Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen-led offense takes a sloppy step back in loss after season-opening surge

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Upon opening the season with two potent offensive performances, Buffalo Bills coach Joe Brady had a forceful response when asked if the Josh Allen-led production was sustainable.

“With the crew we have, I’m (unhappy) every time we don’t (score a touchdown), if I’m being honest,” the first-year coach said. “And that’s not cocky.”

Two outings later have provided a much different picture.

Buffalo’s offense hasn’t so much dried up in splitting the past two games, including a 29-26 loss to New England on Sunday.

Rather, it’s shown signs of sputtering and being impeded by ball-security issues.

The Bills’ four punts on Sunday were one fewer than they combined for in the first three weeks. Buffalo also went three-and-out three times against New England, after doing so just once before this season.

And after opening with two turnover-free outings, the Bills have seven giveaways (three interceptions, four lost fumbles) since, with Allen’s late-game interception — an ill-advised underthrown deep ball into double coverage on second down — sealing the loss against the Patriots.

This is not the formula for success for any team, never mind the Bills, who have been required to lean more on offense to compensate for a new-look defense experiencing growing-pain issues and depleted by injuries.

Though it’s easy to pin the blame on the defense, something that became common during Sean McDermott’s final years as coach and led to his firing in January, the offense bears its share.

Brady, on Sunday, blamed himself by saying he needs to be a better offensive play-caller.

Allen, meantime, spread the blame by saying it’s on all three phases: “Offense, defense, special teams, everybody. We all feel like we could play better,” he said.

That might be true. But Allen and Brady’s aggressive approach to offense might not be helping.

Brady’s strategy to take the ball first when winning the coin flip didn't pan out. Buffalo went three-and-out to open the game and had to wait seven minutes to get the ball back after the defense allowed a 12-play, 97-yard TD drive.

For all the defense’s deficiencies, the unit did force three straight punts in the second half after Buffalo fell behind 21-17 to open the third quarter. And then there was Allen’s game-ending interception, which he acknowledged being a mistake.

If McDermott was occasionally criticized for supposedly holding back the offense, he did so with a vision of Buffalo playing complementary football.

Entering Sunday, the Bills were 50-5 at home and had won 19 straight when leading in the fourth quarter during Allen’s eight-plus seasons. They hadn’t lost in that situation since a 24-22 defeat against Denver on Nov. 13, 2023.

The outcome led to McDermott firing offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and promoting his quarterbacks coach, Brady, who is now the one in charge.

Third down conversions. The Bills have converted at least 50% of their third down situations in each of the past three outings, including going 6 of 12 against New England. Buffalo is a combined 21 of 36 over that span.

Fourth down stops. Though the Bills defense is a respectable 22 of 54 in third down situations, the unit has allowed opponents to go 6 of 7 on fourth down.

WR Keon Coleman. The third-year receiver, who was questioned by team owner Terry Pegula in January, had six catches for a team-leading 116 yards and a touchdown. It was his second-best outing in yards, and came in an outing Buffalo’s top threat, DJ Moore, was sidelined by a shoulder injury in the first half.

CB Max Hairston. The second-year player struggled in taking over the No. 1 role with Christian Benford sidelined by a toe injury. Hairston was beaten on both of Romeo Doubs' TD catches, and was late to tackle TE Hunter Henry completing a 12-yard catch-and-run on third-and-10 in allowing New England to run out the final 49 seconds.

Moore aggravated an injury he first sustained in Week 2. DT Ed Oliver did not return after hurting his knee in the second half. Third CB Dee Alford was sidelined by an ankle injury. Practice squad call-up CB Te’Cory Couch hurt his hamstring.

66-9 — Buffalo's record under Allen when leading after the half, after blowing a 13-10 edge on Sunday.

Have an extra day to regroup before heading west to face the Los Angeles Rams on Monday. The Bills will stay in Southern California next week before traveling to play the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 18.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady speaks in a press conference after an NFL football game against the New England Patriots in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) runs against New England Patriots center Jared Wilson (55) in the first half during an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) speaks in a press conference after an NFL football game against the New England Patriots in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are rising and on track to hit an all-time high after oil prices gave back some of their big recent gains. The S&P 500 added 0.5% early Tuesday and was on pace to finish the day above its record set in August. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 200 points, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.7%. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, dropped 2.1% to $98.21 a barrel. That’s down from nearly $110 a few weeks ago, and the easing removes some pressure from the high inflation that’s squeezing people and businesses worldwide. Treasury yields fell.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back for updates. AP’s earlier story follows below.

Wall Street pointed slightly higher in premarket trading Tuesday after nearing a record close to open the week as oil prices retreat to the lowest level in more than a month.

Futures for the S&P 500 rose 0.4% before the opening bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.6%, as did Nasdaq futures.

Surging oil prices and bond yields have added to challenges for the broader stock market and companies in general, but expectations for strong company earnings have helped support stocks’ recent rallies.

With little economic data coming this week, markets will continue to monitor geopolitical news as well as a handful of quarterly financial results from Levi's, PepsiCo and Delta Air Lines before earnings season kicks into high gear next week.

Oil prices were down about 2% early Tuesday. Brent crude, the international standard, was down $1.99 to $98.33 per barrel, back to below the $100 mark, but still much higher than the roughly $72 a barrel level of late February.

Benchmark U.S. crude gave up $1.83 to $87.60 per barrel.

Analysts say upward pressures on oil prices have eased as larger volumes of oil have been crossing the Strait of Hormuz and oil flows through Saudi Arabia’s key East-West pipeline have been recovering, although tensions between the U.S. and Iran are still high.

“While there are growing signs of a recovery in oil flows from the Persian Gulf, the market remains nervous about potential supply disruptions from the region. This is keeping prices well-supported for now,” ING commodities strategists Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey wrote in a commentary on Tuesday.

In the bond market, U.S. Treasury yields were near their multi-decade highs. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield eased to around 5.26%, after it briefly crossed the 5.35% mark, its highest level since 2002.

Investors are looking for higher returns to hold government bonds, as inflationary pressures have been rising, driven in part by the energy shock from the Iran war, while U.S. national debt has surpassed a record $40 trillion.

The Federal Reserve releases minutes from its September meeting Wednesday, which is garnering heavy interest because the central bank decided to raise U.S. benchmark interest rates for the first time in three years.

In midday European trading, Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.4%, while France's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX each gained 0.6%.

In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.1% to 70,683.98. The benchmark has surged above the 70,000 level this week for the first time since early July.

South Korea’s Kospi lost 0.9% to 6,941.39.

Technology-related stocks in Japan and South Korea were volatile. Japanese chip testing equipment manufacturer Advantest gained 3.9%, while OpenAI investor SoftBank Group fell 3.1% after its CEO Masayoshi Son warned of potential dangers related to the technology.

South Korea’s Samsung Electronics dropped 1.5%, and memory chipmaker SK Hynix slipped 3.7%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng climbed 1% to 24,280.56. Markets in mainland China were closed for a national holiday.

FILE - Commuters emerge from a Wall Street subway station in New York's Financial District on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

FILE - The New York Stock Exchange is shown in New York's Financial District on Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

A currency trader reacts near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader passes by screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader passes by a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)