mjt328

The truth is, all of the top MVP candidates have flaws against them this season. That's why the favorite keeps swinging after one good/bad game. Just two weeks ago, the emerging favorite was Dak Prescott. After the Bills ran over Dallas, it suddenly switched to Brock Purdy. He throws four picks on Christmas, and now Lamar Jackson is the favorite. Much of the MVP voting is about feelings and narrative. Especially in a year where nobody is really standing out. That's why it's really going to come down to the last 2 weeks of the season. The present case against Josh Allen is pretty simple. Turnovers and team record. He started the season with that horrible 3 turnover game against the Jets, and has only reinforced the narrative by making at least one dumb pick in almost every game this season. Not to mention his primetime performances have been mostly good/solid, but nothing outstanding to get people talking. Meanwhile, the Bills are only now digging themselves out of the hole they have created in the Win/Loss standings. For Allen to win the MVP, he will really need to stand-out from the pack in Weeks 17-18. Two huge statistical games (especially in the final primetime game against the Dolphins). The Bills will need to win both, finish a top the AFC East and end up with the #2 seed.

Steelers have a tough couple games with Seattle and Baltimore, and are already at 7 losses. They are the most likely to get knocked out. I'm really not worried about them at all. All the others, it's much harder to see this working out for the Bills. Raiders, Browns, Titans and Falcons can do a lot to help us out in the coming weeks.

To win the AFC East: Win our last 3 games (Chargers, Patriots, Dolphins), and hope the Dolphins drop one to either the Cowboys or Ravens. If we drop one along the way, things are looking very iffy. We would need some help. I'm going to assume the Ravens and Chiefs win their divisions (very likely). I'm also penciling-in the Browns for one of the Wild Card slots. That leaves the Steelers, Bengals, Broncos, along with the Jaguars, Texans and Colts. Six teams in total. Someone is going to win the South. Of the other five teams, we need four of them to end up with eight losses. Steelers (7): CIN, SEA, BAL = Tough schedule. Seems pretty likely to drop-off. Broncos (7): NE, LAC, LAV = Only need to drop one more, but such an easy schedule. Bengals (6): PIT, KC, CLE = Love the Chiefs in here. Not crazy about Steelers pulling off an upset. Browns are 50/50 here. Colts (6): ATL, LAV, HOU = Falcons could win here. Raiders probably not. Someone needs to lose between Texans/Colts. Texans (6): CLE, TEN, IND = Pulling for the Browns down the stretch. Titans should have finished yesterday. See above with Colts. Jaguars (6): TB, CAR, TEN = Bucs could give them a run. The others seem easy.

Using the ESPN playoff machine: Ravens Chiefs Jaguars Bills Texans Browns Dolphins Biggest teams to root against down the stretch are the Dolphins and Broncos...

No disrespect to his memory... But it is weird how the Bills got lucky on a huge lateral play, the same day Frank Wycheck passed away. And the next day, the Titans get a huge win over the Dolphins that could give us a shot at the AFC East title.

After last night, I think it's more likely the Bills make the playoffs by winning the AFC East than sneaking in as a Wild Card. First of all, I'm very skeptical on us beating Dallas on Sunday. Might be the best/hottest team we've played all season long, and the Bills are still way too flawed. As stated multiple times, pretty much all the AFC tiebreakers are working against us. And if we drop to 7 losses, our only pathway to a Wild Card is having those other teams drop to 8 losses. Looking at upcoming schedules, I can see that happening with the Steelers, Colts and probably Bengals. It's very unlikely it happens with the Browns or Jaguars. Not looking great for the Texans or Broncos. That would knock us out. Strange enough, the ONLY team in the AFC the Bills could potentially hold a tiebreaker over is the Dolphins. If we beat them again, we hold the 2-0 head-to-head advantage. And now with that loss to the Titans, combined with upcoming matchups against the Cowboys, Ravens and Bills... the path to Miami hitting 7 losses is suddenly a realistic scenario.

