The Buffalo Bills were bullied on both sides of the ball on Thursday Night Football.
Needless to say, the Houston Texans’ No. 1 defense lived up to its billing, which made for a long night. Buffalo saw its top-five offensive line get thrown around for four quarters. That resulted in Josh Allen taking a career-high eight sacks and 12 hits.
It wasn’t much better on the other side of the ball as Buffalo struggled to stop the Davis Mills-led offense in the first half. The Bills defense did a much better job in the second half, but it was ultimately not enough.
One week after Josh Allen said that Buffalo needed to stop riding the rollercoaster, the team once again found itself on it.
Buffalo’s late bid to win the game ended in a Josh Allen interception. After losing 23-19 to the Texans, Buffalo now finds itself at 7-4. Winning the AFC East seems like a long shot and now it’s all about staying in one of the Wild Card spots and hoping to get hot at the right time.
Following the loss, here are reasons to be encouraged and worried.
ENCOURAGED
James Cook: Cook opened the scoring on Thursday Night Football with a 45-yard touchdown run. Yards were tough to come by against the Texans’ defense, but Cook was able to weave through small lanes to create.
Cook was able to rush for over 100 yards in the loss (17-116-1), but Buffalo’s offense was not able to sustain drives despite his effort.
Ray Davis: Davis helped Buffalo defeat the Buccaneers the prior week by flipping the field with four outstanding kickoff returns. The Bills did not win the field position battle this week, but Davis was able to take one kickoff return for a 98-yard touchdown. On a night when Buffalo was struggling to score, Davis’ touchdown kept Buffalo in the game.
Cole Bishop: Most of Buffalo’s defense struggled on Thursday night, but Bishop was a bright spot. The safety made several big hits and continued his strong second season.
WORRIED
Defense: After taking the lead late in the second quarter, Buffalo’s defense led Davis Mills march down the field and scored a touchdown with ease. That ultimately proved to be the difference in the game.
The unit, overall, improved significantly in the second half, but they didn’t make enough plays when it mattered most.
Offensive line: Buffalo has a top-five offensive line, but the unit was embarrassed by the Texans’ defensive front. Allen had little to no time to react on multiple plays with pressure bearing down on him. Spencer Brown especially struggled and eventually exited the game with an injury. O’Cyrus Torrence was also beaten on a few key plays and the same could be said for Dion Dawkins and Connor McGovern.
It was an ugly night.
Injuries: The injuries just keep piling up. Buffalo saw multiple players go to the blue tent against Houston. Terrel Bernard suffered an arm injury of some sort that took him out of the game and put him in a sling, and Max Hairston exited with an injury as well. Spencer Brown also exited with an injury and many other players were spotted shaking off various ailments.
Field position: One week after Buffalo found itself with excellent field position all game, the Bills were generally buried deep in their own end. Having long fields against the best defense in the league is a recipe for disaster.
Joe Brady: Josh Allen openly questioning, “What are we doing?” in-game tells you everything you need to know. Brady was outclassed and outcoached by the Texans on Thursday Night Football.
Winning the AFC East: Barring a colossal collapse by the Patriots, the division race is over. Buffalo’s main focus at this point needs to be holding on to one of the Wild Card spots in the conference. Everything seems to be pointing to another wasted season in Josh Allen’s prime.
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