Bills Lose to Patriots Amid Mid-Season Slump
Over the past two weeks, the Buffalo Bills nearly went 0-2 against arguably two bottom-five teams heading into each game respectively, and are now 4-3 on the season. The Bills narrowly beat the New York Giants 14-9 at home despite a controversial defensive holding no-call on the 1-yard line and lost 25-29 to the Patriots in a shocking loss against the division foe.
Josh Allen has seemed to be out of rhythm with the entire offense despite putting up top-five numbers throughout the season. I hope not, but I fear Allen is dealing with an ongoing shoulder injury, much like he was towards the end of last season. In the case of the Patriots game, it was a little too late for offensive firepower, even though the Bills were up 25-23 late in the fourth quarter.
In addition, the Bills’ key injuries on defense seem to be catching up to their elite play earlier in the season. Buffalo’s pass rush was dominant a few weeks ago but has only recorded 3.0 sacks over the past two weeks combined, despite Von Miller’s return. Patriots Quarterback Mac Jones had too much time in the pocket, and he was able to pick apart our below-average cornerbacks all game long.
Stefon Diggs has been tremendous this season, but the Patriots once again reaffirmed that defenses can beat us by double or even triple-bracketing Diggs to make our other offensive weapons step up.
I believe the Bills should make a move to acquire Denver Broncos’ disgruntled wide receiver Jerry Jeudy in a trade, as Gabe Davis is not a true number two receiver. The Bills need to be in a win-now mentality, and a buy-low opportunity on a talented playmaker in Jeudy would only benefit our offense and, especially, Josh Allen.
Rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid did step up indeed, with eight catches for 78 yards in what was an impressive outing. I’ve been banging the drum on Kincaid’s receiving talent out of the tight end position, and I’m glad to see him finally getting more looks in this offense. With the Bills’ other tight end, Dawson Knox, out indefinitely with a wrist injury, Kincaid will need to continue to step up for the Bills.
Another positive was Bill’s running back, James Cook, who was elusive and dynamic as a pass catcher as well. Cook is somebody we need to implement more on offense as he is super-efficient out of the backfield and in the open field.
The Bills will look to turn things around quickly as they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Orchard Park, New York, on Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video.