GM Brandon Beane's failure to upgrade roster is hurting the Bills, especially in passing game

It was a crushing defeat for a team that had won 14 of the previous 16 against its division rival. At 6-3, the Bills slipped further in their bid to win a sixth straight AFC East title. The division-leading Patriots (8-2) already have a win over Buffalo.

And it might be delusional to suggest that Josh Allen's struggles to push the ball deep or find open receivers will go away soon. The issues the Bills had when they dropped back-to-back games to New England and Atlanta last month have reemerged, even after Buffalo bounced back with convincing wins over Carolina and Kansas City.

The bottom line is the Bills' offense has struggled when defenses focus on bottling up running back James Cook. With Cook limited to 53 yards rushing on Sunday, Buffalo dropped to 1-3 when he fails to top 100.

Though Allen posted his 30th career 300-yard passing game, much of that production came in garbage time. Buffalo was blanked through three quarters, and Allen wound up trying to do too much, which led to him getting intercepted in the end zone and losing a fumble.

Allen said he needs to be better. It’s a familiar lament for last year’s NFL MVP, yet it missed the mark.

Though coordinator Joe Brady deserves criticism for overseeing an offense that’s become too predictable, much of the blame rests with Beane.

The GM’s attempt to acquire help at receiver before the trade deadline was an admission that he underestimated what the Bills lacked in the offseason.

In April, Beane took offense to being challenged on the topic during an appearance on WGR-AM.

Beane wasn’t wrong to defend his decision to use six of nine draft picks on defense, noting it was the unit with the biggest offseason needs. Where he went too far was expressing full confidence in Buffalo’s receivers.

“I don’t get it. We just scored 30 points in a row for eight games. A year ago, I get you guys asking why we don’t have receivers,” Beane said. He went on to call it “one of the dumbest arguments I’ve heard,” and added: “How is this group not better than last year’s group?”

It’s true that the Bills made the most out of a no-name group of receivers last season, when they went 13-4 and reached the AFC championship game. Nonetheless, Beane put too much faith in the team's ability to replicate that success without a legitimate deep threat.

Injuries have played a factor, with offseason addition Josh Palmer limited to six games. Tight end Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo’s best downfield receiver, has been in and out of the lineup, and he hurt his hamstring on Sunday.

Second-year receiver Keon Coleman has failed to make the next step in his development. After opening the season with eight catches for 112 yards and a TD against Baltimore, Coleman has 24 catches for 218 yards and two scores.

“I’m not really into yards. I’m into real yards and the meat of the game and moving the football,” coach Sean McDermott said Sunday. “And we didn’t do a good enough job there.”

What’s working

Punting. In his fifth game with Buffalo, Mitch Wishnowsky averaged 54.3 yards on four punts and landed two inside Miami’s 20.

What needs help

The offense. In three losses, the Bills have turned the ball over seven times (four interceptions, three fumbles) had eight three-and-outs, and converted 12 of 33 third-down opportunities.

Stock up

CB Cam Lewis. The backup was in on seven tackles, helping a depleted secondary that was missing starters Christian Benford and Taron Johnson.

Stock down

Coleman. Though he had a 35-yard TD catch, he finished with three catches for 46 yards on eight targets.

Injuries

Kincaid did not return after hurting his hamstring. Rookie DE Landon Jackson hurt his knee, further depleting a position group that was missing A.J. Epenesa (concussion) and Michael Hoecht, who sustained a season-ending Achilles tendon injury last week.

Key number

15-22 — Allen’s career record when he commits a second-half turnover.

Next steps

Allen and the Bills host Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3) on Sunday in matchup of two of the five quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2018 draft.

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