Buffalo Bills trending up, down ahead of Week 5 at Houston Texans

What a difference one week of football makes, fellow Rumblers. One week after the Buffalo Bills saw no player or coach trending down following an impressive 3-0 start and playing an amazing brand of football in every facet, things look a bit different. Now, there's plenty to question about this year's team after an awful game against the Baltimore Ravens .

The Bills will be fine this season, and I expect them to play much better against the Houston Texans this weekend. With that said, there are valid criticisms of the overall roster quality and the coaching in big games. Those are both big deals if the thinking remains playoffs.

Spoiler alert: It's playoffs or bust with Josh Allen at quarterback. Who's rising and who may be headed in the wrong direction ahead of this Week 5 matchup in H-town?

Falling — Buffalo Bills coaching staff Led by head coach Sean McDermott, the coaching staff deserves a lot of praise for having Buffalo's players — with a lot of money invested in players not on the roster anymore , key injuries on defense, and unproven talent around their superstar quarterback — sitting at 3-1 through the first month of the season. That speaks to team full of eager players wanting to prove themselves, willing to put the team first, playing an extremely disciplined brand of football, and following the coaching staff's lead on their way to proving everybody wrong and making a name for themselves.

With that said, despite the good qualities that come with this group, there are individual limitations that are too much to overcome when players aren't put in a position to succeed. They need a healthy dose of preparation and game-planning each week, especially when taking on a more talented roster fueled with a greater sense of urgency as were the Baltimore Ravens.

Last Sunday was reminiscent of any number of recent Bills playoff games, where Buffalo's coaches looked unprepared and were outcoached by a superior opponent. Their plan on defense didn't work at all against the Ravens during the first half and, despite the adjustments after halftime, it wasn't enough. On offense, every time they had the momentum, questionable calls killed any chance to sustain success.

Overall, Week 4 was just another in a line of example that makes me question if McDermott has what's needed to beat the best teams in the playoffs. We know he's good, but these Bills need great. Hopefully, last weekend's loss provided a well-received learning experience.

Rising — QB Josh Allen Though quarterback Josh Allen was held without a touchdown for the first time since 2021, and in just the third regular-season game since entering the league in 2018, he continues trending up in my books. The reason is simple: Allen provided the only glimpse of hope in an otherwise dreadful game everywhere else by the Bills.

I'm not saying Allen played great, because he didn't... at least not overall. However, in a game where the defense couldn't stop handing over touchdowns drive after drive, and despite some questionable play-calling and protection, Allen's amazing big-play ability almost put the Bills back in the game. Instead, those magical moments were let down by poor play calling and drops that hadn't been a problem until last Sunday.

Allen earned AFC Offensive Player of the Month honors after finishing September leading the AFC in total touchdowns (9), passing touchdowns (7), and best touchdown-to-interception ratio (7-0). Every time Allen's number is called he delivers. I have a lot of questions regarding this year's team having a real shot to win a Super Bowl , but quarterback play isn't one of them.

Falling — K Tyler Bass What will it take before the Bills finally decide to move on from embattled kicker Tyler Bass? What are they waiting for? I know it sounds harsh when talking about a kicker who was so promising not that long ago. Still, each week that goes by it becomes more clear that Bass has lost his confidence to a point where it seems irreversible.

When was the last time we saw Bass make a kick and react with his swaggy behavior? Of late, it's been nothing more than an expression of relief after making a kick — or total dejection after shanking a miss. I have no confidence Bass will recover from the miss against the Kansas City Chiefs last January, and the sooner the Bills realize the same and move on, the better.

Rising — WR Keon Coleman Yes, Keon Coleman dropped a pass that was insanely similar to the infamous drop by wide receiver Stefon Diggs against the Chiefs. The missed connection came right when the Bills were looking to put points on the board to mount a comeback attempt just before halftime. However, consider how Coleman responded to that drop. He follow-up was impressive and should give fans a reason to have hope for the future.

Josh Allen didn't give up Coleman, trusting him on a pair of back-shoulder throws where he wasn't necessarily open. These were moments were Coleman had to be on the same page with Allen to make the connection. It worked beautifully, with Coleman showing great hands and body control near the sidelines. Those are the types of plays he was brought in to make, and it ́s good to see Allen begin to take advantage of Coleman's receiving assets more often.

Buffalo's offense has faced a lot of single-high coverage to being the season, which shows other defenses haven't been scared by Buffalo's boundary weapons. If Coleman can continue to succeed on those one-on-one opportunities against single coverage, it should alter how defenses play the Bills, allowing the offense to stick more to their preferred pound-the-rock/ball-control system against light boxes.

Falling — Buffalo Bills Defensive Line One common denominator with each of the Bills' biggest losses in the last few years, especially in the biggest games, is the defensive line being a no-show. We're talking every single one of those opportunities. It wasn't any different in Baltimore last Sunday night.

In fact, in the two games where the plan relied on them slowing down the opposition's run game and creating pressure by rushing just four, it didn't work out well. That was true in the first half against the Arizona Cardinals Week 1, and this past Sunday against the Ravens.

That's bad news for a defense missing their best players, all at the second level. Linebacker Matt Milano isn't coming back anytime soon but, thankfully, it sounds as though linebacker Terrel Bernard and nickel cornerback Taron Johnson should return soon, perhaps as early as this Sunday. As a unit, those three are capable of helping the front four with their assignments and blitzing ability, as well as giving them more time to get home thanks to better coverage.

Buffalo can't be that reliant on its middle line of defense, though. Just like outside cornerbacks Christian Benford and Rasul Douglas have stepped up their games in the absence of other teammates, I'd expect more from the Bills' defensive line group where so much investment has been made.

Defensive end Greg Rousseau stormed out of the gates but he's cooled off in the last couple weeks — showing yet again his trademark inconsistency. Edge rusher Von Miller was shining brightly but after playing just 10 snaps last game, he's set to begin a league-imposed four-game suspension . Defensive end A.J. Epenesa, a starter now, has been mostly invisible.

How about the interior guys? Defensive tackles Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones have looked nowhere near the version of the pair we saw terrorizing offensive lines at the beginning of last season (and now Oliver is injured). Without much behind them that outwardly inspires, the interior D-line play has been lackluster at best. The Bills need more, and soon.

Rising — S Cole Bishop One of the few bright spots last Sunday, rookie second-round safety Cole Bishop is set to start his first NFL game Sunday in Houston. Bishop gained an opportunity with safety Taylor Rapp leaving the field due to a concussion. Encouragingly for Bishop, he didn't seem overwhelmed or outmatched for the most part.

In fact, Bishop offers something that none of the other Bills safeties do — plus athleticism for the position. It was good to see Bishop out there getting his feet wet, because the more snaps he plays, the sooner he should be ready to play as an asset for the defense — void of relying on everything around him working properly to be successful. Bishop's combination of speed, size, and physicality should pair better alongside the experienced and reliable Rapp when he's cleared to resume practicing/playing again after passing each stage of the concussion protocol.

Honorable Mentions Also Rising LB Dorian Williams RB Ty Johnson CB Christian Benford CB Rasul Douglas Also Falling NCB Cam Lewis S Damar Hamlin LB Baylon Spector WR Curtis Samuel WR Mack Hollins WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling