The Buffalo Bills have been criticized by many in the NFL community for how they handled late plays that allowed the Houston Texans to complete a 23-20 victory.
The Bills began their final possession of the game with 44 seconds left in regulation tied with the Texans. Houston had not used any timeouts in the second half.
Buffalo coach Sean McDermott called three pass plays, each of which fell incomplete and stopped the clock each time the ball touched the turf. After the Bills gave the ball back to the Texans, Houston began its final drive of the game from the Buffalo 46-yard line with seven seconds left in the game.
A five-yard completion from CJ Stroud and a quick timeout gave Ka’imi Fairbairn a game-winning kick from the middle of the field from 59 yards away.
Fairbarn drilled it and many were baffled by how the Bills let this game slip away.
Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott called three pass plays on the Bills’ final possession.
The plays allowed the Texans enough time to kick a winning field goal.
‘There will be worse losses in the #NFL this year than the one the #Bills just suffered. But there may not be a dumber one,’ ESPN’s Mike Greenberg said on social media.
“Buffalo’s decision to throw it 3 times in a row at their own 4-yard line and not have Houston burn any of their 3 TOs is something McDermott will want to get back,” said former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel.
“Baffling game management decisions by the Bills at the end of that game…” said future NFL Hall of Famer JJ Watt.
A collection of social media posts from the NFL community about the end of the Bills game.
Houston improved to 4-1 with the win, while the Bills fell to 3-2 in a game that could prove important for playoff position later in the season.
If the Bills had called three running plays, the Texans probably would have called all three timeouts and been left without one for their final possession, if they had one before overtime.
That game management, or lack thereof, is the lasting impression of Buffalo’s trip to Houston.
