Gelber also offered some insight on Moss being a healthy scratch. “When you have a team with as much talent as the #Bills, guys are gonna have to sit out sometimes,” Gleber tweeted. “It’s gonna be based on week to week matchups. Don’t think this is necessarily an indictment of Zack Moss or the team’s confidence in his ability to contribute.”
Perhaps, the Bills will rethink the backfield when they take on the Miami Dolphins in Week 2.
Bills’ Offensive Coordinator Made ‘One of the Most Horrible Calls in the History of Pro Football’
GettyJosh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills talks to offensive coordinator Brian Daboll during training camp at Highmark Stadium on July 31, 2021 in Orchard Park, New York.
The overall play-calling from Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll on Sunday was questionable at best. The fourth and short pass to running back Matt Breida defied logic. Sports Illustrated‘s Nick Fierro called the decision to throw a backward pass to Brieda “one of the most horrible calls in the history of pro football.”
Here’s the play Brian Daboll called for the #Bills on fourth-and-1. Goodness gracious.
Relying on Breida and Devin Singeltary, the latter whom fumbled the ball twice, to carry the backfield didn’t quite work out for the Bills. However, McDermott didn’t try to offer up any excuses for their disappointing loss.
“Mike Tomlin and his team came here and outcoached and outplayed us,” McDermott said. “We’ve got to do a better job on offense getting into a rhythm, establishing a line of scrimmage and penalties. We didn’t help ourselves.”
QB Josh Allen Ran the Ball 8 Times
It’s safe to say Sunday’s performance was far from the Super Bowl-bound team everyone expected to see during the home opener in Orchard Park.
After the game, quarterback Josh Allen addressed those exact feelings. “Obviously, that’s not how we wanted to start the season but that’s why we’re playing 17 of them… it’s a long season,” Allen said, per 13WHAM’s Dan Fetes.
Despite the Steelers’ defense shutting down much of the Bills passing game, Allen still threw a career-high 51 passes, completing 30 for 270 yards and a touchdown.
While there’s little doubt Allen will bounce back and throw numerous dimes for touchdowns, there’s some worry with how much Daboll had their $258 million franchise star running the ball himself. Daboll called for Allen to run eight times.
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Why Didn’t Zack Moss Play? Bills Coach Explains Decision