The Buffalo Bills’ playoff hopes are hanging on by a thread. Their overtime loss on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12 dropped their record to 6-6 on the season, placing them in 10th place in the AFC.
Buffalo will be doing a lot of self-reflection during their bye, as they had the upset victory over the Eagles within grasp on Sunday evening. A little better execution in crunch time would have done the trick, as the Eagles took advantage of every little mistake the Bills made.
It resulted in another excruciating loss, as the Bills fell 37-34 to the Eagles. Buffalo drove down the field on their possession of overtime, but Josh Allen was unable to connect with Gabe Davis against a zero blitz. That resulted in a field goal for Buffalo to take a 34-31.
Philadelphia faced a similar situation on their drive. But, they were able to convert against the zero blitz look with Jalen Hurts taking it to the end zone from 16 yards out. That makes it 6-for-6 when it comes to losing by a single score this season, something that has aggravated the team all season.
Heading into their matchup against the Eagles, defensive tackle Ed Oliver was not shy when talking about the team’s shortcomings and how annoying they were. Slight miscues have one of the preseason favorites staring down the possibility of missing the postseason altogether.
“It ain’t like we’ve been losing by 20,” Oliver told The Athletic. “We’ve been losing by three and five, and that s*** just gets aggravating.”
There is certainly a reality in which the Bills have the best record in the NFL, heading into their bye with an undefeated 12-0 record. They have performed at a higher level than their record would indicate, possessing an expected win-loss record of 8.5-3.5.
But, you are what your record says you are. At this point, the Bills are arguably the most disappointing team in the NFL this season. There are a few inexplicable losses on their record, headlined by their defeat at the hands of the New York Jets in Week 1 and New England Patriots in Week 7.
Things aren’t going to get any easier for Buffalo. Following their bye, they head on the road to face the Kansas City Chiefs before hosting the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15. Matchups against the Los Angeles Chargers and Patriots after that will be must-win games before the season finale against the Miami Dolphins.
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