ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills haven’t looked like Super Bowl contenders in about a month now.
Since whipping Miami 48-20 in Week 4, the Bills (4-3) have lost twice and barely beat the Giants thanks to a pair of stops at the 1-yard line.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3) present an opportunity for Buffalo to get back on track.
The Buccaneers have struggled on offense with Baker Mayfield under center and a dismal run game. Their top-10 defense has kept them in games, but they’ll need that D to step up Thursday night in Buffalo.
Despite slow first-half starts in the past three games, the Bills have a dynamic offense behind Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs.
“We’re very aware that we haven’t played up to our standard and our potential the last couple of weeks and we’re looking to fix that,” Allen said. “So any opportunity that we get to play this game, you know, we’re going to jump at it.”
Looking at some stats prior to the game, according to NFL.com, the Bill's offense has only managed to average 3.3 points per first half of each game this season so far, which ranks 30th overall in the league, a stat they would love to change.
Allen is 5-0 on Thursday in his career. In those five games, the Bills QB averaged three touchdowns, while throwing for an average of 252.8 yards per game. He also earned a 72.2% completion percentage, while picking up a 107.7 passer rating.
Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey said on Monday that he thought the Bills had the right opportunities during week seven's game at New England. "In the first half of that last game, I think there were some good, sustained drives," Dorsey explained. "We've just got to finish those drives. We got down to the red zone and had a penalty on the one touchdown. And then, obviously they got us on a pressure there and put us behind the chains. So, I think those are signs that it's something as an offense that we can go out and execute at a high level."
One discussion heading into the game is, which team will have more success with takeovers this week, as both teams rank in the top five of that category. Buffalo has 14 total takeaways throughout seven games, putting them in second in the league. Tampa on the other hand, has six turnovers in six games, which is tied for fourth fewest in the league.
Another statistic the Bills own heading into week eight is having a 2-0 record against the NFC this season. They beat the Commanders in week three, and the Giants in week 6. After Thursday night's game, Buffalo will face the Eagles during week 12 and the Cowboys in week 15.
The Buccaneers are 2-0 on the road this season so far.
“I always love road games,” Mayfield said. “Just being in an environment where it’s just your team against everybody else, the fans included. You just enjoy the environment, and as competitors, you kind of thrive on that. We’re looking to be really focused, play for each other, and go in and somehow find a way to win.”
Two of Buffalo's four tight ends on the 53-man roster will not be active for Thursday's game. Dawson Knox was ruled out for surgery that he had on his wrist, and Quintin Morris is still dealing with an ankle injury. LB Baylor Spector joins that list with a hamstring injury, and DT Ed Oliver is listed as questionable.
Kick-off is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. on Amazon Prime Video. The gates at Highmark Stadium are expected to open around 6 p.m.