ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Hope has proved dangerous in Buffalo.

Fans had hope in 2004, when the Pittsburgh Steelers rested their starters in a season finale and a win could have put the Bills in the playoffs. Fans had hope in 2008, when the Bills started 5-1. They had it 2011, when a 5-2 start included a win over their long-dominant division rival New England Patriots. And they had it 2014, when the Bills' defense stifled Aaron Rodgers to improve to 8-6 by mid-December.

In each case, the Bills did what they've been known to do: mess it up.

Steelers backup quarterback Tommy Maddox had a 43.8 passer rating and still beat the Bills in 2004. The Bills went 2-8 to end the 2008 season in last place in the AFC East. Injuries contributed to eight losses in the Bills' final nine games in 2011. And in 2014, Oakland's "black hole" lived up to its name as the Bills' playoff aspirations were stomped out by the 2-12 Raiders in Week 16.

This season has begun with the Bills matching their 5-3 start from 2002, 2008, 2011 and 2014. That has been the Bills' best record through eight games during their ongoing 17-year playoff drought, yet only the 2014 season ended with a winning record (9-7).

After the Bills were beaten down Thursday night on national television by the New York Jets, can you blame fans in Buffalo for entertaining the creeping thought that the 2017 Bills might just be the same old Bills?

A week ago, it seemed as though the Bills would be different this season. First-year coach Sean McDermott had made quick progress in reversing the shortcomings of the Rex Ryan era. Despite the Bills' 34-21 loss to the Jets, much of what McDermott has been able to accomplish remains impressive. As he said this week, it is unrealistic to expect each game of a season to play out according to plan.

Yet as much as the addition of receiver Kelvin Benjamin and the potential return of tight end Charles Clay can give the Bills a boost beginning Sunday, when they host the surging New Orleans Saints, winners of six in a row, there are troubling signs.

Injuries to cornerback E.J. Gaines and linebacker Ramon Humber have played a role, but the Bills' defense is on a downward trend.

Through Week 4, at which point the Bills had a 3-1 record, the defense had allowed an NFL-low average of 13.5 points per game. Since Week 5, over which time the Bills have gone 2-2, the defense has ranked tied for 18th in the NFL by allowing 23.8 points per game.

The Bills' red zone defense has dropped from third (36.4 percent opponent conversions) through Week 4 to tied for 22nd since Week 5, allowing opponents to score touchdowns on 61.5 percent of trips inside the 20.

Buffalo also has seen opponents' average yards per play rise from 4.73 through Week 4 (fifth best in the NFL) to 5.92 since Week 5 (seventh worst).

The offense has picked up some of the slack, seeing its average offensive points scored per game rise from 16.5 through Week 4 (tied for 25th in the NFL) to 23.5 since Week 5 (seventh in the NFL). But the offensive line's dreadful performance Thursday night -- allowing seven sacks and gaining 63 rushing yards -- does little to inspire confidence.

The Bills' schedule over their final eight games appears more difficult. They have an even split of four home games and four road contests, but half of those games come against teams currently with winning records -- the Saints, Chiefs and Patriots (twice).

Over the first eight games of the season, the Bills only played one team that has a winning record at the halfway mark. That came during a 9-3 loss in Week 2 to the Carolina Panthers. Wins over Atlanta and Denver that appeared to be the signature of a playoff team no longer look as impressive, as the Broncos (3-5) and Falcons (4-4) have fallen short of preseason expectations.

One criticism of Ryan during his time in Buffalo was that only two of his 15 wins came against teams that would advance to the playoffs -- over the Houston Texans in 2015 and over the Jacoby Brissett-led Patriots during Tom Brady's suspension in 2016.

Another criticism of Ryan's tenure was the number of penalties; the Bills had the third most over his two-year run as coach. That same problem has cropped up over the past two weeks for McDermott, whose players have been flagged 22 times -- the second most in the NFL since Week 8.

If McDermott can clean up the penalties and rally his team -- listed by most sportsbooks as 2-point underdogs -- to a win on Sunday over the 6-2 Saints, then cautious hope will be on the rise again in Buffalo. In a season in which only six AFC teams have records over .500, it might not take the usual 10-win season to get Buffalo into the postseason.

Still, it's no surprise some Bills fans are bracing for the worst.