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He gets bodied too easily, I would rather give a contested catch to Shavers.

I'll feel a lot better if Shaq is gtg.

Thank goodness for Bishop and Poyer. They made a ton of tackles to prevent more runs to the house. Bernard basically played well also. As stated earlier Milano is not the player he once was. Poyer also would have made the tackle on the long touchdown run had he not been blocked in the back, and no flag. I almost think our poor play against the run falls on the shoulders of our DC more than a lack of talent on the line.

The Bucs punted 4 times yesterday. Now, one of them resulted in pinning the Bills deep and the resulting INT, and another of them was a Hardman fumble and a TD, but the D did force 4 punts.

Talk about a wild game. This is the type of game that you could draw fifty different conclusions from and probably be equally correct with all them. For my version of events, please understand that I had to watch half of the game on my phone because my daughter's dumb soccer team decided to make it to their championship game of their tournament, which was at 2p. Thankfully, this was the last tournament of the season and they won. 1 - Josh - Between Josh's post game presser, comments we've heard from coaches, and plays within this game, I think I've decided that Josh's overall issue as of late has been a matter of trust, timing, and rushing. In this game, we saw all the big throws, runs, and passion that makes Josh our MVP. But we also saw some mental mistakes that could have sank us. I'm only going to focus on the opportunities, because none of us need help glazing Josh more than we already do. On the first interception, the smart play would have been to throw the ball at the receivers feet, in order to avoid the safety and intentional grounding. But, more often than not, Josh's shuffle passes work out and we are so quick to praise his backyard football moves. In that moment, Josh needs to understand that a weakly lobbed pass into traffic is most likely going to result in a negative play. On the second interception, as we've seen reoccur over the past three weeks, Josh is late getting the ball to motionless receiver that has a defense on his back. This to me indicates that Josh is looking for bigger plays, waits too long to take the easy pass, and allows the defenders to adjust. This is confirmed to me by Josh and the coach's post game pressers where even Josh has said he saw guys earlier, but wants to keep looking downfield. There's nothing wrong with that, and we finally saw where those big plays finally game to fruition and has sparked our success in the past. Hopefully, this game is a sign of more of those big plays and Josh will get his timing and quick decisions back to where they've been. 2 - Shakir - As discussed in my previous thought, there were a few plays where Shakir was open underneath and Josh did not throw to him. On one play specifically, Josh had Shakir and Shavers both wide open on crossers and Josh threw to Shavers. Both were clearly visible to Josh and Shakir is known for his after catch abilities. With that being said, I have to wonder if that was a conscious choice to keep a hit away from Shakir due to his injury. Shakir didn't really have a stat line and I have to think he was more of a decoy or only to be thrown to in emergency situations. Or I'm an idiot and completely wrong. 3 - Shavers - Really just wanted to take the time to congratulate this young man on his journey and all the hard work he's put into this team. In a game where Palmer, Davis, and the RB's got more passes, Shavers still found a way to lead the team in yardage, all while contributing on special teams. He earner his targets and his touchdown pass was beautiful both in the pass and in the way Shavers used his hands to secure the catch. Well deserved game and I hope to see more of it. 4 - RB's - You could argue that the passing to RB's started two weeks ago, but it was really effective today. Not only that, but Cook and Johnson looked fast AF out there. I don't know if they've been running in mud lately, but both looked like olympic sprinters on their touchdown catches. While the run game itself wasn't great overall, they made up for it in the passing game. Great to see the Bills give opposing teams something else to worry about. 5 - Run defense - I'm not an X's and O's guy, so I can never tell you why a specific part of the defense broke down. My first thought is to blame the linebackers, but most of the post game analysis pointed out deficiencies with the defensive line. What we do know is that injuries are not part of this, as Oliver and Hoecht are more pass rushers and our big guys were all there to play, including AJ. Maybe credit is due to the Bucs offensive line, as our pressure rate seemed low as well as our ability to contain. Either way, it was not great to see us get gashed on the ground, especially after the Achane experience and the possible JT one to come. 6 - Secondary - I also read post game that Hairston had a large majority of the snaps during the game, but I honestly don't recall ever really seeing him out there. Maybe that's a good thing? Either way, I thought Lewis looked good out there in spots and Benford stepped up. I definitely noticed Tre out there a lot and they overall seemed to do their jobs. Bishop continues to impress and made a great interception. Poyer's speed seemed to hurt at times, but also saw a lot more Hancock out there. 7 - Milano - This hurts to say, but Milano needs to go the way of Poyer this offseason. Sign with Miami, get cut, then join us back on the practice squad. Whether it be injuries or age, Milano just can't get to the ball anymore and it's noticeable. I was going to call him out for the run defense concerns, but I don't know that it was all him. Either way, between him late to the tackle, getting taken out by second level blocks, or him coming off the field on passing downs, the signs of his glory days being over are there. 8 - Special Teams - If not for a questionable defensive holding call and fumble by Hardman, this might have been the best special teams performance of the season. Like the RB's, our returners played fast and had solid overall gains. The Bills were blessed with solid starting field position multiple times and the wind didn't seem to affect the kicking game too much. Hardman's injury isn't great and hopefully we will get more details on that soon. 9 - Miami - Someone made a thoughts thread last week and I was out of town to comment. But how in the actual ***** did we go from the Chiefs game to that, and now this?! I mean, what the actual *****? 10 - Coaching - Do we know if McD called that game on defense? Against a team missing their starting RB and top two starting WR's, we got ran through most of the game. The Bucs had a lot of 3rd and shorts, which didn't help. Baker looked like Lamar out there at times and we missed a lot of tackles. With that being said, we did make some solid halftime adjustments and held our own in the second half. The offense, minus the running game, was on fire and people were getting OPEN! I don't feel right putting it on Coleman, but maybe not trying to force feed a guy and giving him the majority target share was a bad idea? Either way, Gabe was probably more productive in the same role, has a better chemistry with Josh, and Palmer seemed to open up some lanes. I also read that Shaver's separation was elite in this game. Not sure if the fan/media comments finally got to them, but this is the offense of everyone eats that we've been wanting. Texans on the road with short rest isn't great, but the 10 days off after should be nice. Hopefully we don't see Stroud, as the Texans usually play us hard. Go Bills!

