The Buffalo Bills concede a surprising defeat against the Denver Broncos. A catastrophic play makes the final result possible.

Things could hardly have gone worse for the Buffalo Bills. The franchise led by quarterback Josh Allen lost the Monday Night Game of the tenth NFL matchday 22:24 in front of a home crowd.

Disastrously, two unnecessary penalties against the hosts on the Broncos’ final drive made the final score possible in the first place.

Denver quarterback Russell Wilson had less than two minutes for his final offensive move. On a third attempt and with ten yards to go, Bills cornerback Taron Johnson came to the rescue with a more than unfortunate pass interference covering a whopping 28 yards.

And it got even worse. On the final field goal attempt – with the Broncos trailing by one point at the time – kicker Will Lutz missed from 41 yards. But because Buffalo had one too many men on the field at the time of the kick, Lutz was allowed to repeat his kick and still converted to win the game.

The Bills had previously impressed in the running game, totaling 26 carries for 192 yards and two touchdowns, but playmaker Allen did not have his best day. With 15 of 26 passes completed for 177, he was not really convincing.

But even worse: he threw the ball into the hands of the opponent twice and also lost a fumble. The fact that he scored one of the two rushing touchdowns himself with less than two minutes remaining only marginally improved his record.

Bills outside the playoff ranks

His counterpart Russell Wilson, meanwhile, completed 24 of 29 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns and did not throw an interception.

The Bills, who were considered Super Bowl contenders before the season, are sliding deeper and deeper into crisis as a result of the loss. Head coach Sean McDermott’s team now has a 5-5 record and has lost games against the Jets, Patriots and the aforementioned Broncos, among others. Anything but a good sign.

In the AFC East, the gap to the league leaders Miami Dolphins (6-3) is already noticeable, the Bills are now only tenth in the playoff picture and would not be in the postseason.

The Broncos improved their record to 4-5 with the win, but that does not change their last place in the AFC West