1. Two takeaways from NFL.com on Tuesday night's loss
NFL.com explained what they learned from the Bills-Titans game Tuesday night, and these are the points brought up about the Bills.
- Josh Allen has taken giant strides forward so far this season. Tuesday night wasn't one of them. Allen's two touchdowns were matched by a pair of crippling interceptions (though the first was hardly on him) and he was held in check on the ground. The Bills' first loss was a blowout and Allen will likely take some heat. But Allen has still put together one of the most impressive seasons so far as quarterbacks are concerned, despite Tuesday. This is one game. In an NFL in which overreactions are the norm and one week feels like a season until the next one comes, perhaps it will be difficult for some to see past a stumble amid an unconventional outing. Oh well. Allen's season thus far has been more outstanding than underwhelming. How he rebounds in an impending showdown on Monday vs. Patrick Mahomes will be telling, however.
- Stefon Diggs has been a phenomenal addition to the Bills and a huge compliment to the maturation of Allen as a premier NFL quarterback from a raw, gifted prospect. This was a new look though as John Brown was inactive for the game, amplifying Diggs' importance and drawing more Titans attention. Diggs hauled in 10 catches for 106 yards on a whopping 16 targets. Allen was pressing and looking for Diggs a bit too much, so it would seem getting Brown back is paramount. Diggs was half of a phenomenal one-two combo on the Vikings not so long ago and the Bills offense is best served with Diggs and Brown; that much is certain.
2. Sean McDermott: "We beat ourselves"
The Bills allowed the Titans to score 42 points in yesterday's loss. That is something that hasn't been done to a Sean McDermott coached defense since 2018. The team also had a season-high 10 penalties against them as well as many other miscues. Given all the two teams had been through leading up to this game, McDermott said that there are no excuses for the way the team played tonight.
"At the end of the day," McDermott stated, "it's an uncharacteristic game for us. Uncharacteristic with our fundamentals, our pre-snap discipline, and the turnovers. You've been around this game a long time [to know that] you can't do that. There's only one opponent out on the other sideline, you can't beat yourself. Again, I give them credit, they were ready to go and at the same time we beat ourselves."
3. A whirlwind of a weekend
Jerry Hughes has been a part of this Bills organization since 2013 and has been through the highs and the lows. The first loss of the season is never easy, but the team can grow stronger and learn from their mistakes. Hughes touched on the strange weekend it was for the team not knowing if or when they were going to play.
"It was a bit of a whirlwind honestly because we didn't know what day we were going to play on or when it was going to happen, Hughes said. "For the most part, the guys in the locker room stayed in tune with the game plan. We had actually some really good days of practice this past week and just tonight. We fell short, and you got to tip your hat to the Titans, they came out fresh, and they played fast. For us on defense, our deal is getting off the field on third down. We were really good at that last year, we're trying to figure out a way to do that so we can help our team, and our offense. We know how powerful they are right now, so we have to find a way to get off the field."
