For the first time since October 6th, the Buffalo Bills are experiencing a losing feeling after falling short of a comeback win against the Los Angeles Rams. It was nothing short of a thriller in the second half and despite Josh Allen playing out of his mind, it wasn’t enough to get the Bills victory.
The Bills drop to 10-3 on the year and with the Kansas City Chiefs barely winning once again against the Los Angeles Chargers, the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the AFC is a little bit out of reach. Not out of the question, but definitely a tough challenge now. The Bills will basically need to win out and hope that the Chiefs can lose two of their last four remaining games.
This loss by the Bills is humbling one, but Bills fans should not be disappointed. It would be a different story if the Bills had a lead against the Rams and blew it, but they played from behind pretty much the entire game. The fact that they came back down 17 points with the way their defense was playing, the Bills deserve some credit for making this an electric ball game.
Whether you want to say it was because of the pathetic defensive performance, a blocked punt returned for a touchdown in the second quarter, or game management by the coaching staff, this still doesn’t change the fact that the Bills are the team to beat in the AFC still. However, not everyone has that same mindset.
Members of the Bleacher Report NFL Staff, specifically Gary Davenport, Brad Gagnon, Kristopher Knox, Maurice Moton and Brent Sobleski gave their takeaways on each game on Sunday in Week 14. They broke it down by each team, and they could not be more wrong about the Bills.
The staff talked about how the defense for Buffalo has had major trouble stopping the run and came into this game ranked 30th in yards allowed per carry. Then they mentioned how Sean McDermott’s questionable game management calls late in the 4th quarter was the ultimate deciding factor on why the Bills got hit with a heartbreaking loss.
"Bad defense wasn't the only issue for Buffalo on Sunday either. Sean McDermott's decision to run the ball on Buffalo's final touchdown—and the ensuing decision to waste a timeout and essentially necessitate an onside-kick attempt—all but sealed the loss."
- B/R NFL Staff
This was one of those games where the Bills were Josh Allen-dependent. He had a historic performance and it just didn’t go in Buffalo’s direction. The good teams in the NFL all have a weakness, but to say that this loss brings up the question that the Bills aren’t the best team in the AFC is ridiculous to say.
The Bills have already defeated the Kansas City Chiefs by double digits and they are a much better improved team from when they were against the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs. Having one loss against a Rams’ team whose offense is phenomenal when healthy is nothing to be upset about. The Rams needed to win this game in order to stay alive within the NFC West. Buffalo on the other hand already has a playoff spot locked up and they still managed to almost make a comeback.
This loss is going to sting, but for the Bills’ dominance of the AFC to be questioned is completely laughable. Now next week, against the Detroit Lions, that will tell us the more updated version on how the Bills can respond from this loss.