The Buffalo Bills enter their bye week after suffering back-to-back losses that have raised concerns among fans and analysts alike. Following a narrow 23-20 home defeat to the New England Patriots, the Bills were handed a demoralizing 31-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football.
Quarterback Josh Allen, who had showcased MVP-caliber performances earlier in the season, appears far from his best. Against the Falcons, Allen completed 15-of-26 passes for 180 yards, delivering two touchdowns but throwing two interceptions. He also added six carries for 42 yards. However, missing key offensive weapons did not help. Tight end Dalton Kincaid and wide receiver Curtis Samuel were ruled out, and wide receiver Josh Palmer exited early in the second quarter with an ankle injury. The offense struggled to find rhythm without these key players.
One bright spot was supposed to be wide receiver Keon Coleman, who earned a significant opportunity to step up against Atlanta. Unfortunately, Coleman was largely a non-factor, catching just three passes for 11 yards. This lack of production is troubling, especially considering how the Bills’ “everybody eats” offensive philosophy thrived earlier in the season. During their 4-0 start, Allen and the offense consistently scored at least 30 points each game. Now, something clearly feels broken.
Following the Bills’ worst performance of the season and dropping to second place in the AFC East, panic is beginning to set in among the passionate Bills Mafia fanbase. While Josh Allen bears some responsibility for multiple costly mistakes against the Falcons, concerns over the team’s wide receiver corps—and their lack of consistent production—are reaching a fever pitch.
Keon Coleman showed flashes but has yet to cement himself as a true No. 1 wide receiver. Against the Patriots, Coleman caught 4-of-7 passes for 23 yards and a touchdown but also lost a fumble that the Patriots converted into a field goal. On Wednesday, October 15, Coleman tweeted “Say less” accompanied by a handshake emoji—only to delete the message shortly after. This sparked reactions on social media. One fan replied, “I guess we gotta bully him into being good 🤷🏾♂️ whatever it takes.” Another X user commented, “How about ‘Do More’?” Meanwhile, a Chiefs fan joked, “He saw Bills fans saying they should have taken Xavier Worthy instead 😭😭.”
Analysis from The Sporting News’ Jarrett Bailey after the Week 6 loss was blunt: “Coleman is a bust. He has zero separation ability, and he isn’t a boundary receiver. He is more suited as a big-bodied slot receiver, but that role is already occupied by Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid.”
### Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott Promises to Use Bye Week to Fix Issues
Bills head coach Sean McDermott addressed the struggles in a Tuesday press conference, emphasizing the need to reassess the team’s foundation. “We’ve had some good moments, but I also want to kind of look under the hood a little bit more and [make] sure that we’ve got everything underneath in terms of the foundation that it’s helping us,” McDermott said. “From the way we practice, to the way we meet, to what we emphasize, to what we’re asking our players to do.”
Despite some criticism aimed at offensive coordinator Joe Brady for what some perceive as overly “cute” or stale play calling, McDermott is standing firm on keeping the coaching staff intact. “[Brady’s] a great offensive coordinator. He’s a great play caller, right?” McDermott stated. “At the end of the day, whatever play we call, we got to execute at a high level as well. So that’s a piece of it. But I remain confident, very confident in [Brady] and his ability to put us into the right situations and put our players in good positions on offense.”
Looking ahead, McDermott plans to “hunker down” with both Brady and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich during the bye week to get the team back on track. Fans will be hoping that the break provides the Bills the reset they need to return stronger in the weeks to come.
https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/buffalo-bills/keon-coleman-deletes-tweet-after-falcons-loss/