ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — There’s plenty of concern and second-guessing to unpack from how the Bills unraveled on defense, special teams and clock management in their loss to the Los Angeles Rams to wonder whether it was premature labeling Buffalo as Super Bowl contenders only a week earlier.
But first, the good news.
There’s very little wrong with Buffalo’s Josh Allen-led offense after the quarterback strengthened his NFL MVP case. A week after a four-TD performance that included the statistical anomaly of him scoring two touchdowns on the same play in a 35-10 win over San Francisco, Allen became the NFL’s first player to throw and rush for three scores apiece in 44-42 loss to Los Angeles on Sunday.
That Allen's latest superhuman-like effort ended in defeat is what’s troubling for the five-time defending AFC East champions (10-3) in their bid to dispel questions of finding ways to fall short in the playoffs in each of the past five years.
Buffalo’s defense had few answers in stopping the Rams’ dynamic attack while allowing a season-high 457 yards. Worse still, the Bills allowed Los Angeles to go 11 of 15 on third down for a 73.3 conversion percentage — the third highest allowed by Buffalo and worst since allowing Miami's 75% conversion rate in 1986.
If that’s not bad enough, the Bills lost for the first time in 39 games in which they scored at least 42 points, while becoming the NFL’s second team to lose when scoring 42 or more and not committing a turnover.
Special teams didn’t help. Aside from allowing a blocked punt to be returned for a touchdown, the Bills couldn’t muster an attempt to block the Rams’ final punt from midfield with 7 seconds left because they only had nine players on the field.
As coach Sean McDermott concluded after finally addressing reporters more than an hour after the game ended: “I thought we lost two of the three phases today.”
He failed to mention yet another clock management misstep.
Rather than have Allen spike the ball to stop the clock after a failed quarterback keeper from the Rams 1 with 62 seconds remaining, McDermott called timeout. That left Buffalo with two timeouts and essentially relying on the slim chances of recovering an onside kick after Allen scored on his next attempt.
McDermott defended his decision by saying he feared too much time would elapse before the Bills aligned for another snap. And yet, it would not have matched the 45 seconds the Rams ran off on their final possession after Buffalo used its final two timeouts.
Together, these are the types of miscues that have haunted the Bills in their recent playoff losses.
The bright side is the loss to the Rams didn’t end the Bills’ season, though they fell two games behind Kansas City (12-1) in the race for the AFC’s top seed.
And perhaps, the loss can be chalked up to a team riding a little too high off a playoff-clinching win and having to travel across the country to face a Rams team in the thick of its divisional race.
If that’s so, the Bills have a chance to address their flaws — and doubters — by how they respond in what still stands as a juicy showdown at the NFC-leading Detroit Lions (12-1) on Sunday.
“They’re the top dog in football right now,” Allen said, looking ahead to Detroit. “We have to have a good week, learn from this one, and put it behind us.”
Scoring. The Bills topped 30 points for a team-record seventh consecutive game and ninth time this season. Buffalo entered the day ranked second in the NFL averaging 30.5 points per outing, behind Detroit (32.1).
Run defense. Though the Rams averaged just 3.3 yards per carry, they stuck with it in finishing with 137 yards, helping them enjoy a 17-minute edge in time of possession.
Allen. If not for him, the Bills wouldn't have been in position to nearly overcome a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit. His 424 yards (342 passing and 82 rushing) accounted for all but 21 yards of Buffalo's total offense.
With so many options, perhaps the focus falls on special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley. This is the second time in 13 months special teams personnel management became an issue. Buffalo was flagged for having too many men as time expired, providing Wil Lutz a second chance to hit a decisive field goal in sealing Denver's 24-22 win last season.
Starting CB Rasul Douglas was sidelined by a knee injury. ... DE Casey Toohill injured his ribs.
80-1-1 — The Bills' record when scoring 38 or more points, including a 38-38 tie with Denver in 1960.
Facing Detroit represents Buffalo's final major test before closing the season with two games against New England and hosting the New York Jets.
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