Buffalo Bills: Slim playoff hopes fade away in loss to the Jets

The Buffalo Bills had already whooped the New York Jets once this season. That was not the case for the Bills the second time around.

The Buffalo Bills came into Sunday’s game as favorites over the New York Jets.

That made sense given the way Matt Barkley and the Bills embarrassed the Jets earlier this season. Things went differently this time.

The Bills led throughout most of the game, and never trailed until giving up a rushing touchdown with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter. That came after Matt Milano was carted off after a nasty ankle injury, making it a horrible sequence to end the game.

This was one of those games where the offense wasn’t pretty, but it seemed like it would be enough. But when the game is lost, the negatives stand out more.

Josh Allen went 18/36 for 206 yards. The problem was he threw zero touchdowns and two interceptions. Yet he made himself useful on the ground, rushing for 101 yards and a touchdown. LeSean McCoy only carried the ball twice before leaving with a hamstring injury.

It is nice that Allen can use his legs as a weapon. But he is taking too many hits and he can’t be relied upon to rush for 100 yards every week. It is just not a sustainable, or safe, offense.

Robert Foster had himself a nice day on offense, serving as Allen’s top target and finishing with 104 yards on seven catches. Isaiah McKenzie, who had a rushing touchdown, was next in line with 47 receiving yards.

Statistically, the defense played well. The Jets finished with only 248 total yards and turned the ball over twice. This game just highlighted how the team is still in need of upgrades all over the field. The defense didn’t play poorly, but still got gashed for a few long touchdown drives.

It is a hard game to write about. The Bills simply got beat and perhaps we all thought too highly of a team that entered the day with a record of 4-8. Allen didn’t do anything spectacular, and continues to put up similar numbers every week.

Injuries were an issue, including the cheap shot on Stephen Hauschka, but the team just needs more talent. Or for the younger talent on the team to be more experienced.

I marked this as a winnable game, but it is clear the Bills are still ways away from being considered favorites on a regular basis.

The good news is that the team was expected to struggle this year. This just can’t continue to be the case next year.