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Sammy Watkins’ Health a Major Factor for Buffalo Bills in Loss

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By @Will_Gellman

Sammy Watkins

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Heading into Week 10, much had been made of the groin injury suffered earlier this week by Buffalo Bills WR Sammy Watkins. Initially, there were significant questions surrounding whether he would even play in the game. When it was determined that he would, those questions immediately shifted to how effective he would be.

On Sunday, he answered those questions, and the results were not great, to say the least. He registered just 27 total yards on four catches, a far cry from the production he had enjoyed in recent weeks. What was more telling about Watkins was not his statline, though; it was his lack of separation throughout the game.

On several occasions, Kyle Orton threw fades and other passes that were designed to take advantage of Watkins’ quickness. Normally, if he were 100 percent, these passes would have been completed without much difficulty. Instead, it was clear that he just didn’t have it. He was a step behind the defender quite often, while other times he was open, but Orton overthrew him due to his decreased burst.

Obviously, Watkins is a tremendous talent, and, when healthy, is the best receiver on the Bills, but he hurt the team this week. In fact, one could argue that he may have cost his team the game. Judging by that performance, the Bills might be smart to sit him down until he is fully healthy. Games in the NFL are too crucial. You can’t have decoys on the field if you expect to compete and win games.

Will Gellman is a New England Patriots writer for www.RantSports.com.  Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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