The Buffalo Bills were viewed as one of the NFL’s elite teams through three weeks. Two weeks later, opinions have changed as the team has dropped back-to-back games to teams that Buffalo will likely see again in the postseason.
After getting blown out two weeks ago to the Baltimore Ravens, the Bills got out to a slow start against the Houston Texans. Buffalo found a way to tie the game late, but inept clock management ending up costing them in the end. Now at 3-2, Buffalo faces a must-win game on Monday Night Football against a New York Jets team that fired their head coach after falling to 2-3.
Following their second straight loss, here’s a look at where the Bills rank in various power rankings following their 23-20 loss to Houston as well as analysis from the sites.
ESPN: No. 6 (Down 3)
Fantasy surprise: WR Curtis Samuel
There’s no denying just how underwhelming Samuel has been. Through five games, he has nine receptions on 13 targets for 48 yards and no touchdowns. By coming to Buffalo, Samuel reunited with offensive coordinator Joe Brady from the Panthers’ 2020 season. Yet, the production and opportunities have just not been there. Without leading receiver Khalil Shakir (ankle) against the Texans, coach Sean McDermott pointed to Samuel as someone he was thankful to have, but Samuel finished the game with one reception, one rush for minus-1 yards and 0.9 fantasy points.
Sports Illustrated: No. 10 (Down 1)
I go back and forth on Sean McDermott’s decision-making at the end of the game until I hear him almost immediately bring up the idea that he should have tried to run the ball at least once to see where the Bills were at. James Cook had a solid afternoon, Josh Allen was clearly scrambled and having one of his worst passing days of his career. And while you always ride with your quarterback, a defensive-minded head coach should also fall back on his desire to keep the ball out of C.J. Stroud’s hands.
USA TODAY: No. 11 (Down 6)
Two weeks ago, QB Josh Allen was just about everyone’s (very premature) MVP pick. Since then? He’s completed 42.4% of his passes, compiled a 65.0 QB rating and accounted for one TD and zero victories.
Pro Football Talk: No. 10 (Down 5)
Why aren’t they linked to Davante Adams?
Yahoo: No. 6 (Down 3)
Josh Allen was horrible when pressured, completing 1 of 14 attempts under pressure, via Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice. Given that, it’s pretty impressive the Bills were even in the game. Losing two straight isn’t ideal, but don’t freak out over losses at Baltimore and Houston.
CBS Sports: No. 8 (Down 1)
It’s funny how two road losses can change the narrative about this team. They are still the team to beat in the AFC East, but the road game against the Jets this week will tell a lot about this group.
NFL.com: No. 7 (Down 3)
The thrilling comeback notwithstanding, the Bills made their bed on Sunday with a slew of offensive miscues and third-down breakdowns on defense, ultimately resulting in a last-second loss at Houston. That they still made it a game showed an impressive level of grit, but that’s now two straight Sundays in which the Bills staked a good team a three-score lead on the road, which is obviously not conducive to winning those types of games. Josh Allen can take some of the blame, as he responded poorly to pressure more than once. His receivers must accept a good deal of the responsibility for their dropped passes, and each of the starting offensive linemen allowed three or more pressures to the Texans, according to Next Gen Stats. If Buffalo can hold off the Jets in a big divisional bout this coming Monday night, Sean McDermott’s team can still be in relatively good shape. But the 2024 season has quickly turned into a reprise of the pre-Thanksgiving 2023 struggles that made the Bills an exercise in frustration for most of last season.
Bleacher Report: No. 6 (Down 3)
Remember when the Buffalo Bills were 3-0 and looked like arguably the best team in the AFC?
About that…
After getting waxed by the Baltimore Ravens last week, the Bills faced another tough opponent in Week 5 in the Houston Texans. And the final outcome of the game may be the least of Buffalo’s problems.
Head coach Sean McDermott is widely regarded as one of the best in the league at what he does. But his decision to throw three straight times from the shadow of his own end zone late helped set the stage for Houston’s game-winning field goal. While addressing the media after the game, McDermott admitted that he flat-out blew it.
“That’s on me, the end-of-game situation on offense,” McDermott said. “We’re in a tough situation … they were holding three timeouts; they got a good field-goal kicker. We needed to run the clock and move the chains, and that’s on me. We didn’t do that there, and that’s my fault.”
“McDermott’s abysmal clock management was hardly Buffalo’s only problem Sunday,” Davenport said. “Josh Allen’s completion percentage was terrible—30 percent. The Buffalo offense managed just 276 yards of offense and was outgained by almost 150 yards. The Bills got through the first few weeks without issue—but the passing game has problems ahead of next week’s trip to face Aaron Rodgers and the Jets.”