mjt328

Exactly. Turnovers are important, because most of them result in either a lost score (3 or 7 points) or an easier score for the other team (3 or 7 points). Bills turnovers on Saturday led to a Field Goal (only needed 18 yards), a Touchdown (only needed 18 yards) and a Defensive Touchdown. A total of 17 points. We got lucky, because the Dolphins also had two turnovers which lead to touchdowns for us. Teams like Buffalo and Kansas City are generally good enough to overcome those point swings, because they are usually 10-14 points better than the opposing team. That is not the case when they play each other.

The 49ers seem like the hottest team in the NFL. But it's really hard for me to trust a rookie QB (especially a 7th rounder) to roll through the playoffs and win a Super Bowl. At some point, one of these defensive coordinators is going to spot his flaws on film and hit him with something unexpected. Right? I just feel like Brock Purdy is going to suddenly lay an egg and kill their season. It very well could be this week.

This exactly. Tom Brady has somehow managed to dodge Father Time for so long, many people are starting to believe he's NEVER going to hit the age wall. Which of course is an illogical assumption to make. He cannot play forever. The media wants to blame it all on his supporting cast, like he was surrounded by the Houston Texans or Chicago Bears. Lots of quarterbacks would love to have the combination of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. More than likely, the biggest problem for the Bucs is their QB taking a significant step backwards in his skill level.

This has been a very strange year for the Bills. Statistically, they are elite in almost every category. Both offense and defense. Both passing and rushing. They are scoring around 30 points per game, and allowing less than 18. And counting the playoffs, their record is 14-3. But to the eye, this team is frustratingly inconsistent and doesn't seem to be playing anywhere close to its potential. For almost the entire season, they have struggled to put teams away. Regardless of who they are playing. Virtually every week, they barely walk away with a win against an inferior opponent. Scrape out a win in the 4th quarter. Then we look at the stat sheet after the final whistle blows, and find out that everybody played great. It honestly makes zero sense. Sunday was a perfect representation of the Bills season. We sweated out a 34-31 victory against a third-string quarterback and backup O-Line. Anyone who was watching can tell we really didn't play well. But according to the box score, the Bills offense put up 400+ yards and 34 points. Their QB had 350 yards and 3 touchdowns. And the defense actually did a great job shutting them down on the other side.

Talked to a Bengals fan today at the gym. He is deathly afraid of the Bills, and worried his team is going to lose the upcoming game. I told him that I am deathly afraid of the Bengals, and worried we are going to lose the upcoming game. So there you go.

It's clear that Isaiah Hodgins can be an effective WR in the NFL when the ball is thrown his way. The real question is whether he was going to be a difference-maker on THIS roster. Was HE the guy that was going to put this offense over the top? I'm just not seeing it. As a big outside receiver, is he better than Gabe Davis? I don't see any evidence of that. In practice, Hodgins was never able to surpass Jake Kumerow on the depth chart. Seeing how Kumerow has also proven himself as a capable depth receiver AND solid special-teams contributor, that really isn't surprising. So in terms of the actual position he plays, Hodgins was our #4 outside receiver behind Stefon Diggs, Davis and Hodgins. When you factor in the slot guys (Isaiah McKenzie, Jamison Crowder and Khalil Shakir), he was probably the #7 guy most of the season. Now that we've added John Brown as a speed threat and Cole Beasley, you are probably talking about him being the #8-9 guy. I know people want to call this a miss by Brandon Beane, but I'm just not seeing how Hodgins ever gets playing time in this offense. EDIT: I will add that Hodgins was purged from our roster during the time we were dealing with crazy injuries everywhere. So not only was he losing the numbers game in the WR rotation, the Bills were also forced to stash extra corners, safeties and linemen to navigate through it all. It was pretty hard to justify protecting him with an active roster spot, when we were down to our third string defensive backs and needed to bring in Xavier Rhodes/Dean Marlowe.

