Just four days after he put on a historic performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers scoring six touchdowns — three through the air, three on the ground — Buffalo Bills reigning NFL MVP quarterback Josh Allen put on another exceptional performance, but for all the wrong reasons this time.
The Houston Texans sacked Allen an eye-opening eight times in their Thursday Night Football game, on the way to a 23-19 victory over the suddenly struggling Bills. With the loss, the Bills watched their chances of a sixth straight AFC East division title fade into the distance.
If the first-place New England Patriots can collect their ninth straight win when they take on the 3-7 Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, the Bills will trail their longtime rivals by 2 1/2 games with just six remaining, and the Patriots owning the tiebreakers.
Allen’s Sideline Outburst Goes Viral
Things got so frustrating for Allen and the Bills on Thursday that the 29-year-old, eight-year veteran was caught on the sidelines by Amazon Prime cameras in a sideline outburst after yet another Bills drive stalled out. The video of Allen’s moment of frustration quickly went viral.
In the sideline video, Allen can be seen taking his seat on the bench next to backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky, slamming his helmet down, then asking Trubisky, perhaps rhetorically, “What are we doing?”
Everything Goes Wrong for Bills
Allen could have been asking the question of himself. Following the Tampa Bay game in which he completed 19 of 30 passes for 317 yards and the three touchdowns, Allen managed just 253 yards on 24 completions in 34 attempts, without a touchdown. But for the second straight game, Allen tossed two interceptions.
He could have thrown three interceptions, but a Houston pick-six was called back by an illegal blindside block penalty.
Nothing seemed to go right for Allen and the Bills. With a dangerously porous offensive line providing him almost no meaningful protection, Allen often looked like he was scrambling for his life as much as trying to make a play. At one point in the third quarter, Allen scrambled backward until Texans rushers caught him for an 18-yard loss — the longest sack he has taken since his rookie season of 2018, and second-longest of his career.
Missed Extra Point Haunts Bills
The Bills’ opening drive was the highlight of their night, with a 10-play, 81-yard march that ended with a spectacular James Cook 45-yard touchdown run on a third-and-1 play.
But Buffalo kicker Matt Prater missed the extra point, a miss that came back to haunt the Bills who ended up losing by four points when they were forced to go for a first down on fourth-and-1 with 27 seconds on the game clock, instead of being able to kick a field goal to tie the game.
The Bills only other touchdown after Cook’s opening drive dash came on a 97-yard kickoff return by running back Ray Davis. Allen and the Buffalo offense managed only three points in the second half.
The loss leaves the Bills looking at a lost season that started in “Super Bowl or Bust” mode, with oddsmakers listing Buffalo along with the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles as joint favorites to win it all. But the Bills are now merely clinging to a playoff spot, occupying the No. 6 seed in the AFC East, just one game ahead of the Texans who now hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
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