The Buffalo Bills are back in the loss column after losing to the now 2-5 New England Patriots in Foxborough, 29-25. The Bills came into this game as -7.5 favorite, but only had the lead one time with under two minutes left in the game before giving up a Mike Gesicki touchdown with 12 seconds left. The Bills have now had three consecutive games where the offense has not been able to perform well early on and are forced into crawling back into the game. The difference between this game against the Patriots and last week against the New York Giants was the defensive play at the end. The Bills got lucky against the Giants on the goaline with a potential Taron Johnson pass interference. However, the Bills let New England walk down the field and win the game.
I understand that at the end of the day, the defense needs to be able to make the stop in those crucial moments. Although, the offensive poor performance forced that situation to happen. The Buffalo offense put up 15 points in the 4th quarter which helped give them the lead, but it was not enough.
Here are the five Buffalo Bills whose performances were ones to forget.
5.) Tyler Bass
In the last two weeks, Bass has missed three field goals, including a 42-yard field goal against New England. There was a moment in the 4th quarter where the Bills’ offense was driving but on a 4th down try from the New England 33-yard line, Bass was not given the opportunity for a 50-yarder try to make it a three-point game. Bass signed a four-year extension this past offseason and has been a liability the last two games for the Bills. On the 42-yard field goal attempt, the ball hooked badly at the end as Bass was kicking against the wind.
With the Bills’ offense already having issues to sort out, and the defense playing second and even third string guys due to injuries, the special teams unit will need to quickly fix the field goal game. Bass has been better than what he has shown the last two games.
4.) Taron Johnson
The Bills’ secondary overall allowed Mac Jones to look like a starting-caliber quarterback, giving up over 80% of completions and over 270 yards, and ultimately giving the game away at the end. However, cornerback Taron Johnson did not have a great game. He was flagged multiple times for illegal contact and pass interference, and he also gave up the game-winning touchdown to New England. The Patriots’ offense, inside the goalline, targeted Johnson twice and managed to get one over him to Gesicki.
While Johnson was the one who stood out the most for not the best reasons, the whole Buffalo secondary outside of Jordan Poyer looked awful. There is no other way of putting it. Usually, Johnson can be a positive difference-maker, but that was not the case against the Patriots. With the trade deadline approaching, Brandon Beane needs to seriously consider getting secondary help otherwise this unit will be a liability all season long.
3.) Leonard Floyd
Coming into this game as the current sack leader for the Bills, Leonard Floyd was viewed as a potential difference-maker for this one because of how poorly the New England offensive line has looked this season. With injuries upfront, Michael Onenwu was forced to play left tackle which was a blessing for the Patriots. Floyd was silent throughout this game. He did not get on the stat sheet for a tackle, or sack, and had very little to no pressure put on Jones.
The Bills only managed to sack Jones once for a four-yard loss but were not able to get much pressure at all. These are the type of games when a defense is set to face a horrible offense led by a quarterback who is being talked about as being replaced by next season, that they should capitalize on and clean up from the previous games. Floyd not showing his presence hurt the Bills’ defense. Was it good blocking upfront? Maybe it was Floyd not being in the right position at the right time. Overall, the silence from Floyd’s production was concerning.
2.) Dawson Knox
When the Bills extended Dawson Knox to a 4-year, $52 million deal with $13 million a year, it was a questionable move because Knox at that point had not solidified himself as a premier tight end in the league. While he would have his flashes, he was inconsistent. Knox just passed over 100 receiving yards on the season, with his one catch for 10 yards performance against the Patriots. He was targeted just three times but only managed to get the one catch. He did get one catch that would have resulted in a touchdown but there was a pass interference call on Latavius Murray that took away the touchdown.
The one frustrating factor about Knox is that you can almost guarantee at least one drop from him every game. He dropped a crucial 4th down catch that would have moved the chains for Buffalo early in the 4th quarter. While the Bills should have just tried for the field goal to make it a three-point game, Knox was not able to reel in the catch. When you get paid $13 million a year, any pass that you touch should be caught. Knox has been more of a liability than reliable for the last season or so.
Dalton Kincaid has taken over the receptions and yards this season over Knox, but the two tight end set is not working these last couple of weeks.
1.) Jordan Phillips
When defensive tackle Ed Oliver was ruled out Friday, the defensive line was going into this game thin upfront in the trenches. The only good news about Oliver being ruled out was the opportunity for guys like Poona Ford and Jordan Phillips to step up and help stop the run and create interior pressure. Even though the Bills allowed under 100 yards rushing, they did end up allowing four yards per carry on the ground and provided no interior pressure.
Phillips did not record a single tackle. He was only able to deflect one pass from the line of scrimmage. The defensive line came in as a liability against Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott, but it was the lack of pass rush that hurt the Bills more than anything. Much like the secondary, the defensive line may need additional help through trade with DaQuan Jones being gone for the season, and now Oliver has an injury on his plate this season.