Josh Allen got greedy, and it contributed to costing him and the Buffalo Bills.
Feeling an adrenalin rush after spinning out of New England’s Dre’Mont Jones sack attempt on second-and-6 at the Buffalo 40, Allen stepped up in the pocket and heaved the ball deep down the left sideline into double coverage only to have it intercepted by Craig Woodson.
The Bills never got the ball back in the final minute of a 29-26 loss.
“They went man, made a guy miss, (I) threw one up, and should have thrown that one out of bounds and live another day,” Allen said, noting Buffalo was already within 20 yards of field-goal range. “That’s what I should have done.”
So much for hindsight. And so much for Allen and the offense’s hot start to the season.
Buffalo dropped to 3-1 in losing its first game at its new Highmark Stadium, and first under rookie coach Joe Brady. And suddenly, the division rival Patriots are 2-2 and only one game out of first place.
“These ones sting,” Allen said. “Got to find a way to learn from this and move it to the back of our brain, learn from it and move on.”
Buffalo’s offense isn’t looking as sharp as it did in combining for 77 points and 855 yards in winning its first two games. The Bills were coming off a five-turnover outing in a 24-16 win against the Chargers last week, and committed two more against New England, including receiver Khalil Shakir losing a fumble.
After opening the season with two turnover-free outings, Allen’s combined for three interceptions and a lost fumble in his past two outings. Over his nine-year career, Allen is 42-7 when he doesn’t turn over the ball, while he dropped to 49-33 when he does.
Brady rallied to Allen’s defense by taking the blame in saying he needs to call a better play in that situation.
“We obviously have plenty of time there,” Brady said.
“In those moments, I’ve got to be better. Everybody on the field has to be better in that situation,” he added. “There wasn’t a second during that drive I didn’t think we were going to go down, and much less kick a field goal, than to score a touchdown. We obviously didn’t get it done.”
Allen scored on a 2-yard run, his 88th career TD from scrimmage to set the team record in passing Hall of Famers Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed. He also threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Keon Coleman, who finished with six catches for 116 yards — the second-best total of his three-year career.
The Bills now hit the road for a two-game West Coast swing, beginning with a “Monday Night Football” matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
And injuries are starting to take a toll after receiver DJ Moore (shoulder) and defensive tackle Ed Oliver (knee) were sidelined on Sunday. Buffalo was also without its top cornerback, Christian Benford, who is nursing a toe injury.
Reporting by the Associated Press.
