On top of these missed chances, there was pressure looming over to go for all or nothing since the Bills were down four points instead of three.
On their opening drive that ended in a rushing touchdown from running back James Cook III, place kicker Matt Prater missed the extra point. Flash forward to the very end of the game, that one mishap was the difference between a four-point deficit and three-point deficit. Buffalo was in field goal range to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. If the initial extra point went through, a possibility opens there for the Bills to have an opportunity to tie the game and leave their fate in the hands of overtime.
Those small bumps in the road, whether it was incompletions, untimely penalties, or the smallest margin of points were difference makers against the top defense in the country.
"Had a chance to win it there at the end, so that we did a good job of staying in it," Allen said. "… Driving the ball on that last, fast drive, and we got to find a way to get it – and we didn't."