mjt328

If they are going to finish the game, this is really the only option. None of the playoff games have been scheduled yet, and can easily be pushed out another week. The Pro-Bowl can be pushed to after the Super Bowl (where it used to be). The biggest issues with this are the NFL losing revenue from missing out on the extra "media week"... along with giving all the other playoff teams (outside of the Bills/Bengals) an extra rest week to get healthy. However, you are creating an even BIGGER competitive disadvantage by forfeiting the game. If you don't play the game, it likely hands Kansas City the #1 seed and potentially allows the Ravens to win the AFC North. At this point, I question how the Bills can even move ahead with their game on Sunday against the Patriots. With all the weight of this season, they may be mentally shot anyway.

Speaking for myself, it hits closer to home when you are watching something like this live on TV. The news reports on horrible tragedies everyday, but not visually witnessing it does give a level of disconnect. As someone who has watched the NFL for over 30 years, I think a certain level of risk is accepted. Until last night, the worst of the worst seemed to be the few times where players have become paralyzed. The realities of concussions are just starting to become clearer and taken more serious. But nobody expects to see a player getting CPR and fighting for his life while lying on the field. It's a nightmare. I've watched videos from several doctors today, and most seem to believe it was simply a blow to the chest that caused his heart to stop. It was a one-in-a-million freak accident, and didn't even look like a vicious blow in real-time. I was reading that bulletproof vests for police officers are designed specifically to avoid this. Because even if the bullet doesn't penetrate, the force can cause something similar to what we witnessed last night.

Still think the Chiefs are the toughest potential opponent. When Patrick Mahomes is on his game, he's pretty much unstoppable. And without Micah Hyde/Von Miller, our defense is not even as good as last season. As we learned last year, even an all-time great QB performance from Josh Allen was only enough to make the game a toss-up. The Bengals are a terrible matchup for us on paper. Hope that I'm wrong, but I really think the Bills are in for a rude awakening on Monday night. Considering the trouble our CBs have had with average receivers, this group is a nightmare. And if they focus on blanketing Stefon Diggs, I'm not sure anyone else will be able to step up. After those two, I also think the Chargers WRs would cause us big-time problems. What usually is our strength (the secondary) is a weakness this season. Los Angeles has disappointed much of the year, but are getting healthy and hot at the right time. I believe they could make some real noise in the playoffs. The defense hasn't been great, but they are just getting Joey Bosa back. The Dolphins could be dangerous if Tua returns, but I really wonder if there will be pressure to keep him shelved the rest of the season. I'm not really worried about the Ravens. I think our defensive staff has figured them out, even with Lamar Jackson playing. We would severely outmatch the rest of the playoff teams. At this point, I think Buffalo gets the #1 or #3 seed... depending on the Bengals game. Unlikely we end up at #2. My rough guess at the pathway to the Super Bowl with each scenario: #1 seed = Bye, Chargers (Home), Chiefs (Home) #3 seed = Ravens (Home), Bengals (Away), Chiefs (Away)

My standard for a "good" draft is emerging with three NFL starters (meaning players who would be in the starting lineup on MOST of the 32 teams). - Any draft where the 1st Rounder doesn't eventually start is a massive failure. No exceptions. - A GM should be able to find success with either his 2nd or 3rd Rounder. - That leaves one additional starter in either the final 4 rounds or undrafted free agency. This regime succeeded in doing this in 2017 (White, Dawkins, Milano), 2018 (Allen, Edmunds, Phillips, Johnson, Teller) and 2019 (Oliver, Singletary, Knox). They are the foundation for why this team has become one of the NFL's top franchises. Unfortunately, the 2020 draft does not measure up to those standards. Stefon Diggs was obviously a huge hit. But he's really the only solid starter we got. Gabe Davis showed promise, but has disappointed in what was supposed to be his big breakout season. Everyone is calling for Dane Jackson to be replaced, and I don't think he starts on most teams. AJ Epenesa is also a backup. Tyler Bass was a nice grab, but I don't like to count kickers. 2021 is looking iffy so far. Greg Rousseau looks like a hit. Spencer Brown has been inconsistent. Damar Hamlin has been up and down with his big opportunity. Boogie Basham will be lucky to reach the Epenesa's level at this point. But like I said, I'll give them until Year 3.

Most positions take about 3 seasons to determine what a player will become. I'll wait until next year before forming my final opinion on Boogie Basham. This is the year I'm taking a close look at the 2020 draft picks. AJ Epenesa is a solid rotational DE in this league. Not a starter, but an OK backup. Flashes a decent pass rush, but often a liability against the run. Zack Moss was a bust and probably doesn't belong in the NFL. Gabe Davis is a nice deep threat and very good run blocker, but lacks the versatility and hands to be a high-end #2. Jake Fromm has been bouncing around practice squads, and doesn't seem long for the league. Tyler Bass is a very good NFL kicker. Isaiah Hodgins is finally flashing potential as an NFL backup. Dane Jackson is good depth on the cornerback chart, but doesn't have the athletic talent to be a starter. Overall, this was Brandon Beane's worst draft. Not a single offensive/defensive guy that really belongs as a starter in the league. Mostly high-end backups. Good thing we walked out of the day with Stefon Diggs.