Many fans have been waiting decades upon decades for the Buffalo Bills to bring home a Super Bowl trophy. They aren't upset because the team lacks "style points." They are upset, because all objective signs point towards this team falling short of that goal...again...after a season where expectations were higher than possibly any point in the history of the franchise. At 43 years old, I'm getting tired of watching other teams hoist the Lombardi and saying maybe next year. And there are tons of fans who have been doing this way longer than me. Since Week 3, we've all been saying "the Bills would be great, if they could just cleanup the dumb mistakes." Well, we have now had two games of mostly consistent/strong play (Weeks 1-2). And the 12 weeks since that point have been filled with the team CONSTANTLY shooting itself in the foot and making stupid errors to keep inferior teams in games we should have won by 20 points. The Bills were supposed to get right after the bye. Then they were supposed to get right once they were healthy. Then they were supposed to get right when the weather/snow situation was resolved and practices got back to normal. Then they were supposed to get right with the emotion surrounding Damar Hamlin. Then they were supposed to get right for the playoffs. Guess what? We got lucky our Wild Card opponent was missing it's starting quarterback. The inferior teams are now gone. Unless there is a drastic upset or injury to major player, the Bills road now goes through the Bengals, Chiefs and then Eagles/49ers. All teams that are equal or slightly better than us. We have no more room for error. I would like to be optimistic, but I've seen no evidence for 3 months that Buffalo can cleanup the mental mistakes to run through that gauntlet.

Some of the greatest and most winning quarterbacks in the history of the NFL... Tom Brady, Joe Montana... relied mostly on short stuff, and not relentlessly attacking downfield. Even guys like Peyton Manning and Drew Brees seemed to have a balance between short, intermediate and deep. You can't always look at the check-down as a give-up play. Sometimes the game situation calls for smarter and safer plays, controlling the clock and gradually moving down the field. The funny thing is... Dorsey/Allen seem to understand this in certain situations. Give them the ball with 3 minutes left in the half, they will call a nice balance of runs/passes. Chewing up clock and taking the short stuff, so they can get the last score and don't leave time on the clock. If they could take that kind of mentality and use it on maybe 2-3 additional drives per game (while staying really aggressive on the others), I think everything would run way smoother.

We got a brief glimpse of what this team is capable of when focused and fully healthy (during Weeks 1 and 2). THAT team was easily the best in the NFL, and fully capable of rolling through the postseason and winning the Super Bowl. Since that point, we've seen this team knocked down a notch by injuries. At times the sheer number of players hurt was absolutely overwhelming. Right now the team is mostly healthy, and we are starting to see Tre White getting back to normal. But being without two All-Pro talents in Micah Hyde and Von Miller still takes us down a peg from where we started. No matter how good our depth is, losing that kind of talent does absolutely hurt. I'm also starting to wonder if this team is mentally/emotionally drained from all of the drama surrounding this season. I know that I'm already worn-out, and I'm just a fan watching from my living room couch. Nobody came into the league with higher expectations, which is a level of pressure I'm not sure they were prepared for. Almost every starter on this roster has missed time with some level of injury, and been forced to battle through. Then you have the constant battles off-field with weather, costing them valuable practice and preparation time. I don't even know how you can describe the Damar Hamlin situation, and how it must affect the players on this roster. What I see now, is a team that HAD the best roster in the NFL... but is now somewhere amongst the Top 5. What I see now, is a team that shows occasional flashes of greatness... but constantly hurts itself with the same stupid mistakes and mental errors every single week. Turnovers. Drops. Missed tackles. Yes. It was enough to get us to 13-3 on the regular season, along with a slim victory in the Wild Card round. It was enough to make us great on paper statistically. The problem is that (due to the injuries), we no longer have a significant talent edge over teams like the Bengals, Chiefs, Eagles and 49ers. And when teams are evenly matched, it's going to come down to whoever can limit the mistakes. That's where the mental aspect comes in. And I've seen no evidence in the last 3-4 months that Buffalo is mentally focused enough to roll through those teams.

