ORCHARD PARK, New York Bills– For now, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills can ignore their recent slow starts. They can also postpone confronting any lingering memories before making their first trip to Cincinnati since safety Damar Hamlin was nearly killed on the field in January.
The Bills (5-3) got the benefit of a long weekend to relax and rejuvenate after reclaiming a semblance of their explosive identity on offense during a 24-18 victory over Tampa Bay on Thursday night.
The performance was far from perfect, but it provided a pattern for Buffalo to utilize to preserve distance in a close AFC playoff battle and keep its pursuit for a fourth consecutive division title alive heading into the last half of the season.
It was a performance in which Allen and the offense shed the sluggishness of the previous three games. Early on, the offense settled into a groove with an up-tempo strategy in which the quarterback disseminated the ball rather than homing in on Stefon Diggs and showed no reluctance in running when the opportunity presented itself.
Buffalo Bills 17 points in the first half were seven more than its previous three first halves combined.
Equally crucial, the two-score advantage built through three quarters was enough to relieve pressure on defense without three key starters, forcing the Buccaneers to become one-dimensional in their attempt to catch up.
“That’s what we want to do, but obviously it’s hard to do every week,” coach Sean McDermott said on Friday. “But, yeah, the rhythm, the energy, the offense-feeding defence, the defense-feeding offense, and special teams baked into that, that was evident through the better of three quarters.”
However, McDermott pointed to how the game nearly unraveled in the fourth quarter, with Buffalo needing to survive a Hail Mary incompletion as time expired.
The Bills still need help to complete drives. They crossed midfield eight times in their ten possessions against Tampa Bay but only scored four times.
This continues Buffalo’s recent trend, as the team has combined for 17 scoring drives on 37 possessions in its last four games. The Bills were significantly more efficient in their first four games, scoring 24 of 38 possessions.
Conversely, the Bills appeared to be a better club than the one that lost to New England a week ago and narrowly beat the New York Giants two weeks ago.
Significant reinforcements will likely arrive after the NFL’s trade deadline on Tuesday.
Restructuring left tackle Dion Dawkins’ contract last week allowed GM Brandon Beane to free up about $4 million in salary budget space, but the decision was more driven by necessity than by opportunity.
The Bills have limited payroll room left to fill the slots of players going on injured reserve, the most recent of whom being tight end Dawson Knox (wrist), while still retaining a modest cushion in case of future ailments.
Meanwhile, the Bills aim to be fresh for a crucial game and emotional test against the Bengals, who defeated Buffalo in the divisional playoff round in January.
“We will communicate on that,” McDermott said of how to cope with Hamlin’s heart arrest and need to be renewed on the pitch. Hamlin has recovered and is back on Buffalo’s roster, albeit he has only played in one game this season.
“I think the biggest thing that’s in front of us is the football game,” McDermott remarked at the time. “And that’s what we have to keep it about, is that game and what it’s going to take to win at Cincinnati.”
SOURCE – (AP)
