A column by CHUCK POLLOCK, Wellsville Sun and Olean Star Senior Sports Columnist
The question is, how much trouble are the Bills in?
Yeah, Sunday’s heart-breaking 23-20 loss to the Texans in Houston on a 59-yard field goal as time expired was only one game.
But so was the 35-10 domination by the Ravens in Baltimore the previous Sunday.
For two straight games, quarterback Josh Allen has been well below average in performance and, given his pedigree for success, he’s entitled to a bad game, or two.
So how much of those flawed efforts are his fault?
The numbers are indicting.
Against the Ravens and Texans combined, Allen is 25-of-59 passing (42% accuracy) for 311 yards (8 per completion), 1 touchdown pass (49 yards to Keon Coleman), no interceptions, 4 sacks, no rushing scores and one lost fumble.
And that means the Bills (3-2) are atop, arguably, the weakest division in the AFC. After the Bills are the Jets and Dolphins, both 2-3 and the Patriots 1-4.
After a 3-0 start, including blowout wins over Miami and Jacksonville, Buffalo has tumbled into a funk. An ill-considered trick play against the Ravens undermined a legitimate shot at a come-from-behind victory. And, of course, absurd clock management in the final 32 seconds handed Houston the game-winning field goal this past Sunday.
The latter was a victory the Bills gifted to the Texans.
Down 17 (20-3) after the first possession of the second, Buffalo’s defense then surrendered only one more field goal until the game-winner.
Meanwhile, the young, short-handed defense conjured two golden opportunities for the offense in the final eight minutes.
First, with Houston driving into scoring position and the Texans up 20-17, middle linebacker Terrel Bernard intercepted a C.J. Stroud pass. But all it generated was a five-and-out .
Then, with 4½ minutes to play and the still down by three, defensive tackle Duwayne Smoot got to Stroud for a strip-sack with linebacker Dorian Williams recovering at the Houston 15.
That possession resulted in a run for no gain and two incomplete passes before Tyler Bass tied it with a chip-shot field goal.
THE HOPE is that Allen’s struggles are a temporary malaise.
But what if they’re not?
What if the concern about a substandard wide receiving corps is real and ongoing, especially with No.1, Khahlil Shakir, out with an ankle injury?
The losses of Stefon Diggs (traded to Houston), baggage and all, and Gabe Davis to free agency has been worrisome since OTAs.
Here are some disturbing stats debunking “everybody eats.”
Allen targeted wideouts 15 times against Houston and the result was four (4) catches: Mack Hollins, 6 targets, two catches, 27 yards; Coleman, 2 targets, 1 catch, 49 yards (TD), Curtis Samuel 4 targets, 1 catch, no yards; Marquez Valdes-Scantling 3 targets 0 catches.
Taking Shakir’s numbers out, against the Ravens the combined numbers for Coleman, Samuel, Hollins and Valdes-Scantling weren’t much better: 13 targets, 6 catches.
And Dalton Kincaid, supposedly the x-factor in Buffalo’s enhanced receiving corps, the last two games has been just another tight end making little impact.
It’s clear, the Bills are in desperate need of a productive veteran wide receiver … and fast.
But, alas, Buffalo isn’t the only AFC East team with a struggling quarterback and undependable receiving.
The New York media, for the most part, has embarrassed itself by slobbering all over Aaron Rodgers since training camp, calling him “the crown jewel” and the “franchise QB the Jets haven’t had for decades.”
The last two games he’s presided over a 10-9 home loss to Denver, unable to muster a touchdown. Then Sunday at London, he threw 54 passes to net two TDs, and throw three interceptions in a 23-17 loss to the Vikings. He’s been sacked eight times against the Broncos and Minnesota and been reduced to throwing his hands in the air begging for a pass interference call.
Come Monday night at the Meadowlands we’ll find out whether Allen or Rodgers gets it right after two dismal excitement-deflating losses each.
(Chuck Pollock, a Wellsville Sun and Olean Star senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@wnynet.net.)
