Buffalo Bills fans got a little spoiled as the top teams of NBC, ESPN and CBS announced the team's last three games prior to Sunday.
The Fox team of play-by-play announcer Kenny Albert and analyst Jonathan Vilma calling the Bills’ 31-14 victory in Highmark Stadium Sunday over the Carolina Panthers isn’t in the same category.
At least Sunday was a temporary break from the Bills receiving some of the top announcing teams.
The Bills rematch with the New England Patriots Sunday likely for the AFC East title will be called by CBS' No. 2 team of lan Eagle, Charles Davis and Evan Washburn.
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Vilma, who won a national collegiate championship with the Miami Hurricanes and a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints, joined Fox in 2020 and was working his first Bills game.
He isn’t in Davis’ class as an analyst. But Vilma had a decent game, even if he said he “loved” things Sunday more often than you hear “I love you” in a Hallmark Christmas movie.
“This is my kind of game, I love it,” said Vilma of the early defensive play by both teams.
When the Bills’ Devin Singletary scored the game’s first touchdown on a 16-yard run, Vilma said, “I love how they used the speed of the Panthers against them.”
When Bills receiver Stefon Diggs and tackle Spencer Brown grabbed a beer from a fan in the stands after a Diggs touchdown catch gave the Bills a 14-0 lead, Vilma said, “Get me a tall one right now. I love it.”
Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Spencer Brown (79) slams a beer from a fan in the stands while celebrating wide receiver Stefon Diggs's touchdown during the second quarter.
And then there was Vilma’s praise of quarterback Josh Allen, whose foot was injured in a loss to Tampa Bay a week before, as Fox showed highlights: “What I love is we’re showing all passes, precise and accurate and not runs.”
Vilma’s monotone voice is hard to love. But he described replays well and seemed to be having a much better time than Albert.
He also rightly called out Brown for getting a taunting penalty that he said was more egregious because the tackle had so many problems filling in for Dion Dawkins. “You can’t do that, especially after you haven’t had a good game,” said Vilma.
There wasn’t much to love about Albert’s performance. He was a little late calling the Bills first touchdown and his enthusiasm level wasn’t anywhere near his father Marv’s usual level.
He also blew a third down, thinking the Panthers had 3 yards to go when viewers could see they had a more difficult 8 yards to go. Perhaps because Vilma was babbling on, Albert also seemed a little slow to recognize that the Bills’ Isaiah McKenzie was in the shotgun on a first-down run while Allen was sent out wide as a receiver. Vilma jokingly said that Allen’s role was to get out of the way.
While I didn’t love the game announcers, at least they didn’t provide as many head-scratching moments as the halftime studio crew.
They didn’t give Allen the love that New England quarterback Mac Jones routinely gets. In a half in which Allen threw a touchdown pass and was 15 of 22 passing, studio analyst Howie Long narrated highlights showing a couple of early Allen incompletions in their first drive and his lone interception late in the second quarter.
It seemed weird to highlight Allen’s few mistakes with the Bills ahead 17-8.
Now on to more highs and lows of the broadcast and the CBS pregame show:
Complexion Issues: Fox aired footage of the pregame injury to Panthers kicker Zane Gonzalez during warmups that Albert repeatedly said changed the “complexion of the game” because Carolina couldn’t try an early 43-yard field goal that could have given them a 3-0 lead. He could have made his point stronger if they mentioned that Gonzalez is 20 of 22 on field goals with a long one of 57 yards this season even if kicking at Highmark Stadium can be a different animal.
Debatable Decision: Albert should have asked Vilma what he thought of Panthers coach Matt Rhule’s decision to go for it on fourth down and 1 near midfield rather than punt early in a scoreless game. After Newton threw a pass at the feet of a receiver, Vilma said, “I don’t understand that at all” and thought Newton surely would be involved in a run-pass option. “I think everyone thought Newton would run it,” agreed Albert. The failure to make a first down gave the Bills a short field before Singletary’s touchdown run gave them a 7-0 lead.
Camera Issue: Vilma tried to show the blocking on Singletary’s touchdown but was surprised that the play “even fooled the cameraman.” He repeatedly stressed how important Singletary’s running was to take the heat off Allen.
Efe's Big Day: After one of Efe Obada’s two big sacks, Albert told the wonderful story of Obada, the former Panther, making it to the NFL via Nigeria and London, England as part of the NFL International Player Pathway.
