Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - A lot has been debated, discussed, and criticized about the Buffalo Bills' decision to throw the ball three-straight times from their own three-yard line Sunday in a tied game with 32 seconds remaining.
Head coach Sean McDermott echoed on Monday what he said after the game Sunday, saying they should have run the ball instead, and took the blame once again.
"It's on me," McDermott told the media during his weekly Zoom call.
"I love the ball in Josh's hands. That said, in hindsight, maybe run the ball once and see where we are from there."
After a tremendous punt by the Texans with the score tied 20-20, the Bills had the ball deep in their own territory with just 32 seconds left in regulation. The Texans still had three timeouts, so even if Buffalo ran the football, Houston would use those up after each play.
Instead, the Bills got aggressive to get a first down, and maybe more.
Keon Coleman was called for offensive pass interference, then Allen threw incomplete deep to Mack Hollins, and then another incompletion to Curtis Samuel.
That forced a punt, giving the Texans the ball at the Bills' 46-yard line, and enough time to eventually kick the game-winning field goal.
The Bills weren’t trying to score, they just had to get a first down. If they run three-straight plays, the Texans call timeout after each play anyway, also resulting in the clock stopping each time.
They decided to throw each play, and ultimately punted back to the Texans, who then ran one play to get a bit closer in range for kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn to kick the game-winning field goal with no time remaining.
"Either way, it didn't work out, and I take full responsibility for it," McDermott said.
Injury update
McDermott said that cornerback Taron Johnson (forearm) and wide receiver Khalil Shakir (ankle) are both improving, and they'll see how the week goes.
Safety Taylor Rapp is still in concussion protocol.
