NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKBW) — The lead had changed seven times already when Buffalo had the ball on the doorstep on Monday night. The Bills were looking to force an eighth change. Bills quarterback Josh Allen slipped after he took the snap. Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons blew up the left side of the play. It was a recipe for disaster.
And it led to the Bills' second loss of the 2021 season.
"I felt good about our chances. We had a chance to win the game right there, and we didn't get it done," head coach Sean McDermott said. "I didn't get the job done, and you know, they did a good job in the red zone. We should've scored. You know, our red zone stats were two for five. They were three for three."
There was more that both sides of the ball could have done to keep the game from coming down to a matter of inches. But that's the cliche. In addition to the red zone efficiency on both sides, Tennessee's offense became more multi-faceted as the game went on as Derrick Henry wore the Bills down.
But at the end of the day, the game came down to the offense. As opposed to the decision itself, the 11 guys in white that were on the field are focused on what happened during the play, not the decision to call it.
"I didn't have the greatest footing. It happens. It's a game of inches. The play before was pretty close too," Allen said. "I was just trying to find a way to get in there. And quarterback sneaks aren't the [most fun] plays by any means... I gotta find a way to get a first down there."
"We have a lot of looking inwards to do after this game. This will kind of be a tough one to swallow. This will kind of be a tough one to swallow," Morse said. "That's what makes it a sour feeling for the [offensive] line.He put the fate of the game in our hands and we didn't execute well enough. It's a tough pill to swallow, but it'll be a great learning experience moving forward."
The last time the Bills had a chance to learn from a loss like this was before their last bye week. The 2020 squad played complete games in every game to capture the AFC's second seed. We've already seen lessons at work after the season opener against Pittsburgh. And Buffalo is already learning.
"It just looked like there was some penetration there off our left side, and it looked like [the Titans] pinched down, but at the end of the day, I trust [Josh Allen]," McDermott said. "And I'll trust him again if we're in that situation again."
"At the end of the day, we're 4-2 going into the bye week," Allen said. "This is a resilient team. I've got no doubt that we're going to use this to fuel us and be ready to go in a few weeks."
The Bills aren't wavering on the decision itself. But Buffalo has plenty of time to let this one sit. With a bye week on the horizon, their next game isn't until Halloween when the Miami Dolphins come to Orchard Park.
