Bills thwart their own comeback with an ugly 23-20 loss to the Texans

An inspiring comeback narrowly failed as the Buffalo Bills lost to the Houston Texans 23:20 in Week 5. The Bills found themselves in a hole entering the game for the second week in a row, and while they did a much better job of getting out of it this week than last, the result was the same. It was a frustrating day marked by several poor performances and decisions, and as a result Buffalo is 3-2 on the year.

Below, we examine the game’s most inspired performance, a position group with a lot of questions, a unit that demands better performance in the future, and the most annoying part of the game.

Oh, it wasn’t pretty in the first half. Things got a bit tricky in the second half. But make no mistake, the Bills defense absolutely held them up in this game when they should have. Not only did they manage to get stops on third down, but they also managed to force two massive turnovers from CJ Stroud, which is uncharacteristic of the signal-caller. Terrel Bernard grabbed an interception in coverage and Dawuane Smoot retired Stroud later in the fourth quarter when Dorian Williams recovered. It appears that the Bills, under McDermott and his respective defensive coordinators, are struggling early in games but are doing a remarkable job of adapting and finding answers to the attacks they face. An injury to Nico Collins certainly helped, but the Texans are certainly not lacking in playmakers, and the fact is that the Bills managed to get a grip on Houston in the second half and show that despite the injuries, that they suffered, We are still a well-trained unit that can limit the offensive options.

Related: Bolts and duds from Bills’ disheartening 23-20 loss to the Texans

The Bills’ wide receiver unit is a problem, and not in the fun way that we might say, “The Bills’ receivers are a PROBLEM for the rest of the league.” Curtis Samuel was an exciting offseason addition , who has yet to make a contribution For every high-energy climax, Keon Coleman also seems to make at least one or two big rookie mistakes, whether through a drop or simply not knowing what’s going on during the game. As a total non-factor, that qualifies Mack Hollins good as a depth player, but his value is much greater as a blocker and on special teams than as a key piece of a passing attack.

So the question must be asked: Should the Bills look to add a receiver at the trade deadline? Secure. Does that mean anyone would be willing to add something for the asking price? Chances are, probably not. Davante Adams is the name being thrown around, but considering that Adams seems to have some personality issues that aren’t exactly conducive to a healthy culture, is it really worth passing up on what will likely be a second-round pick? a player for it? Other than him, it’s hard to say who would even be available and what impact it would have on Buffalo’s offense.

For the second week in a row, the Bills’ offense looked lifeless, lost and confused in the first half. In the second half they managed to find life and make some plays that put them back in position to win the game. The reality is that it shouldn’t take that long for your offense to come to life when you have Josh Allen at quarterback. Honestly, this wasn’t exactly a masterstroke from Allen as he missed receivers and made poor decisions most of the game. Yes, there are absolutely issues with the passing game that stem from the lack of receivers, but the fact is that the offense as a whole has little to offer other than running the football with James Cook. That’s a perfectly good thing, but one that’s easily defeated by simply putting more numbers in the box, which teams like to do because the Bills can’t consistently beat their teams enough in the passing game to get them out of tough box situations to get out. If the Bills want their offense to get better, all that matters is that the passing game improves.

With just over 40 seconds left and no timeouts, the Bills got the ball back. After trailing 17-3, they tied the game 20-0. They could decide whether they wanted to try to score a last-second field goal in regulation time or whether they wanted to push it into overtime. Three incomplete passes later, the Texans get the ball back near midfield with seven seconds left. The Bills, for some reason, choose not to try to challenge the Texans’ receivers and keep them out of field goal range, but instead to play their safeties well to prevent… what exactly? It was truly a series of unfortunate events, and unlike Lemony Snicket’s novels of the same name, it was the result of the Bills’ own incompetence and poor decision-making. Is this due to the relative youth of Bills coordinators Joe Brady and Bobby Babich? Is it McDermott’s eighth-year head coach fault for not preparing his players and coaches for this situation? The reality is that it is both. McDermott will take most of the blame, and he should, but he trusts his coordinators to do their jobs, and today no one did that at the end of this game.

Related: After the loss to the Texans, Bill’s playoff clock management fell apart

The Bills will be back Monday Night Football face the New York Jets next week. The Jets haven’t had a good start this year and their team is dealing with a lot of internal conflict and unrest. A Bills win would create a major necessary separation between them and the rest of the AFC East and provide positive momentum moving forward. But the Jets are aware of this and will do their best to keep both this division and their season competitive.

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