The Buffalo Bills offense has struggled significantly over the past two weeks. In Week 5, they faced the Houston Texans and suffered a narrow 23-20 defeat on the road. This loss was marked by puzzling strategic choices from both the coaching staff and quarterback Josh Allen during the final quarter.

After trailing by 17 points in the third quarter, the Bills made a strong comeback but ultimately lost when Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn successfully kicked a 59-yard field goal just as time expired.

With the game tied at 20 and only 32 seconds left, Buffalo found themselves deep in their own territory. It looked like the game was headed to overtime, but the Texans had other ideas.

What led to the Bills’ defeat against the Texans?

Tied at 20-20, with 40 seconds remaining, the Texans punted the ball from their 49-yard line. Tommy Townsend executed a superb punt, landing the ball at the Bills’ 3-yard line.

With just 32 seconds to go, Josh Allen and the offense initiated their drive. On first down, Allen threw a deep pass down the left side, but it was incomplete to rookie Keon Coleman.

At this point, the Texans still had all three of their timeouts left. A running play would have forced them to use those timeouts before regaining possession.

For second down, the Bills opted to pass again. Allen tried another deep ball to Mack Hollins, but it also fell incomplete. With only 21 seconds remaining, it seemed logical for the Bills to run the ball to let the clock wind down. Instead, on third down, Allen again went for a pass, resulting in another incompletion.

On fourth down, the Bills had no choice but to punt. Sam Martin kicked from the back of the end zone. The punt was returned to the Bills’ 46-yard line. With only 16 seconds remaining and three timeouts left, Texans quarterback CJ Stroud completed a short pass, moving the Texans to the Bills’ 41. Fairbairn then nailed the 59-yard field goal to seal the win.

Coach Sean McDermott is being scrutinized for the decision to pass on all three downs before punting.

The Bills missed a chance to run down the clock, potentially allowing them to secure a win in overtime instead. Houston managed the second half without their top wide receiver, Nico Collins, due to injury, and their offense struggled at that point, leaving the Bills with momentum.

Josh Allen’s performance against Houston was notably poor, completing only 9 of 30 passes for 131 yards and one touchdown. Meanwhile, his former top target, Stefon Diggs, played for the Texans, highlighting the struggles Allen faced in connection with his current receivers. In Week 4, the Ravens had also contained Allen and the Bills offense effectively. Many questions loom leading into Week 6.

Despite this loss, the Bills sit at the top of the AFC East with a 3-2 record, but they must address their offensive issues before their upcoming matchup against the New York Jets on “Monday Night Football.”