Buffalo Bills: Team falls short in Week 16 upset attempt

The Buffalo Bills went into New England as massive underdogs and it showed in what was a disappointing loss to the division rival.

I spent all week hyping myself up for the possibility of a Buffalo Bills upset against the New England Patriots.

Unfortunately, the oddsmakers had it right.

The Bills fell by the score of 24-12 in what was likely a predictable outcome for those outside of Buffalo. The Patriots held a 14-0 lead at halftime, and increased it to 24-6 before the Bills added a late touchdown.

A solid learning experience, but nothing for fans to be too excited about.

The Bills had several missed opportunities in the form of turnovers, a missed field goal and a lost fumble. If those chances in Patriots territory are converted into touchdowns, we may be talking about an upset victory.

But that is to be expected this year. The Bills are now 5-10 and continue to move toward the top of the 2019 NFL Draft. The team fights hard and gives it their all. Yet the talent just isn’t there to take down a Patriots team, especially when turnovers are involved.

I’m not sure if I should be too frustrated after this one. A loss is never fun, that is clear. But the Bills are seeking small improvements here at the end of the season. Perhaps hoping for a victory was naive.

A lot of hope was placed on the Bills defense. That defense allowed an astonishing 273 rushing yards, but only 126 passing yards to Tom Brady. Not a terrible game, but once again the offensive turnovers did the team in. 24 points is nothing to be ashamed about.

The Bills could not get anything going on the ground and Josh Allen only managed 217 yards on 41 passing attempts. Once again, not terrible. Just not enough to win, especially when you add in his two interceptions.

It is later on Sunday night and I’ve had some time to take this game in. It is just tough to offer any major critiques. It is what we have seen for most of the year. Just not good enough play to win, yet there are still positives to take into the future.

For fans of defense, Lorenzo Alexander filled up the stat sheet in what could have been a statement toward his Pro Bowl snub. Alas, it came in a losing effort.

What are your feelings after this loss? Is is more anger or more understanding that the team is still in a rebuilding phase?