Bills vs. Seahawks, 2016 ‘Monday Night Football’ preview: Both teams look to end a winless skid

Monday Night Football rolls on in Week 9 with a matchup between two teams still looking for consistency this season. The Seattle Seahawks haven’t won a game in three weeks and will try to keep their place atop the NFC West when they host the Buffalo Bills, who are also having a tough time getting in the win column lately.

The Seahawks are coming off a disappointing road loss to the New Orleans Saints, which drew headlines for the iffy officiating in the Saints’ favor (Seattle got 11 penalties, compared to just two for New Orleans.) Richard Sherman threw fire on the controversy later in the week when he claimed that officials around the league were biased against the Seahawks.

It’s a juicy storyline, but the fact of the matter is this: if you score just 13 offensive points against the Saints’ defense, maybe you don’t deserve to win. The Seahawks are near the bottom of the league in almost every offensive category -- 23rd in total yards per game, 28th in running yards per game, and 29th in points scored per game. Russell Wilson’s mobility has been sapped by multiple injuries and he can’t extend drives with his legs anymore, leading to an anemic attack that’s just 23rd in time of possession. The offensive line is a trainwreck that can’t protect Wilson or open up holes for Christine Michael. There aren’t any easy answers, other than hoping and praying that Wilson can get healthy soon enough.

The silver lining is that Seattle’s defense is still top-notch, despite missing important players like Kam Chancellor and Michael Bennett. They’re sixth in the league in yards allowed per game and second in points allowed per game. Cliff Avril is having one of his best seasons yet with 7.5 sacks in just seven games. This unit is the main reason why the Seahawks are 4-2-1 and still in first place in their division. If they keep playing like they do, that should be enough to get Seattle in the playoffs even with the offensive struggles.

The Bills, under Rex Ryan, are mostly trying to incorporate the same formula as Pete Carroll with the Seahawks -- run the ball, play tough defense, grind out low-scoring wins. However, injuries have derailed that plan and Buffalo is on another swoon. After seemingly saving Rex’s job with a four-game winning streak, the Bills have come back to earth with two straight losses. They got thoroughly humbled by the New England Patriots last week, having no answers for Tom Brady or Rob Gronkowski and dropping to 4-4 with the 41-25 loss.

Now the Bills find themselves in a tough spot in the playoff picture. The AFC East race is all but over, so it’s time to set their sights on the wild card chase. The biggest problem is that the AFC West is the deepest division in the conference and could conceivably send three teams to the postseason. (The Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos are both 6-2, while the Kansas City Chiefs are 5-2.)

As said, injuries have been the biggest culprit for the Bills thus far. LeSean McCoy sat out Week 8 after aggravating his hamstring injury and he’s questionable once again this week. Sammy Watkins remains on injured reserve, depriving Tyrod Taylor of his best receiving weapon. But perhaps the biggest concern this week is the status of linebacker Lorenzo Alexander. The 33-year-old has been a revelation this season, leading the entire league with nine sacks, which has already shattered his career high. Unfortunately, he’s questionable with a hamstring injury of his own.

Although Ryan prides himself on his defense, it hasn’t been quite playing up to its standards this year. The Bills rank 16th in yards allowed per game, 13th in passing yards per game, and 25th in rushing yards per game. Despite the excellent play of Alexander and Zach Brown (who leads the league with 87 tackles), they can be beaten on the ground. On the bright side, they’re forcing turnovers on a regular basis and have a healthy turnover ratio of +8, third-best in the NFL.

Without some key weapons around him, Taylor has struggled putting the team on his back. He’s completing 58.7 passes this year, a drop from 63.7 the year before. His yards-per-attempt average has plummeted from 8.0 in 2015 to 6.4 this year. Taylor doesn’t turn the ball over (just two interceptions and one lost fumble so far), but he’s not putting in the kind of consistent performances a team needs to be a legitimate playoff contender.

This game might be a low-scoring affair, but there are some interesting storylines heading in with two teams trying to get their seasons back on track. ESPN should have an entertaining matchup on its hands here.

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

Place: CenturyLink Field, Seattle

TV: ESPN

Announcers: Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters

Online: WatchESPN

The Seahawks opened as 7-point favorites and some sportsbooks favor them by 6.5, according to OddsShark.

Seahawks fans, head to Field Gulls. Bills fans can check out Buffalo Rumblings.

Neither team has been too inspiring the past few weeks, but I can’t bet against the Seahawks in a home night game. Don’t expect a lot of points in this one, but do expect a lot of camera cuts to Ryan and Carroll’s faces every time a penalty flag gets thrown. If the stars align, this could be a great old-school slobberknocker, but this year’s primetime games have lowered my standards. Just hope for no more big injuries. Seahawks 17, Bills 13.