Time ran out on the Buffalo Bills on Monday night when Wil Lutz‘ second-chance game-winner drifted through the upstate New York night along with the uprights.
Has time run out on the Bills’ season, as well, following a 24-22 loss to the Denver Broncos on Monday night?
The offense languished once more, turning the ball over four times as it scored 25 or fewer points for the sixth straight game and fueling concern that the Josh Allen-led attack is running out of time to change its scuttling narrative.
“I’m still confident,” Allen said when asked if he maintained his belief that an offensive turnaround could still happen, “but it’s no secret the clock’s ticking, got to have some urgency now.”
Allen was asked about his confidence level regarding the offense’s ability to regroup, but his answer might just as well have been about the club’s postseason prospects.
Among a handful of Super Bowl favorites ahead of the season, the Bills were 3-1 to start the season with the mighty Buffalo offense averaging 34.8 points per game. Since a 25-20 Week 5 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, though, the Bills have gone 2-4 and averaged only 20.5 points per game in that span.
As the offense has lagged, the Bills postseason aspirations have, as well. Following Monday’s loss, 5-5 Buffalo is the No. 10 seed in the ultra-tough AFC.
Turnovers have been the largest culprit, with the Bills’ 18 giveaways tied for second in the NFL. Allen has been the worst offender — in the NFL — as his 11 interceptions and 14 total giveaways lead the league. He had three of the Bills’ four on Monday (two interceptions, one fumble lost).
“Can’t turn the ball over, period, let alone four times,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said after the game.
Allen threw a touchdown in the second quarter and ran for a go-ahead score in the fourth on Monday, offering up the red-hot and ice-cold plays as he’s often accustomed. The latter have become abundant and problematic, though.
“I think he’s played well at times and then at times he hasn’t,” McDermott said. “You can’t turn the ball over, so we’ve got to figure that out.”
Despite the four turnovers, Allen’s 6-yard TD run with 1:55 to go gave the Bills their first lead and looked to have put them in position to escape with a victory.
However, two crushing penalties damned them on the Broncos’ game-winning drive.
The first was a pass interference call against Taron Johnson on third-and-10 with 35 seconds left that advanced the Broncos 28 yards. Two Bills timeouts and three Broncos kneel downs later, Denver scrambled onto the field for a Lutz game-winning field goal attempt. Lutz missed, but the Bills had 12 men on the field.
“It’s inexcusable,” McDermott said of the gaffe.
Lutz got a second shot and made good.
“Sucks,” Allen said of his emotions after the game. “Shouldn’t have been in that position in the first place. Lot of bad football.”
Again, he very much could’ve been talking about the Bills’ last six games, in which they’ve now lost to two sub-.500 teams.
McDermott was asked about his confidence in offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, to which he said he’s still “confident, but I believe we can be better at the same time.”
Similarly, Allen maintained his belief in himself and his team as a whole.
“It’s still high,” he said when asked where his confidence level was at. “Again, we’ve done it before, I know we can do it, it’s just a matter of doing it.”
That ended his presser, with Allen bolting up and out of the room, his displeasure palpable.
Frustration’s growing and the clock’s ticking in Buffalo.
