During his postgame press conference, Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott brought up the red zone five times unprompted.
In the Bills’ 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots, Buffalo was 1 of 4 in the red zone, failing to capitalize and instead moving in the wrong direction.
Don't miss Katherine's Fitzgerald's quarter-by-quarter analysis of the Buffalo Bills' 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Monday night.
“We went backwards, then you’re trying to kick a field goal," McDermott said. "We had a first-and-goal at the 6-yard line, and we ended up going backwards.”
The Bills entered the game tied for 11th in red zone touchdown percentage, at 61.7%. But they are now 6-for-16 in the red zone in their five losses, while 24-for-35 in seven wins.
The two more dismal outings came in the fourth quarter, ending in a missed field goal and a turnover on downs.
The Buffalo Bills' 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Monday night was overshadowed by weather, weather and more weather.
The Bills landed at the 6-yard line as the result of a horse collar tackle by Dont'a Hightower after a seven-yard catch by Zack Moss. Just six yards out, and trailing by four, the Bills saw their hopes of scoring quickly unravel.
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First, Moss ran for no gain, and the Bills burned a timeout after the play. Next, quarterback Josh Allen was sacked for a loss of nine yards. On third-and-15, Allen threw to tight end Dawson Knox, incomplete over the middle.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen talks to reporters after the Bills' 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots.
"We've got to find a way and we were 1 for 4 in the red zone tonight. Didn't play good enough. I take that very personally," Allen said. "I've got to play better and be better for this team."
The Bills went for a field goal, but with Tyler Bass kicking right into the wind, he was no good from 33 yards out. It was his first miss from 40 yards or less on the season.
The Buffalo defense then forced a three-and-out, giving the Bills another chance. They moved the ball well to start the drive, but once in the red zone, ended up going backward again. On third-and-9 from the 14, Knox was flagged for a false start, bringing up third-and-14. Allen again went to Knox on third down, unsuccessfully again, though with heavy contact on Knox from Patriots safety Adrian Phillips. Still, McDermott attributed the struggles to the Bills’ own woes.
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“Just sloppy football,” McDermott said. “I mean you name it: presnap penalty, just no rhythm. No rhythm down there.”
When McDermott was asked directly about offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, he again brought up the red zone.
“I didn’t think we honestly took advantage of our opportunities tonight,” McDermott said in response. “I honestly didn’t. The ball’s at the 40-yard line and we’re 1 for 4 in the red zone. We gotta figure that part of it out.”
It wasn’t that the Patriots were efficient in the red zone – they were 0 for 1 – but they didn't need to be. Instead, the Bills’ inability to score when needed highlighted the missed opportunities that caved them in.
“I think it's just the familiar topic of shooting ourselves in the foot at (inopportune) times,” center Mitch Morse said. “There's no opportune time to shoot yourself in the foot – we just seem to tend to do it at the absolute worst time.”
The two fourth-quarter drives were the Bills’ longest of the day, 49 and 62 yards, respectively. During them, the Bills looked more like the offense they’ve shown when they’ve played their best this season, despite the conditions. Allen ripped off a 21-yard run on one drive, and connected with wide receiver Stefon Diggs for a 26-yard pass, the Bills’ longest play of the day, to start the second. But even when looking closer to what they believe their offensive identity is, the Bills couldn’t score on either.
“With conditions and how defenses are going to play that type of way – going back to that, can’t take a sack there and force us out of field goal range, understanding the weather,” Allen said. “Again, just situational football, gotta be better.”
The Bills’ lone touchdown of the day came quickly: A 14-yard pass to Gabriel Davis on the first play after recovering a muffed punt. But on a night when a second touchdown could have won it, the Bills’ inconsistent offense was unable to score again.
Buffalo Bills center Mitch Morse talks to reporters after the Bills' 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots.
“The red zone percentage, being successful in the red zone is a key factor in winning games along with turnovers,” Morse said. “And when you lose either two of those, or you don't get the percentages that you need to, it becomes a very hard game to win. And like I said before, there's plenty of times for all of us to look internally and see what we could have done better. And that's the frustrating thing.”
