Buffalo Bills Notebook: Coaching, Defense Fall Flat vs. New England Patriots

The Buffalo Bills embarrassed themselves in a pathetic showing against the New England Patriots. What went wrong, and what optimism could be taken from the loss?

The Buffalo Bills face-planted in Foxborough on Sunday, falling to the New England Patriots, 29-25.

There’s no sugarcoating this one—Buffalo was as bad as the stomach aches they caused would suggest. Yes, there were injuries and it was a road contest against a division rival. None of that should have mattered with such a distinct talent advantage.

The Bills dropped to the Patriots’ level of pitiful football and got beat with experience.

Let’s take a look at what happened.

Bills safety Jordan Poyer attempts to bring down New England's Rhamondre Stevenson.  / USA TODAY

1. Head coach Sean McDermott, and his defense, were inexcusably bad.

Patriots quarterback Mac Jones had been arguably the worst quarterback through six weeks. In Week 7, he completed 25-of-30 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t turn the ball over, nor was he sacked.

Part of the credit should be headed his way. The same can be said for running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott, despite combining for 65 yards on the ground. Both converted critical carries, and Stevenson broke off a key 34-yard catch on New England’s final drive.

The Patriots ensured the Bills’ feared pass rush would not be a factor by getting the ball out of Jones’ hands quickly. He averaged just 3.3 air yards per target. For reference, Bills quarterback Josh Allen averaged 11 air yards per target.

New England forced Buffalo to play horizontally and rally to the football, putting pressure on the defense’s communication and weak spots up the middle. It worked to a tee.

The Patriots’ best offensive performance of the season came against one of Buffalo’s worst, and when they needed the defense to step up late, the Bills fell short.

At some point, playing down to one’s competition in this manner is an indictment on a coaching staff. In an AFC East race that isn’t yet over, Buffalo is playing themselves not only out of a division, but out of an upper-Wild Card spot.

These are the kinds of losses that have season-long consequences.

2. The Bills couldn’t survive an off day from Stefon Diggs.

Diggs led the Bills in targets … again. That’s not inherently bad, and he played fairly well, especially on the touchdown grab that saw him make a sliding catch and gain yards after the catch.

However, it was clear Bill Belichick wanted to limit his impact. He succeeded. The Allen-Diggs connection was tumultuous, catching just half of his 12 targets. He was limited to just 58 yards. Several potential scores/first downs fell incomplete and left the Bills scrambling for non-Diggs answers.

When was the last time they won trying to do that?

They found some success, notably with tight end Dalton Kincaid (we’ll get to that in a moment), but these ancillary weapons are simply not enough to find consistent success.

Receiver Khalil Shakir was the Buffalo receiver with the second-most catches, with four for 35 yards. Deep threat Gabe Davis caught just one of five targets for six yards. The down-to-down consistency of this offense–which continues to struggle on the ground–is simply ineffective when Diggs isn’t making a play.

Maybe the answer is more Allen rushes–there’s risk involved there, too. But offensive Ken Dorsey has his work cut out for him in a short week. This simply isn’t good enough.

3. At least Kincaid had a nice day.

Kincaid, returning from injury, saw the most targets, receptions, and receiving yards of his career.

Catching all eight passes thrown his way for 75 yards not only gave him the best game of his young career but gave the Bills some semblance of hope for offensive improvement.

The formula of Diggs all the time and Davis over the top feels a lot better if Kincaid is more than just a security blanket. Providing a legitimate option over the middle of the field is more production than Buffalo has gotten from both the slot and the typical tight end spot.

With all the criticism directed at the supporting cast that doesn’t wear 14, in-season development from the first-round pick could be a saving grace.

Sunday wasn’t enough to proclaim Kincaid’s arrival, but if there’s anything to feel good about, it’s that the rookie played well.

Regardless, it wasn’t enough in Week 7. After back-to-back-to-back disappointing weeks, the pressure is mounting in Buffalo.