Buffalo Bills vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers preseason game

Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Larry English, right, sacks Buffalo Bills quarterback EJ Manuel (3) during the first half of a preseason NFL football game Saturday, Aug. 23, 2014, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Gary Wiepert)

Orchard Park, N.Y. — EJ Manuel was asking Doug Marrone for specific plays, but not everything was in the playbook for the Buffalo Bills in their 27-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday night.

"Yeah, there's a few things I was asking for, but of course, (Marrone) said we're saving this and that for the regular season, which I understand," Manuel said. "But at the same time, we still want to go out there and win and we want to score touchdowns, but there are some things we're going to continue saving for Chicago (the regular season opener)."

Whatever the Bills are saving, they hope it doesn't look anything like what they put on the field Saturday. The first-team offense turned the ball over three times and failed to score a single point in the first half against the Buccaneers. It was as bad an offensive performance as the Bills have had all preseason long.

Marrone wasn't one to make excuses after the game. He acknowledged that the offense's performance was not acceptable and doesn't think the play-calling had a whole lot to do with it.

"It's execution," Marrone said. "It's not scheme. In any scheme you run, you have to execute. That's my main concern right now."

Like he has been saying all preseason, Manuel continued to echo that his main concern going forward to get better. The clock is ticking, though. The Bills' offense was booed off the field on Saturday, and that was the most the first-team offense will play before the regular season starts.

"I know there is still tons of work left to do," Manuel said. "The good thing is we have two more weeks to hone in on that. I know the product that we have isn't what we want to have in Chicago. We have to come back, put our work hats on and go back to work."