It's not going to be a fun bye week in Buffalo following back-to-back defeats that saw the Bills lose their grip on the AFC East.
In Monday night's 24-14 loss to Atlanta, both sides of the ball took turns looking limp, from the offense's inability to stack productive drives outside the opening possession of each half to the defense watching Bijan Robinson plow through them like a bulldozer to dead grass.
Josh Allen's offense went three-and-out four times, including twice with a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter.
"It's gonna eat at me the next two weeks," Allen said of the missed opportunities, via the team’s official website. "I mean, a lot of stuff to clean up."
Allen threw two interceptions, one forced at the end of the half and another to close a two-score contest on the final drive. Throughout the game, the Bills got away from James Cook far too often. Three of the Bills' four three-and-outs came without Cook touching the pigskin. With a lack of playmakers on the outside, the dynamic running back must be the catalyst, similar to how the Falcons use Robinson.
Monday, the Bills couldn't keep Allen clean, allowing pressure on 44.1% of Allen's dropbacks (15 of 34), the highest pressure rate he has faced in a game since Week 5, 2024 (loss to Houston). Entering Week 6, the Bills had allowed the lowest pressure rate in the NFL (22.3%).
After opening the season with 41, 30, 31 and 31 points in their 4-0 start, the Bills' offense has put up 20 and 14 points, respectively, in their two-game losing skid.
"We had our opportunities to take advantage of and we didn't," Allen said. "It sucks when you feel like two-thirds of your team (special teams and defense) are doing their job and you're the team not to pull your weight. It sucks."
Allen is being kind to his defensive teammates. The Bills' D is a mess right now. They can't stop the run, getting bowled over right up the gut, and the secondary continues to get picked on -- by Stefon Diggs last week and Drake London on Monday. When they did have a chance to get off the field, penalties stung.
If not for a few Atlanta flubs -- ending the first half without points, a blocked field goal -- the score could have been worse for the Bills heading into the bye week.
"We've got to figure it out," head coach Sean McDermott said. "We've got to dive deep into what we're doing, how we're doing it, making sure we've got the right people in the right positions, and then the execution at the end of the day, we've got to start from ground zero and work our way back up."
The positive side for Buffalo: The two-game skid isn't unlike last year's back-to-back losses to Baltimore and Houston early in the season. McDermott's crew rattled off seven straight wins after the 3-2 start to get back on track. If the 2025 iteration is to repeat that sort of run, the reigning NFL MVP needs to play better, and the defense needs help.
The Bills haven't lost three consecutive games in a season since losing four straight in Allen's 2018 rookie campaign (Weeks 6-9)
