Five wins and one loss may look good in the NFL standings, but for the Buffalo Bills, it's not good enough.
Despite being one of only four teams with at least five victories through the season's first six weeks, both the franchise quarterback and the head coach have acknowledged that across-the-board improvement is needed if the Bills are to get to where they want to be come February.
“I mean, 5-and-1's, it's really good. That's no secret. It's our goal to come out and be 1-and-0 each week. We feel like there's games that could have gone the other way, on both sides, so we have to continue to get better," said Allen.
According to the five-time NFL MVP finalist, there were multiple examples throughout Buffalo's final game prior to its Week 7 bye.
Although the Bills, who lead the league in scoring offense (32.8), put up 33 points in a road game, they weren't crisp in a couple of key situations. Buffalo twice settled for field goals in the red zone, including one possession that went from 1st-and goal at the 8 to 4th-and-goal at the 10.
"We can be better as an offense. We left a lot of points on the field. I don't think we were very good in the red zone tonight," said Allen.
Breath, relax, come back and be better
The games will only get tougher as the season wears on, and the Bills, for the sake of their Super Bowl aspirations, have to be ready for the grind that begins with a November 1 game against the AFC rival Baltimore Ravens.
"Our best football has to be ahead of us," said head coach Joe Brady.
In order to help make that happen, the Bills have an opportunity to reset and recalibrate during the bye. It should also help that Buffalo projects to have a fully healthy 53-man roster come Week 8.
"I think that having this bye week where it is now, get away for a little bit, let guys kind of catch their breath and relax," said Allen.
For the Bills' franchise field general, it all comes down to reaching optimal performance as the season rolls on.
"When we come back, we got to play our best football," said Allen.
In their second game out of the bye, the Bills must visit the Minnesota Vikings, who are currently 5-0 with the NFL's second-ranked defense (259.8).
The Bills (5-1) trail the Kansas City Chiefs (5-0) for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Buffalo will host the Chiefs on Thanksgiving night for what promises to be an important Week 12 matchup.
It's quite clear that the toughest tests are yet to come, and the Bills will need to meet the moment.
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