mjt328

I'm not someone calling for Sean McDermott to get fired. But I do understand the frustration, and the feeling that he is holding us back. Listen around the league, and you are starting to hear national voices recognize what we've been saying the last 2-3 years here. The Bills are rapidly wasting the prime of Josh Allen's career. There are no guarantees how long he will remain in this elite class. And when it's over, there are no do-overs. Every postseason loss can be attributed heavily to poor coaching decisions, combined with a defense (McDermott's baby) that simply VANISHES and has no answers for even slowing down the opposing offense. A unit that somehow plays so POORLY for four quarters, that even historic level play from the Quarterback cannot bring the team to victory. No, the Rams game was not a playoff matchup. But it looked EXACTLY like one. It was as close to the "13 Seconds" game as we have witnessed in the past three years. Which begs the question... what have we learned since that point to get us over the hump? My fear (and many others) is that nothing has been learned, and we are bound for another total defensive collapse in January.

How many times do you remember Richard Seymour, Willie McGinest or Vince Wilfork making the huge game-changing play on the D-Line that won New England the Super Bowl or even a big playoff game? That's what we were talking about, correct? None of those guys were elite game-wreckers. They were good players who got HOF consideration because of their association with the Patriots. I'm not saying we can't upgrade on the D-Line. I just don't think we NEED a TJ Watt, Myles Garrett or Chris Jones level player in order to win a Super Bowl. We just need our good players like Greg Rousseau and Ed Oliver to not completely disappear in big games.

I was thinking about elite QBs during my lifetime who failed to even make a Super Bowl. The only guys I could think of were Warren Moon and Phillip Rivers. Both of those guys had multiple Hall of Fame quarterbacks to get past on a yearly basis in the AFC. Moon had Jim Kelly, John Elway and Dan Marino. Rivers had Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger.

Who are the superstars on the Lions? The Eagles? Greg Rousseau and Christian Benford have played at an exceptional superstar level all season long. Terrell Bernard has been a regular force in the middle. The Bills have gotten All-Pro play out of guys like Matt Milano, Taron Johnson, Tre White, Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde over the years. I get what you are saying. But the NFL has plenty of championship teams that didn't have someone like Chris Jones or TJ Watt on defense. I would argue the New England Patriots never had that kind of player on defense during their ridiculous dynasty run. Closest thing was probably Vince Wilfork, and he was more of a reliable anchor DT than someone who made big plays in big moments. It's clear the Bills failure to make/win a Super Bowl can be traced back to the defense. I'm just not so sure it's due to a lack of talent or lack of superstars. There has to be SOME reason why EVERYONE on that side of the ball can play consistently strong 95% of a season, and then suddenly disappear for an entire game.

My confusion is... I don't know if the problem is the scheme. Lots of other teams have found championship success with a similar-style defense to the Bills. And very few teams run this scheme with the expertise and perfection as we usually do. We've seen various levels of aggression and playcalling combos with Leslie Frazier, McDermott himself and now Bobby Babich. This year we are seeing more adjustments than in the years past. The defense couldn't get pressure in the first half with 4 guys. They blitzed more in the second half, and still couldn't get to Stafford. They usually play zone. But I saw lots of man coverage throughout the game. Nickel, Dime. And they still got picked apart easily. The Ravens just steamrolled us with their running game earlier this season. But against the Rams, it was mostly the passing game (not that our rush defense was halfway decent either). For some inexplicable reason, this defense plays at a consistently high-level season after season, for about 95% of the year, even with tons of backups forced into the lineup... and then somehow puts together 1-2 games where it's like every player on that side of the ball is being affected by a voodoo curse and forgot how to play football.

I understand the gripes with Sean McDermott's game management. But I literally see the same kinds of mistakes (or worse) from other coaches around the NFL on a weekly basis. Including from guys like Andy Reid, John Harbaugh, Mike Tomlin, Dan Campbell, etc. Imagine if Campbell's goofy 4th-Down decision last week backfired, and it ultimately cost the Lions the #1 seed or the division? Especially after what happened in last year's NFC Championship game. Coaches make huge game-changing decisions every week. But I don't see anyone who constantly gets things right.

It's OK to sometimes have a bad game. Happens to everyone. It's really not OK to have performances like yesterday. Ever. And we seem to have it happen a couple times every season. Remember the perfect game we had against the Patriots in the Wild Card game. The defense is basically playing 95% of that bad.

