The Buffalo Bills were in total chaos for almost the entire first half of their 23-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens Sunday.
Then CBS play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle launched an explanation of how the "butterfly effect" changed the game.
That’s a chaos theory reference that explains how one small incident can affect the future.
The small incident Eagle was using in his analogy was the non-pass interference call against Bills safety Jordan Poyer that would have given the Ravens a first down with under 2 minutes left in the half and a 20-3 lead that could have been extended before halftime.
“Every game in the NFL you get the butterfly effect,” explained Eagle. “A call here or a non-call there can change the whole course of a game. (Baltimore) fans wanted a pass interference call. They didn’t get it.”
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“He got there a little bit early,” said Davis of Poyer. “The officials let him play through the body, trying to make a play on the ball.”
At that point, the Bills offense was in disarray and their fans undoubtedly had plenty of butterflies that the supposed dream season was going down the drain.
But Bills quarterback Josh Allen led a touchdown drive to cut the lead to 20-10 before halftime, the offense steadied itself in the second half and the defense held the Ravens scoreless.
Eagle’s use of the butterfly effect was only one example of why Eagle and Charles Davis are CBS’ No. 2 NFL team, behind only Jim Nantz and Tony Romo.
Eagle is an excellent play-by-play announcer with a high excitement level on key plays, a good sense of humor and apparently a deep understanding of pop music and the chaos theory.
He and Davis are entertaining together. Davis was the best I’ve ever heard him on a Bills game. The analyst explained that Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier changed some strategy in the second half when he decided to blitz Ravens’ quarterback Lamar Jackson in long yardage situations, something the Bills rarely do.
He also weighed in on a trio of key calls that went the Bills way, which happens more often to good teams, the most important arguably leading to Eagle referencing the butterfly effect.
Of course, Ravens coach John Harbaugh helped the butterfly effect become true. His surprising decision to go for a touchdown on a fourth down with about 4 minutes left in the game rather than kick a field goal backfired when Poyer intercepted a pass in the end zone from a scrambling Jackson.
Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer celebrates an interception during the fourth quarter against Baltimore.
It gave the Bills the ball at the 20-yard line rather than at the 2-yard line to be in position to drive down for the winning field goal from Tyler Bass in the game’s final play.
It was such a big decision by Harbaugh that it was surprising that Eagle didn’t ask Davis if he thought the Ravens should have kicked the field goal to take a 23-20 lead.
After the play failed, Davis’ criticism was restricted to the play call. He said he was surprised that Jackson dropped straight back to pass, which led him to scramble 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage, rather than give the elusive quarterback a run-pass option.
Davis didn’t opine about whether it was a good idea to decline kicking a go-ahead field goal rather than try for a touchdown that would have forced Allen to lead the Bills to one to tie.
The lack of an opinion on what arguably was the biggest decision of the game was the most glaring oversight by the announcers. It was even more surprising because Eagle did such a good job during the rest of the game asking Davis his opinions when Davis didn’t volunteer them without being asked.
Harbaugh’s call was worthy of a quick debate by the announcers. As the coach explained in his postgame news conference, he presumed the Bills would get the ball at the 2-yard line if the play failed.
Davis showed he plays things more conservatively earlier when the Ravens went for it on fourth and 1 at their own 35-yard line.
“I’m not sure I’m going for it this deep in my territory,” said Davis.
After they succeeded, Davis stood by his comment. “I would have punted.”
Following a ticky-tack offensive pass interference call again the Ravens’ Mark Andrews after he caught a pass and ran it to the Bills’ 1, Davis noted the tight end had his arm extended and added that usually leads to a penalty. Even Bills fans would have to acknowledge it was a weak call. It probably cost the Ravens four points since they had to settle for a field goal.
However, Davis did criticize a key roughing the passer call against Baltimore’s Brandon Stephens that aided the Bills' winning field drive.
“I don’t like the call,” said Davis. “I think Stephens was right there.”
The replay showed Allen begging for the call, which he probably felt he deserved because of other legitimate calls he hasn’t gotten this season.
The call aided the Bills' winning drive. Another example of the butterfly effect.
Now on to more highlights from the telecast:
Music Man: After studio analyst Nate Burleson showed a highlight of Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts taking a big hit after running for a touchdown and adding the pun, “it Hurts so good,” Eagle cracked: Thank you John Mellencamp.” (That’s the title of one of Mellencamp’s hits.) After a tipped ball by Bills rookie Prince Emili hung in the air long enough for Poyer to intercept, Eagle referenced a famous Prince tune: “When doves cry, it ends up with Jordan Poyer.”
Thank Goodness It Was Friday: Eagle explained that Allen told the announcers that he didn’t feel right until Friday after playing last Sunday in the brutal heat in Miami. Judging by the results, Allen didn't feel right until after halftime Sunday.
