Buffalo Bills Struggle For Second Straight Week Against One-Win Team
For the second straight week, the Buffalo Bills were heavy favorites against a one-win team. And for the second straight week, Buffalo struggled mightily.
After late heroics prevailed against the New York Giants in a 14-9 win last week, they weren't enough on Sunday as the Bills lost to the New England Patriots 29-25 at Gillette Stadium.
The loss to New England (2-5) followed a similar patten to the Bills' win over the Giants. Buffalo got off a slow start and trailed the Patriots at halftime 13-3.
The Bills trailed by 12 points late before Josh Allen put the team on his back and found Stefon Diggs for a seven-yard touchdown. Allen then punched it in from one-yard out to give the Bills their first lead of the game when they pulled ahead 25-22 with 1:58 left in the game. Allen completed 27 of 41 passes for 265 yards with two touchdowns and threw one interception while adding the one-yard rushing touchdown.
Josh Allen (17) had three total touchdowns.
© Brian Fluharty, USA TODAY
But unlike last week against the Giants, the defense wasn't able to get the game-winning stop despite a solid day from Allen.
Mac Jones marched the Patriots offense down the field and found tight end Mike Gesicki for the game-winning touchdown with 15 seconds left in the game.
The mark of an elite team isn't just how they play against the best of the best, it's also about how they play against the teams they're supposed to beat. And after how the Bills played against the Patriots, it's been three straight weeks of sluggish play. The team that appeared against Miami Dolphins in a 48-20 win feels like they don't exist anymore.
If the Bills are going to make the deep run that has eluded them and show that they belong among the NFL's, they'll have to find a way to be at their best against everyone and regain the form that made them look so dominant against the Dolphins.
