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Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is putting blame in a familiar spot after the team’s recent struggles.
Allen spoke to reporters as the team looks to bounce back from a stunning loss to the Miami Dolphins, a game where the Bills struggled on both sides of the ball. Though there was plenty of blame to go around, Allen pointed to his own play as a major factor in the downturn.
The Bills had a chance to make keep pace with the New England Patriots atop the AFC East last week but struggled against an otherwise reeling Dolphins team. The Bills turned the ball over three times, all of them with the team driving.
The team now has eight turnovers in their three losses this season while forcing just three turnovers in those games, a reversal from last season’s winning formula of protecting the ball while forcing turnovers.
Allen said the turnovers are a major factor in the team’s struggles, saying he is to blame for much of it.
“It sucks losing,” Allen said. “But knowing in the losses this year, we’ve turned the ball over. And that’s pointing the thumb directly at myself. If we take care of the football we are a good football team.”
Allen regularly points to his own play after losses, placing blame on himself for missed opportunities or negative plays. The Bills quarterback had two turnovers on Sunday, losing a fumble and throwing an interception.
The loss dropped the Bills to 6-3, two wins behind the Patriots for the lead in the AFC East. The Patriots also have a tie-breaker based on their October win over the Bills.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott said it was more than just turnovers hurting the team, pointing to the team’s struggles on first downs. The team’s official website noted that they had an offensive success rate of just 29.2% if the first half, the lowest of any game since Allen’s rookie year in 2018.
McDermott said the team’s struggles on first and second downs were a major factor in those struggles, putting the team in difficult situations on third down.
“Too many third down and longs, one dimensional type situation,” McDermott said.
Allen agreed that the team’s struggles in setting up manageable third-down situations was a big factor in the loss.
“I just feel like early on, (we were) kind of beating ourselves,” Allen said.
While Allen did miss some open receivers, the group of wide receivers largely struggled in getting separation — which was also a factor in the team’s other two losses. McDermott called out the deficiency in speaking to reporters.
“There were some times where we weren’t open,” he said. “But it’s never just one thing.”
The Bills aimed to address the issue this week, signing former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman. The Bills could also see veteran Gabe Davis take the field soon as he nears a full recovery from the ankle injury that cut short his 2024 season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the middle of a rough stretch after the 2025 season started out so great. They began the year with a record of 4-1, but now the group is 5-4 after going 1-3 in their last four games. The franchise’s lead in the AFC North has dwindled down to just one game, and it is hard to imagine the Steelers are going to be able to hang onto the lead in the division with the Baltimore Ravens surging and the Cincinnati Bengals still within reach while Joe Burrow returns to practice. Tensions are clearly rising in Pittsburgh, but the group is going to have to manage that in order to get back in the win column.
There was obvious frustration on the field during Pittsburgh’s most recent game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10. The offense had just three points throughout most of the game, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers let his emotions be seen as there were multiple shots of him being disappointed with himself, or of him getting frustrated with teammates.
NFL insider Mike Garafolo spoke about this on Thursday during an episode of Good Morning Football, and he shared that things might not be on solid ground in Pittsburgh at the moment.
“Something’s bothering me with the Steelers right now,” Garafolo said. “Aaron Rodgers’ reactions to his own teammates, to maybe himself, I don’t know. There’s been a lot of this. I don’t love it, right? He strongly hinted that this could be his last NFL season. He hasn’t really closed the door or solidified that. I’m not gonna pretend like I know what’s going on in his head, but this leads me to believe the whole thing’s just not on solid ground right now.”
Everyone always overreacts whenever Rodgers acts in certain ways because the media has always attempted to paint him to be the villain, especially during the latter parts of his career with the New York Jets. He has been a great teammate and leader with the Steelers, but Garafolo pointed out that the veteran’s reactions on Sunday night were notable, and not in a good way.
The national media jumps at every opportunity to paint Rodgers in a bad light it seems. It is not the best look in the world to be yelling at teammates on the field and whatnot, but that is what comes with playing football, especially quarterback. He is a 41-year old who won the league’s MVP Award four times. It’s hard to imagine his younger teammates take too much offense when he criticizes their play or voices his displeasure with a miscommunication.
Rodgers has earned the right to act the way he does on the field, but it probably doesn’t come off as well during games when he is struggling. That was the case on Sunday night as the quarterback missed plenty of throws, which could be a reason things might be shaky in the locker room.
Garafolo also spoke about whether or not Rodgers would be retiring in 2026 or returning to play. He is only on a one-year deal with Pittsburgh, so he would technically be a free agent again during the offseason. However, if he decided to play again, hopefully he would want to return to Pittsburgh. Garafolo spoke as if that pending decision was also causing issues, but that wouldn’t make any sense as the entire organization and the entire roster knew that the 2025 season could probably be Rodgers’ last.
Pittsburgh will look to get back in the win column against a poor defense on Sunday as the team faces the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11.