Buffalo Bills: No reason to panic yet after loss to Titans in Week 5
It was not a good performance on Tuesday night for the Buffalo Bills, however, it is not a reason to panic.
The Buffalo Bills entered Week 5 with high expectations and rightfully so. The Bills were undefeated at 4-0 due in large part to a remarkable start by quarterback Josh Allen, who was playing the best of almost anyone in the league.
All those expectations seemingly disappeared in four quarters as the Bills were run out of Tennessee as the Titans stayed in control for most of the game en route to a 42-16 victory in Week 5.
While there were a number of issues that need to be addressed, it is not time to panic for the Buffalo Bills or re-adjust those expectations.
The Bills found themselves in a very similar situation Week 8 last season with high expectations since they were 5-1 entering a game with the Philadelphia Eagles. The result was a game that the Eagle dominated as they overpowered the Bills and won 31-13.
The questions began to circulate about whether or not the Bills were for real or if they were the beneficiary of an easy schedule. However, this team answered by winning four of their next five games.
While there are a number of similarities from this game against the Titans in comparison to last year’s game against the Eagles., there are a number of reasons they are not.
The first is that their schedule was changed almost every day of the week and the team was forced to adjust almost in real-time. The game was originally scheduled for Sunday but with the Titans having more positives during the week the game was moved to Tuesday. This affected their schedule by practicing Wednesday and Thursday but then two days off before regrouping on Sunday.
This was also a down game for Josh Allen who completed 63% of his passes, throwing for 263 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. While these numbers are below his averages for this season, they are significantly better than what he did during his first two years in the NFL.
The key for this team will be how they regroup because they now have a big game against the defending Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs. This has not been an issue in the past due in large part to the veterans and leaders on this team.
If the Buffalo Bills are able to get back a number of those key starters, expect a much better performance the next time they take the field.