That is kind-of my point... A fair and balanced article would have included both. Bottom line, Dunne learned and reported about multiple embarrassing incidents that occurred in the Bills locker room regarding Sean McDermott (some of which happened 6-7 years ago). These incidents were not previously known to the public. That part was good journalism. It was HIS choice to only include feedback on these events from sources that clearly don't like McDermott, and none of whom were willing to let their identities known. It was HIS choice not to even include the background context on these sources, making it unclear whether they are current or past members of the team. It was HIS choice to include tons of his own opinionated language in the story, painting McDermott in a very negative way. It was HIS choice to wait and release this article after the Eagles game, when the team was at it's lowest point in his entire tenure. Many people are dismissing Dunne's work as a classless hit-piece, with the goal of creating public pressure to get McDermott fired. The fact that multiple players and staff members have spoken out on McDermott's behalf, says there was another side that he chose to ignore. So if the article was taken the wrong way, it's really his own fault.

I've been playing with the ESPN playoff simulator, and it's still a very tough road ahead for the Bills. I still can't figure out a realistic way to make the playoffs, unless we win-out and finish 11-6. Miami's next two games are against the Titans and Jets. They should easily defeat both. But if they lose to Dallas and Baltimore after that, they would be looking at an 11-5 record going into the final week. So there is still a possible road to the AFC East title.... but only if the Bills finish the season undefeated. Based on tie-breakers for the Wild Card, the Bills are pretty much dead-last. Which is why (even after beating the Chiefs and a couple games going our way this week), we still sit at a terrible #11 in seeding. If we can win-out, all those teams in competition with us only need to lose 7 games. If we drop even one close game along the way, we need the others to lose 8. And that could get very tricky.

It's not Tyler Dunne's job to make up for other sports reporters supposedly not doing their jobs. This kind of mentality is how our society ends up with conservative news stations and liberal news stations, both of which only give you a part of what is true. Because both sides think their job is balancing against the other side, instead of just reporting fair and balanced themselves. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall a 1000 other fluffy news stories about Sean McDermott's giving awesome speeches or how he comes across in the locker room to the players and coaches. As you stated before, most of sports journalism is just generic and boring. To my knowledge, this was the first time anyone has heard about the 9-1-1 speech (for example). You said the goal of journalism is speaking TRUTH to power. Reading this article, do you feel like Dunne's goal was to give a TRUTHFUL and ACCURATE portrayal of how McDermott is viewed by his players and the other coaches? Several players spoke in McDermott's defense after the Chiefs game last night. Why was he unable to find anyone beforehand who would speak something positive on behalf of the coach? There is plenty of good journalism in the article. But Dunne totally wastes it, because he's starting with the premise that McDermott is a bad coach and needs to be fired. That's the message he's trying to send, and it undermines everything else he reports.

The problem with journalists today (sports or otherwise), is they have already decided beforehand what the "truth" is the public needs to know. So they have no interest in telling both sides of the story. To Tyler Dunne, the purpose of the article was not to show what really happens behind-the-scenes at One Bills Drive. Or just to let people know what Sean McDermott is like as a coach, and then let them draw their own conclusions. He has already drawn the conclusion that McDermott is a bad coach and needs to be fired, and that is the "truth" he must expose to the public. What's laughable is how every investigative reporter on the planet thinks they can publish a bunch of anonymous gossip, and then equate it with exposing the next Watergate. There is nothing remotely similar about these two stories. It's sports journalism. It's almost always going to be empty fluff and generic quotes. Again. Dunne had the opportunity to write a very interesting expose on McDermott that nobody has ever done. He could have included the 9-1-1 story, the sneaker thing, and other embarrassing stuff. Nobody has a problem with him including any of that. Where the story falls short is how he makes ZERO attempt to get feedback from coaches or players who support McDermott. They clearly exist. If his intent as a journalist was speaking the TRUTH, then he would have considered it absolutely vital to get a clear picture of how everyone in the locker room sees the coach. Not just those who don't like him. But that didn't fit his agenda, which was making it appear like nobody on the team respects him. And why didn't Dunne give at least SOME context about where his 25 anonymous quotes came from? Isn't that an important part of the truth? He didn't necessarily have to give names. But people are obviously going to give more credibility to a "respected veteran who has been in the locker room many years" versus "a position coach who was fired after one season" or a "player who was benched and later cut." The fact his information was left out, gives me a pretty good idea which side his information probably came from. Side note: I'm a former newspaper reporter myself, so I have a very strong opinion about how journalism is done nowadays. I fully understand the concept of "speaking truth to power." But it can't just be one side of the truth. It can't just be the bits and pieces of the truth that will convince readers what they need to believe. Reporters need to TRUST their readers to be given both sides of a story, and still come to the right conclusions.

