Podcast: An embarrassing loss for the Bills
The New England Patriots turn the clock back six decades, and there's nothing Sean McDermott's Bills are able to do about it.
The New England Patriots attempted three — count ‘em, three — passes in a professional football game Monday night. And won. That number tied the 1968 Kansas City Chiefs for the second-fewest in the Super Bowl Era.
This does not happen.
Yet, Sean McDermott’s Buffalo Bills defense allowed it to happen in a massively important Monday Night showdown at Highmark Stadium.
The Bills were again shoved around in the trenches with the Patriots’ running backs gaining 217 yards on 38 attempts in the driving 40+ MPH wind gusts. When they had the ball, the Bills weren’t able to conjure a rushing game themselves and — after playing well much of the night — quarterback Josh Allen failed to deliver on the Bills’ final drive.
At 7-5, with Tampa Bay up next, the playoffs are now in jeopardy for Buffalo.
New England improves to 9-4 and can now zero in on the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
As we wrote here at Go Long two weeks ago, these Bills are frankly a soft, finesse team. That doesn’t fly in 2021. Everything starts with the one voice at the top of the organization, too: McDermott.
So, what now? We recorded a late-night podcast to try to make sense of this all.
Jim Monos, the Bills’ former director of personnel who hired McDermott, brings his sharp perspective to the 14-10 loss. He couldn’t believe his eyes watching run after run after run, either, but also explains why Allen needed to be better on the Bills’ final drive. You’ll want to stick around to the end of this podcast, too. With another blame game in full swing, Monos relives what it’s like internally for a team when things start to go south. It’s sadly familiar territory for the Bills.
Remember when Doug Marrone quit as the head coach? Monos explains why Marrone exacted that opt-out clause in his contract.
Thanks for listening, everyone.
I have to admit that was the first Monos podcast I have listened to. I'm a Packers fan in WNY, so I just have a casual interest in the BIlls, but that was really enjoyable. The Marrone story was interesting, I had always wondered about that.
Also its amazing how the Bills have gone from a Super Bowl contending team with swagger to the AFC East little brother almost overnight.
I thought of you during this game, Tyler. Pictured you like Randy Quaid in Independence Day - “I been saying it! Haven’t I been saying it??” Also reminded of the 2011 Packers, watching Allen try to throw 20 yard back shoulders in howling 50 MPH wind. Great stuff.