1 - Defense struggles to stop the run
Sunday's loss felt like déjà vu from the Jets game, but worse. The New Orleans Saints came to town and rushed for a season-high in yards against Buffalo's defense.
In Week Nine the Jets rushed for 194 yards against the Bills. At the time, that was the most the defense had allowed. The Saints topped by more than 100 yards with 298 on the ground. Linebacker, Lorenzo Alexander, spoke after the game about the struggles in back-to-back games.
"You don't want to start creating bad habits or start doubting yourself, and that's what happens when games like this kind of go back-to-back," he said. "We've just got to be professionals, look at the tape and correct it and have a better total effort defensively in the next game. I mean, that's the only way. You've just got to make the play. That's what it comes down to."
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In the third quarter the Saints put together a 10-play, 94-yard touchdown drive. New Orleans ran the ball every single one of those plays. They capped off the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run by Drew Brees. The Saints stayed true to running the ball well after that drive. They tallied 24 consecutive running plays that stretched from the third quarter to the middle of the fourth.
Defensive tackle, Kyle Williams, expressed his frustration with the inability to stop the run.
"It's tough. But, at the end of the day, when you're giving up rushing yards like that, it goes beyond the physical aspect of it," he said. "We're in wrong places, we're not where we're supposed to be. It was an all-around bad deal."
Both of New Orleans top running backs surpassed the 100-yard mark in the game. Mark Ingram led the way with 131 yards and three touchdowns. Alvin Kamara accounted for 106 yards on the ground and a touchdown. In total Buffalo's defense allowed six rushing touchdowns, setting a franchise record.
"They have two good backs, we knew that coming in," safety Micah Hyde said. "We knew coming in how [Mark] Ingram was going to run the ball, downhill. We knew how number 41 [Kamara] was a huge factor in the run game, the bounce game, the screen game, third down, running routes. We knew that coming in. It's just, we didn't execute."
2 - Bills historic home streak snapped
It took a couple of months, but Buffalo was dealt their first loss of the season at New Era Field on Sunday. The Bills started 4-0 at home for the first time since 1995.
There were flaws in all three phases of the game in the 47-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints. It was uncharacteristic to see the offense struggle to put up points on their home turf. Entering Sunday's game, Buffalo's offense had scored 20 or more points in 13 consecutive games.
Wide receiver, Kelvin Benjamin, reflected on the loss after his first game with the Bills.
"It was a big loss for us. It was a personal thing. Everybody felt it. We'll come back (Monday), watch the film, and correct the mistakes," he said. "Five and four is not bad as a record. We control our own destiny."
Linebacker, Preston Brown, is the team's vocal leader on defense. He felt bad for the Bills fans following the 37-point loss.
"Of course. The fans come out rain or shine and always support," he said. "We had a good home record, but now we have that one loss. We love every time they come to the game and can drive home happy."
3 - Peterman tosses first career touchdown
With the game well out of reach, Buffalo's backup quarterback Nathan Peterman was called to action. He threw the lone touchdown of the game for the Bills, and it just so happened to be Peterman's first touchdown in the NFL.
"It's a milestone for sure," he said. "Ultimately it's a team game and we didn't get it done. We have to go back and get a lot better."
Buffalo's fifth-round pick in 2017 put together a solid stat line in his first regular season showing. He completed 7-10 passes for 79 yards and one touchdown. Peterman's passer rating was 126.7.
The touchdown drive he orchestrated was impressive. It was a six-play, 75-yard drive that took just over a minute. The final result was a seven-yard touchdown pass from Peterman to Nick O'Leary. The score was O'Leary's first touchdown in the league as well.
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