Getty Bills quarterback Josh Allen at FedExField on September 24, 2023.
While the Buffalo Bills defense is somehow keeping it together after a slew of devastating injuries, their offense is out of sync and running out of time.
Even eternal optimist Von Miller told reporters on Thursday, “No need to sound the alarm, but it’s getting close.” The Bills enter Week 10 with a 5-4 record, barely holding on to their “in the hunt” playoff status.
If the Bills fail to make the playoffs, much of the blame will land on the team’s offense, and those players are doing everything they can to make sure that doesn’t happen.
On Thursday, November 9, Bills running back Latavius Murray gathered all the offensive players and held a meeting sans coaches — their second in a few weeks, according to Spectrum News 1’s Jon Scott.
“It’s something I initiated,” Murray, 33, told reporters. “Just wanted to bring the guys together and talk about some things and see how as an offense we can make a difference. Hopefully, it’s a step in the right direction.”
The #Bills know the position they’re in at 5-4 at midway point of season.
“No need to sound the alarm, but it’s getting close.”
Why this team is confident a turnaround is coming — and some insight into the offensive players-only meeting led by Latavius Murray.
“I just feel like we can play and beat anybody,” Murray said. “It’s getting redundant. It’s us beating ourselves… How can we find something that’s different among us to get a different result?”
Bills quarterback Josh Allen said during his press conference earlier in the day that he full-heartedly believes the team can turn things around. “We’ve got our best football to play and it’s in front of us,” he said.
Allen has recorded nine interceptions over the past nine games, but he’s also completed 71.3% of his passes, second best in the league, and 18 touchdowns. The Bills offense has shown they can be dominant, but lack consistency.
Murray believes the key to success is remaining confident. “When you lose, you can question it,” he said, per The Buffalo News. “For us, we’ve got to know who we are, know what we’re capable of even when we don’t get the result that we want.”
‘The Meeting Wasn’t Called Because the Building was Burning Down’
Trent Sherfield explaining the atmosphere in the locker room that led to today’s players only offensive meeting:
“It’s not because the building was burning down… it’s because we know the talent we have in that room.”
Bills wide receiver Trent Sherfield helped shed more light on what transpired during their private gathering. “The meeting wasn’t called because the building was burning down or panicking or anything like that,” Sherfield said. “The meeting was called because we know the talent we have in that room. And obviously, we haven’t really been holding up to those expectations.”
“To kind of the get coaches out of the way — because at the end of the day, it’s players league. We’re the ones out there playing. Latavius touched on some great things. It was an open dialogue. Everybody had something to say as far as ‘What can we do better?'”
Second-year wide receiver Khalil Shakir said Murray held the meeting to make “sure all of our heads are right. He’s there to remind us of who we are. You look to your right and look to your left, and everywhere you look, there’s a dog around you. That’s kind of his main message.”
Bills Face a Must-Win Game Against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football
GettyBills quarterback Josh Allen at Highmark Stadium on September 17, 2023.
Without Allen flexing his muscles as a dual-threat quarterback, the offense seems have to lost its spark. But that’s far from the only issue. Sometimes, they abandon the run game altogether. Bills head coach Sean McDermott called out the lack of run plays following their 24-18 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
“I think we ran the ball eight times maybe, with our running backs,” McDermott said during the postgame press conference. “Josh had some scrambles, and one or two designed runs in there — I think one. You’ve got to do that in order to move the chains and keep a good offense off the field. I think that’s all part of being a good offense, is being two-dimensional. Not that you’re going to be 50-50 totally balanced. But the threat of being two-dimensional.”
Dorsey seems to have heard the message loud and clear. He told reporters on November 6, “I think the biggest thing is just making sure we’re balanced in our approach… I think we got to make sure that we’re stretching all areas of the field… So, we’ve got to find ways to do that.”
The Bills are deemed 7.5-point favorites to defeat the Broncos on Monday Night Football. Considering the Bills’ upcoming schedule includes road games against the Philadelphia Eagles (8-1) and the Kansas City Chiefs (7-2), this primetime showdown is a must-win to keep those playoff hopes alive.