Without the punt block, the Rams would have gotten the ball 30-40 yards farther down the field. And they would have proceeded to go on a 10-play, 6 minute touchdown drive anyway. If the Bills had saved all three timeouts at the very end, the Rams would have still gotten a first down and iced the game. I know everyone wants to blame the coach (as usual). But we really need to figure out why the defense is even capable of games like this. It doesn't seem to matter who is in charge (Leslie Frazier, Sean McDermott, Bobby Babich). It doesn't seem to matter if we rush 4 or blitz. It doesn't seem to matter if we play zone or man coverage. Every season we get 1-2 games where that side of the ball doesn't even show up to play.

This defense is unexplainable. Every year, they are statistically a Top 5-10 unit across the entire NFL. (Even after yesterday's debacle which dropped them way down the list, they are still ranked #8 in scoring defense, #1 in turnovers and #9 against the pass). Their adjusted numbers are even better on most advanced analytical sites. The Bills have multiple games each season where they totally confuse and harass elite veteran QBs and coaches. Even ones who see them all the time. A great example is Andy Reid/Patrick Mahomes just a few weeks ago. Yet somehow, we also have 1-2 times every season (and always in the playoffs)... where this defense performs no better than putting a bunch of traffic cones on the field. Not just bad. Not just terrible. But absolutely incapable of getting stops ALL GAME LONG. Every team has bad moments and bad games. But the Bills push it to the absolute extreme. How is it possible to play at such a high level for 15-16 games, and then suddenly morph into the most inept unit in the entire NFL for four quarters. It's baffling to me. Yesterday's performance was pathetic. I hear what you are saying about the D-Line. But the Bills couldn't generate the slightest pressure when they blitzed either. Guys were WIDE open all over the field, even with us grabbing jerseys. Zone defense or in man coverage, defensive backs couldn't make a play to save their lives. I don't think anyone was able to get off a block all day. And tackling was ridiculously awful. I don't want to hear about the lack of elite playmakers on the D-Line either. There are only a handful of guys in the NFL like TJ Watt, Myles Garrett or Chris Jones, and very few teams can boast having someone like that on the roster. Our talent on the front line is absolutely comparable to other top teams like the Lions and Eagles. Yet somehow even on their worst days, those teams can find ways to at least get a couple stops. The big fear amongst Bills Mafia is that yesterday's game was only a preview of what will happen (again) in the postseason.

Lamar Jackson is just getting his bye week now. Josh Allen also has about a half-dozen games this year where he didn't even play in the 4th Quarter.

Stats always factor into the MVP conversation. But it really comes down to the narrative created by the sports media. Allen's biggest problem in 2023 was that his worst games all came during Primetime with everyone watching. It started the Week 1 opener with three interceptions against the Jets on Monday Night. A month later, the offense struggled horribly and we almost lost to the Giants on Sunday Night. Finally that messy Monday Night loss to the Broncos, where he had three more turnovers. By the time the Bills rallied and turned the season around, the story about Allen had become his turnovers. This year, the Bills are undefeated in Primetime with three blowout wins in front of a national audience. Allen isn't turning the ball over. Plus he's had two HUGE eyebrow raising plays down the stretch, against last year's Super Bowl teams. That is why he's considered the leader. It's not in the bag for #17. There are still five games left for the narrative to shift again. His performance against the Lions is going to be huge. It needs to be something that really sticks in people's minds. Because Barkley ends the season against the Giants. If he breaks the rushing record against his old team, and the Eagles get the #1 seed in the NFC... there is going to be a huge push for him to get it. Trust me.

The argument for Lamar Jackson is totally stat related, which is fine. But he still hasn't had his bye week. People are acting like he's having some kind of historical numbers season. But Jackson only has 5 more touchdowns (32) than Josh Allen (27) with an extra game in his pocket. That lead could easily disappear over the final month of the season. Guessing that some voters will also penalize him for having another MVP candidate (Derrick Henry) on the same offense. Not to mention the high number of losses (5 and counting). Hard to win the MVP when your team doesn't even win the division. Saquan Barkley is now a legitimate threat for the MVP award. He's currently on pace to break the single-season rushing record, which is definitely going to resonate with a bunch of voters. And the Eagles record is also the same as ours. He may get some sympathy votes from "old school" voters who don't like how the NFL has treated the running back position recently. Hopefully they are willing to factor in the number of games jumping to 17, when Eric Dickerson did it in 16 games. The MVP award is mostly about narrative. There is still a full month of football left in the season. So it's going to be about leaving a final impression in the minds of the voters during the final stretch. Jackson basically sealed the deal last year on Christmas Day, when he played fantastic and the Ravens totally dismantled the 49ers in a huge primetime matchup. For Allen, that final impression will probably be the Lions game on December 15. Very few people are going to pay attention to his performance against the Patriots/Jets, unless it's really bad.