The interception off Cole Beasley's hands was definitely not Josh's fault. The fumble recovery/touchdown absolutely was his fault. The deep shot interception to John Brown is iffy. Unclear if it was a bad throw, or receiver breaking off the route. The sack/fumble (we thankfully recovered) was not his fault either, being a blindside hit to his arm. My frustration with yesterday's game was more than just the turnovers. It was the brazen attitude that if the Dolphins brought a blitz, we were going to throw it down the field and make them pay NO MATTER WHAT. There was a sequence after the Dolphins made it a 3 point game in the 4th quarter. This was the time for a slow/methodical touchdown drive, not a kill-shot. Instead we took two deep shots down the sideline to Gabe Davis, and then got sacked. Total wasted drive that immediately put our defense back on the field. We barely escaped yesterday. We have barely escaped games for most of the last 2-3 months. That type of play isn't going to cut it anymore. Our next three games (assuming we go that far), will likely be against the Top 3-5 teams in the entire NFL. You are right. Beat the Patriots. Lost to the Broncos.

There needs to be balance to Josh Allen's play. It's possible for him to be extremely aggressive attacking downfield... but also have an element of patience and willingness to take some of the underneath stuff when it's left open. It's possible for him to move around and escape defenders in the pocket... but also know when it's time to accept the play is dead, protect the ball and take the sack. It doesn't necessarily have to be an "either/or" situation. Right now, Allen's career trajectory is moving very similar to Brett Favre. Favre had a big arm, with a gunslinger mentality. Every Packer game was filled with highlights of incredible throws and jaw-dropping plays. He was easily a Top 3 quarterback in the NFL for the majority of his career, and one of the game's premier faces. The media adored him, and opponents feared him. By his retirement, he had loaded up the stat books as the all-time touchdown leader. First ballot Hall of Famer all the way. But from a TEAM perspective, the Packers were huge underachievers during Favre's career. Over his 16 seasons in Green Bay, they won the division 7 times and made the playoffs 11 times. Despite constantly being favorites to win the Lombardi, the team always seemed to get stuck in the playoffs... mostly because of Favre's erratic decision making and turnovers. He particularly had trouble getting past the Dallas Cowboys (like us and the Chiefs). Nobody can question Favre's toughness or greatness. But the fact his team only made it to one Super Bowl (barely winning it), is definitely a huge disappointment.

Brady has played 23 years in the NFL, and never had a top QB in the same division. During the 20 years he played for New England, all three of the AFC East teams were without a franchise quarterback. Probably the only division in the NFL with a stretch that long ever. The same year Josh Allen broke out and became Top 5, Brady left and signed with Tampa Bay. Then in Brady's first year with the Bucs, we saw a significant decline in the skills of both Drew Brees and Matt Ryan. Of course, Brees retired just a year later. Ryan got traded to Indy this past season, leaving the NFC South as the worst division in all of football.

That is conventional wisdom. Run the ball. Control the clock. Keep Josh Allen off the field. Hope your defense creates turnovers and limits points. I'm going the complete opposite direction. The Bills have only had two games under 20 points this season (17 and 19 points). That is the absolute floor for this offense. So even if their defense plays lights out, I'm not sure a Skyler Thompson-led team can put together enough long methodical drives to put up 20 points. My gameplan would be tons of trick plays, and taking at least one deep shot every drive. With Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, you might get lucky and get a couple big plays. I'm taking the chance they can get 2-3 bombs for touchdowns, over the same number of 8-9 play drives.

I was hoping Lamar Jackson would play, but it's not looking promising. The situation in that game will be similar to ours against Miami. The Wild Card team would have a good chance with their starting QB, but will probably get clobbered without him. I think it's more possible Los Angeles knocks off Jacksonville, and then gives Kansas City a run for their money. Odds are very strong that our road to the Super Bowl goes through the Bengals/Chiefs though.

