Bills QB Josh Allen Delivers 1-Word Response on Playoff Hopes After Loss
The Buffalo Bills suffered a devastating 24-18 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football.
Not only did the Bills (5-4) fall out of playoff contention after this defeat, but with a struggling offense and a dilapidated defense, the team’s future feels grim.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen completed 68.4% of his passes for 258 yards, one touchdown, one rushing score, and one interception. Allen, who’s thrown in an interception in each of the last five matchups, appeared frustrated during his postgame press conference.
Considering the Bills only lost three games during the entire regular season last year, and have now lost four, Allen was asked if he believes this team can turn things around.
The 27-year-old didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely,” he said.
“You need 10 or 11 wins to get in the playoff picture,” Allen continued. “We have eight games left. It’s not pretty. It won’t be easy. But if anyone can handle it – it’s this locker room right here.”
The Bills do not have an easy schedule coming up. Next up, they host the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football in Week 10. After facing the New York Jets in Week 11, Buffalo has back-to-back road games against the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs with a bye in between. In Week 15, the Bills host the Dallas Cowboys.
While the Bills offense showed serious spark on the opening drive against the Bengals, going 85 yards in just seven plays, Allen and. Co. were somehow unable find that rhythm throughout the rest of the game.
While there were several egregious calls against the Bills at Paycor Stadium on Sunday night, the intentional grounding penalty Allen received with 24 seconds left in the second quarter made the quarterback livid.
NBC’s broadcast captured Allen jumping up from the bench and yelling, “Are you f****** me?” The Wyoming alum was still peeved after the game.
“I’ve never seen that call in my life,” Allen said. “It’s an option route to Gabe [Davis]. I’m expecting him to go but he made the read to stop and I threw the ball… I wouldn’t do anything any different.”
While that one play didn’t decide the game, Allen said it changed the momentum. “It’s a huge swing,” he said. “Whether it’s a three or six [points] coming out of the half. Scoring on back-to-back drives, giving yourself momentum.”
Most NFL analysts agreed the call was ridiculous. Sunday Night Football broadcaster Cris Collinsworth said of the intentional grounding call, “I understand the rule and the definition of it. But in reality — the game of football, that wasn’t grounding. He wasn’t trying to throw that one away. It was just a mistake in read.”
The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Davis was on an option route and chose one that Josh Allen didn’t. Don’t normally say ‘bad call,’ but this is an exception. That shouldn’t be intentional grounding.”
The Ringer’s Benjamin Solak posted, “Dude, the league has to figure out intentional grounding. The way the penalty is called completely fails its intended objective. Allen is not *intentionally grounding* the ball. Clear miscommunications should not be called.”
Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid has stepped up big time with veteran Dawson Knox on injured reserve, but he made a few costly mistakes against the Bengals.
The biggest killer came early in the fourth quarter. Kincaid made the catch for a third down, tried to hurdle over Bengals safety Nick Scott, but got flipped upside down by linebacker Germaine Pratt and fumbled the ball. The Bengals, while up 21-10, got the ball back with 13:18 left in the game.
When Allen was asked about this crucial drop after the game, “It’s unfortunate,” he said. “We’re gonna have those. He was trying to make a play.”
Kincaid finished on Sunday night with 10 receptions for 81 yards. The Bills first-round pick from the 2023 NFL draft wasn’t pleased with his drop. “Just bad ball security,” he told reporters in the locker room after the game. “Can’t happen on my part.”
