With the Buffalo Bills suffering their first loss of the season this past Sunday to the New England Patriots, it was hard to watch, but it was humbling to know this defeat won't bring them down. They are still leading the division at 3-1 and look to bounce back next week on Monday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams.
The team has a lot to work on this week to get ahead of the Rams to get back on the winning track. Let's take a look at four things we learned on Sunday against the Patriots that the Bills must fix.
4 main takeaways from Bills' first loss in 2026
1.) Josh Allen's costly mistake
Josh Allen is human after all, as with over a minute left in the fourth quarter, he made a quick decision to try to go for the go-ahead big play, and the ball was intercepted by Patriots safety Craig Woodson. As he always has done, win or lose, Allen will take accountability for his actions by throwing the costly interception.
However, the fact that we didn't see Allen take off more from the pocket is a bit concerning. It makes you wonder if something is going on with him that prevented him from using his legs more.
Allen is being smart to pass the ball more, finishing with 22 of 33 passes for 253 yards and 2 total touchdowns (1 passing,1 rushing), but that costly interception still stings.
2.) Team needs help in secondary
The Bills' secondary had its problems again, but right now, the team doesn't have the right personnel to run more man coverage than Jim Leonhard planned.
Their lack of depth, specifically at the cornerback position, is why. The depth got even thinner when nickel corner Dee Alford went down with a knee injury, and free safety Damar Hamlin was thrust into that position, which he had never played a day in his career.
Maybe now is the right time to sign our former friend Tre'Davious White, who fits what Leonhard is looking for in a man-man corner.
3.) Joe Brady still needs more time in league
Yes, it's true that Brady struggled to get James Cook and the run game going against a Patriots team with the second-highest blitz rate in the NFL. But this season, it's going to be more than just Xs and Os on game day. It's about resetting that winning culture the Bills had for nine seasons under Sean McDermott and finally helping this team win its first-ever Super Bowl title.
So Bills fans should be ready for more tight, down-to-the-wire games, as Brady is still learning, working hard with the team, and figuring it out week to week how to bring out the best in his squad.
4. Bills were due to eventually lose a regular season game
With only 3 preseason games, 17 regular-season games, loud stadium environments across the country, and more injuries to starting quarterbacks, the Bills should be happy Allen is still on a consecutive-start streak.
But even with Allen at quarterback, the team wasn't going to go undefeated, and for the second straight year, at the hands of Drake Maye and the New England Patriots.
Maybe it's a sign of good things to come now that they got their first loss out of the way early, and now they can keep improving, put the ball down, and hopefully go 1-0 next week on MNF at the Los Angeles Rams and Matthew Stafford.
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