Buffalo Bills Notebook: Josh Allen, James Cook, Special Teams Fumble Away Crucial Game

The Buffalo Bills lost to the Denver Broncos on Monday, 24-22, in shocking fashion. Josh Allen and James Cook can hand off the blame to everyone, including themselves.

The Buffalo Bills snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on national television. Buffalo fell to the visiting Denver Broncos, 24-22, in a game that may live on in infamy and idiosyncrasy alike.

The Bills fell to 5-5 on Monday Night Football, just two weeks before a brutal stretch of games against Super Bowl contenders. Favored by a touchdown against a bad Broncos team, Buffalo needed this one—to make life easier, to take the pressure off, to remind people that talented teams led by superstar quarterbacks are favored by a touchdown for a reason.

Instead, just about everything went wrong, and Buffalo found its optimism falling faster than the fateful penalty flag on the penultimate snap. What just happened?

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook gets tackled against the Denver Broncos / © Mark Konezny, USA TODAY

1. Josh Allen made a mess on prime time … again.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen had a chance to catapult his MVP chances and give his team stronger playoff positioning with a win on Monday. Instead, he led Buffalo to just 22 points and turned in another underwhelming performance.

Yes, he has gotten unlucky with his interception totals this season, Monday included. But that does not exempt him from the mistakes he made. With less than a minute to go in the first half, the Bills had a chance to take the lead before giving Denver the ball to start the second half.

Instead, Allen threw an ill-advised out-breaking route that was promptly jumped by cornerback Fabian Moreau. The Broncos would make a field goal in the final seconds of the first half.

He whiffed on a fourth-down pass to receiver Khalil Shakir and was ultimately unable to find the rhythm he had against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. To some extent, he played a role in a botched handoff that—while not resulting in a score—left points on the table for Buffalo.

Ultimately, he went 15-of-26 for 177 yards, throwing and rushing for two total scores and tossing two interceptions. His -0.28 expected points added per play was a 13th-percentile performance.

Denver had quality field position all night long, and if not for a similarly concerning showing, this one wouldn’t have been close.

2. James Cook’s rollercoaster night was something to behold.

There may not be enough words in the English language to properly convey running back James Cook’s night.

Cook fumbled on the first play from scrimmage, giving the Broncos a three-point head start. He was then benched, only to return with vengeance in the second quarter. Cook found 29 yards at the start of a Buffalo drive, helping set up a touchdown from tight end Dalton Kincaid.

In the third quarter, the Bills leaned on him again, with less success. Late in the third quarter, he and Allen somehow mishandled a handoff, giving up a possession around midfield.

Yet, when the offense badly needed some juice, they returned to their young back --  who then broke off a big run, fumbled again, recovered said fumble, and kept running.

He would see the first five touches in a six-play drive that culminated in Allen’s go-ahead score. He finished his night with 12 attempts for 109 yards.

It was a wild ride, and one that should lead to some tough conversations, but perhaps the takeaway can be an optimistic one. Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey was willing to lean on the run game, despite its inconsistencies, and was rewarded for it. Perhaps that trust will go a long way in keeping this offense balanced and healthier, especially if the turnovers come back to Earth.

The best parts of Cook were on display in Week 10, at least on the majority of his carries. If that’s what one needs to take solace in, so be it.

3. The special teams unit was inexcusably bad.

So often, football games are won along the margins. When the stars don’t show up and the game remains closer than it should, special teams will put its finger on the scale; it’s simply the nature of the sport.

Broncos receiver Marvin Mims helped kickstart the offense with a pair of strong returns, bringing a kickoff 31 yards toward paydirt and evading tackles on a long punt return. His late-game chunk play would set Denver up at its own 46-yard line, making life easier on the team’s final touchdown drive.

Of course, that wasn’t the worst part of Buffalo’s night. Not this team.

The Bills had the game won. On what should have been the game’s final play, Broncos kicker Wil Lutz misfired on a field goal attempt.

Somehow, after keeping Denver in the game all night long, then pushing them out of field goal range when it mattered most, and then letting them back into field goal range, they got away with it.

Except they had too many men on the field. Lutz would kick again, successfully, from 36 yards out.

It may be too early to tell if it was a coaching mishap, a miscommunication, or a special teamer in the wrong place at the wrong time. Frankly, the reasoning doesn’t matter. Buffalo had 6-4 in its hand and blew it in agonizing fashion.