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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- After the Buffalo Bills' close loss to the then-undefeated Kansas City Chiefs last November, coach Doug Marrone memorably proclaimed that he would go home, hide away in frustration and not even pet his dog. Despite the Bills' come-from-behind, 17-16 win over the Minnesota Vikings, I don't think Boudreaux -- the Marrone family dog -- will be getting much attention Sunday night. This is a flawed Bills team that has gone from playing mistake-free football at the start of the season to stumbling its way through the first 59 minutes of Sunday's contest, patching up its self-inflicted wounds just in time to escape with a win. Let's not confuse this brand of football with resiliency. Rather, all the Bills showed Sunday was an ability to create drama out of what should have been an ordinary victory over a struggling opponent. It might be exciting in October, but it's hardly a recipe that will allow Buffalo to taste success in January. Marrone's demeanor at the podium -- you would need to double-check the box score to make sure the Bills actually won -- told the story after the game. "I think when you go down to the wire like this, then you're not going to win as many as you need to to get there [to the playoffs]," Marrone said. The Bills are 4-3 and managed to keep pace in the division with the New England Patriots (5-2), who won Thursday. Buffalo's schedule -- which includes two games against the New York Jets (1-6) over the next month -- is favorable. It's just hard to see the Bills heading in the right direction given the way they've played the past month. The task of making the postseason will now be even harder after both members of Buffalo's two-headed rushing attack -- C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson -- were carted off with injuries Sunday. Spiller has a broken collarbone, ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported, and is out for an "undetermined time," Marrone said. Jackson will have an MRI on his injured groin Monday. If his body language while leaving the field is any indication, it might not be an easy injury for Jackson to brush off -- as he always seems to do. The Bills are down to Anthony Dixon, a career backup who will have plenty to prove if he becomes the workhorse, and Bryce Brown, a low-mileage back dumped by the Philadelphia Eagles in an offseason trade who hasn't suited up once this season. Spiller has been struggling lately and his playing time dipped to a season-low 12 snaps in last week's loss to the Patriots, but losing Jackson for any extended period would be a big blow. He'd proved to be a consistent, reliable presence in the all-too-inconsistent Bills offense, even leading the team in receptions entering Sunday's game. Overcoming the absence of either or both of those backs will be difficult, but it's the Bills' slipping focus and mounting mistakes that are most alarming. They turned over the ball to the Patriots three times last week, added four turnovers Sunday -- including two fumbles inside the red zone -- and have shown an uncanny knack for drawing flags in critical situations. Even on their last-minute touchdown drive Sunday, which ended in a decisive 2-yard touchdown catch by Sammy Watkins, the Bills seemingly did their best to lose the game. Tight end Scott Chandler let a ball slip through his hands, right tackle Seantrel Henderson drew a false-start penalty one breath after a fourth-and-20 conversion, and Kyle Orton committed an intentional grounding penalty once the Bills reached the red zone. Had it not been for Chandler's 24-yard catch on fourth-and-20 or Watkins' touchdown grab with one second remaining, the Bills would be reeling, losers of four of their past five. Count Marrone among those disturbed by the trend, one that threatens to turn the Bills' 4-3 start into a much less desirable finish. "I would hate to be categorized as grumpy after a win, but I don't help myself here right now," Marrone said. "I know where I want to go with the team. I do. And I'm just fighting to lead this team to where I want to go. "It's on myself. I'm going to be on the coaches and the coaches are going to be on [the players]."
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