It was the best of byes, it was the worst of byes.
The Buffalo Bills enter their Week 7 bye on the back of another maddening defeat, falling in Atlanta to the Falcons 24-14.
Much like in the Charles Dickens classic, a Tale of Two Cities, there is a feeling of despair everywhere you look for Bills fans currently.
Bills Mafia were hoping for a bounce back following the loss at home to the New England Patriots the week prior. The bounce never came.
That faint hissing noise you can hear is the deflating optimism of a fanbase buoyed by the prospect of this finally being our year.
In many ways, this bye week has come at a good time. The Bills can regroup, spend some time on the practice field addressing their weaknesses ready for Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers.
On the other hand, this bye week comes at a terrible time for fans. We have no game to focus on. We are stuck. Festering in our losses like a Bills fanbase from the late 2000s.
Alone with our own thoughts. Or worse, stuck in the echo chamber that is a fanbase searching for answers – baying for blood to rectify the transgressions of the last two weeks.
Where has it all gone wrong? In fact, has it all gone wrong?
Is it all hyperbole? Or just hyper bollo- you get my point…
Why does this deja vu seem so familiar?
The Bills started the 2025 season 4-0 with the Prime Time thrilling comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens kicking things off. Of course, we should really have lost that game, but cheating death once is fine.
Then came unconvincing wins over the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints.
“Good teams win when they play well, title winning teams win when playing poorly.” Oh boy did I believe that. The best was yet to come.
To suddenly find ourselves at 4-2 was incredibly humbling – no less because of my poorly timed article suggesting the Bills could go undefeated!
This is nothing new however.
Last season, after five weeks, the Bills slumped from 3-0 to 3-2 with back-to-back defeats to the Baltimore Ravens – a real shellacking – and then a tussle with the Houston Texans.
Following those losses, the Bills picked themselves up, dusted themselves off and went 10-2 down the stretch to finish 13-4 on the year.
In 2021, we were also 4-2 after six games, with the latest defeat coming at the hands of a Derrick Henry-led Tennessee Titans. He crushed the Bills for 143 yards on the ground and 3 touchdowns. Truly demoralizing.
Yet somehow, 2025 feels… different?
Hard Times for our unsupportive cast
This offseason, General Manager Brandon Beane was incredibly busy. He signed back most of his previous draft classes to new long-term deals.
James Cook was the drawn-out saga – that got done eventually and he has been every bit the player the Bills needed as he sits second in the league in rushing yards with 537.
As for the rest – Gregory Rousseau, Christian Benford, Terrel Bernard and Khalil Shakir – it has been far less than ideal.
The Bills really need these players to step up – as the sight of Josh Allen sat on the sideline, staring into the abyss as his defense gives up yet another big score is a sight I can no longer cope with.
It is a Bleak House
The buck stops with Beane and head coach Sean McDermott.
Many disgruntled fans have voiced their concerns about the roster construction – citing the over reliance on the brilliance of Josh Allen.
Beyond that, the offense has not looked anywhere close to how fluid it was in 2024.
That falls to offensive coordinator Joe Brady – interviewed by many teams for head coaching roles himself this offseason – he has struggled to get the Bills firing.
Dalton Kincaid and James Cook have looked good, but the wide receivers have looked mediocre at best.
It does not help when Stefon Diggs comes to town and shows you what you are missing.
Maybe the hottest seat in the stadium belongs to defensive coordinator Bobby Babich. The Bills defense is clearly the biggest issue. The run game in particular has been historically poor.
The Bills have allowed a staggering 5.8 yards per carry through six games. That is 938 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground alone.
How does that compare? That is the worst figure EVER in the Super Bowl era – since 1966.
The Bills defense is 31st in opponent yards before contact/carry *and* 31st in yards after contact/carry.
Buffalo fans, on a scale of 1-10…what’s your panic level?
📺: https://t.co/eKlbeZmDEA pic.twitter.com/zVSwKQ7Y4J
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) October 15, 2025
If the Bills need to resolve anything – that is surely where you start. Fans will not care how it gets done.
The fact of the matter is the run defense is leaking yards and points at an unprecedented level and that is the most demoralizing way a team can lose games.
Being physically dominated and having your opponents will imposed on you.
Has Beane a plan? Or are we ‘Has Beanes’?
It is the trade deadline shortly and Brandon Beane has not ever been shy in making a trade to fill a need.
Usually that need is adding value to an already rolling offense.
He may find he is trying to find the piece that might just save the Bills season.
I do not think the Bills need an offensive trade. Joe Brady needs to rediscover his flair of 2024 and get the Bills running the ball again.
The Bills have found themselves in game scripts where they are playing from behind and are required to pass more than they would ideally want to.
If the Bills can resolve their defensive woes – that will compliment the run game nicely and play more to the Bills’ strengths.
The Bills need stronger play from their linebackers and safeties.
The days of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer feel a distant memory now and Taylor Rapp and Cole Bishop just have not been good enough. Their missed tackles in particular, have caused major issues.
Incredibly, Jordan Poyer has been elevated from the Bills practice squad this week and could well be in line to play. Such is the state of the position group currently, that the 34-year-old can challenge the starters for game time.
Great Expectations
My view on the matter is straight down the middle.
There is no cause for panic – the league is wide open and the Bills have time to resolve their issues.
Equally, something needs to be done and I know that this Beane-McDermott duo know that too.
They have never been shy in making the tough calls before – firing Ken Dorsey the season after a stellar offensive output, recognising the need for a change.
The aforementioned Dickens novel – A Tale of Two Cities – is set in the years prior to the French Revolution.
A period famous for one thing: The uprising of the masses against the hierarchy, resulting in heads rolling with reckless abandon. Let us hope it does not come to that.
There is reason for optimism however, perhaps it is poetic that Charles Dickens’ follow up to A Tale of Two Cities was in fact what we all truly want to have again – Great Expectations.