The Buffalo Bills lost a chilly game on Monday Night Football, falling 14-10 to the New England Patriots in a game that carried playoff implications for both teams.
New England has been on a surging win streak that has them in the AFC’s top seed for the postseason and ahead of Buffalo for first in the ACF East as well.
Despite the loss, the Bills still have a chance to win the division and to make the playoffs.
And QB Josh Allen knows it.
“Everything we want is still in front of us,” Allen said to the media after the game. “We gotta start winning games to accomplish what we want to accomplish. But like I said, everything’s is right in front of us, we kind of get to control our own destiny.”
Allen’s signature arm strength was on display throwing laser passes through 40 mph winds on a snowy night in Orchard Park. He was 15/30 passing with 145 yards and a touchdown while leading the team in rushing with 39 yards on six carries.
Yet the team struggled to capitalize on offense when opportunities presented themselves, including going only 1-4 in the red zone. In fact, New England’s defense limited Buffalo to a season-low 230 total yards of offense.
“There is a sense of urgency with us,” The QB continued, while voicing support for his teammates. “Very confident in our guys. We have some great leaders, we got some true professionals on this team, this can be one that can rip us apart or bring us together and I think the latter. I think we’ll get things rolling- I don’t think, I know for a fact that we will because of the makeup we have.”
He was sacked twice in the game and fumbled once, and Tyler Bass missed a 34-yard FG attempt in the 4th quarter.
Buffalo has gone 3-4 in its last seven games and is now 7-5 on the year with five contests left in the regular season. Coming up short in a close game against the division leader had head coach Sean McDermott expressing his resolve for the team to do better.
“Guys are frustrated, I’m frustrated but we have to find a way to move on,” McDermott said during his postgame press conference. “We’ve been inconsistent. Did we have opportunities to win the game? Darn right we did. We have to ask why.”
“You got to coach better, you got to play better, it’s not just one person it’s all of us,” he added.
The team will have the week to right the ship before heading back to Florida next Sunday, December 12th for the final time this season. There they’ll face a familiar foe in long-time Patriot quarterback and UGG Boots enthusiast Tom Brady and his new team, the Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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