Three unacceptable coaching mistakes that cost the Bills dearly in their first loss

It was an opportunity to make a statement to the rest of the National Football League, and the Buffalo Bills pulled off a dud on Sunday night with the coaching staff leading the way.

The Baltimore Ravens outscored the Bills 35-10, taking advantage of a defense that was arguably missing their three best players, but a host of coaching absences made matters worse. The Ravens looked both better prepared and tougher, although they also received a few gifts along the way.

Here are three brutal coaching mistakes that cost the Bills a huge loss to the Ravens in Week 4.

It would be nice if Sean McDermott could choose an aggressive four-down strategy and stick with it. On the opening drive of the game, the Bills faced a 4th-and-1 at their own 39-yard line and rightly kept the offense off the field. They converted, only to end the drive with two miscues on the next downs.

After James Cook gained eight yards on first down, the ensuing 2nd-and-2 seemed like an ideal opportunity to complete a play-action pass. Instead, the Bills ran rookie Ray Davis to the line for no gain. After an incomplete third down, McDermott ducked and sent the punt team from midfield on 4th-and-2.

Later in the half, McDermott outdid himself by deciding to punt on a 4th-and-1 from the 39th minute. If the strategy was that in a goalless game, why would the coach choose to do exactly the same thing? Situation when trailing, 14-3, on the road? Is there a philosophy behind the decision-making process or is it just flipping a coin?

The Bills played on a short week, but that's not a good enough excuse in today's NFL.

The Ravens constantly put pressure on Josh Allen, and the Bills couldn't solve the problem. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady showed he was unable to counter Baltimore's effective defensive game plan, which blocked Buffalo's receivers all night.

On defense, Buffalo looked overwhelmed and outsmarted throughout the first half, with the receivers running wide open and the running backs attacking them in both the run and pass games.

Derrick Henry completed an 87-yard run on a perfectly planned and executed play on the Ravens' first offensive snap of the game.

RELATED: Bills lose fourth defensive starter to injury on Sunday Night Football

The actual game was bad enough, and the timing was even worse.

Trailing 21-3 after an unfortunate first half, the Bills showed signs of life after halftime. The defense forced a three-and-out and the offense ran off a touchdown, set up by a miraculous 52-yard pass from Allen to Khalil Shakir.

Trailing 21-10, the defense delivered a second straight three-pointer that gave Buffalo the ball at its own 19-yard line and a chance for a one-score game. The Bills drove all the way to the Ravens' 44-yard line before attempting an incredibly terrible gadget play on 2nd-and-7.

Buffalo lined up wide receiver Curtis Samuel with a shotgun and split quarterback Josh Allen wide left. Samuel hastily threw the ball to Allen, who was stripped by Kyle Van Noy. The turnover killed any momentum the Bills had built and it was lights out for the rest of the night. Not to mention, Allen was shocked by the piece!

If Joe Brady wanted to get the ball into Samuel's hands at this point, a simple tunnel screen would have been a much smarter and probably more effective option.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Buffalo Bills Bills on SI —