The Buffalo Bills are trailing at halftime against the Arizona Cardinals, and the game feels a lot worse than the 17-10 score suggests. The Bills have been significantly outplayed in almost every way except special teams.

Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich seemed overwhelmed and couldn’t handle the early loss of nickel cornerback Taron Johnson. The Cardinals started the offense with a dominant ball control, with running back James Connor playing a big role. Although everyone knew it was coming, Buffalo’s defense could do little to stop it.

The Bills offense inexplicably picked up penalty after penalty, including three unacceptable false starts on their final drive. Fortunately, the always capable Josh Allen was able to overcome the adversity and score a rushing touchdown with seconds left. Penalties were a troubling theme in this game and we’ll explore that further in postgame coverage.

The good news? The Bills are only seven points behind and have the ball to start the second half. The double-dip potential could be the key to saving tonight’s game. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady would be wise to keep running the ball as Arizona’s defense struggles to stop running back James Cook. He should also try to get wide receiver Khalil Shakir more involved on each drive and do everything possible to get something going with tight end Dalton Kincaid.

Here’s your thread for the second half of the rest of today’s game.