I know its not in McDermotts wheelhouse, but I'd be interested to hear peoples thoughts on this. Does anyone think a Bear front might help us in running situations? I mean its designed to stop the run and pressure Bosa Williams Walker- D.Jones-Rousseau Thompson Bernard Poyer Benford. Bishop Hairston

For some players football is a means to an end. Handing someone a few million dollars gives them opportunities they never had. obviously it’s myopic on their part to not put full effort into getting a second contract but if they don’t truly love the game 🤷‍♂️

This is what we need to do Thursday...

Crazy Milano stat: 75% completion percentage (not including the Bucs game) - worst (by far) of his career. 9% missed tackle rate - Best (by far) of his career.

Or for him to show that he has the ability to function as a member of the offense, and not expect to be the focal point of every game.

So banged up at LB unfortunately. And the Bills got very fortunate with finding Shaq Thompson. I think the Bills ideal LB situation is to have Bernard and Shaq healthy while using Dorian as the third LB in running and QB spy/blitz situations and mixing in Milano to try to absorb some snaps for Shaq and Bernard early in the game. I think Milano for 15-20 snaps a game can still make plays he is just no longer an every down LB. I also think the team should consider rotating in Buffalo Joe 10ish snaps a game esp when Shaq is out. This team just simply is so short on bodies and banged up at LB.

Same for me. I didn't pour any alcohol until halftime, when I went back to Vodka and Water. Yesterday I also went back to my Josh Allen Jersey and Potato logo hat. I swore it doesn't matter what I drink or wore during the game, that the Bills are going to do what they do. But you can bet your booty I'll wear my Allen Jersey, Potato Logo hat, and drink Vodka and Water next week.

Well I’m certainly not asking for there to be mistakes

Bills are tired of this kid's BS.

I heard teams have called an offered a 2033 conditional 7th round pick

sorry Tuco. I should have bumped this. Your books are creepy and fun. If you are into bloodsuckers anyway lol Best of luck. I think the covers are super cool too

But ya gotta get to the playoffs and play week until then. Need exceptional DB play to cover our poor LB play at this point. Been better, not exceptional. Also need good LB play to allow our pass rushers to just play without worrying what’s happening behind them.

Landon Jackson. Undefeated 7-0 when he is out. 0-3 when he dresses. Here is to hoping he is out for the year.

