Following their unexpected loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, the Buffalo Bills appear to be at a crossroads. The situation has left their head coach, Sean McDermott, in search of solutions.
“We’ve gotta continue to find answers to some of the reasons as to why we’re stubbing our toe,” McDermott told reporters after the 29-25 loss. “We’re not playing complimentary football. … We’re beating ourselves at times, and we’re not linking up in all three phases to control a game.”
In the past three games, Buffalo has been plagued by slow starts. This troubling trend of poor first-half offense persisted against an opponent that came into Sunday’s game on a three-game losing streak.
Josh Allen threw an interception on the first offensive play for Buffalo, which allowed the Patriots to take a commanding 10-point lead before the Bills gained a single yard. By putting up another first-quarter goose egg, the Bills extended such a result to its third consecutive game, and the three first-half points they mustered against the Patriots on Sunday brought Buffalo’s first-half total to 10 in the past three games combined.
The Bills’ strong early performance in the first four weeks, scoring 34 points in the first quarter and a total of 67 points in the first half, was contrasted by a concerning trend that McDermott acknowledged. However, the head coach was puzzled about the reasons for this trend.
“He said, “I wish I could explain it to you. We have discussions about being more meticulous, establishing a rhythm early on, and playing complementary football where all three phases work in unison. Clearly, we have not yet managed to find a good rhythm.”
Down, 22-10, in the fourth quarter, Allen and the offense eventually found their footing with consecutive TD drives that mirrored an offense that entered Week 7 ranked top five yards gained (374.8 per game) and scoring (28.8 per game). With a three-point lead late in the game, securing the win was essentially left to the Bills’ typically stout defense, but Patriots QB Mac Jones went ahead and authored a comeback of his own, finding tight end Mike Gesicki for the game-winning TD to cap off an eight-play, 69-yard drive with 12 seconds remaining.
“Regarding my defense, ultimately, I have to seal the game,” said McDermott.
There were several other miscues and faulty habits that aided the Bills’ misery on Sunday — a missed field goal before halftime, a turnover on downs in the fourth quarter, a 42% conversion rate on third down and a game-high nine penalties for 46 yards. McDermott recognized it all and wasn’t shy to realize the inconsistent team in the mirror, but it would be convenient to find answers quickly with the Bills (4-3) entering a short week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3) this Thursday night.
“He expressed dissatisfaction with their performance. “We fell short, our efforts weren’t enough,” he stated. “We didn’t adequately position them or properly set up the defense. We didn’t effectively coordinate our play… We hindered our own progress at times and ended up in some challenging third-and-long situations. Ultimately, we failed to effectively seal the game.”
