Bills unfortunate trend continues in heartbreaking loss to New England Patriots in Week 5 plus other takeaways
An ugly night of football from the Buffalo Bills.
The Buffalo Bills lost a close game to the New England Patriots. The best highlight from the first half was a random man running up the steps to the concourse after catching a pass thrown out of bounds by quarterback Josh Allen.
Self-inflicted wounds and just some sloppy football hurt the Bills. Allen and company had a chance late in the game to march down the field for a touchdown, but were held to just three points. In the ensuing possession, the Patriots marched down the field and drilled the game-winning field goal, leaving Buffalo with only a few ticks left on the clock.
The sky isn’t falling, the world isn’t on fire, but the Bills have plenty to clean up after an ugly loss in Week 5. An unfortunate trend continued in the game, and that was injuries. The team is decimated with some top players out of the contest, and linebacker Matt Milano was forced out of the game with a pectoral injury and was unable to return. It’s unclear the severity of his injury or if it’ll require him to miss any additional time.
Penalties and miscues hurt
The first half was ugly, and it was a penalty fest in Orchard Park, New York. The 8 accepted penalties were tied for the second most in the first half of a game under head coach Sean McDermott, trailing only 10 penalties in Week 12 of 2023. Shawn Hochuli came under fire on social media with what the Bills Mafia believed to be excessive calls against Buffalo during the early stages.
Buffalo had won the turnover battle more often than not in the early stages of the season, but fell behind quickly with a fumble from Allen in the first half, a fumble from receiver Keon Coleman, and an interception from Allen.
Put plainly, the team didn’t play good, sound, fundamental football. The Patriots capitalized, and while Buffalo had a chance to pull off the comeback, some of the previous mistakes just proved to be too much.
Stefon Diggs had a day, defense struggled
The talk of the town was receiver Stefon Diggs returning to Buffalo for the first time since leaving the organization. A little bit of a stare-down pregame set the tone for Diggs. The veteran receiver was all over the field, finishing the day with 10 catches for 146 yards.
Quarterback Drake Maye was effective against the Bills, who just couldn’t get home with the pass rush. When they were able to apply pressure, Maye was dominant, rolling to the right, carving up the Bills’ defense all night. Maye finished his day going 22-for-30 with 273 yards and no touchdowns.
Josh Allen looked great, just couldn’t get it done
Allen once again put on his Superman cape, but just wasn’t able to lead his team to a victory this time. He led the team in rushing yards with 53 on nine carries while finishing his day going 22-for-31 with 253 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
Buffalo lost for the first time this season, and the first time at home in the regular season after a 14-game winning streak. The Bills still control their destiny, but this loss serves as a reminder that even the best teams can’t afford to get sloppy. It’s a tough pill for Bills Mafia to swallow, a night of miscues and missed chances. But with Josh Allen at the helm, Buffalo’s season is far from over.
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