Follow us:

Player who must step up: QB Josh Allen

The Bills' ability to secure a top playoff seed and potentially make a Super Bowl relies on the whole team playing well, but the performance of Allen down the stretch will be vital. Turnovers have been an issue for Allen as of late -- seven interceptions and a fumble in the past four games entering Monday -- and while they are not all his fault, he needs to make better decisions with the football. Overall, Allen has had a solid season, but he and the offense need to take it to the next level to get where the Bills want to go. -- Alaina Getzenberg

A challenging Bills season reached new levels of frustration on Monday Night Football in the swirling winds of Orchard Park. The Patriots proved themselves to be the more physical team, repeatedly winning at the line of scrimmage even when the whole stadium knew Mac Jones' primary job was to turn around and hand the ball off. Josh Allen made good use of his cannon arm, but he also missed key throws and presided over two fourth-quarter drives that stalled in the red zone and ultimately cost Buffalo a game it desperately needed. A rematch at Foxborough looms, but not before a date with Tom Brady and the Bucs. Gut-check time has arrived.

They now look like they could be taking a wild card route. They just couldn't stop the run against the Patriots. Now they face a tough road game against Tampa Bay.

Prohibitive AFC East favorites in preseason, they're suddenly on verge of falling out of playoff field -- next game at Tampa -- and not handling pressure well on the field or in their post-game press conferences.

Best-case scenario: It's not too late for the Bills to get it together, and while the loss to the Patriots on Monday was a blow to Buffalo's division title hopes, all is not lost. Buffalo has a massive challenge this week against the Buccaneers and old nemesis Tom Brady, plus a Week 16 rematch with New England (hopefully in better weather). The Bills need to do some serious self-reflection and realize they aren't going to make the postseason on roster talent and reputation from 2020 alone. So here's a call to action: Run the ball, use Josh Allen's legs and see if something good happens.