This past Sunday was a complete dumpster fire for the Bills.
Josh Allen and the offense couldn't get anything going while compounding things by turning the ball over.
Jonathan Taylor ran over, under, around, and through the Bills defense.
There even was a lost fumble and two missed field goals from special teams.
While a lot of Bills Mafia is in panic mode, I'm not.
I look at that performance against Indianapolis as the only game this season where nothing went right.
In the losses to Pittsburgh and Jacksonville, the Bills defense did their part.
The loss to the Tennessee had the offense carrying the load and falling about a yard short.
I do agree there are some warts on this team that are popping more of late and have have the antenna raised high, but I'm not on the ledge just yet in regards to thinking this team still can't accomplish all that most of us believe they can.
But it must begin with righting the ship against the Saints on Thanksgiving.
Let's dive into what's on tap.
Turn Around the Turnovers
The Bills may still be 2nd in the NFL in scoring (29.5 PPG) and 5th in yards per game (391.7), but they've had their two lowest offensive totals the last three weeks.
What needs to turn around?
Let's start with Josh Allen, who appeared to be forcing things a bit both against the Jaguars and last Sunday against the Colts.
He's thrown four interceptions in those two losses, adding another in the Jets win sandwiched between.
Nothing was hammered home more by Sean McDermott and Brian Daboll over the past few days than how the turnovers have been the biggest issue for the team as a whole.
Allen getting back to making the right decisions will be critical, especially against a New Orleans defense that's tied for 8th in the NFL with 11 interceptions, ranking 7th with an INT rate of 3.15% of opponents passes.
Diggs Thanksgiving Feast
Another thing Allen could do to help turn the tide is throw the ball more to Stefon Diggs.
Against the Colts, Diggs saw his lowest receiving yard total as a Bill with 23 yards.
The six targets he saw was the 2nd lowest as a Bill, behind the 5 he saw in the win at Kansas City.
After the Indy game, Allen flat out said he thinks he might need to start forcing the ball to Diggs.
Diggs continues to be a team-first guy who says the right things, but we saw a little bit of agreement with Allen when I asked him about his QB's comments.
"I want to be that spark for my team and I want to be the reason my team is catching momentum," Diggs said.
Last season the Bills were 7-2 in games Diggs saw double-digit targets. They're 3-2 this season.
The match-up is tough for Diggs, likely going up against Marshon Lattimore, though Diggs had success against him and the Saints when with the Vikings. In 2 regular season games he reeled in 17 of 19 targets for 212 yards and 3 TDs. He had 6 receptions for 137 yards and the Minneapolis Miracle TD in one playoff game, but followed that up two years later with just 2 grabs for 19 yards.
Breida Entering the Backfield
As the Bills running game continues to be a talking point, a change has brought some life to the party.
Matt Breida once again produced when given the opportunities, rushing for 51 yards on 5 carries and adding one catch for 16 yards against the Colts.
After getting the ball six times on just 8 offensive snaps against the Jets, Breida getting those five rushing attempts and 2 passing targets in 18 snaps.
McDermott made it clear during this short week that Breida's earned the right to see the field and get the ball more.
While the Bills head coach wouldn't say it himself, I think it'll be hard to accomplish that if both Devin Singletary and Zack Moss continue to be in the mix as well.
For me, it's time to sit Moss and distribute his workload between Singletary and Breida.
Moss is averaging 2.95 yards per carry over his last six games. He's only had a YPC above 4 twice this season.
Meanwhile, Singletary is averaging 5 YPC this season, falling under 4 YPC in just two games.
The issue to me has always been that Singletary and Moss are too similar to be a tandem. Swapping Moss for Breida gives the Bills backfield a change of pace, one where Breida has shown to be effective.
Oh by the way, the Saints are coming off a performance similar to the Bills regarding stopping the run, allowing 242 rushing yards to the Eagles.
They still rank 3rd in the NFL against the run by allowing an average of 89.8 yards per game.
Turn the Rush Around
Speaking of the Bills beaten up run defense, they've got an interesting task ahead Thursday night.
Alvin Kamara has already been ruled out for the Saints, taking away one of the league's most dynamic RBs.
That could leave Mark Ingram as the lead back, though he is listed as questionable with a knee injury that had his practice week go limited-DNP-limted.
Ingram has played four games with New Orleans since returning in a trade from Houston. In that time he's rushed for 205 yards and a TD, averaging 4.6 YPC. In the two games he's played with Kamara, Ingram has run for 70 yards on 15 carries.
Ty Montgomery is next in line behind Ingram.
Overall, the Saints rank 13th in the NFL by averaging 117.9 rushing yards per game.
Making matters worse, tackle Ryan Ramczyk will also miss the game with a knee injury while other tackle Terron Armstead has been battling knee and shoulder issues and is listed as questionable.
Add it all up, even without Star Lotulelei likely playing once again, the Bills are primed for a bounce back against the run.
Trevor and Taysom
Trevor Siemian's been the Saints starting QB since Jameis Winston went down a month ago.
In 3 starts, Siemian's thrown for 761 yards on 57.4% completion, with 7 TDs to 2 INTs, both coming against the Eagles last week.
New Orleans hasn't been shy letting him cut it loose, with 41-34-40 pass attempts in those three starts. Of course, all three were losses and the Saints needed to throw to try and get back in the game.
He's expected to be under center Thursday night, but you never know what factor Taysom Hill will play.
Hill has only thrown 4 passes this season for 44 yards, but added 4 rushes for 27 yards as well as 1 reception for 5 yards receiving.
He was dealing with an injury earlier in the season and was active, but didn't see the field last week against the Eagles.
The jack-of-all-trades did get 4 starts at QB last season when Drew Brees was hurt, so it is possible if Siemian struggles that a change could be made.
Either way, the Bills defense will need to be prepared for both in some capacity.
On the Line
BUF (-6.5)
O/U: 45.5
**Caesars Sports Book**
Injury Report
BILLS
No players listed
SAINTS
OUT: RB Alvin Kamara (knee), T Ryan Ramcyzk (knee), DE Marcus Davenport (shoulder), DE Tanoh Kpassagnon (ankle)
QUESTIONABLE: RB Mark Ingram (knee), T Terron Armstead (knee/shoulder)
Prediction
Bills win 27-17
Allen and the Bills will once again rise up on the primetime stage with their backs against the wall. Allen legs pair with a slightly bigger commitment to the ground game, while Emmanuel Sanders has a nice return to New Orleans with a TD grab. The defense once again gets back to their takeaway ways with 2 Siemian INTs.
Bills and Saints kick things off Thanksgiving night at 8:20 p.m. EST.
**Make sure to tune into Spectrum News 1 immediately after the game for "Buffalo End Zone." Our LIVE postgame show brings you highlights, team reaction, and analysis shortly after the final whistle blows. Kevin Carroll hosts in studio and is joined by our Bills beat reporter Jon Scott and Bills radio sideline reporter Sal Capaccio from New Orleans.**