The Buffalo Bills played without a lead for the first 56 minutes of Sunday Night Football. They almost lost it on the final play of the game.
After going up by five on a Josh Allen touchdown pass to Quintin Morris with 3:48 to go, Buffalo withstood two possessions by the New York Giants, the latter reaching the 1-yard line with no time left on the clock thanks to a defensive pass interference penalty by Terrel Bernard.
On the night’s final play, Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor took the snap from under center, dropped back to feign a handoff and tossed a pass high to Darren Waller in the middle of the end zone. As the tight end reached for the ball, Bills defensive back Taron Johnson was in tight coverage, appearing to hang onto Waller’s jersey. Taylor’s pass was too high and Johnson’s defense too solid, and the last-gasp attempt fell incomplete, sealing Buffalo’s 14-9 win over New York.
The NBC broadcast closely analyzed the pass breakup from every perspective, but the controversial no-call was ultimately final. Buffalo had successfully avoided a home-field fright.
“After the game, Allen said to NBC’s Melissa Stark, “It may not have been a beautiful victory, but it’s worth just as much as a flawless one. Our defense really came through for us.”
We need to improve our offensive play. We’re grateful for the victory, despite it hinging on the final play, which we weren’t pleased about. Still, we’re happy to have won.
It wasn’t the first time Buffalo held off New York at its doorstep on Sunday night. The Giants were on the Bills’ 1-yard line at the end of the first half, as well, with the opportunity to extend their six-point lead. But with no timeouts and 14 seconds left, Taylor checked to a run play, and Saquon Barkley got stuffed. New York couldn’t get another play off and went into the half without a score and with Buffalo breathing a huge sigh of relief, a far too familiar occurrence as of late.
Favorites in prime time to handle a Giants team without its starting quarterback, the Bills struggled offensively Sunday for the second straight week, failing to score a single point in the first three quarters for the first time in five seasons. Buffalo mustered just two late touchdowns (after 12-plus-play drives) despite working in New York territory on six marches and not punting on any of their final five drives.
The Bills have started slow two games in a row after putting up 31 first-half points against Miami in a Week 4 win. Last week, though, Buffalo was in unfamiliar surroundings, playing in London at 9:30 a.m. ET against a Jaguars team that had already been overseas for a week; a sloppy first half could be understood. On Sunday, the Bills were at home and in prime time and still started sluggish.
“Ultimately, it’s vital to establish a rhythm, set the line of scrimmage, and ensure our quarterback is in a good rhythm,” said Bills coach Sean McDermott to the media. “It’s likely a combination of factors, as it usually is. We need to take a close look at it, especially since we’ve had a slow start for a few weeks now. We can do better and need to improve.”
A win is a win, however, and the Bills are now 4-2, one game behind the division-leading Miami Dolphins in the AFC East, with the lowly New England Patriots (1-5) on tap in Week 7. For Allen, McDermott and Co., it’s a prime opportunity to put together a complete performance after half-measures in back-to-back weeks.
McDermott stated, “Sometimes, you have to find a solution. There are times when you’re not at your best, and you have to work it out. I believe our offense managed to do a bit of that in the second half, which was encouraging to see.”
