Generally speaking, we don’t hand out Game Balls after a loss. And after what we watched from the Buffalo Bills against the New England Patriots on Sunday, handing one out would feel a little ridiculous.
Actually, forget handing them out. I’d consider taking a few back. If anyone from the secondary, our inside linebackers, offensive line or several other position groups, still has a game ball sitting on the mantle from the first three weeks, please return it at your earliest convenience. We’ll keep
the receipt and reconsider your eligibility next week.
Because this was ugly.
Josh Allen is one of the biggest offenders here. He doesn’t get to escape criticism just because he’s usually a unicorn. One of one. Yesterday not only didn’t he looking uncomfortable, he was sloppy with the football again. Not just protecting the football but uncharacteristic decision making for someone of his caliber I’m year nine.
The Bills had plenty of opportunities to put New England away and couldn’t do it. There were breakdowns all over the field, and when Buffalo needed someone to make the play that finally swung the game, too often it was the Patriots making it instead.
So no Game Ball this week. But there were a few players who deserve to escape the repossession department and my scathing remarks.
Honorable Mention: Keon Coleman
If there was one Bills receiver Josh Allen could consistently count on Sunday, it was Keon Coleman.
Coleman finished with six catches for 116 yards, but this was one of those performances where the numbers don’t completely explain how good he was.
During Buffalo’s fourth-quarter scoring drive, Coleman somehow came down with an incredible catch off a deflection on third down to keep the possession alive. Then, with Buffalo desperately trying to take control late, Allen went right back to him.
Coleman caught back-to-back passes for a combined 58 yards, with the second going for the go-ahead touchdown with less than five minutes remaining.
Big catches. Big situations. Big response.
Coleman has started to find a groove in his third season, and on a day when Buffalo desperately needed someone in the receiving corps to step forward, he did.
Honorable Mention: James Cook
James Cook averaged more than six yards per carry for the second consecutive game.
So naturally, the Bills gave him the ball…12 times.
I’m just as confused as you are.
Cook continued to look dangerous when Buffalo actually put the football in his hands. Unfortunately, somebody apparently decided the best way to capitalize on that was to stop putting the football in his hands.
There are games where the running game simply isn’t working and an offense has to move away from it. This wasn’t one of them.
Cook was effective. Buffalo needed offensive consistency. And somehow he finished the afternoon with only a dozen carries.
Make it make sense.
Honorable Mention: Greg Rousseau and Bradley Chubb
This one goes to the EDGE tandem because Greg Rousseau and Bradley Chubb spent a significant portion of Sunday making Drake Maye uncomfortable. Unfortunately, Maye eventually discovered the cheat code: Survive the pass rush long enough and somebody will be open. And all too frequently, somebody was.
Rousseau’s streak of recording two sacks in every game finally came to an end, but don’t mistake the lack of sacks for a quiet afternoon. He had eight quarterback pressures and at least four hits on Maye, and Rousseau was equally disruptive against the run. He also appeared to have a strip-sack before the play was overturned. Which (at the very least), I still feel like it should have been called intentional grounding.
Chubb had a strong afternoon of his own, particularly against the run. He also generated a huge third-down pressure late in the first half that helped get the football back to Buffalo’s offense and got his hands on Maye several times throughout the game.
The sack numbers haven’t arrived yet, but watching Chubb play, you get the feeling they’re coming. The problem for Buffalo wasn’t getting pressure.
It was what happened behind it.
When Maye had just enough time to look downfield, Buffalo’s secondary repeatedly gave him somewhere to go with the football.
Keep Yours. Everyone Else, Check Your Mailbox
Buffalo is 3-1. One bad Sunday doesn’t erase what this team accomplished during the first three weeks of the season.
But there were enough problems against New England that simply chalking this up as “one of those games” would be a mistake especially after a pretty bad offensive performance a week ago vs a struggling Los Angeles Chargers team.
No game ball this week. Just a few honorable mentions. And maybe a couple prepaid shipping labels for some game ball returns.
