ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Here are my five takes from the Buffalo Bills’ 24-22 loss against the Denver Broncos on Monday night at Highmark Stadium:
1. The Bills have reached rock bottom, and there’s no reason to think they’ll climb out of it any time soon.
The fact they actually had a chance to win the game seems almost ludicrous because they had no business doing so. The Broncos also played poorly enough to lose, but they were the ones who were 3-5 before kickoff. They basically played to their level.
It’s fair to say the Bills are at that level, too, their recent past of success and high expectations notwithstanding. The Bills had four turnovers Monday night. After scoring a touchdown to go ahead, 22-21, with 1:55 left, Taron Johnson committed a pass-interference penalty to set up a 41-yard field-goal attempt that Wil Lutz missed.
Game over, right? Wrong. The Bills were then penalized for having 12 men on the field, allowing Lutz a second attempt, from 36 yards, that was good as time expired.
“We practiced two or three times this week, the substitution from dime to field-goal block,” coach Sean McDermott said. “And at the end of the day, we didn’t execute it. So, it’s inexcusable.”
That could be said for the Bills’ performance as a whole. Monday night was more than the continuation of a slide that began six games ago and has included four losses and two wins that could have also been defeats. It was as clear a sign yet that the Bills are simply a bad team, worse than their 5-5 record indicates. They’re a ship without a rudder, headed directly for the rocks.
“Yeah, I’m still confident,” Josh Allen said. “But it’s no secret the clock’s ticking, you know? Got to have some urgency now.”
Now? That urgency should have been in place much sooner, to say the least.
The crowd of 70,000-plus made its displeasure heard with booing. The first time was with 11:22 left in the second quarter after tight end Dalton Kincaid dropped a Josh Allen pass on third-and-five from the Bills’ 25. After the Kincaid drop, Russell Wilson, on fourth-and-two, completed a seven-yard touchdown pass to Cortland Sutton, who did an amazing job of keeping his feet in bounds (something that was confirmed after a replay review revered the initial call of an incomplete pass).
The fans also booed at the end of the half, after the Broncos cashed in on a horrible Josh Allen interception by kicking a field goal to take a 15-8 lead.
2. The Bills’ offense continues to have problems. And they start with Josh Allen.
True, he was in position to be the hero of the game with a six-yard touchdown run with 1:55 left to provide the go-ahead points.
However, Allen also threw two interceptions, and could have had more. He also had a fumbled exchange.
“I think he’s played well at times and then, at times, he hasn’t,” McDermott said. “And you can’t turn the ball over, so we’ve got to figure that out.”
Multiple Allen passes were off the mark. He often didn’t seem in sync with his receivers and generally looked uncomfortable in the pocket.
Once again, the Bills’ offense lacked a sense of rhythm, rhyme or reason. Occasionally, the Bills tried to run. Occasionally, they tried to get something going with a no-huddle attack. But they never seemed to get any sustained traction. Not all of that is on Allen or offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, who has been feeling heat for much of the season for the offense’s ineptitude.
McDermott pointed a finger directly at execution.
“There were times early in the game where we dropped the football,” McDermott said. “I mean, the football was there and we dropped it. I think there were multiple players that had opportunities to make catches and they didn’t make the catch.”
3. What a crazy night for running back James Cook.
He fumbled not once, not twice, but three times, though only the first two were turnovers. His first fumble came on the game’s opening play from scrimmage and set up a Broncos field goal.
He even fumbled on the Bills’ late go-ahead drive. It came during a 42-yard run, but the ball bounced back into his hands. Cook, who was benched for 16 plays after the first fumble, finished with 109 yards on 12 carries, an average of 9.1 yards per carry.
4. For missing five starters due to injury, the Bills’ defense did a remarkable job of keeping the team in the game long enough for the offense to get out of its own way at the end.
“Those guys played their ass off, they really did,” McDermott said.
One of the biggest plays was Taron Johnson forcing Cortland Sutton to fumble after a catch. Rasul Douglas recovered to set up a three-yard touchdown run by Latavius Murray to make it 15-15 with 6:42 left in the third quarter.
The Bills pretty much bottled up the Broncos’ run game, holding Denver to an average of 3.2 yards per carry. The Broncos’ passing game had its moments, but did nothing spectacular.
Now, let’s not get too carried away here. These are the Broncos, who, despite winning their third game in a row, look no less like an also-ran than, well, the Bills.
5. The schedule only gets more challenging from here.
And, yes, that includes Sunday’s game against the New York Jets. They beat the Bills in the season-opener because Allen had four turnovers, three interceptions and a fumble.
The Jets’ defense is more than capable of forcing more turnovers and keeping the Bills’ offense handcuffed just long enough to lead to a third consecutive Buffalo loss.
After that, the Bills have games against Philadelphia and Kansas City. If the Bills have any hope of reaching the postseason (should that word even be mentioned in connection with the Bills?), they’ll likely have to get there as AFC East champions.
“Well, it’s not ideal,” Mitch Morse said of the situation in which the Bills find themselves. “I think now it’s going to be a real test for this team, not so much on Sundays but how we stick together through the week. Look at it objectively and I think the best teams, when the pressure’s at its highest and when everything seems to be crumbling is when you know it’s not, and you come together closer.”