Now that the dust has settled on an undefeated regular season, the pressure is off, and the Buffalo Bills can move forward with a bounce-back performance against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football.
For the Bills to make a critical comeback, certain players need to step up and do their part to help the team stay in contention for the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC playoff race.
3 offensive players who need to step it up against the Falcons
QB Josh Allen
The Bills turned the ball over three times, and two of them were on the part of the Bills' superstar quarterback. Allen botched a handoff to tight end Dawson Knox to halt Buffalo's first drive.
Allen was additionally intercepted by corner Marcus Jones at New England's ten-yard line, with the Bills down 13-10. While the quarterback is to blame for the turnovers, the Bills' entire offense scored 20 points or fewer for the fourth time since the start of the 2024 season.
Penalties were also an uncharacteristic problem for the team, as they had 11 penalties for 90 yards.
RB James Cook
The unstoppable running back was limited to a season low of just 15 carries for 49 yards. It signaled the first time all year that Cook was held to under 100 yards from scrimmage, and he also saw his stretch of eight games with a rushing touchdown come to an end.
Cook played in the game against the Saints, where he had 22 carries for 117 yards and one touchdown. When the talented running back has more carries, typically the Bills win. Therefore, he should have had the chance for a few more carries for the opportunity to give the team the chance to score more points.
WR Keon Coleman
Despite catching a touchdown, Coleman was also responsible for fumbling and losing control of the ball in the first quarter. He would have had a gain of three yards had he held possession of the ball, but Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane knocked the ball out, and defensive back Jaylinn Hawkins retreived it.
Coleman was also not supposed to be a distraction for the team, but the Bills took swift action. Sean McDermott spoke with reporters on Monday, telling them that Coleman was benched for the team's first offensive series in Sunday's 23-20 upset by the Patriots due to disciplinary issues.
It was not his first benching, as the first one occurred last year against the Jacksonville Jaguars when Coleman was late to a pre-game meeting.
Not only has Coleman struggled in what's supposed to be his breakout year on the field, but he continues to have off-the-field problems that could escalate if the Bills aren't careful with him now. When he was placed into the lineup, he fumbled on his first catch, which set up the Patriots with control at the Bills' 11-yard line, and they turned the mishap into a field goal.
When Stefon Diggs was traded from the Bills to the Houston Texans in April 2024, it produced a hole in the position. The Brass filled the position by drafting Coleman with the 33rd pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. He was hit-or-miss in his rookie season, averaging 19.2 yards per reception but only recording 29 catches on 57 targets.
If the Bills want to avoid more crushing losses, then Coleman, Cook, and Allen must step up if the Bills want to play to their full potential. It all starts by defeating the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football and taking one play and one game at a time.