As many stated in the game thread, this shouldn't really be surprising. With all circumstances surrounding the player, team and league in general... it always seemed like a longshot for him to play. Now if Tua does make the decision to retire (that seems much less likely), I would imagine Miami will be a VERY hot destination for any potential free agent QBs in the offseason. And it's not a crap list either. Names like Lamar Jackson, Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo and Derek Carr could be available. I don't think it's a long-shot for Aaron Rodgers to get traded either.

My optimism for this postseason has just increased dramatically. We really need Micah Hyde for the Bengals game (assuming both teams win this weekend).

The decision is not supposed to start with the Miami Dolphins. It's supposed to start with independent neurologists, who need to first clear the player to play. I agree that Miami will do everything in its power to get Tua on the field, even if it's risky for his long-term health. And Tua has already stated he wants to play. But will these doctors risk their careers over it? With everything else going on with Tua, the Dolphins and now Damar Hamlin... you also have to believe the NFL will be watching this whole situation VERY closely. They can't afford to look the other way and take the chance of another serious on-field incident. Bottom line, I don't think the Miami coaching staff will have the ability to detour around the rules this time. They already did that in Week 3 and got busted. This time they have to go by the book. Not because it's the right thing. Because the risk of getting caught isn't worth the reward.

Stats can be misleading, and are dependent on a number of factors. Scheme and opportunity are large among them. Does anyone remember Robert Foster during Josh Allen's rookie year? Over 500 yards and 3 touchdowns. By the end of the season, he was the #1 target in our offense. A year later we added John Brown and Cole Beasley. The next we added Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. And just like that, he wasn't even good enough to make the roster. What you are seeing with Isaiah Hodgins is Foster 2.0. A guy who developed a strong connection with the QB, and is taking advantage of targets on an offense with no other options. He had three seasons to break into our lineup from the practice squad, and just couldn't do it. There was a time TY Hilton was a better NFL receiver than Brown. I'm not sure the difference is that significant today, and Brown has the advantage due to system knowledge and rapport with our QB. If you swap these guys, I highly doubt Hilton would have more than 2 deep targets with the Bills (just like we've gotten out of Brown). It's pointless to compare Kadarius Toney and Beasley. First, because Toney cost a 3rd Round Pick earlier in the season (before the Bills were really looking to add another WR). Beasley was a late-season free agent addition that cost us nothing. Second, they don't really play the same position. The Bills were looking for a reliable slot receiver, way more than an outside guy. Despite his struggles, Toney wasn't going to displace Gabe Davis in our lineup.

Supply and demand. As long as there is a shortage of elite QBs, teams will be forced to pay huge contracts to keep them.

The NFL had to do something, and apparently making-up the Buffalo-Cincinnati game wasn't a viable option for the league. Considering the Chiefs ended up as the only AFC team with 14 wins, you really can't argue with them getting some of the #1 seed benefits. But since the Bills also could have easily gotten the #1 seed (had the game not been cancelled), they really can't argue with losing homefield over us. This was an OK compromise. There are basically three advantages of the #1 seed. 1. The first-round bye 2. Homefield advantage 3. Lower seeded opponents My problem is the Chiefs getting 2/3 of these benefits, and still having the nerve to complain about getting screwed. And it's not even like they totally lost homefield and have to play in Buffalo. They get a neutral field that puts both teams on equal footing.

There is a protocol to follow, and every situation is different. The first step is recognizing there was a head-injury, so the player can get tested. Miami came under scrutiny because Tua fell to the ground wobbly after hitting his head hard, and then claimed it was a back injury (which made zero sense). There was nothing on the hit Josh took versus Green Bay that suggested he had a head injury, other than him playing crappy for the next several quarters. Also, just because a player is being tested for a head injury, doesn't mean he actually suffered one. Much less a concussion. To my knowledge, they never said that Taron Johnson actually had a concussion during the Bengals game. He was taken off the field on the series before Damar Hamlin went down, so all the reporting on his situation fell through the cracks. Once a player has been tested, it's about passing the tests to get cleared by doctors. It was surprising to see Morse get back so quickly, but it's possible the severity was very low. He does have a history of concussions, but this was his first in 2-3 years. Much different situation than Tua, who has suffered three in the last four months... and shown pretty severe symptoms each time. The first he was stumbling around. The second he was lying on the ground with his fingers curled up. On the latest one, the Dolphins coaches say he was forgetting the plays from the game.