Don't be surprised if the Bills have zero Pro Bowlers this year. The NFL is stupid and lets the fans pick. Which means it's partially a popularity contest, partially based on fantasy football/stats, partially based on which markets are bigger (that's why Dallas has a dozen guys make it every season) and partially based on whoever announcers decide to hype up during the year. Lots of voters know less than nothing and will just pick everyone from their hometown team. That puts us at a huge disadvantage right from the get-go, because Buffalo is one of the smaller markets. We also have a huge market (New York/Jets) that will purposely NOT vote for anyone on our team. Patrick Mahomes could get put on IR on Week 1 and still make the Pro Bowl, because he's the face of the NFL. Lamar Jackson is also extremely popular around the country and has great stats this year. He won't miss it. They only pick three guys, so I would give Josh Allen a maybe 50/50 shot to get voted in. Either he gets snubbed, or Joe Burrow does. Just like every other season. In fantasy football, we used to have Stefon Diggs putting up big numbers. But since we spread the ball around now, none of our RBs or WRs have the fantasy stats to catch anyone's attention, so forget anyone like Khalil Shakir or James Cook getting in. All the rest of the positions (O-Line, D-Line, Linebackers, Secondary) will get in based on how much CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN decide to actually talk about those players. When was the last time you heard the announcers rave about how fantastic Christian Benford was at cornerback? Or Terrell Bernard at linebacker? How much chance does Greg Rousseau have in a conference with TJ Watt, Myles Garrett, Max Crosby, etc.? About as much chance as Ed Oliver had last year. How many years did we watch Matt Milano get snubbed (and now he's hurt for the second straight year)? Taron Johnson is finally getting some talk, but he won't make it over big-name guys like Sauce Gardner and Jalen Ramsey. I give Dion Dawkins a tiny chance, and that's about it.

As a Bills fan, I understand the desire to put Allen above Mahomes. But an unbiased person just cannot do that. Our guy took a couple years to develop and didn't fully break-out as an elite player until 2000. By that point, Mahomes was already a Super Bowl champion, MVP and 2x All-Pro. Since then, they have been statistically neck/neck. But Mahomes has also won two additional Super Bowls and another MVP... defeating Allen/Buffalo in the playoffs three times along the way. Both guys have been individually great in the playoffs. But Allen has been pulled down by the team around him (coaching, defense, weapons) in the biggest moments. Mahomes has found a way to overcome them. That has to be a factor.

The ideal scenario is that we get the bye. If we don't, this is the next best "realistic" scenario I could figure out. Bills get the #2 seed. They matchup with the #7 in the Wild Card Round. Best bet would be Denver or Indianapolis. Hoping Cincinnati doesn't go on a tear and scrape its way into the playoffs. They are tougher than their record. Pittsburgh gets the #3 and defeats Los Angeles at #6. Houston gets the #4 and loses to Baltimore at #5. In this case, we get the Steelers in the Divisional Round... then face the winner of Chiefs vs. Ravens in the AFC Championship.

Depth is a great thing to have. First I think they need to gradually ease Matt Milano back into the lineup sometime after the bye. See how he's moving post-injury, and let him slowly get back into playing shape. Don't forget how long it took for both Tre White and Von Miller to start looking like themselves again. If Milano can regain his pre-injury form by the playoffs, then it's a no-brainer. He goes back into the starting lineup alongside Terrell Bernard, and the Bills will have the best Linebacker duo in the NFL. You can also use Dorian Williams in more heavy-run situations, either as a third linebacker or simply replacing Milano/Bernard in the lineup.

I'm very happy with how the season has gone so far. But I still think the #1 seed is a longshot. The Bills still have to play the Lions on the road (possibly the best team in the NFL). The 49ers are a very good team fighting for their playoff lives (very similar to our situation last season). The Rams aren't a bad team by any means. The Jets are always a sneaky in-division matchup, regardless of how bad their year has gone. 14-3 would be an excellent finish, and I would honestly be satisfied with 13-4. The Chiefs have three tough games left with the Chargers, Texans and Steelers, with a couple sneaky division matchups in the Raiders and Broncos. Personally, I think their remaining schedule is easier than ours. And they have a one-game lead. Lots of people are suddenly seeing them as vulnerable. But less than a week ago, many were considering us the "last hope" in keeping them from going undefeated. Anything can happen, but I'm not holding out hope here. If we can't get the bye, I think the next best thing is to root hard for the Steelers to win the NFC North. I would love a scenario where we get the Broncos/Colts in the Wild Card, the Steelers/Texans in the Divisional Round, while the Ravens/Chiefs knock each other out.

