The Buffalo Bills are once again eliminated from the postseason after their loss to the Washington Redskins and now they must find motivation in the last two days. The team's promising start to the year ended in disappointment and now injuries as the team could be without LeSean McCoy once again. The running back has been dealing with injuries all season and Week 15 was no different.
According to ESPN's Mike Rodak, McCoy suffered an MCL sprain in the third quarter of the loss to the Redskins after he was hit in the knee by Dashon Goldson. McCoy was able to jog off the field under his own power which is a good sign when thinking of the severity of the issue. He had 29 yards off 10 carries before the injury and this could end up keeping him out for the year if the Bills see that as the best option. McCoy was replaced by Mike Gillislee who led all running backs with 60 yards and a touchdown. Going forward he and Karlos Williams could be the rotation over the next two weeks.
The elimination from the playoffs did not sit well with Sammy Watkins. The wide receiver was not happy with the way the team played. While head coach Rex Ryan shouldered much of the blame for the game, Watkins made it clear that the players need to do more and hold themselves accountable.
"We need to forget about anybody's feelings," Watkins told the Buffalo News' Tyler Dunne. "We need to call people out. If I'm doing something wrong, call me out. If the line is doing something wrong or messing up, call them out. If the defense is doing something wrong, the defensive line, the secondary, call it out. Because at the end of the day, we're doing it to win, not to get on somebody and make them feel bad. We're grown men. This is our job. We get paid millions and hundreds of thousands of dollars. Forget the money. You've got to go out there each week and play for the guy next to you."
The Bills will have some roster decisions to make in the offseason. Mario Williams may or may not be around. Percy Harvin might not be around. One player that appears guaranteed a return is Tyrod Taylor who is playing off an expiring contract. The quarterback has more-than exceeded expectations placed on him at the start of the year and Ryan is thinking he deserves to come back. Even with EJ Manuel still under contract, Taylor could earn an extension with the Bills right when the season ends. Taylor told the media he is just focused on improving.
"I definitely think that I can play - I definitely showed that I can play quarterback in this league," Taylor said, via the Buffalo News. "It's a work in progress. I'm always working on my craft. Never satisfied. It's up to the management. I'll just continue to approach each and every day the same way. Hard work. Attitude. Continue to keep working."
