The parade of errors started early Sunday for CBS analyst Charles Davis. When the Bills were faced with a fourth down on the goal line during their first drive of the game, Davis remarked the smart play would be to “take the points” and kick the field goal.
Instead, the Bills went for it, and Josh Allen connected with Isaiah McKenzie for an easy touchdown. “Sean McDermott wanted the points, and he got the points,” added Davis.
Huh?
Ian Eagle and Davis were on the call for the Bills’ 33-21 win over the Patriots at Gillette Stadium, and though the duo seldom produces the amount of blunders we hear from most NFL broadcasting teams, it wasn’t Davis’ best performance of the year. Patriots fans would know: the former defensive back has seemingly been in the booth for every game this season.
One of the more humorous themes of the afternoon was Davis continually saying how throwing the ball over the middle of the field is a “no-no” for quarterbacks, only to see Allen convert a number of those passes. Finally, after a completion to Emmanuel Sanders, Davis admitted that Allen is the exception to his oft-stated rule.
Davis was complimentary towards Mac Jones, despite the rookie completing just 14 of 35 passes for 145 yards and two interceptions. Weirdly, Davis is very impressed with Jones’ ability to hand the ball off. Davis said Jones’ three-pass effort against the Bills on “Monday Night Football” was a lot harder than people think.
Who knew handing the ball to a running back was nearly as challenging as trying to find open receivers?
“I’m not sure he got the credit he deserved in that game,” Davis said. “Any quarterback who runs a game like that makes a lot of decisions: getting to the proper play, getting out of a bad play, making sure the proper guy is carrying the football. All of those decisions have to be made on every snap. Everyone thinks all he did was turn around and hand the ball off. It was mentally challenging getting them to the right plays and running it for 220 yards.”
Despite those kind words, Davis mentioned several times in the second half how the Bills wanted to put the game in Jones’ hands, only for Josh McDaniels to stick with the run game.
“It looked like Buffalo had done what they wanted, which is put the game totally in the hands of Mac Jones,” Davis said during the Patriots’ touchdown drive in the third quarter. “But offensive play caller Josh McDaniels said ‘not a chance.’”
In the fourth quarter, Davis told viewers “no one is saying Mac Jones isn’t capable of putting the game on his shoulders and doing it,” except apparently the Bills and his own offensive coordinator.
Sometimes, it seemed like Davis was watching the game with his eyes closed, which is actually what he suggested people should do in order to appreciate McKenzie’s efforts filling in for Cole Beasley. Davis said if we “closed our eyes” and watched one of McKenzie’s routes, we would swear it was “No. 11” scampering over the middle of the field for a first down.
That makes about a much sense as declaring Matt Milano’s strike on Jones in the fourth quarter wasn’t “malicious.”
Without charisma or much personality, it’s especially crucial for Davis to provide insightful otherwise. It’s substance over style for him, and unfortunately, viewers got neither Sunday.