Bills Central

Bills WR Isaiah McKenzie Wishes to Take 'Back' Late Mistake

Buffalo Bills receiver Isaiah McKenzie admits he would have done things differently in the closing seconds of Sunday's loss at the Miami Dolphins.

Zach Dimmitt

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Buffalo Bills receiver Isaiah McKenzie was out of breath in the visiting locker room on Sunday following the team's 21-19 loss at the Miami Dolphins. The heat and humidity seemed to have taken a real toll on him and the rest of the team. 

"It was exhausting," he said. "We were just trying to fight through, be resilient. We had guys cramping - even myself - guys cramping, guys tired ... We were just trying to do the best we can to get the ball down the field and get some points on the board." 

And in a game that came down to the closing seconds, it seemed as if all the heat made McKenzie and the Bills just a second too slow on the potential game-winning drive. 

With 18 seconds left, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen escaped pass-rush pressure before dumping off a short pass to McKenzie, who darted toward the sidelines to get out of bounds and stop the clock. The Bills, who had no timeouts left, were trying to get as close as possible for kicker Tyler Bass to attempt a long field goal. 

But McKenzie was tackled by multiple Miami defenders before he could reach the sideline. He attempted to fight for extra yardage instead of settling for getting out at around the 45-yard line. 

"If I could take it back, I'd probably just go up field, get down, put it on the hash myself, and then live to fight another down," McKenzie said. 

Nine seconds remained once he was tackled, but he seemed to hesitate for a split second once he got up, costing Buffalo a potential chance at getting the spike off. 

"I was trying to get out of bounds," McKenzie said. "I knew T Bass' range, so I was trying to get out of bounds and also get up field. It was nine seconds left, I was trying to get to the hash and I kinda got bumped and threw the ball at the ref. And it just went down from there."

McKenzie finished with seven catches for 76 yards and one of only two touchdowns for Buffalo. 

The Bills wouldn't have been in a situation to win the game in the closing seconds without him. But depending on how you look at it, they could have lost their chance at 3-0 because of him. 

You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

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