Josh Allen and the Bills had no answers for a ferocious Texans defense on Thursday night, as Buffalo‘s star quarterback was sacked eight times and threw two interceptions in a 23-19 defeat at the hands of Houston. The frustrations of the night boiled over for Allen at one point following a failed fourth down attempt in the fourth quarter.
On a fourth-and-1 from the Texans‘s 23-yard line with under 11 minutes remaining in the game and the Bills trailing by a touchdown, Allen handed the ball off to running back James Cook, who was stuffed by Texans defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins for a loss of two yards and turnover on downs.
The Prime Video broadcast cameras caught a vexed Allen venting to backup QB Mitch Trubisky, with Allen animatedly yelling "What are we doing?!"
After the game, Allen explained that he was so frustrated because the Bills operation wasn't exactly in tip-top shape in the lead-up to the play.
Allen says Bills play call came in late on failed fourth down
"Just frustration on my part," Allen said after the game. "In a situation like that, probably should have just banged a timeout. Just getting ... we got the play in late. Didn't give ourselves a chance there."
Using the word 'we' rather than pointing fingers was a wise approach by Allen, but it‘s clear that the reigning MVP wasn‘t pleased with the way things played out behind the scenes for the Bills offense on that particular play.
Bills coach Sean McDermott also addressed the play after the game.
"Yeah, I‘m usually, you know, listening to Joe [Brady] in terms of, 'Hey, do we need one [a timeout], do we not?' I didn‘t hear that at that point," McDermott said. "I‘ll talk to Josh and follow up. But that‘s how it went down."
McDermott again defends offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Bills‘s offensive staff
Brady has heard his fair share of criticism from fans and pundits amid Buffalo‘s uneven offensive performance this season. Case in point, the Bills were held scoreless for the first three quarters in a 30-10 blowout to the Dolphins in Week 10, prompting questions about McDermott‘s level of confidence in Brady and the offensive staff. McDermott remained steadfast, calling Brady "a good coach" while expressing confidence in the entire offensive staff. His faith was rewarded, as Allen and the Bills offense erupted in Week 11 in a bounce-back, scoring 44 points in a win over Tampa Bay.
But a primetime dud against the Texans prompted McDermott to again throw his support Brady and the rest of the staff. Buffalo (7-4) currently the sixth seed in the AFC‘s playoff picture, will look to find some offensive consistency in upcoming games against the Steelers, Bengals and Patriots.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Josh Allen Was So Frustrated After Bills' Failed Fourth Down .
