Bills at Texans Recap
The Bills continued their trio of away games with another slow start on offense and another loss. Sunday afternoon's 23-20 defeat by the Texans has left fans with more questions about coaching decisions, wondering what happened to the high-flying offense we saw the first three weeks of the season and whether Brandon Beane needs to make a deal. Josh Allen had one of his worst performances since entering the NFL, and the Bills’ pass catchers didn’t provide much support, with nine catches on the day and Allen finishing with a 55.3 QBR.
Starting this week, I am taking a different approach to recaps than the narrative style I used previously. I will continue to give five things I liked (another tough week for that) and the five things I didn't like. Moving forward, I want to focus more on critical plays from the game, interesting stats, and some quotes from the group chat and post-game interviews. I look forward to the feedback. Let's dive in.
5 Things I Liked
DeWayne Carter - The rookie started his first career game and looked comfortable in the moment. Carter finished the game with three tackles, two for a loss, and one QB hit. His development and ability to step up in Ed Oliver’s absence is a good sign for the depth at the DT position.
Return of Terrel Bernard - Bernard’s return to action and impact on the game was important for the defense moving forward in the season. He didn’t fill the stat sheet but finished the game with five tackles and a timely interception where he left his initial responsibility in coverage to jump in front of a pass intended for Stefon Diggs. It was the type of play that showed the instincts he possesses that have been missed in his absence.
Dorian Williams - Williams continues to be a tackling machine and has a knack for being around the football. His game-high 12 tackles and a fumble recovery, leading to the tying field goal, were two positives for the defense on Sunday. He now leads the team with 54 tackles on the season.
James Cook - Cook was a player I mentioned in the preview to watch and was the best weapon on offense Sunday. He finished the game with 82 yards on 20 carries, a TD, and two catches for 17 yards. Cook has developed a patience for letting holes develop and an ability to be a good check-down option when Allen utilizes him. On the season, he has 432 yards from scrimmage to go with five touchdowns.
It’s Only Week 5 - After a loss like yesterday, I can get very down on the team and the season outlook. Fortunately, I was reminded by a good friend this morning that it’s only week five. And he is right. The Bills are in a slump that we have not seen this early in the season in years past, but if they're going to face adversity, I would rather it be now. There is time to correct the problems, time for injured players to return, and time for new players (on the roster or not) to rise to the occasion.
5 Things I Didn't Like
Josh Allen - Allen is not without blame for the team’s performance on Sunday. On downfield throws of 10 air yards or more, Allen was 1-16 for 26 yards. He completed eight other passes on the day and should have had at least two interceptions if not more. This was not the Josh Allen we saw the first four weeks of the season. Even in the Ravens' loss, he looked under control and composed when things weren’t working. Yesterday, he appeared rattled and lacked confidence in what he saw. The decision-making on some throws made you wonder if Allen has too much confidence in the receiver, his arm, or if he was confused by the coverages.
Bills’ Receivers - The receivers did not show up yesterday. Keon Coleman made a great play on his catch and run for the lone passing touchdown on the afternoon. Besides that, nobody helped the offense or Allen when things were bleak. The receiver group finished the day with 76 yards on four catches out of 18 targets. Was the absence of Khalil Shakir a prominent factor in seeing the significant drop in play? The Texans have one of the best secondaries in the league, but these numbers are unacceptable for any NFL team, especially one with Super Bowl aspirations.
Third-Down Defense - The Texans were 8-16 yesterday on third down, five of which came needing 7+ yards for the first down. The Bills’ opponents are converting at 44% on the year. This needs to be improved if the Bills want to beat good teams.
Pass Rush - The pass rush struggled for a second consecutive week. The Bills started getting some pressure in the second half, with Dawuane Smoot getting the strip-sack that led to the game-tying field goal. Overall, the Bills’ defense failed to take advantage of an average offensive line that has struggled this season. As a team, the Bills have 13 sacks on the year.
Coaching Decisions - I am going to start with Joe Brady. Brady needs to adapt his play calling when defenses attack like the Ravens and Texans just did. The running game was abandoned early again, and the offensive line struggled in pass protection. Some of this is due to the lack of separation that receivers were getting, but there did not appear to be an adjustment to the game plan to offset this. Sean McDermott’s decision not to challenge the call on the field with Dalton Kincaid's toe-tapping catch was frustrating. I’m not saying it was a clear win if he challenges, but at that point in the game, down two scores, you need to challenge. The fact that the Bills ended the half with two timeouts remaining makes it worse. The final offensive series for the Bills was one of the most confusing and idiotic sequences of play calls I remember. Did they not realize the time and situation here? I was expecting a James Cook inside run to get the clock running and possibly catch the Houston defense off guard, expecting a pass play. You get a first down and chew up some clock, or you get zero yards and force Houston to use a timeout. Either way, the play is to get to overtime there. To cap it off, the Bills defense comes out on the following drive after giving up a 13-yard punt return and goes into a prevent shell with the safeties closer to the end zone than the line of scrimmage. Houston had all their timeouts and didn't need a touchdown. We’ve now seen this movie multiple times under Sean McDermott.
Critical Plays From the Game
The Nico Collins 67-yard touchdown and resulting hamstring injury had a two-layer effect on the game. It put the Texans up 14-3 on the blown coverage by rookie safety Cole Bishop, but the loss of him changed the Texans’ offense afterward and gave the Bills a chance at getting back into the game. Collins caught two passes for 78 yards and the touchdown before the injury. The Bills did not appear to have an answer for him in the limited action he saw.
Josh Allen had two deep balls he would like to have back. If Allen had put less air on the ball to Mack Hollins, the Bills would have been inside the 10-yard line or walking into the end zone for a potential 7-0 lead instead of the 3-0 lead the drive ended with. How would connecting on that pass have affected the offensive rhythm moving forward? Late in the 2nd quarter, Allen again underthrew a deep pass with tight end Dalton Kincaid behind the coverage. Two plays on two drives that changed the game for the Bills offense.
Stat of the Game
The Bills are the only team in the last 45 years to be tied or leading in the final minute of the game, inside their own 5-yard line and throw three straight passes, per ESPN Research. - Alaina Getzenberg
BillsBanter Group Chat Quote of the Game
“And they need to figure out how to use Samuel in some way, he is pointless to being out there. Speed and breaking tackles ability they don't use.” - Buff
Postgame Quote of the Game
#Bills veteran on final offensive series of three passes and no rushes.
"I hope (the coaches) learn from it." Ryan O'Halloran
Postgame Perspective
The Bills are approaching a crossroads. The “everybody eats” mantra was a fun saying that I bought into, but in back-to-back weeks, it's apparent that good defenses are taking advantage of Buffalo's lack of top-end talent at the skill positions. The Bills need to discuss internally whether they have the players on the roster to continue this offensive approach. If not, they need to have discussions with Cleveland, Las Vegas, and Tennessee about the price tag for Amari Cooper, Davante Adams, and DeAndre Hopkins. I know I’m not adding anything new here, but one year of a player of their caliber is something the team needs during this transition. They tried a different approach this year and must correct the course before it's too late. The Bills can get one of these wide receivers without mortgaging the future. It is only week 5, but changes need to be made, and players need to step up and play at the level they're capable of.
Up Next : Buffalo at New York Jets - Monday 8:15 PM