And that's a problem. News articles shouldn't have that kind of agenda. If Tyler Dunne had 25 sources, he should have worked harder to get (at least some) of them to reveal their identities, instead of being anonymous. He should have specified whether these sources were current or former coaches and players, which is important context. He should have talked with people who actually like Sean McDermott, and gotten some positive quotes to contrast all the negative. There is no balance to the article. McDermott comes across like a control-freak, and that rubs a lot of people wrong. But there are lots of NFL coaches who are also control freaks and succeed BECAUSE of that character trait. Not to mention that his predecessor Rex Ryan was the complete opposite, and mostly failed because he didn't run a tight-enough ship.

Come on. Do you really believe Sean McDermott was trying to praise the hijackers of September 11? Does he really seem like the type of person that would sympathize with terrorists that killed thousands of people? He was clearly trying to make a point about being organized and working together as a team, and didn't think enough beforehand about how his comments were going to be taken. Once he realized his mistake, he apologized to the entire team, and then everyone moved on. Considering this happened 4 years ago, it clearly had zero affect on the team's performance. There are plenty of legitimate reasons to believe McDermott is not the right coach to take a team to the Super Bowl. Embarrassing locker room speeches are not one of them. Being a control freak about sneakers is not one of them. His decision to fire under performing coordinators, just like every other head coach does in the NFL, is not one of them. But yeah. It's pretty awesome this guy decided to release his article 3 days before the biggest game of the season. The team goes on a much-needed bye, needing refocus and get ready to win-out the last five games. Instead, they come out with two major off-field distractions.

With all of the information coming from anonymous sources, there is no way to determine how much is true (maybe all, maybe none). Or if this comes from coaches/players still on the team, or from people who were fired or cut. I also don't find these details to be as damning as many people are going to claim. For example, the part about Ken Dorsey.... I mean, when a team is underperforming, it's almost always a coordinator that is first to the chopping block. And Sean McDermott can't exactly fire himself. The decision to get rid of Dorsey was the right one. Sure it wasn't the best timing, considering the Denver game was blown by the defense and a special teams penalty. But the offense had been struggling for well over a month, and wasn't showing signs of turning it around. Something needed to be done to save the season. I'm also shrugging my shoulders about the stuff criticizing McDermott's personality and coaching style. None of that matters if the team is winning. Bill Belichick is a dictator in a hooded sweatshirt. When the Patriots were winning Super Bowls, the "Patriot Way' was considered the best example of how to run a franchise. Now that Tom Brady's retired and the team sucks, he's a hardass that nobody wants to play for. Meanwhile, our previous coach (Rex Ryan) was a friendly and charismatic player's coach... and he got criticized for not being structured, organized and enough like Belichick.

