After going 9-of-30 passing in a Week 5 loss to the Houston Texans, Josh Allen understandably accepted blame for Buffalo's breakdown.
It was a second-straight defeat, and while the Bills were blown out a week earlier, this one might have been more frustrating because of how it ended: with Allen throwing three straight incompletions with less than a minute left, affording Houston time to get the ball back, move into field goal range and convert the game-winning kick.
The approach was widely criticized, but a closer look suggests it wasn't a matter of poor decision making as much as it was a lack of execution. Allen agreed.
“I’ve got supreme trust (in coach Sean McDermott),” Allen said Wednesday, via The Associated Press. “And it says a lot of how much trust he has in me down there in that situation, and I’ve got to find a way to convert.”
A lack of rapport might be what has held back the Bills in the last two weeks. It certainly was apparent on their final possession, when Allen couldn't seem to get on the same page with offseason addition Mack Hollins (who didn't record a reception until his fourth target on Sunday), placing the ball on the wrong shoulder for the wideout, landing incomplete. A play earlier, Allen couldn't find rookie Keon Coleman, who was blanketed by Texans rookie cornerback Kamari Lassiter. And on third down, another new pickup, receiver Curtis Samuel, found open space over the middle, but Allen's pass fell short of the mark, forcing the Bills to punt.
Allen admitted "it's hard to know everybody" when asked about getting on the same page with his new teammates. He later added he had "a lot of trust in these guys," but the results speak for themselves.
Naturally, Allen pointed the finger at himself.
“Well, I’ve got to be better,” Allen said. “Just making sure we’re on the same page, and it starts with the quarterback. That’s on me.”
But nobody inside the Bills' facility is blaming Allen. Tight end Dawson Knox was quick to explain how unfair he believed the situation is regarding Allen's role as the team's leader.
“He’s got the weight of the whole city on his back, and he takes the losses very harshly. But it’s on all of us,” Knox said.
It's only Week 6. The Bills have plenty of time to get right. But they looked vastly different than they did just two weeks ago when they obliterated the Jacksonville Jaguars on national television.
The NFL season is, however, a marathon. And as offensive coordinator Joe Brady said, "We believe in who we have."
"The sky hasn't fallen," Brady said.
Perhaps it will be up to Allen to hold up the sky in the coming weeks, starting Monday night against the New York Jets.