I have not seen Virgs few thoughts so I am going to step in after yesterdays big win as there are some sizable takeaways that are going to make for an interesting finish. Without any more pomp or praise here we go: 1. Ahha That Josh! - He has always been here and he certainly has had some good to heck great games (KC) this year, but yesterday felt like the return of quintessential Josh. Powerful, Chaotic, Unpredictable, Loosey Goose a little bit (wtf was that chest INT bro), but also a DemiGod who borders on unstoppable. For a list of reasons I am not getting into he has been far more a game manager this year and at times his attitude has been middling which he has said is to not get to high or low. But to be honest the best Josh is what yesterday was and it was nice to see it even if it just is a reminder it is there and don't worry. When people say the Bills will go as far as Josh takes them it is because of games like yesterday. 2. Passing Attack- I will be careful as it was one game and you need to be careful to not overreact too far... BUT that was the first time all year they passed with command and dictated the game when they passed. The Ravens game was fun and the numbers looked awesome... but Baltimore was also in a stupid prevent D & their secondary has stunk all year. Tampa Bay is not the best defense in football and their top CB went out, but finally the offense showed it can pass with command when the running game. That has been the major question for a while as when the Bills can run they can win, but when they have been asked to pass it has been not good (ATL/MIA). It is still one game and I would like to see this continue the remainder of the season, but it does give hope that the offense can roll far more like it did last year when it could run AND pass when needed. 3. Pass Catchers- I will get more in depth on Coleman, but yesterday felt like a burn the ships were doing what we need to do now for this passing group to work. Gabe Davis won't be a world beater but he made some very good plays and most importantly was a dependable catcher for Josh. Palmer had a nice moment or two showing when healthy it helps having him. Shavers was the big breakout and credit for him for how hard he worked to make the roster and get here. I was at training camp when he got hurt as it happened right in front of me. He was good all preseason even with that injury and it was so nice (and needed) to see him have the game he did. For the pass catching group one of the biggest things is Shakir only had one catch for -3 yards and yet the offense was rolling threw the air. That is something I did not think I would've have said before the game. Credit to Brady for finally get the RBs going on screens and plays out of the flat as that was a huge help and something missing for a while. This pass catching group is never going to be great, but yesterday looked like a group that at least is serviceable so the passing game can go at a decent clip. Mix in Kincaid coming back, Shakir on his good days, and the RBs playing more a roll and for maybe the first time this year I feel decent about what they can do in the air. 4. Coleman- The point of no return has been hit. Third time he has been rocked for discipline within a year is really bad. His effort has already been questioned and it is a realllyyy bad sign when the headcoach after the game is saying "the ball finds those who work hard". Keon had a great week one and since then has had a miserable year by all account's. But the kid gloves are off now and no one is hiding him or his issues. He was always going to be a player that needed a lot of work to hit his maximum potential, but at this point guys like Shavers see to be passing him because they actually are putting the work in. With the season now at a point were they cannot afford a slip up if they hope to catch NE for the AFC East, they can no longer afford mistakes as players grow and if the effort issues are this bad it doesn't look positive long term either. Dion Dawkins is probably the biggest kid personality wise on the team and when he is saying stuff about a fellow player in public you know its really bad. Maybe the light finally hits for Keon, he turns it around and this is one of those great stories. Realistically though when you keep have to say "maybe the light will turn on" it means it is more likely not turning on. The offense having the day it did yesterday in the air is only going to hurt his case to return to the lineup even more. I do think he will get another chance to at least play, but I expect his workload to become very minimal moving forward. Sucks that your 2nd round pick from a year ago is probably a flame out, but better to admit defeat for the betterment of the team that keep harming yourself. 5. Cole Bishop- He is turning into a true foundational piece and that is really important in helping to overhaul and turn the defense around. Beane has had quite a few misses on defensive players in the last few drafts, but he is turning into a real gem and adds to a potentially nice young core with Walker & Hariston. I gotta believe Jordan Poyer is helping to train and teach Bishop as he is learning the ropes here. 6. Football Weather! - Yesterday was the type of game I wish I was able to go to. It feels like football with the cold and conditions, plus the game had some real meaning to it for both teams. It makes for a really fun experience that even as TV viewer gives off a good vibe. I understand why some like domes and not dealing with poor weather, but yesterday had that nice feel you can get in November that makes football unique with the elements. 7. Playoff Pace- Yesterdays win was important in keeping distance from the building log jam of wildcard teams. That KC tiebreaker is looming huge now and the same with the tiebreaker over Baltimore. A win Thursday would help to keep even more distance from those chasing us for the dance. Right now 10 wins may get you into the playoffs in the AFC but 11 is really the golden line. The way things are trending with teams like JAX/HOU/LAC all beating each other and PIT hanging in there also, you are going to see a few teams at 9-8 or 10-7 especially miss simply because a log jam is building with too many teams with similar records. The last thing Buffalo needs is to get close to that mess which is building up, division would be great if they can get it but playoff berth comes first regardless. 8. I Don't Think The Defense Was Awful (ducks and runs) - Watching the game yesterday my impression of the defense was some good, some bad, and mostly the same crap we've known all year. The defense had to deal with three turnovers with two of three inside Bills territory. They managed to hold TB to a FG on the first despite being so close to the endzone, forced TB to punt after the 4th down INT, and they had stopped TB before the fumble by Hardman which then TB did score a TD. 10 points allowed on 3 turnovers is not awful and I can guarantee Bowles was probably chewing his team out for only getting 10 points when they left a lot on the table. With that said the defense just struggles against the run mightily, partially because they have too many injuries partially because they are just not good especially at LB. Against the pass they are at least decent when healthy as some of their youth has really started to blossom. At best they are probably a middle of the road unit when at the best health they can be and that is enough. It is a shame that with all the resources they have invested into the defense that the best it can be is middling at this point and there are larger questions to be asked because of this. But for where things stand at this point, yesterday was probably an decent day all things considered and expectations being what they are.

There were open receivers, and Gabe caught one while pretty well covered. But I have not seen open receivers like that in a long time. I conclude that we did better without him.

I haven't worn my standing buffalo hat during games the last year or two due to it's poor track record. When I saw the standing buffalo helmets pre-game I decided to tempt fate - and it worked!

You seem agitated... Why?

Godspeed Bernie! I've yet to run into him, but I live between his farm and business location in Chagrin Falls. My son said hi to him at a local restaurant. Very friendly and gracious, though that's no surprise to anyone who had even a fan's exposure on TV. Always a class act, including while he played, so tragic his struggles with substance abuse but seems in a good place now.

I will say re: Keon, him being loose pregame is better than him sulking. Hopefully this is a wakeup call. I still think he could be a good slot WR. Sheesh, no wonder he didn't want to show up to meetings 😬