Bills Lose Yet Another Big Game In Overtime
On Sunday, the Buffalo Bills found themselves on the losing end of an overtime nail-biter against the Philadelphia Eagles. Josh Allen had over 400 total yards and 4 touchdowns, but it still wasn't enough to close out the Eagles. Though the Bills were up at the half, Jalen Hurts led the Eagles on 5 scoring drives as he and Allen fought to help put each of their teams over the top. Jake Elliot kicked a 59-yard field goal to tie and send the game into overtime when Hurts ultimately marched the offense down the field and ran in the game-winning touchdown himself.
This showdown showed the best of both superstar QBs and proved to be an awesome game where the Bills came up short in the end again. Josh was electric and sparked a fire under the offense with Joe Brady calling plays. Buffalo had over 500 yards of offense and scored over 30 points for the fifth time this season. It still wasn't enough to win the game.
Bills Defensive Woes
In the first half, the Bills held Hurts to only 55 total yards with an int, leading 17-7. The defense then gave up 4 touchdowns in the second half and overtime, including the game-winner in OT when Jalen rushed for 12 yards into the end zone. The defense crumbled and allowed the Eagles to come back and snatch this game from them in another letdown game.
Buffalo is now 0-6 in overtime games with Josh Allen as the starter under Sean McDermott. They have consistently struggled to close out big games and often fail to play complimentary football to match great games from the offense. Despite multiple impact players being lost to injury this season, the Bills have still managed to play very well defensively for the most part. However, due to possible pressure or coaching, they crumble when it comes to the big moments in big games.
Questionable Coaching Decisions
The Bills have one of the most athletically gifted players in the entire league on their team Josh Allen but it seems McDermott often hesitates to put the ball in his hands when it matters most. At the end of regulation against the Eagles, after Jake Elliot made his field goal, there were still 20 seconds left for Buffalo to get down the field to at least attempt a field goal. McDermott decided to use a timeout to ice the kicker.
After a very unnecessary timeout, Elliot still ended up making the long field goal. Bills got the ball back with one timeout and 20 seconds left in the game. Instead of allowing Josh Allen to drive his team down the field to give Tyler Bass the chance to win the game, McDermott decided to kneel out the game to go into overtime. Not giving your superstar QB a chance to try to win the game left fans extremely upset and confused and could have won the Bills the game.
Buffalo is now 6-6 and slowly falling further out of the playoff picture. They currently sit 10th in the AFC with a 22% chance of making the playoffs. The most straightforward path would be to win out the rest of the games for the season though going 4-1 down the stretch also could give them good odds.
Joe Brady seems to have the Bills offense firing on all cylinders. If this team wants to continue to be successful, they need to play complimentary football and Sean McDermott needs to make the correct choices for the team. They have zero room for error if they want to turn the season around. Many fans have been questioning McDermott's future with the team. The way the defense plays with him for the rest of the season could play a huge part in the decision. The Buffalo Bills can't afford to waste another year of Josh Allen's prime.
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