A column by CHUCK POLLOCK, Wellsville Sun Senior Sports Columnist
So what do we make of the Bills’ twelfth win of the season?
To be sure, it was needed to keep alive their slim hopes of claiming the AFC’s top seed … but they surely didn’t play like it.
Buffalo is caught up in the age-old baseball phrase ”magic number.”
When Kansas City beat Houston Thursday night, that number became 1 (one), a win in the Chiefs last two games or a defeat for Buffalo in any of its final three and KC would own the conference.
To be sure, the Bills, now 12-3, didn’t approach Sunday afternoon’s game against New England at frigid Highmark Stadium with any sense of urgency in front of a thoroughly-chilled sellout crowd of 70,725 sitting through 8-degree temperatures. Indeed, this 14-point favorite sleep-walked through the first quarter as if it was the third exhibition game and Buffalo’s narrow 24-21 victory needed a dose of good fortune … right down to recovering the Pats’ onside kick in the closing minute.
PATRIOTS quarterback Drake Maye played like the second coming of Tom Brady and had New England up by two touchdowns early in the second period.
Indeed, Buffalo never came close to covering the weekend’s longest spread and as much as Bills’ fans don’t want to hear it, the rookie from Foxboro statistically outperformed their own QB, Josh Allen, who happens to be the leading contender for NFL MVP.
Maye finished 22-of-36 passing for 261 yards with two touchdown passes, an interception and a 90.2 passer rating.
Allen was a pedestrian 16-of-29 for 154 yards, with a touchdown pass and an interception and a substandard passer rating of 67.3. Worse, he took a beating, suffering injuries to both arms though as of Monday, coach Sean McDermott reported he seemed to be recovering.
THE ISSUE, of course, was the inconsistency of Buffalo’s offense.
“Offensively, we have things we want to continue to work on and improve on,” McDermott said. “That work takes place between now and when we get going in the playoffs and you’ve got to be at your best that first week in the playoffs, for sure. There are no mulligans in the playoffs so some of these areas where we’re trying to get better at we’ve got to be intentional about it week-to-week.”
Then there was New England’s fake punt from its own 23-yard-line which raised another question about special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley’s long-term employment future in Buffalo.
“Coach and I spoke this morning … making sure that we’re dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s,” McDermott said. “He knows as well as me that we should have been in a defensive state and making sure we’re at a macro level understanding that they’re trying to take extra possessions and keep the ball away from Josh.”
As for the Bills’ slow start, he added, “It was not as we expected it to go and not as I expected it to go. We’ve got to get off to a better start … as I mentioned after the game, the opening kickoff No. 1 and then the first third down, we’ve got to get ourselves off the field … it was third and eight.
“There were a few sequences of plays there that we didn’t do a good enough job in what we tried to execute. Had we done that., we’d have gotten off the field … some of those were young guys making young mistakes.”
But they’re coming at a time, late in the season, when they can least be afforded.
NOTES from the Bills’ tense 24-21 victory over New England, Sunday afternoon at Highmark Stadium:
— With the win, Allen’s career record against the Patriots improved to a modest 7-5.
— In the first 16 minutes, New England had a 13-3-minute edge in time of possession.
— The Patriots most dramatic play was a fake punt from their own 23-yard line that enabled them to keep possession in the second quarter.
— New England’s lone sack of Allen was recorded by defensive tackle Jeremiah Pharm, the first of his career. Buffalo’s only credited sack was shared by linebacker Baylon Spector and defensive tackle Austin Johnson, the other was called a team sack.
— Maye’s first touchdown was a 28-yarder to wide receiver Kayshon Boutte who beat Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam who replaced the injured Raul Douglas.
— Allen threw his sixth interception of the season when he was picked off in the end zone by Patriots safety Marte Mapu, his first of the campaign.
— James Cook’s 46-yard touchdown run was his 14th of the season, tying him with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts for most in the league. He finished with 100 yards on 11 carries and three receptions for 26 yards giving him 126 in total offense.
— UB alum Cameron Lewis got his first career interception when he picked off Maye.
— Both edge rushers Greg Rousseau and Dawuane Smoot forced fumbles.
— Inactive for Buffalo were five starters including four defenders: cornerback Douglas (knee), safeties Damar Hamlin (ribs) and Taylor Rapp (neck) and outside linebacker Matt Milano (biceps/groin). Also out were starting wide receiver Curtis Samuel (ribs) as well as offensive tackle Tylan Grable and defensive tackle DeWayne Carter (wrist).
Elam replaced Douglas, rookie Cole Bishop and Lewis took over for Hamlin and Rapp, Dorian Williams (who had a fumble recovery as did nickelback Taron Johnson) inherited Milano’s position and rookie Keon Coleman took Samuel’s spot.
(Chuck Pollock, a Wellsville Sun and Olean Star senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@wnynet.net.)
