Very few people were willing to claim that the Buffalo Bills would field the same dominant team that everyone had become accustomed to over the past four seasons. The loss of so much talent required patience from outsiders. Then they went out and started the season 3-0 against teams with major weaknesses – and they looked dominant.

Immediately after the game, the team had a lively conversation on the Discord here at Buffalo Rumblings about how head coach Sean McDermott and the Bills embarked on their final drive of the game. It was essentially a no-win situation, but I begged McDermott not to waste time in exchange for overtime.

I thought the right move was to give Josh Allen a chance to put the team in position to finish the game on offense. What I failed to mention was that such an approach should always include a proper pivot point in case something goes wrong, but not catastrophically. So when wide receiver Keon Coleman was cited for offensive pass interference (a smart penalty on his part), the next step should have been to take their balls and play for overtime. Force the Houston Texans to use their timeouts after clocked running plays so that when they punt the ball back, they don’t have timeouts to work with.

Instead, Bills Mafia saw another improbable field goal attempt fly through the uprights at the end of the game. The Texans needed just seven seconds to get into position and allow Ka’Imi Fairbairn to make the game-winning 59-yard field goal. Seven seconds that the Bills could have easily missed if they had made even one running play before losing their final possession.

I still believe that going for the win was the right attitude and decision. They should have known the passing game was struggling all afternoon and had a contingency plan for the skydive. Nevertheless, they did not deviate from the original plan, or at least did not deviate from it. Remain steadfast even when you suffer defeat.

Playing without wide receiver Khalil Shakir hasn’t done them any favors, and it’s clear they need an additional, different receiver complement. This is clearly not Curtis Samuel – at least not right now. Is it the turf toe injury, a lack of chemistry, or something else? Why hasn’t offensive coordinator Joe Brady done more to clearly mismatch tight end Dalton Kincaid as a diverse and unique receiving threat?

Allen claimed, “This is not a defining moment in our season,” but now that the Bills have lost two straight games to some of the AFC’s top contenders, it certainly feels like it. And in both losses, Josh Allen didn’t look great and the offense looked even worse. How bad was it? Allen finished the game with a 30% completion rate, going 9 of 30 for 131 yards and a touchdown.

It’s time for One Bills Drive to address the elephant in the attack room. The receiver corps doesn’t scare the opponents and the group repeatedly fails to make the defense worthwhile for lightning attacks. All of this has led to Josh Allen struggling like we’ve seen since his rookie season.

While we’re constantly told that everyone eats at One Bills Drive, there’s a lack of deep on-field chemistry that seems to tell the story of a starving group. As Sean Murphy pointed out early in the game, “When teams don’t respect the receivers lined up opposite them, defenses can add extra rushers with impunity.” Until someone wins early on routes and the Bills overcome that extra pressure, it’s going to keep happening.

The fast underplay that was so strong in training camp has all but disappeared. The fact that wide receiver Khalil Shakir is on the field probably doesn’t change that story much, but he’s making those catches at the end of the game and operating as a more efficient receiver between the posts.

For the second straight year, Buffalo’s first-half play was a disaster across the board, but a severely limited defense was enough to keep the game within reach for Josh Allen and company. The defensive play in the second half was inspired and they held Houston to six points in the final 30 minutes. No matter, since the damage was already done and climbing out of a two-touchdown hole meant there were fewer opportunities to change the lead.

People will demand more plays for running back James Cook, but the early deficit hurts his chances of making the Texans pay. Still, Cook finished the game with 20 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown. Buffalo needs to sort things out holistically so they can properly utilize Cook’s full abilities.

It is unacceptable to leave the field with a total of six points from two 1st and goal situations. The Bills won the turnover battle but couldn’t make enough of the football once they had control of it.

The season isn’t over yet and they’re still in fourth place in the AFC no matter how the rest of Week 5 plays out. Things could quickly get out of hand if they refuse to make significant adjustments to their current offensive plan.

If the offensive line continues to stink, Josh Allen is going to get seriously injured. The goal was to build a team that complemented Allen and didn’t demand everything from him. Instead, it feels like he has never been asked for compensation since entering the league in 2018.

Sean McDermott took full responsibility for the errors in offense and defense at the end of the game. That’s noble and great to see from Buffalo’s top leader, but the step required is to learn from it and ensure it doesn’t happen again.

But here we were faced with another complex offensive decision, the results of which seemed doomed from the start. McDermott must figure out how to lead his players to victory in the most difficult situations. Until he does that, the Buffalo Bills will remain an overrated and oft-sidelined team led by a generational quarterback.