Buffalo Bills Are Having A Terrible Week And Loss On MNF Was Just The Beginning
It's been a week to forget for the Buffalo Bills and how else to describe it when they keep stacking terrible moments.
How terrible?
The Monday Night Football fiasco against the New York Jets was only the beginning. And the storm of stink since has been as incessant as a Western New York winter blizzard.
Buffalo Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd (56) sacks New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) early in the first quarter during the home opener at MetLife Stadium on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023, in East Rutherford. Rodgers was carted off the field after being hit.
Bills Lose To Rodgers-less Jets
Consider:
*On Monday Night Football, in front of the entire country, the Bills watched Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers leave the game with a torn Achilles in the first series. And despite the seemingly overwhelming advantage that gave the Bills, they still managed to blow a lead and lose the game in overtime.
*In that game, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen delivered a clunker for the ages. Allen, paid to lift the Bills to Super Bowl contender status, instead threw three interceptions. And he fumbled twice, losing one.
It was arguably the worst outing of his career.
*The next day (Tuesday) former NFL Network reporter Jim Trotter filed a discrimination lawsuit against the NFL. Within the filing, Trotter cites an incident in which Bills owner Terry Pegula "criticized the rise" of player protests against racial injustice by saying "unhappy black players should 'go back to Africa and see how bad it is.' "
The charge is so incendiary that Pegula soon issued a statement through the team, calling it "absolutely false."
"I am horrified that anyone would connect me to an allegation of this kind," the statement further reads. "Racism has no place in our society and I am personally disgusted that my name is associated with this complaint."
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 11: Stefon Diggs #14 of the Buffalo Bills reacts during a game between the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Bills Week Gets Worse With Diggs Talk
It being only Tuesday, the week of bad tiding didn't end there.
*On Wednesday, the first day back to work for the Bills, the team made Pro Bowl receiver Stefon Diggs available to reporters. As the media awaited Diggs to appear, team reporter Maddy Glab began joking with others in the room.
"There's no control over Stefon Diggs," Glab was overheard saying, a hot mic within the room picking up her words. "Dude's gonna do what he wants to do. He'll look in my face and say, 'F you.' That's how he treats everybody."
Understand that Glab and Diggs both work for the Bills.
Glab later issued on apology on social media:
Allen Is Roughest Part Of Bills Week
Look, any day a football team is issuing statements not related to football or a club employee is issuing an apology, it's a bad day. What could possibly be next? Niagara Falls drying up?
So, yes, it's been rough. But the truth is much of this will eventually fade. Social media will lose interest in Glab's candid gaffe. Lawsuits against the NFL get settled or buried in an avalanche of legal filings. And season-opening losses can be overcome.
That leaves the Allen performance and his troubling penchant for turning the ball over.
Allen left Monday night's four-turnover game with 84 total turnovers since he entered the NFL in 2018. That is the most by any player in the league since that time.
So on Wednesday, the quarterback took more of the medicine he'd already accepted after the game. Then, curiously, Allen left open the possibility there might be more horrible games somewhere on the horizon.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 11: Quarterback Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills throws an interception on a deep pass under pressure from defensive tackle Quinnen Williams #95 of the New York Jets during the third quarter of the NFL game at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
More Three-Interception Days Possible
"I let it get away from me this last game," Allen said. "But I'm not going to let it affect me going forward. As a quarterback in this league, and the best ones are able to put things behind them but take away lessons from it and not let it affect how they play the next game.
"I'm trying to use it to my advantage and learn from it. It's not the first time I've thrown three (interceptions) and, you know, depends how long I play in this league, hopefully I play a long time, it might not be the last time I throw three."
Allen had thrown three interceptions in a game twice before. He did it in September of 2019 against New England. And he did it at the end of the 2021 season -- Jan. 1, 2022 to be exact -- against the Falcons.
But this game also included those two fumbles, including the one Allen lost.
So a career-high four turnovers.
"At the end of the day it comes down to myself," Allen admitted. "This last game I felt fully prepared. Had a great week of practice and, again, I thought we did some really good things throughout the game, too. Ultimately, offensive ball you can't have three bad plays. It's going to cost your team. So clean those up and moving on.
"Again, lot to learn from and excited to get back out on the field and wash that taste out of my mouth."
Wash the taste? The Bills probably need to flush this entire week.