Nixon’s Not the One: Fox’s cameras did find Panther offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon, which answered the question of whether he was the guy who played for the Bills. He isn’t.
Stop Hate: After Bills tight end Tommy Sweeney dropped a first-down pass, Vilma said, “This is his moment, and he just dropped the ball. He is going to hate himself.” Allen won’t hate him. His helmet says, “Stop Hate.”
Explanation Needed: Albert was remiss in not asking Vilma why the Bills decided to go for it on fourth and 2 with a little more than two minutes to go with a 24-14 lead rather than kick a field goal to take a 27-14 lead. They should have explained it made no sense to kick a field goal because the Panthers weren’t going to try a field goal and needed two touchdowns to have a chance to win without a kicker.
Gimme a Break: Fox needed to show more replays. The replay of a penalty against Carolina’s Bravvion Roy, that led to the touchdown that gave the Bills a 24-8 lead made it appear to be a big break for Buffalo. Roy wasn’t even on the field and was penalized for something that happened on the sideline. “Take about a backbreaker … That can’t be it,” said Vilma watching the replay.
Strange Decision: Vilma defended the Panthers decision to decline a holding penalty that would have given the Bills a second and 19 instead of third and 9 by saying their defensive coordinator felt good about his third-down package. The Bills then got a first down because of the questionable roughing call.
Stefon vs. Stephon: The matchup between Bills receiver Stefon Diggs and Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore was highlighted, especially when Diggs beat Gilmore for an 11-yard touchdown. Gilmore seemed baffled by the touchdown to Gabriel Davis that gave the Bills a 24-8 lead, but he was clearly covering Diggs on the play. It was unclear if Gilmore was responsible for Davis on his second touchdown, but Gilmore was running after the receiver after he caught the pass.
Best Stat: Near game’s end, Fox noted that the Bills scored three touchdowns and a field goal on their four trips to the red zone. Soon after, Davis caught his second touchdown in the Bills’ fifth trip to the red zone, a problem area this season.
Hurricane Talk: Vilma and Albert provided some needed levity dealing with Vilma’s alma mater. After Greg Rousseau made a play, Vilma playfully asked where the Bills end played collegiately, knowing full well he also was a University of Miami Hurricane. Albert cracked that Rousseau was one of the few Miami players “braving the elements who went down on the field today.” Replied Vilma: “I’m not going down there. I’m staying nice and warm.” Vilma also had some fun at the expense of Ken Dorsey, the Bills quarterback coach who was the quarterback at Miami when Vilma played there. “He is the slowest quarterback we ever had,” cracked Vilma. He added he made all the right throws and was smart.
Pregame Talk: Before the game, Fox studio host Curt Menefee said, “the Bills are crumbling like a cheap folding table.” Long said he didn’t know who wrote that cheap line before adding, if the Bills get into the playoffs, “they can beat anybody.”
All in the Family: After Diggs scored his touchdown, Vilma said, “this man could play defense, man. He’s got that kind of fire in him.” Surely, Stefon will tell that to his brother Trevon, who had his 10th interception Sunday as a Cowboys defensive back.
Allen’s Second Front Job: The quarterback saw something the officials didn’t – that the Panthers had a 12th man running off the field too late during the Bills’ field-goal drive before the half that gave them a 17-8 lead. “He was right,” said Vilma as the replay proved it.
Best Close Up: Vilma noted repeatedly that Newton was taking a beating and took note of a camera shot that caught the quarterback “wincing” after a hit.
Dawson Knox Wants My Job: The announcers noted that Allen refers to Bills tight end Dawson Knox as a “matchup nightmare.” That led sideline reporter Lindsay Czarniak to chime in that Allen also calls Knox “a big … nerd” who likes “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter” and has “a good theory on the end of "Game of Thrones.” That enlivened Vilma, a “GOT” fan. “There is so much wrong with the ending,” said Vilma. Bills fans had to love Sunday’s ending more than Vilma hated the end of “GOT.”
Merry Christmas: When Newton threw an interception to Bills linebacker A.J. Klein (he was wide open), Vilma said, “Cam threw him a gift. A Merry Christmas gift.” All Bills fans want the day after Christmas is a victory over the Patriots.
