Things didn’t start well for the Buffalo Bills, despite winning the toss and taking the ball confidently on offense. The message was clear: our team is better than your team, and we take the ball to score. Not so fast.

Another game, another disappointing first half performance overall by Sean McDermott’s Bills this season. After 30 minutes of play, the Bills found themselves on the wrong side of a 10-7 deficit. The football bounced Buffalo’s way often enough, yet they were completely unprepared to do anything about their fortunes.

Committing a turnover in Tennessee Titans territory near midfield. Instead of going for a kill shot and a quick scoring opportunity, offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s move was to send rookie running back Ray Davis headfirst into some tough defensive tackles. Four plays later, the Bills had punted the ball back to the Titans.

Granted, all was not bad in the first half, best exemplified by Buffalo’s three-play, 55-yard touchdown drive in response to a 10-0 deficit. The concern may be that Allen and the passing game have been almost completely invisible on designed plays, with the long pass to rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman coming off a jailbreak.

The previous ten plays – the team’s first ten scripted plays – went for 24 yards and produced three three-and-out drives. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady needs to figure out how to put these players in a better position to succeed, and the players need to be held accountable for their poor execution. It’s a recipe for disaster if things don’t change.

It wasn’t wise to expect anything major from wide receiver Amari Cooper after a few days in town. His first look was incomplete and his role was mainly a decoy for 30 minutes.

In all, the Bills matched their season-high of four three-and-outs before giving Tennessee the ball back on a poorly guarded punt. That is, giving the ball back to the Titans just before halftime, giving them a chance to work around the field in an attempt to execute the first half of a double dip. And as often happens with the McDermott Bills, things really got interesting when the clock expired. Luckily, Stanford Redux wouldn’t be in the house with the Syracuse University marching band and ready to rock at halftime.

The bills begin with the defense to start the third quarter. Hopefully Buffalo’s coaches have a plan to help both sides of the ball win the scrimmage in a more meaningful way. Although defensive end Greg Rousseau was a force in the first quarter, his pressure allowed Rudolph to find perfect checkdowns. At one point, Rudolph was on pace for 360 yards passing.

The Buffalo Bills need to be better – at every stage. There are no excuses for such terrible football. Josh Allen going 4-for-11 for 65 yards is pathetic, and this isn’t a new development for the offense under Brady. A cursory look at the Titans’ offensive game plan shows many looks similar to what the Baltimore Ravens used against the Bills. As with the Ravens, it has worked great for Tennessee.

Here’s your second half thread so you can enjoy the rest of this afternoon’s match. Remember to be kind to one another and in all things… Go Bills!