Grew up during the 90's Bills teams. Those years were an absolute blast. Until the last game of the year, of course. It was just recently that I realized strangely how much I love the game of football, but actually HATE the Super Bowl. Not sure I've ever really enjoyed watching it. My rooting interests were always casual. The media hype, commercials, halftime show were nauseating. My team never succeeded in winning the trophy, and most of the time it was actually someone I hated (Patriots, Cowboys, etc.) Somehow, I was able to endure the frustrations of "the Drought" without completely giving up on the sport of football... purely based on the hope that we would EVENTUALLY land ourselves a franchise Quarterback again. By Thanksgiving ever season, I was already thinking about the Draft prospects more than our remaining schedule. I believed that once we got that QB, surely we could find ourselves back into the glory days of the Jim Kelly/Thurman Thomas/Bruce Smith era. And based on the law of averages, certainly we would manage to walk away with the Lombardi before I get old and pass from this Earth. The first few years of Brandon Beane/Sean McDermott/Josh Allen seemed to go exactly as I anticipated. Make the playoffs, check. Win the division, check. Win a playoff game, check. Even the devastation of 13 seconds didn't discourage me. I felt like we were on the edge of greatness, and finally ready to take that leap. We were a powerhouse, and it was FINALLY going to be OUR TURN. Oddly enough, it was the Minnesota Vikings game last year that totally killed my hype for this franchise. Justin Jefferson's insane catch on 4th Down. The botched snap in the Endzone. Patrick Peterson intercepting the final pass in OT. Something about that game told me "this team is cursed and will never pull it off." Since that game ended, my enjoyment level has dropped to almost zero. After 30+ years watching, I almost feel like I'm watching out of obligation. Because if the Bills did somehow manage to pull it off, and I wasn't invested in the games...I would be just like all those bandwagon jumpers I'm always criticizing.

There are 6 other contenders besides us for the Wild Card slots. Only three can make it into the playoffs. So if we finish 10-7, we need at least four of those six teams to end with records 9-8 or worse. Two of them are currently 6-6. The other four are currently 7-5.

Would love you to be right. But I just don't see the math working in our favor. The Bills have two pathways to the playoffs: 1. Run the table the rest of the way, and finish 11-6. 2. Lose only one game the rest of the way, and hope they get help. Option #1 requires us to defeat three teams who are possibly in the league's Top 5. Not just "hang with them" or "play them tough"... but actually walk away with the WIN. Close, moral victories will not be enough. Option #2 seems like a more realistic pathway on the Bills side. I think they can finish 4-1. The hard part is getting the other AFC Wild Card contenders to 9-8. There are six teams we need to worry about, and at least four of them need to drop below us in the standings. From what I've read, the tie-breakers don't work in our favor. So here is what we are looking at: Cincinnati (2 more losses): IND, MIN, PIT, KC, CLE Denver (2 more losses): LAC, DET, NE, LAC, LAV Houston (3 more losses): NYJ, TEN, CLE, TEN, IND Indianapolis (3 more losses): CIN, PIT, ATL, LAV, HOU Cleveland (3 more losses): JAX, CHI, HOU, NYJ, CIN Pittsburgh (3 more losses): NE, IND, CIN, SEA, BAL

The Bills running back room is fine. As long as play-caller does a decent job of mixing it into the attack, the guys we got can be dangerous and effective. But I do agree that a pass-heavy team SHOULD be loaded at the WR position. Just as Dalton Kincaid starts emerging, it seems as though Stefon Diggs is declining. And the other guys are just solid at best. We do more... Before the last offseason, I feel like Brandon Beane's strategy has been to dedicate more resources to the Defense and hope that Josh Allen can elevate the guys on the other side of the ball. Unfortunately it was a really bad year to upgrade passing attacks. Free agency was really bare in the WR department, and all the good WR prospects were gone by our pick. Kincaid was a good consolation prize. The bright side is this upcoming draft class should be loaded at that position.

Can't agree. The only excuse for missing the playoffs would be a Josh Allen injury, or the roster around him getting completely rebooted. This year can't be viewed as anything but a miserable failure. For every positive, there is an equal negative. - Dalton Kincaid looks like a rising stud. But Stefon Diggs is nearing his decline. And we need to restart completely at WR2. - Terrel Bernard was a surprise hit. But Matt Milano will be coming off a major leg injury. - O-Line finally looks solid. But half of our D-Line has expiring contracts, and Von Miller is done. - Time to wave goodbye to major contributors like Tre White, Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde.

Yes. The NFL and the Buffalo Bills should temporarily suspend Miller and then conduct their own investigation into the matter, to determine whether the allegations are true. There are reasons the woman may end up dropping the charges (money, security, fear), which have nothing to do with whether Von Miller actually committed the assault or not. Bottom line... if Miller did what he's being charged with, I don't want him playing another down for the team.