There are two different beliefs about this Bills team: One side saw this team as the dominant Super Bowl favorite before the season. But since the bye, their many flaws have been exposed. An overmatched offensive coordinator. A below-average O-Line. Not enough weapons around the quarterback. Sloppy with penalties, drops and tackling. A paper tiger defense that flops in big moments, and can't stop elite quarterbacks. The other side also saw this team as elite before the season. But nothing over the last two months has shaken their confidence. They see a team persevering through massive injuries and terrible weather. Battle tested, and finding ways to win close games. All of the problems are self-inflicted, and they will surely get everything cleaned up for the home-stretch. Fans have been arguing non-stop over which narrative is true for the last two months. I have a feeling that Monday night will give us a really strong indication which side is correct.

Compared to most other NFL offenses, the Bills are in decent shape talent-wise. Very few teams have two excellent WRs (we are playing one of the few on Monday). Looking at some of the other top scoring teams, the Chiefs have an elite Tight End and a bunch of mediocre WRs/RBs. The Cowboys have one good WR and a strong running game. Most of this season, I feel like the Bills are just shooting themselves in the foot (over and over) and making easy things harder than they should: - So many complaints about Dorsey lacking creativity. He could solve this by simply going back to the Daboll's 2021 playbook. But no. - Why do we continue to have Isaiah McKenzie playing so many snaps in the slot? Especially after signing Beasley. It's just not working. - Josh Allen continually forcing passes and refusing to take the easy check-downs. Turnovers are going to kill this team.

This is my hope. The Bills have been holding back much of the season, saving their best stuff for the stretch run. We should have a better idea by Tuesday morning. The Bengals game is the next closest thing to a playoff game. If we finally look like the Week 1-2 Bills, everyone and their grandma is going to jump right back on the Super Bowl bandwagon. If we continue to look flat, sloppy and inconsistent... it's a really bad sign for our chances in the postseason.

At this point, I don't know if Jamison Crowder even makes a difference. Just another body that will get 1-2 targets if he's lucky. This passing game just feels like it lacks focus and structure at the core, and probably needs to go back to the drawing board in the offseason. We have talent at the position. Not Cincinnati Bengals talent. But enough that we shouldn't be shut-down so easily by defenses. Week after week (for the past two months), we get short spurts of rhythm and success. Maybe 1-2 quarters, and then it goes right back to being a grind. Something has just felt off. All the hype about re-signing John Brown and Cole Beasley... I think we got one target for Brown down the sideline, and nothing since. Beasley caught a couple passes and has been a ghost otherwise. Meanwhile we had at least 2-3 times in the Bears game where Josh Allen was forcing the ball downfield into tight coverage to Isaiah McKenzie. Is Khalil Shakir actually on this team? And how many more games can Stefon Diggs be completely ignored before he starts getting frustrated?

No. The number of Top 5 draft picks who have busted is about a mile long. There is nothing about Zach Wilson (assuming he holds to the current career path) that really stands out to me. What makes a bust legendary are the behind-the-scene stories of how they destroyed once-promising careers. Jamarcus Russell lying to his coaches about watching film. Ryan Leaf's horrific attitude towards his teammates, the media and fans.

Curious for anyone that knows... Will I be able to subscribe to Sunday Ticket by itself now? Or will I need to have an annual subscription to YouTube TV too? Personally, I refuse to pay that much monthly for television service. I prefer to use 2-3 streaming services at a time, and rotate them periodically. I would be willing to spend money for Sunday Ticket alone. But I'm not paying $80-90 per month to get all the other channels too.

Josh Allen was the heavy MVP favorite for the first 8 weeks of the season. Two bad games and he was completely written off. Joe Burrow had a very rough start to the season. Over the last month, I'm starting to see his name pop-up in the media as a sleeper candidate. Sure. Voters have a pretty good idea which players they are looking at. But the finish to the season will be the most important piece, and leave the strongest impression in their mind. I agree that Allen needs some things to fall his way, in addition to having a fantastic finish on his own (he really needs a great performance against the Bengals). But it's not totally unreasonable. The Eagles are pretty much a lock for the #1 seed, even if they drop the upcoming game to the Cowboys. They have zero reason to push Jalen Hurts into action, and probably would be considering resting him... even if he was 100% healthy. Fair or not, that is going to hurt him statistically. Especially when you consider that Patrick Mahomes/Allen could reach some all-time NFL yardage records. Mahomes clearly has the stats edge right now. But he's not as far ahead as some make it seem, especially when you factor in rushing. The Chiefs also have a tendency to play-down to competition. They have looked very unimpressive the last three weeks. I wouldn't count on Mahomes playing poorly, but anything is possible. If he slumps, while we hammer the Bengals and take the #1 seed, it very likely could sway a large number of voters.

