'MNF' takeaways: Loss to Broncos puts serious dent in Bills' playoff hopes
It's panic time in Buffalo. Meanwhile in Denver, the Broncos under Sean Payton are just heating up. Here are the main takeaways from their 24-22 win on "Monday Night Football."
Forget the Super Bowl; the Bills might not make the playoffs: Buffalo began the season as a top pick to win the Super Bowl, but its ugly performance on Monday night leaves it doubtful that the Bills can even make the playoffs. They host the Jets (4-5) next Sunday, who they lost to in the opener, followed by a brutal stretch including road games against the Eagles (8-1) and Chiefs (7-2), a home game against the Cowboys (6-3), and two of their final three on the road against the Chargers (4-5) and Dolphins (6-3).
The Buffalo team that showed up on Monday night (and for half of its games so far this season) will likely lose at least three of those games. Is a 9-8 record going to get Buffalo to the postseason in the AFC? Don't count on it. These Bills are nearly cooked.
The demise of Sean Payton and Russell Wilson was greatly exaggerated: At 0-3 and having given up 70 points to Miami, the Broncos were the NFL's laughingstock in September. In November? A game back of the Texans for the AFC's final wild-card spot.
Denver is far from a great team, leaving too many points on the field in Week 10 as the Bills handed them the game on a silver platter with their numerous miscues. But consecutive wins against the Chiefs and Bills are a reminder not to take the Broncos lightly during the stretch run.
Sean Payton called a great game, and Wilson was efficient, finishing 24-of-29 for 192 yards and two touchdowns. He has 18 touchdowns this year, two more than last season. Wilson might not be a Michelin star chef anymore, but he can still cook.
Brutal miscues doom Buffalo from start to finish: Monday night's game was bookended by costly Bills errors, beginning with a James Cook fumble on the first play from scrimmage and ending with a defensive penalty for too many men on the field that gave Denver another opportunity to kick the winning field goal after Wil Lutz's first attempt went wide right.
The in-between parts weren't much better for Buffalo, with quarterback Josh Allen throwing two interceptions and mishandling an exchange with Cook, resulting in a fourth turnover.
Buffalo's season has been defined by its miscues, beginning in the opener and extending through Monday night.
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