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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Held to 3.2 yards per carry through the first five games of this season, LeSean McCoy was looking forward to Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a chance to turn his season around. Instead, he let his team down -- then redeemed himself. For only the second time in his Buffalo Bills career and the first time since 2015, McCoy lost a fumble. That gave the Buccaneers the ball with 9:30 remaining in the fourth quarter in a tied game, and Tampa capitalized with a touchdown to take the lead. Already "angry" with himself over his performance to start this season, McCoy wouldn't have felt any better after what looked like a potential loss. "That can't happen, that won't happen again," McCoy said after the game. "I got to be better. I got to play better." Then the tide turned. When the Bills got the ball back, a 44-yard completion from Tyrod Taylor to newly-signed wide receiver Deonte Thompson gave McCoy a chance for redemption. He did not disappoint, scoring on a 7-yard touchdown run -- his second of the day -- to tie the score. The Bills then forced a Buccaneers fumble on their next drive and Stephen Hauschka hit the go-ahead field goal for the 30-27 win.  "I was definitely upset, I wasn't happy [about the fumble]," McCoy said. "But I controlled myself. I just wanted to get another opportunity, praying the defense would get a stop. Get that second chance. So things happen. It's how you adjust, how you respond, how you bounce back." What it means: The Bills begin coach Sean McDermott's first season with a surprising 4-2 record and keep pace with the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins in a tighter-than-expected AFC East. It is the second consecutive season Buffalo has started with a 4-2 record; the Bills finished 7-9 last season. But unlike in losses last season in Miami and Oakland, when the Rex Ryan-coached Bills lost 11-point and 15-point leads in both of those games and could not recover, McDermott's team found a way to win Sunday despite blowing an 11-point third-quarter lead. That is progress. What the Bills did well: Run the ball. Buffalo finished with 173 rushing yards, its most since Week 1 when Buffalo ran for 190 yards against the Jets. McCoy gained 91 yards on 23 carries, failing to surpass 100 yards for a fifth consecutive game. However, his two touchdowns were his first two of the season and played a critical role for an offense that again had issues at times Sunday moving the ball through the air. Thompson, signed Tuesday, led the Bills with four catches for 107 yards. Its top core of wide receivers -- Jordan Matthews, Zay Jones and Andre Holmes -- remained relatively ineffective. What the Bills did not do well: Defend the pass. The Bills' defense entered Week 6 allowing 14.8 points per game, the fewest in the NFL. They gave up 27 points Sunday to Tampa, which served as a reminder that McDermott and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier still have work to do. Jameis Winston completed 32 of 44 passes for 384 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, carving up the Bills' secondary almost all afternoon. Buffalo left tight end O.J. Howard wide open -- there were no defenders within 15 yards -- on a 33-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. The loss of starting cornerback E.J. Gaines to a hamstring injury during the game might have played a role, but the pass defense as a whole struggled for a second consecutive game. Buffalo allowed Andy Dalton to throw for 328 yards, including 189 to A.J. Green, in a Week 5 loss to Cincinnati. Bills booed off field at halftime: The Bills committed an inexcusable error at the end of the first half that prevented Buffalo from scoring off a Winston interception that gave the Bills the ball at Tampa's 26-yard line with 23 seconds left. After calling their final timeout, Taylor had a shot at the end zone from the Buccaneers' 18-yard line with 11 seconds on the clock. He threw a 2-yard completion to Matthews with little chance of Matthews getting out of bounds before he was tackled. Buffalo then tried unsuccessfully to get to the line for a spike before time expired, resulting the team being booed off the field despite holding a 10-6 lead. McDermott took blame for the error, saying he thought the Bills could get a play off and spike the ball. Taylor added it was a miscommunication between "me, coach McDermott and coach Rico [offensive coordinator Rick Dennison]. It's something we have to learn from. It's something that can't happen moving forward. That was big point in the game where we could have got three points." What’s next: The Bills remain at home next Sunday against the Oakland Raiders, who will have extra rest after Thursday's last-second win over the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bills will once again have their hands full with a passing offense featuring Derek Carr, Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper.
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