One Bills in-game decision that confused fans on Saturday
No one would ever complain about his or her favorite team going on to score six touchdowns in six consecutive drives. It doesn't matter if it's the second week of preseason or the Super Bowl itself. If that happens, you enjoy it, period. And yet Buffalo Bills fans have been freaking out about the punting […]
No one would ever complain about his or her favorite team going on to score six touchdowns in six consecutive drives. It doesn't matter if it's the second week of preseason or the Super Bowl itself. If that happens, you enjoy it, period.
And yet Buffalo Bills fans have been freaking out about the punting competition all off-season long. How can you blame them? It's a marvelous storyline. And when you have one of the best rosters in the NFL, you can enjoy such a competition comfortably.
So naturally, when the moment finally came to punt (it didn't happen until the fourth quarter, by the way), fans wanted to see the one they nickname the "Punt God." After Buffalo's rookie introduced himself to the fanbase with a riveting 82-yard punt in Week 1, it was time for him to prove himself in a different and essential situation.
From the 50-yard line, could he force the Denver Broncos to a tough field position by nailing this punt?
If this narrative sounds overdramatic, it's because maybe it is. After all, we're talking preseason punting here. However, judging by Bills Twitter, this is exactly as dramatic as it was in the moment.
After all, the rookie is supposedly still battling the Bills' veteran Matt Haack. So you can see why fans found it anticlimactic when Haack jogged out onto the field to make the punt from the 50.
Why wouldn't the Bills want to see Araiza punt from this situation? We know Haack's able to make these punts and we know Araiza can obliterate footballs. But we – the fans, because keeping in mind the coaching staff has seen way more from these guys in practice – do not know if Araiza can nail his opponents in deep territory.
After scratching our heads for a moment, I believe columnist Sal Maiorana summed things up quite accurately. You see, the theatrical battle at punter? It might be fake for the Bills. There might already be a winner.
Sal's theory about it being a competition that's all but over fits with one other trend we saw on the football field other than the Bills' incessant scoring. Matt Araiza was out there holding the ball in each of the Bills' six extra point attempts.
Although confusing at the moment, Buffalo's decision-making on Saturday provides clarity at one of the most-discussed competitions of the summer. Matt Araiza is cruising toward the 53-man roster weeks removed from the regular season.
Featured image via Shawn Dowd / USA TODAY NETWORK
