The terrible nature of the Bills receiving corps is summed up in this troubling statistic

The Buffalo Bills' “Everyone Eats” offense appears to be on a strict diet.

There are few areas of blame in Buffalo's ugly 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans, although the performance of the receiving corps (or lack thereof) certainly played a role in the outcome of the Week 5 clash. Quarterback Josh Allen targeted his wide receivers 18 times throughout the contest, with the position group totaling just four receptions for 76 yards.

Statistically speaking, Keon Coleman led the way as he caught all 49 yards on his touchdown reception in the third quarter. Mack Hollins caught two balls for 27 yards, while Curtis Samuel caught a pass for no gain. Four receptions on 18 targets. Allen certainly had one of the worst statistical performances of his career in the loss (he completed just 30% of his passes), and while some of his throws missed the target all day, he is solely responsible for his outside receivers hitting the field Only achieve 22% of your goals during the day?

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This is theoretically possible, but unlikely. Some blame must be placed on the team's receiving corps, as longtime NFL expert Greg Rosenthal released a statistic after the game that sums up just how unproductive the group was; According to Rosenthal, Allen finished the game just 1 of 15 on passes more than 10 yards down the field.

“It was almost as if the Texans were daring these receivers to beat them,” Rosenthal wrote.

And they didn't. Buffalo's receivers struggled to create any sort of separation during the game, and while Allen has the ability to thread the needle and fit balls into remarkably tight windows, asking him – or any quarterback – to do that during of the entire game to do for a disaster.

The players who make up the receiving corps aren't solely to blame here, as one could legitimately look at the players who were targeted on Sunday and simply ask, “Well, what did the Bills expect?” Hollins led his position group that day with six targets; He's a career role player who thrives as a blocker and special teamer, and asking him to play a major role in a passing attack is simply detrimental at this point. Coleman was second on five targets; He's a rookie who was widely considered raw in the pre-draft process, and it's simply unfair to expect him to be a sophisticated target eater in his fifth career game. Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling had four and three goals respectively, but these are complementary career options that, again, cannot be proven to be relied upon for consistent offensive performance at this point.

Buffalo opted for an egalitarian approach to aerial production following the offseason departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis, creating a theoretically robust group of versatile weapons that allowed Allen to distribute the ball relatively evenly. After five games it is clear that the group lacks the necessary firepower to be consistently competitive.

Additional talent is needed. Third-year stalwart Khalil Shakir was sidelined with an ankle injury in Week 5, and his eventual return will provide a boost; However, the receiving corps ceiling is relatively low regardless of Shakir's availability. Allen (and every other quarterback in football) needs receivers who can provide separation, and currently the number of wideouts on Buffalo's roster who can consistently do so is worryingly low; Pass catchers reportedly currently on the market include Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro Davante Adams, Cleveland Browns receiver Amari Cooper and Green Bay Packers wideout Romeo Doubs.

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