What is the best thing that Miami does? Throwing up a prayer, letting Tyreek Hill/Jaylen Waddle catch it, then watching them outrace the defenders to the endzone. What is the best thing that Buffalo does? Finds ridiculous ways to lose games they have a 99.999999999% chance of winning, with only seconds left. I completely understand the fear of missing the field goal in that weather, because I was nervous until it went in. But I really can't blame the coaching staff for leaving zero on the clock for the Dolphins.

Absolutely. But it would be awesome for our QB to get such a prestigious award. Our last MVP was Thurman Thomas in 1991.

MVP voters are going to be swayed heavily by what happens during the final month of the season. With a strong finish, I could definitely see Josh Allen still walking away with this thing. No matter what anyone says, Jalen Hurts will absolutely drift behind in peoples minds if he ends up missing the final three games (which sounds entirely possible). His overall yards/touchdowns are already a little below the other top candidates, and this injury could increase that spread. If the Eagles lose 1-2 games, it knocks a little luster off that team's season (even if he's not actually playing). If they win without him, it decreases the appearance of his value to the team. Lose-Lose situation. Patrick Mahomes still has the slight statistical edge over Allen in yards/touchdowns. If we count passing + rushing, he's only ahead by 247 yards and 2 scores. A few weeks ago, the big knock on Allen was interceptions. They are now equal in that category. The Bills won the head-to-head matchup and are currently the #1 seed in the AFC, ahead of the Chiefs. Team success is always a major factor in MVP voting. In my opinion, this is what Allen needs in order to secure the MVP award: - The Bills finish the season 3-0, securing the #1 seed (while also giving him another win over a top QB in Joe Burrow) - Flashy scoring stats. I'm thinking 9-10 more touchdowns (giving him 45 overall), and hopefully no more INTs. Maybe 800-900 more combined yards. - Have an MVP-quality game against the Bengals, with everyone in the country watching. FYI - Allen is also exactly 1000 yards away from the current NFL record for combined passing/rushing yards. Breaking any record is a significant achievement that would help in winning the MVP. It's within striking distance for both Allen and Mahomes.

When they have the all right pieces in place, this defense is Top 5 in the NFL easy. When 1-2 guys are injured, the coaches can usually scheme around the loss and still put together good defensive performances. When multiple starters are constantly going in-and-out of the lineup, there are going to be break-downs. Plain and simple. You can't expect the coaching staff to make massive systematic changes at this point. The pride of Sean McDermott/Leslie Frazier has always been the secondary. It has been uncharacteristically average this season. One major reason has been the loss of Micah Hyde. It wasn't until Thanksgiving that Tre White got on the field, and this was probably the first game we saw flashes of the old All-Pro version. The other corner spot has been mostly handled by rookies. Even Jordan Poyer missed a couple games. Linebacker play has been absolutely essential to this defense. Our roughest stretch of the season came when Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano were missing time. At one point we were without both at the same time. Then you have the D-Line, which operates best with 4 guys getting pressure. They looked the part early in the season. Then the injury bug bit that unit. Greg Rousseau, Ed Oliver and Jordan Phillips have missed significant time. And of course the ACL tear for Von Miller. Unfortunately, I don't think we can count on the defensive side to carry us in the playoffs. At some point, we are going to get into a shoot-out (or a few). If the Bills are going to the Super Bowl, this offense needs to be consistently strong and mistake-free.

Yes, I'm obviously making a lot of assumptions. But the way things are playing out, the Wild Card teams are going to be tougher than usual and the #4 seed is going to be way softer than usual (especially if it's the Titans and Ryan Tannehill is out).

One of my favorite exercises this time of year is playing with the ESPN playoff simulator, and looking at various hypothetical seeding scenarios. With each passing week, it's becoming very clear. Whoever gets the #1 seed in the AFC is going to have a major advantage over everyone else. Even more than compared to previous seasons. In my opinion, the three most-likely Wild Card teams are going to be some ranked combination of Miami, Los Angeles and Baltimore. We already know after two games how difficult the Dolphins are going to be to knock-out. The Chargers can be a totally different team with Keenan Allen/Mike Williams both on the field. The Ravens are expected to get Lamar Jackson back this week, which makes them dangerous again. The #1 seed of course gets a bye during this round, while the other seeds get a very difficult matchup with one of these three teams. Now let's say the home teams each somehow escape with a victory in the first round. In my scenario, the #2 seed will then matchup against the Bengals. The #1 seed gets the winner of the AFC South, which looks like a toss-up between the Titans and Jaguars. Of course, the #1 seed would then play at home in the AFC Championship.

