LANDOVER, Md. -- The Buffalo Bills are a worse team than they were one year ago.
Sure, the Bills were eliminated from the playoffs with a bad loss to the Oakland Raiders just before Christmas last season, just as they were knocked out of postseason contention for a 16th consecutive season with a 35-25 defeat Sunday to the Washington Redskins.
But with a 6-8 record, the Bills can finish no better than 8-8 this season, and that means Rex Ryan's first season as Bills coach -- and all the fanfare that came along with it -- was less successful than Doug Marrone's second and final year at the helm in Buffalo, when the Bills completed their 2014 season with a 9-7 record.
Specifically, the Bills' failure to show up at FedEx Field for the first two-and-a-half quarters of Sunday's game is a foreboding sign for a team that appeared to be heading in the right direction at this time last year. Falling into a 28-3 hole to the Redskins, now 7-7, was an indictment both on Ryan's defense -- which allowed five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) to Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins -- and on his staff and players for not staying focused.
What it means: The Bills are done. They needed to win their final three games and get help from the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets and Raiders to make the playoffs. Instead, the Bills lost, and with the Jets' win Saturday night over the Dallas Cowboys and the Kansas City Chiefs' win Sunday over the Baltimore Ravens, the Bills can't catch either of those nine-win teams in the wild-card race.
Ouch: Star running back LeSean McCoy left in the third quarter with a right knee injury and did not return. McCoy took a hard hit from Redskins safety Dashon Goldson but jogged off the field under his own power. After testing his injury under the supervision of the medical staff, he removed his gloves and departed for the locker room.
What were they thinking? Offensive coordinator Greg Roman will be the subject of criticism for some curious play calling in the red zone that saw EJ Manuel, the Bills' backup quarterback, under center and Tyrod Taylor lined up at wide receiver. Manuel ran for a first down but nearly fumbled on a third-and-2 run in the second quarter, and then he was stopped for a 1-yard loss on third-and-3 from the Washington 13-yard line in the third quarter. Both plays took the ball out of the hands of Taylor, a superior athlete and playmaker to Manuel.
One reason to get excited: At this point, there isn't any reason for Bills fans to be excited. In fact, their problems just seem to get worse, especially on defense. It's a troubling sign for a team that will need to make a big jump in Ryan's second year in order to make the playoffs.
One reason to panic: The expectations were never that high for the Bills over their final three games, so fans might have already gone through their "panic" phase of the season. Sunday's game served as a mere confirmation that the Bills weren't fit to make the playoffs this year. The true concern should come when looking forward. Are the Bills, at 6-8 and staring down the possibility of a losing record, worse off this upcoming offseason than they were entering last offseason, when they hired Ryan?
Fantasy watch: The Taylor-to-Sammy Watkins connection has been anything but consistent this season, but when it works, it pays dividends for Watkins' fantasy owners. Watkins had a 48-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter and a 20-yard score in the fourth quarter, bringing his season total to eight touchdowns of at least 20 yards. That's the most in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Watkins finished with five catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
