The Buffalo Bills lose 23-20 to the Houston Texans in Week 5

In a game where the Buffalo Bills needed to dominate from the start to prove they were still “that” team, they did just the opposite.

The Bills got a three-and-out on their first drive against the Houston Texans when quarterback Josh Allen brought down tight end Dalton Kincaid on a third-and-three instead of taking the “normal” Allen route and themselves to play. However, it didn't look like the Texans were going to do much better as the Buffalo defense kept them behind the offensive line and Houston didn't call Stefon Diggs' number once.

And that was about the last time the teams played evenly for the rest of the first half.

While the Bills scored first on the next drive thanks to a Tyler Bass field goal, it wasn't a feel-good result as Allen couldn't hit any receivers and the 3 points were the consolation prize. Houston responded to Buffalo's field goal by using Cam Akers as the third running back, starting the game since Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce were sidelined by injuries throughout the Bills' defense. Akers ran in for an easy touchdown, while rookie safety Cole Bishop, replacing the beleaguered Taylor Rapp, missed a clean tackle and cornerback Rasul Douglas tried to make an early exit.

And then it became shockingly similar to Week 4, when the Bills lost to the Baltimore Ravens in very inglorious fashion. Pre-snap penalties, Allen misses receivers, and Sam Martin looks like he'll end up being the player of the game by making powerful punts and giving the Buffalo defense some room to work.

But Houston wasn't impressed with the space. Stroud hit wide receiver Nico Collins for 67 yards, including 64 through the air, as the Texans wide receiver ran down the middle of the field and into the end zone. Again Douglas seemed to stop abruptly and turn to look for Bishop, who was once again unable to make a move. The play gave Houston a 14-3 lead, but cost Collins the day as he ended up in street clothes with a hamstring injury. But the Texans didn't need him to win.

The footage at the end of the first quarter showed how inefficient Buffalo's offense has become. Despite having eight more plays than the Texans, the Bills had just gained a whopping 68 yards and Josh Allen was 1-for-7 passing. Houston, meanwhile, had 138 yards of offense, with Stroud completing all five of his passes in the first quarter.

It wasn't until the second quarter that we got to see anything from Stefon Diggs, who finished the day with 82 yards but no touchdowns.

For Buffalo, the best part of the first half of the game is that they somehow went into the locker room only two points behind as the Bills defense settled behind the play of Terrel Bernard, who returned after missing the last two weeks a chest injury, and Dorian Williams.

At halftime, with the score 17-3, Josh Allen had only completed 6 passes for 56 yards and it looked like we would see him go without a touchdown for a second straight week. Stroud, on the other hand, had completed 12 passes for 187 yards and a score. While the total yards, Buffalo's 102 compared to Houston's 230, and the scoreboard were very lopsided, other statistics showed there might be hope. The time of possession was nearly even, with Buffalo actually holding an 18-second lead. Third down efficiency wasn't promising for either team, as Buffalo was successful on exactly a third of their attempts and Houston wasn't much better at just 42 percent.

With the game still out of control when it appeared on the scoreboard, Buffalo looked like they were going to produce more of the same as we've seen over the last six quarters, going into the second half last week, had seen.

It seemed like Houston would have no problem moving the ball, but they ended up faltering before reaching the end zone on their opening drive. However, they got into field goal range, making it a three-point game.

Then Buffalo acted like they finally remembered they were a football team and this was a competition. They started their first drive of the half with a 19-yard run by Ty Johnson. Battling for 7th, Allen eventually took the open field when it was available and a late hit added even more to his run. But then the Bills quarterback hit rookie receiver Keon Coleman in the back of the head with the football, which will likely soon become a viral meme. However, Kincaid managed to reach the end zone with a 26-yard throw from the 5.

A ten-point game suddenly felt manageable.

Buffalo's defense continued to do its job, and after a forced punt, Allen got the ball and things looked good. Then they stopped. Again. This time with a 4th and 5th in midfield. But Allen wanted the ball and insisted on keeping his offense on the field. It was the right decision, and he hit Coleman for a 49-yard touchdown, making up for the aforementioned play that would become a meme.

Now it seemed like Buffalo was doing Buffalo things. Three points were needed to tie the game.

A Terrel Bernard interception gave more hope, but the Bills couldn't do anything with it and Josh Allen was injured on a third-and-8. Another huge punt from Martin, who may well have earned unofficial player of the game status, followed by a strip sack from Dawuane Smoot and a recovery from Dorian Williams and the Bills were back! When they received the ball at the 14-yard line, they gained exactly zero yards and had to settle for a game-winning field goal.

3:18 a.m. and what are the Bills doing? They do Bills stuff. They spend all timeouts while allowing Houston into field goal range. But then Stroud is called for an intentional grounding and the penalty is a punt rather than a kick. With just 39 seconds left to play, the Bills do more Bills things, throwing three straight incompletions, making Allen's total 9-for-30 for 126 yards on the day. Worse, they give Houston 7 seconds. Just enough time to get five yards to field goal range, call a timeout and kick the 59-yard game-winning field goal.

Mismanagement of the clock? Secure. But would we be as biased if McDermott had told Allen to get on his knees and go into overtime? Only if they had lost. This game had a lot more problems than the last three plays. At the top of the list is the lack of threats to keep the defense away from Allen. A line that can't get the same spot as in weeks one through three is at the top. No matter what the issue is, Josh Allen doesn't look like Josh Allen and these Bills don't look like the Bills we've become accustomed to. This is certainly not the same team that brought the Offensive Player of the Month onto the field in September.

Whatever the problem is, it better be fixed or this season will spiral out of control. Fast.