Are there rightful complaints after what was ultimately a show to remember by the Bills on Sunday?
It’s great there are two halves in a football game. Were that not true, the Buffalo Bills would have exited Week 7 with much different fortunes. Instead, the Bills came out at halftime down 10-7 and roared to life with 34 unanswered points — winning 34-10 and improving to 5-2 on the season.
I was admittedly unamused at halftime after yet another terrible start by Buffalo.. and at home. It’s become a too-common theme with these Bills. But laying into them too hard after winning the way they did feels unnecessary. Yes, there are plenty of concerns about the way that first half played out. But anyone who knows anything about this sport understands that it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
And what a finish the Buffalo Bills put together for the home crowd in Week 7. Quarterback Josh Allen finally recorded his first 300-yard game of the season, and still hasn’t thrown an interception after seven games. There’s little doubt the likes of Nick Wright will have plenty to say about the situation. Right?
Allen finished 21-of-33 for 323 yards and two touchdowns. At halftime, Allen was 4-of-11 for 65 yards, which makes his second-half work even more impressive (17-of-22 for 258 yards and a pair of TDs.
Tennessee was sound in their defensive assignments to almost completely erase Allen’s threat as a runner (3 run for 1 yard). Allen didn’t seem to mind much, as he instead began carving up Tennessee’s back seven during the second half.
The Titans intent on making the Bills earn every yard on the ground, and took more than a handful of cues from the Baltimore Ravens to cobble together a first half that stunned Buffalo. In Amari Cooper’s first start with the Buffalo Bills, things began a bit bumpy — which is to be expected. What few saw coming was the way he rebounded from his first look by Allen. Cooper’s final stat line of four catches (five targets) for 66 yards and a touchdown is not doubt encouraging news for a Bills offense in desperate need of sustained production.
Cooper would have likely grabbed another score had the Titans not adjusted well in the red zone — instead Allen found running back Ty Johnson hiding near the goal line for six.
The final results are great and what matters most, especially when considering the perfect day from kicker Tyler Bass, rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman’s continued development and field-stretching plays (and his first 100-yard game), and safety Damar Hamlin’s heads-up play to steal the football back for what became a touchdown jaunt by rookie running back Ray Davis. All that and Allen’s outstanding stats, wide receiver Khalil Shakir once again catching every target (7 receptions for 65 yards), and defensive end Greg Rousseau’s huge day at the office do not dismiss the team’s first-half play.
A complete review of the Bills’ positives and negatives isn’t necessary in this space, and any exclusion isn’t meant as a slight in comparison to others. I don’t want to turn the hose on a solid win. It’s just that with these Bills, for every good outcome, there are plenty of follow-up questions.
Winning the coin toss and choosing to take the ball on offense, the Bills needed to have a sound plan to get in scoring position. Instead, they punted in what may go down as one of those classic turtle moments by head coach Sean McDermott. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady appeared at a loss to counter the Titans’ defensive alignments, and almost every facet of the passing game was dysfunctional.
As I mentioned in the second-half open thread, going three-and-out three separate times to begin the game, and enduring four such drives — that’s unacceptable, and bad football. The offense’s inability to produce points off a turnover in the first half erased any potential momentum thanks to another head-scratching punt after facing a short field to pay dirt.
Slow starts at home against a losing football team are often excusable if the home team gets a W. They did, so we shouldn’t belabor too many points… yet. But there are some very real conversations continuously banging against One Bills Drive’s door, wondering when the promise being handed out will meet fan’s expectations.
In the coming weeks against more sound competition, the Buffalo Bills cannot afford slow starts. Whatever happens in the locker room at halftime needs to take place before the National Anthem is sung. If we didn’t know better, it would seem as though a completely different team ran out of the tunnel to face the third quarter.
Maybe these Bills thrive off adversity, and don’t wake up until the chips are down. That makes for fun, but often stressful football. Hopefully linebacker Terrel Bernard’s ankle injury isn’t too severe, and that the team can build off their second-half chemistry.
After all, the only thing that really matters are wins and losses, and the Bills are doing a lot of winning to the surprise of many this season. Perhaps we all just need to sit back and enjoy the show for the time being.