BUFFALO, NY. (WKBW) — Both the offense and the defense share blame for the Buffalo Bills in their 24-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night. But when this team had a chance to get back in the game, it was the offense that came up short in getting the job done.
It's not often we say that with the reigning MVP under center. More often than not, it's Josh Allen and a combination of James Cook and others who find a way to sneak out a victory when the defense has played lackluster.
Out of halftime, the Bills' defense made some adjustments and only surrendered three points after giving up 21 in the first half. Despite an opening drive touchdown to cut the deficit to seven with over nine minutes left in the third quarter, the offense failed to put up any more points.
"It sucks when you feel like two-thirds of your team is offense and the defense is doing their job and you're the team not to pull their weight, it sucks," Allen said after the game. "Got to get in the film room and learn from our mistakes and move on."
With two interceptions in this game, it marks the third straight game that Allen has turned the ball over with his arm. After the game, he told reporters the ball was deflected coming out of his hands on both of his interceptions.
Another trending storyline regarding the offense has been the number of sacks Allen has taken over the last three games. 11 in total since the win over New Orleans, and for reference, Allen was sacked just 14 times all of last season.
"I got to be better. Protection, IDs, moving in the pocket just have to be better," he added.
"I thought at times we picked up the pressure, and then other times the pocket was getting affected early. It was disrupting our offense too early in the downs," added head coach Sean McDermott.
When it comes to Allen taking sacks at a higher rate, the inability of the receivers to get open downfield certainly plays a role. McDermott said that will be evaluated during the bye week.
As will Cook's usage in the run game. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Cook played in only 52.6% of offensive snaps for the Bills on Monday.
The offense and the rest of this team will hit the bye week at 4-2 overall, second in the AFC East behind New England, with the Carolina Panthers awaiting them on October 26th.