Agreed. I would add that if these charges end up being true, the Bills need to cut him immediately, regardless of the cap consequences. No sympathy for someone that assaults a pregnant woman. I've always said that Tyreek Hill does not belong in the NFL, and it's disgusting any team would employee him. Same would go for anyone on the Bills.

Sadly, this was the first thing that came to my mind too. Von Miller was always a high risk/high reward signing. Can't blame Brandon Beane for taking the shot. It was really working out before the ACL tear. Hard to see a guy at his age coming back the same.

I agree the media overblows Josh Allen's turnovers (you must include fumbles, not just interceptions). But that doesn't mean he can't do better. He does have the most in the NFL this year, and over the last 4-5 years. For me, the question is what he provides to the team vs. what he takes away. He's got 209 touchdowns in 89 career games (2.34 average per game), along with countless 1st-down conversions that nobody else in the league could manage to make. Compare that to 96 turnovers (1.07 per game). If you look at the Bills losses over the last 4-5 seasons, I would say very few were due to excessive turnovers. At the same time, the Bills probably don't make the playoffs in any of those years without the special contributions of Allen.

Yep. It's happened way too many times to be a trend. Every offense in the league has their normal offense, their red zone offense and their 2-minute offense. Sean McDermott's defense consistently does great against the first two. It collapses over and over against the third. At this point, it can't be a coincidence. It happens pretty much every time. So the question must be asked. How is McDermott adjusting to opponent's 2-minute offense? Are his coverage schemes too soft? Is he blitzing too much? Not blitzing enough? Too predictable? Whatever he is doing isn't working.

"13 Seconds" is king of the mountain for Sean McDermott. It ranks with "Wide Right" and the "Music City Miracle" as the worst losses in Bills history. Last year's Minnesota loss was strangely one of the lowest moments I've felt as a Bills fan. Justin Jefferson with the greatest catch ever on 4th Down. The fumbled snap in the end zone. Patrick Peterson's interception. Despite our great record at the time, that was the moment my expectations for the season came crashing and I knew this team wasn't going to win the Super Bowl. Just felt like this team was cursed. 12 Man Field Goal is probably the most incompetent loss during McDermott's coaching tenure. Unbelievable he could let that happen in such a vital game. The Houston playoff game, Philly/Jalen Hurts OT, Bucs/Tom Brady OT (along with 13 seconds) are the greatest examples of where McDermott falls short as a Defensive coach in the biggest clutch moments. The 2020 Chiefs Championship loss and 2022 Bengals Divisional loss are the best examples where his defense simply doesn't show up in the biggest games. It's absolutely crazy that I've named EIGHT games from the past 5 seasons. And I still haven't gotten to the Hail Murray. The Wind Game against the Patriots. Josh Allen slipping Monday night against the Titans. The Josh Allen vs. Josh Allen bowl. Aaron Rodgers Achilles game.

Injuries are going to be an excuse almost every year. The team was very healthy in 2020-2021 and failed to finish the job. Agreed it was a horribly officiated game. However, the refs played very little part in the two drives we allowed with under 2 minutes left or in OT. This team is supposed to be in the window of a Super Bowl run, with one of the best QBs in football. If our talent level is significantly below anyone, then everyone in the front office should be fired. Home. Road. Who cares. He's reached his peak. This team can regularly win 10+ games in the regular season, win the AFC East when the other teams are mediocre or less and win the Wild Card Round against middling playoff teams who barely deserve to be there. But to get past the Divisional Round, Championship Game and Super Bowl, he's going to need consistently strong defensive performances against QBs like Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, etc. No evidence he's got the ability to do that. It's McDermott's defense that continually allows offenses to drive the field with the game on the line. His soft coverage allowed them to EASILY complete underneath passes, because he was scared to have the defenders contest the receivers. The reason the Bills have become underdogs to the top teams is because... THEY ARE NO LONGER A TOP TEAM THEMSELVES. How does that not (at least partially) fall on Sean McDermott??????? They blew a lead against the Jets. They blew a lead against the Patriots. They blew a lead against the Broncos. This team is 6-6 and will miss the playoffs. And I'm supposed to be happy, because they came close to beating the Eagles?