Buffalo had a nightmarish start to its game against Denver on Monday night.
Running back James Cook was stripped of the ball by cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian on the game’s first offensive play. After a Broncos field goal, quarterback Josh Allen threw an interception on Buffalo’s next drive.
Per ESPN Stats & Info, Allen has thrown a pick in six consecutive games, the longest streak by a Bills quarterback since Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2011. Â
Entering Monday night, Buffalo was tied for the 11th-most turnovers this season (14). That’s been partly why the Bills have underperformed this season. Their 5-4 record is the franchise’s worst through nine games since 2018, Allen’s rookie season.
Buffalo is ninth in the AFC standings but could move to seventh, a half-game ahead of Houston (5-4) and Cincinnati (5-4), with a win against Denver (3-5). A loss would drop the Bills to 11th, behind Indianapolis (5-5) and Las Vegas (5-5) due to a worse conference record.
If the team’s first two offensive series are a sign of things to come, the playoffs could be fumbling out of Buffalo’s reach.