I see a lot of comments that Miami will "miraculously" find a way to get Tua cleared, so he can play against us on Sunday. Now in the recent past, I can definitely see that being the case. It's a playoff game, and what would stop some shady doctors from looking the other way... But after everything that has transpired recently, I just can't see it happening unless he's really 100% ready to go. The NFL just had a player almost DIE on the field during a primetime game, less than a week ago. It was one of the biggest stories in the entire country. And despite it clearly being a crazy freak accident, it did raise a lot of new questions about the safety of the sport. Combine that with the very public controversy surrounding Miami/Tua earlier this season regarding concussions. The Dolphins caught a lot of heat for failing to follow the proper protocols, and forced the league to conduct an investigation into how his injury was handled. And that's not even considering the other major scandals involving the organization in the past 12 months (tampering with Sean Payton/Tom Brady; the owner allegedly ordering his coach to tank games). Let's just say, the NFL has zero incentive to turn the other way in regards to player safety. It's already a Sunday afternoon playoff game. They gain absolutely nothing in the ratings by Tua playing. They have everything to lose by him suffering another terrible head injury on national TV. I believe the league will be watching Miami like a hawk, and making sure all the proper steps are followed. We are talking about THREE concussions in the span of 4 months. I would honestly be surprised if any doctor clears him to play.

I've always had a great respect for Chiefs fans, and that franchise in general. But if they are going to complain about how the NFL didn't just hand them all benefits of the #1 seed, then every single one of them can go to #+!!. Out of the four teams involved, Kansas City easily got the best end of the deal. Going into Monday night's game, every team had a BEST and WORST case scenario that depended heavily on the results. The NFL compromised by putting everybody into a middle-ground. Nobody got the best situation they could hope for. Nobody got the worst situation they could hope for. If things went right, both Buffalo and Kansas City were hoping for the first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. If things went wrong, either of those teams could have easily found themselves playing on wild card weekend, and later going on the road for the championship game. The biggest difference was, only Buffalo actually controlled its own destiny. Pretty much everyone with a shred of humanity agreed that Monday's game shouldn't have continued. And the NFL couldn't find a feasible way to finish it with only one-week left in the season. None of this falls on either the Bills or Bengals, and neither team should be penalized for it. A few days ago, the Chiefs had no control over their own destiny. They walk out of the situation with the greatest gift of all, allowing them to completely skip the first round. As a bonus, they also don't have to play a January playoff game in Buffalo. How their fans can whine about this... I have absolutely no idea. The Bengals don't even got a shot at the #1 seed anymore (even if other games fall their way), and both North teams could be losing homefield advantage based on a freaking coin flip.

Seems like a decent compromise across the board. Everyone gets a mix of the good/bad scenarios that could have happened to them, depending on the results of the Monday Night game. With a win, Buffalo could have gotten the bye and homefield throughout the playoffs. With a loss, we could have been forced to play on the road in the divisional and championship games. Instead... we lose the bye, but do get a home game in the divisional playoffs and won't be going to Arrowhead.

Nope. In that scenario, the Bengals have a chance to get the #1 seed.... dependent on their game against the Bills. Bottom line. If they don't makeup the Bills/Bengals game, someone gets screwed... no way around it. The Bills/Bengals could both have the chance to get the #1 seed. The Ravens could have a chance at the AFC North title. Of course, the only team that has nothing to lose in the event of a cancellation/forfeit/etc. would be the Kansas City Chiefs.