Bills' performance in big win still shows room to grow before they can catch the Chiefs
The Buffalo Bills secured a 30-20 victory on the road in Indianapolis on Sunday, but it felt very much in doubt early in the game.After the opening kickoff, the Bills went three-and-out. Not great. After punting it away, cornerback Taron Johnson got the game off to an excellent start on defense, intercepting Joe Flacco's first […]
The Buffalo Bills secured a 30-20 victory on the road in Indianapolis on Sunday, but it felt very much in doubt early in the game.
After the opening kickoff, the Bills went three-and-out. Not great. After punting it away, cornerback Taron Johnson got the game off to an excellent start on defense, intercepting Joe Flacco's first pass attempt and returning it for a touchdown.
The second drive was more of the same, intercepting Flacco for a second time. This is where Buffalo had an opportunity to put the game to bed early, and didn't.
Getting the ball back, up 7-0 and with all the momentum, the Bills were unable to capitalize and get a touchdown, having to settle for a field goal. On their next possession, Josh Allen missed a wide open Dalton Kincaid for what would have been a walk-in touchdown down the right sideline. Diving for the ball, Kincaid ended up hurting his knee, knocking him out of the game. Not only did they not get the touchdown, one of their top options got hurt, they failed to convert on fourth down, and turned the ball over.
On two straight drives, with an opportunity to take the air out of the stadium with touchdowns, the Bills came away with only three points.
While the offense had moments that looked like the high-scoring unit that we're used to seeing despite being without Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman for this game, there was plenty of concern. The missed golden opportunities to take control of the game aren't something that you can afford to do against the best teams in the league, and with the Bills looking like a playoff contender, there are higher expectations for this team.
Allen threw two interceptions for the first time this year, and they allowed the Colts to hang around for too long. Fortunately, the Bills defense stood tall, and didn't allow them to get back into it. But if this team wants to hang with the Chiefs, who they'll play next weekend, it has to look cleaner than this.
Kansas City, for better or worse, will always be the benchmark for the Bills. They're the big brother that consistently beats up on Buffalo, the immovable object preventing Allen and the Bills from reaching the promised land of Super Bowl glory.
Allen is a Hall of Fame talent, playing in an era that has arguably the best quarterback of all time in his conference in Patrick Mahomes. Like the NBA greats that couldn't get past Michael Jordan, like Patrick Ewing and Karl Malone, Allen is living a similar reality. Until Allen and the Bills can dethrone the Chiefs, nothing else matters. And when it matters most, a performance like Sunday's won't get it done against Mahomes and Andy Reid.
Follow along all season for all the latest Buffalo Bills news. You can also find me on X @JonHelmkamp.