The game was never important. It was all about getting the honor of being selected. The NFL ruined that too, when they allowed the fans to make the selections and it became an uneducated popularity contest. The Bills are the #1 seed and currently have NO PLAYERS in the Top 5 at ANY POSITION. Not Josh Allen. Not Stefon Diggs. Not Jordan Poyer. Not Von Miller. In fact, if you go on the NFL.com app, you can no longer even vote for Miller (since he got injured) since they only put the current starters on the list. The NFL also give an unfair advantage to certain players, depending on preferred statistics. For instance, running backs are placed in order by total rushing yards. This hurts backs who have a large share of receiving yards or more touchdowns.

By the Packers game, the Bills had been struggling in the Red Zone for over a month. I think the frustration finally boiled over, and Josh Allen started pressing too hard and throwing into coverage. During that 3-game stretch, Allen really wasn't turning the ball over between the 20s. Just interceptions in tjhe Red Zone. The only full game he really struggled entirely was the Jets game, which he repeated this last week (telling me it's the defense he's facing).

If you look closer, the offense actually hasn't been playing consistently good since Week 2. It started in Miami with mostly Red Zone problems, and drive killing drops. They also struggled to move the ball much of the first half against both the Ravens and the Chiefs. Since that point, they have had some nice stretches and had some decent stats on paper. But to any fan who watches this team weekly, it's obvious that something hasn't been quite right. Things are coming in short bursts, and not from a steady rhythm. My belief is that teams are focused on taking away the deep shots from our offense, and we are struggling to get reliable play from the short passing game. For three seasons, this team got a lot of production from the slot. With Jameson Crowder hurt, Isaiah McKenzie dropping passes and Khalil Shakir pretty much invisible as a rookie, we no longer have the someone who can get the easy 4-5 yards over the middle. On top of that, Gabe Davis has proven to be a deep threat with questionable hands, and not much else. Dawson Knox has been used more as a blocker this season, and leaking out into the flats. He doesn't seem to get a lot of work from the slot either. They have gotten the backs (mostly James Cook) involved in the passing game somewhat, but not consistently. There is a reason this team re-signed Cole Beasley. It may be the key piece we've been missing.

I think that ship sailed last week. He's probably not going to be ready this season. The Cowboys signed T.Y. Hilton yesterday too.

Many fans are frustrated, because this Bills team (at least since the bye) simply does not pass the eye test. Regardless of what the standings and statistics say. Yeah, the Bills should still be able to win on Saturday and walk away with the AFC East again (because the Dolphins don't pass the eye test either). But it's really hard to imagine this team playing like they have since Green Bay, and having a successful journey to the Super Bowl. Lots of people are already celebrating us controlling our own destiny, and are almost forgetting a hugely difficult game coming up in Cincinnati that could totally derail the chance of getting homefield. Personally, I think we are should be underdogs in that matchup. Our corners are going to have their hands full with Chase/Higgins, and trying to tackle their backs. And with the way our offensive weapons (outside of Stefon Diggs) are struggling, I'm skeptical we can keep up for four quarters. And I certainly wouldn't bank on Kansas City losing to anyone else on their schedule. Maybe we get hot at the right time (just like last season). But right now, I think the Bills would struggle badly to beat the Chiefs or Bengals in the AFC. And if they made the Super Bowl, they would have a really rough time with the Eagles, 49ers and probably Cowboys.

The frustration is not just the drops. It's that other receivers seem to make incredible contested catches against us weekly (Dane Jackson has been regularly abused). Meanwhile, our WRs never seem to make the difficult plays and are also blowing way too many of the easy ones.

Depends. Maybe all these tough wins will help build character once the postseason comes around. Maybe all these tough wins are a warning sign the team isn't as good as everyone figured coming into 2022. This is the big debate going on within Bills Mafia right now. Statistically, the Bills have a better record at this point than in 2021 (by three games), despite tons of injuries and an infinitely tougher schedule. Last year's team also slumped badly in the middle of the season. The big difference is the 2021 Bills always failed to win the close games (particularly Jacksonville, New England and Tampa Bay), while this team is barely squeaking them out. Last year, the Bills also seemed to hit their stride in mid-December. They won their last 4 games by double-digits, and then destroyed the Patriots in the Wild Card round. It has yet to be seen if THIS team can do the same thing. Most fans have pretty short memories. If the offense can turn things up in the final month, there will be a lot less worries entering the playoffs. As it stands, I'm not sure this squad has the offensive firepower or secondary to go into Cincinnati and beat the Bengals. And one more loss basically puts us in the exact same position as last year.