Bills facing big challenges

Buffalo improved against New England Sunday, but didn't get a win to show for it.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- Silence is the Buffalo Bills' only response.
Admittedly frustrated, coach Mike Mularkey took the unusual step of giving himself and his players Monday off from speaking to the media. He instead chose to let stand his comments following a 21-16 loss at New England Sunday night.
It was a discouraging game for a 3-5 team that enters a bye week having played below its own expectations and that persistently has wilted at the first sign of trouble.
While disappointed in how the Bills squandered a nine-point lead in the final eight minutes, Mularkey still termed his team's performance a step forward.
"I'm actually proud of these guys. I'm frustrated for them, not frustrated at them," Mularkey said. "We overcame a lot of adversity leading into this game where everyone and their brother counted us out.
"I was pretty proud of how we reacted to all that adversity."
The Bills did many things well.
Season-high totals
Their 394 yards offense was a season high, and so were their 13 second-half points and overall time of possession (39 minutes, 20 seconds). Kelly Holcomb had 263 yards passing, the first time Buffalo broke the 200-yard mark in 12 games. And the defense came up big, allowing a season-low 93 yards rushing and limiting New England to a season-low 273 yards offense.
Buffalo's best, however, wasn't good enough, even against a banged-up and vulnerable team such as the Patriots (4-3). In a game with sole possession of first place in the AFC East on the line, New England found a way to win.
Corey Dillon scored touchdowns 1:34 apart, the second and decisive one set up when Rosevelt Colvin sacked Holcomb and forced a fumble at the Bills 23.
Buffalo's last chance of coming back ended when Holcomb hit receiver Eric Moulds for no gain, failing to convert a fourth-and-8 at the Patriots 40.
Team needs to win
"There's no moral victories in this league," Moulds said. "It's good to say you hung in there. But we've got to get wins. And I think we're a good enough football team to get a win."
"I don't know what happened," running back Willis McGahee added. "I guess we just lost our composure in the end."
McGahee and the Bills have two weeks to find it before they host Kansas City on Nov. 13.
Buffalo's hopes are bolstered by how the team rallied from a 1-5 start last year to finish 9-7. But chances of that happening again appear considerably slimmer this season. The team is banged up and missing its top defensive player, linebacker Takeo Spikes, who's out for the season with a torn right Achilles' tendon.
The Bills' second-half schedule is daunting. Their final eight opponents, which include Carolina (5-2), Denver (6-2) and Cincinnati (6-2), have a combined record of 34-25 as opposed to their first eight (25-32).
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