The first play of the Bills' offensive drive was an interception. Josh Allen had a wide-open guy in the flat too and would have likely been a first down. Instead, he pushed the ball down the field which resulted in another turnover and an eventual 10 - 0 hole early in the game.
When all was said and done, the Bills were unable to secure the win this time after spotting the opponent those ten points. losing to the Patriots 29 - 24. Unlike last week against the New York Giants, the defense could not come up with a goal-line stand this time and dropped their third loss of the season and second of three games within the division.
Buffalo needs to get things figured out and do so in a hurry, they can't afford to drop many more divisional matchups, and depending on what happens when the Miami Dolphins take on the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo could find themselves two games behind Miami.
I don't have the answers, nor can I explain what is happening. To all those who want to fire Coach McDermott and/or Dorsey, I ask you to take a longer look at the players. Are the coaches the ones throwing off-target passes to open players? Are the coaches the ones who are dropping passes or throwing picks? Fans will blame whoever they want but here are my initial reactions to this game.
The Bills offense continues to be late to the party
It's truly baffling what we are seeing right now with the Bills' offense. From games two through five, the Bills offense was on fire, including 48 against the Miami Dolphins. Since the Miami game, Buffalo has forgotten to show up in the first halves of games and finally making an appearance in the second halves. It's now cost them two games in the loss column.
I don't have the answer but I don't think it's as simple as blaming offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey or Coach McDermott. As I said in the opening, they aren't the ones on the field executing the plays. It is the job of the coaches to have their team ready to play and the Bills offense has not been ready to play, at least not in the first half. If you want to put that on the coaches, that's fine. But these are professional athletes and if you need a coach to remind you to get your head in the game and not make stupid mistakes, then again, I have to question the players, not the coaches.
No DaQuan Jones, no Ed Oliver, huge problem
I'll take the hit on this one because I wrote earlier that the Bills' defense would be just fine without these two in the middle of the defensive line. I could not have been more wrong. The Bills' interior of the line was dominated. The Patriots totaled only 96 yards on the ground and none one on the Patriots carrying the ball had carry per average over four.
The biggest issue seemed to be a lack of pass rush though. There was no push up the middle of the pocket and the Bills were unable to force Mac Jones to hurry throws or disrupt his timing. They managed only one sack in the entire game. The NFL's leading sack team, against a dreadful offensive line, and they produced only one sack.
Dalton Kincaid played a big role in the offense
I also mentioned earlier that it might be time for the Bills to turn to Dalton Kincaid as more of the number one tight end going forward. Just too many times we've seen Dawson Knox unable to make the play when needed. Don't get me wrong, he's had some nice plays throughout his career but no one is going to ever say he has soft hands. Knox was targeted three times, with one reception for ten yards.
Kincaid was second on the team for the game in targets. Josh Allen targeted him eight times and he caught every, single, pass. He's now been targeted 26 times on the season and has 25 receptions. Coming into the draft, the scouting report on him was he had the best hands of anyone in the draft, wide receivers included.
He's shown that to be an accurate statement and the offense needs more of Kincaid from here on out. I have some thoughts on the offensive makeup too, or at least how I would like to see the offense look as the season progresses. More on that later though.
Khalil Shakir continues to see more time on the field
This is another player I want to see on the field more and used not only as a blocker but more in the passing game. Today, the Bills did that and he delivered a solid game. Shakir was targeted four times and caught all four. That's nine targets on the year and he's turned that into eight receptions. He doubled his receptions on the season in today's game.
I understand the coaches want to give other players opportunities and Coach McDermott likes to use player rotations but this is the one area of McDermott as a coach I am critical of. These receivers need time on the field, time that helps build the chemistry and trust with Josh Allen. Let's keep Shakir on the field more often and give him a chance to solidify his position as the starting slot receiver for the Buffalo Bills.
Final thoughts on the Buffalo Bills offense
At the beginning of the season, I was all for the idea of running 12-personnel and it appeared to be working. The Bills were rolling after that Week One loss but that's changed and they are anything but rolling during the last three games. I'm not saying to throw out the 12-personnel altogether, as I think it's a good wrinkle to have throughout the game but Knox is almost a liability at this point. He simply can't count on him to come down with the catch and that's a problem.
I don't want to pile on Knox but when you have other options that so far this season, appear to be better at catching the ball, you have to consider a change in your offensive philosophy. Let's see more 11-personnel with Kincaid in as your top tight end and run the offense primarily through him and Stefon Diggs.
Secondly, get rid of the rotation at the slot position. I think Khalil Shakir has shown he now deserves the opportunity to be the full-time option in the slot. As I mentioned already, he was targeted four times against the Patriots and caught all four passes. Let's see what he can do as the full-time guy.
Lastly, how about some no-huddle Dorsey? Josh Allen has shown throughout his career he's deadly when in those two-minute situations. What would that look like throughout the game? I understand the concern with the pressure that could put on your defense if the offense doesn't consistently sustain drives, but I think it's worth the risk. Maybe you don't use it on every drive but open the game with it and instill a no-huddle drive here and there from the opening kickoff until the final whistle blows.