The Kickoff Strategy: The announcers said the Bills chose to receive after winning the toss, when most teams defer to the second half, because they had scored eight straight times after receiving kickoffs. The strategy backfired when Allen was intercepted. Bills coach Sean McDermott explained in his postgame news conference that he also decided to take the ball because the weather was supposed to get worse in the second half. It did.
Welcome to the Bills’ Nightmare: After the Bills’ Devin Singletary fumbled with the Ravens leading 14-3 and everything had gone wrong that could go wrong for the Bills, Eagle called it “a nightmarish start.”
Miami Hangover?: Davis speculated that the Bills slumbering first half offense might have resulted from having 90 plays against Miami.
Eagle Eyed: After Allen’s pass intended for Dawson Knox was intercepted, Davis called it an “inaccurate” pass. Eagle then noted that the Ravens’ Calais Campbell tipped it. After the replay confirmed Eagle was right, Davis called him Ian Eagle Eye.
The Loose Belt: After Eagle noted that Allen’s hand warmer belt came off as a Ravens player tackled him, Davis cracked: “You’ve got to get him, not the belt.”
Just Squeeze It: That was what Bills receiver Gabriel Davis told the announcers you had to do to catch balls in the rain. He should have taken his own advice. His two drops made you wonder if his injury has affected what used to be sure hands.
A Good Feeling: Eagle said that Allen told him that he actually likes the way the ball feels when it rains.
A Little Sugar: That’s what Davis said the Ravens were giving fullback Patrick Ricard on a run on third and 1, noting the blocking back rarely gets to carry the ball.
The Lost Challenge: Harbaugh lost a key timeout when he lost a challenge of a spot that Jackson didn’t get a first down. Jackson got the first down anyway on the next play. The failed challenge cost Baltimore any chance to get the ball back after the Bills scored their winning field goal because the lack of a third timeout enabled the Bills to run out the clock.
Clock Management: Eagle and Davis realized that the Bills’ excellent clock management would enable them to kick the winning field goal at the buzzer but they were just a little bit late to note it.
A Gene Steratore Sighting: CBS’ officiating expert wasn’t around for multiple calls during the Miami game but he finally showed up in this game to accurately predict the Ravens’ challenge of a spot would fail.
The Extra Official: Steratore wasn’t called on to explain why a Raven wasn’t called for a penalty when Bills receiver Isaiah McKenzie took a hit that put him out of the game, so Davis stepped in. He said there was no penalty because McKenzie became a runner after the catch and unless he was hit with the crown of the helmet it is part of the game.
Painful Film Session: After the wild play in which Jackson somehow eluded Von Miller and the Ravens’ Devin Duvernay and wound up with a 21-yard, deflected-pass reception, Eagle noted Miller told them Jackson is “a superstar. You can see it live and you can see it on film.” Davis remarked: “He just saw it live and he’s going to see it on film, and he won’t enjoy either one.”
The Statistics: You might have thought the announcers would have focused more on how the Bills held Jackson to 144 passing yards, 36 in the second half.
Let It Slide: Eagle said late in the first half that Allen isn’t going to slide to end plays, but the quarterback showed that isn't always true when he did slide after a key 20-yard run in the third quarter. “Is any player going to complete a double play with that slide?” asked Davis.
The Basketball Reference: Davis wasn’t restricted to making a baseball reference. He made a couple of basketball analogies. I’m still trying to understand his strained basketball reference to the Bills trying to go 2 for 1 with back-to-back possessions when they didn’t have them.
Weather Report: In the third quarter, the CBS sideline reporter Evan Washburn noted, “the weather has gone from bad to worse.” Since Allen played so much better in the second half, maybe he does like the feel of the ball in the rain.
Fake Praise: After Allen scored his 11-yard touchdown run, Davis compared his ability to sell a fake with that of CBS studio analyst Boomer Esiason, a 1988 MVP. He wasn’t saying Esiason was in the same class as a runner. “You don’t mean Phil Simms?” cracked Eagle.
The Ken Dorsey Moment: CBS’ cameras caught the Ravens’ Marcus Peters going ballistic on the sideline at game's end. Eagle speculated Peters may have thought Baltimore should have allowed Devin Singletary to score a touchdown and give Jackson time to try and tie the game. But that presumed Singletary didn’t know that he shouldn’t try to score. The postgame speculation was Peters was really upset because Harbaugh didn’t decide to kick the field goal.
The Lost Baggage: As the Bills started their winning drive, Davis noted both teams were trying to lose a little baggage. The Bills were losing too many one-score games and the Ravens had lost four straight home games. The nightmarish ending led to Ravens fans crying. Bills fans have to hope the butterfly effect in this game will have a big impact on their future as the home team if they have to play Jackson again in the playoffs.