Despite the rivalry, part of me feels bad for Jets fans. I remember when the Bills were that dysfunctional franchise, with a meddling owner and a revolving door of GMs/coaches/quarterbacks. It's just a never-ending black hole of despair. There is a formula for turning around a failing team. It starts with the right owners. Then hiring the right front office. Then the right coaching staff. Then drafting the right quarterback. Then adding the right supporting cast. We have been very fortunate that all those dominos have dropped over the past several years. Jets fans know there is no hope in the immediate future, because they still haven't gotten step-one taken care of. The dysfunction starts at the very top. The Pegulas aren't football geniuses by any means. They just did their best to hire the right people, provided the financial resources needed to compete and then got out of the way. That was something that Ralph Wilson sadly wasn't able to do, especially in his later years. Yes, the Pegulas made some mistakes along the way. And obviously quite a bit of luck is involved in hiring the RIGHT guys. But at least they haven't been one of the roadblocks to the team's success.

Coach of the Year usually goes to the HC of a team that was expected to be bad...yet found a way to significantly overachieve. Usually (but not always) it's also a fairly new coach to the NFL (1-2 years in the league) rather than a longtime established veteran. I have no idea why it's that way. Maybe because voters have no other idea on what to look for in a good coach. That's why someone like Bill Belichick could be considered the best HC in the NFL for almost two decades straight, but somehow only won the award three times. Andy Reid won it once, and it was way back during his second year with the Eagles (over 20 years ago). Based on the normal credentials, I would assume that Dan Quinn (Washington) is among the front-runners. Kevin O'Connell (Vikings) is another legit candidate. If Pittsburgh wins the AFC North, Mike Tomlin could buck the trend of younger coaches winning it. Dan Quinn (Detroit) and Sean McDermott are probably longshots, considering their teams aren't really surprises.

There are only a handful of ELITE pass rushers, who can rack up 15-20 sacks per year regardless of scheme or other players around them. TJ Watt and Myles Garrett are basically the Patrick Mahomes/Josh Allen of the DE world, and everyone else is a notch below. Greg Rousseau has taken that step into Top 5-10 status. But he's not quite fast enough to put up HUGE numbers without additional help along the D-Line. In the same QB terms, he's probably in the Jalen Hurts/Justin Herbert tier. Outside of Rousseau, the Bills have just not gotten a consistent push from the right side of the line, or from the middle. Ed Oliver just doesn't seem to have the size to beat double-teams (and makes very little impact otherwise), and DaQuan Jones has taken a huge step-backwards this season.

Yeah. Not as hyped for this one as the usual Chiefs game. The AFC East is already locked up. So playoffs are not at risk, and we are pretty much guaranteed one of the Top 4 seeds. Even if the Bills win on Sunday, they will still be a game behind for the #1 seed. With upcoming games against the 49ers and Lions, it's not like we have any easy path to win-out either. We are probably looking at a 14-3 or 13-4 season at best... and unfortunately that probably isn't going to be enough to catch them. The Chiefs aren't playing great and don't have a cakewalk the rest of the way. But they are already 9-0. Getting the #2, 3 or 4 seeds is a toss-up at this point, because you don't know how they will matchup with the Wild Card opponents. Theoretically, the #2 seed could end up drawing the Bengals, while the #4 gets the Broncos. Homefield doesn't mean much to me either. January wind/cold can be just as much of a disadvantage to us. Not to mention... the Bills have beaten the Chiefs in the regular season three years in a row. But they are 0-3 against Andy Reid/Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs. I would almost rather let our injured players heal and save our best gameplan for a potential postseason rematch.

Based purely on body language, I'm noticing a lot more confusion on the defense this year. Guys scrambling before the snap trying to figure out who to cover. After a big passing play, defensive backs going back and forth about someone being out of position. Not to mention the D-Line constantly getting burned on screens, and failing to keep contain. Hopefully they can figure things out quickly. We are already past the halfway mark, and the postseason is coming quickly. We have a nice record and the AFC East is already in the bag. But I'm not feeling very confident about our chances in the playoffs.

Definitely. The Bills don't need someone like Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson, etc. They just need someone teams will respect enough to pull that coverage away from the middle, and give our other guys room to operate. The Titans/Seahawks games were the only times we've had the entire WR group healthy, and it was very tough for teams to stop.

Yes and no. I agree that Josh Allen has benefitted from not having the pressure caused by someone like Stefon Diggs demanding the ball. And the Bills definitely have plenty of overall TALENT within their receiving group to replace his production, especially if you count the Tight End room. But I believe the main reason they have struggled offensively at times... is that ALL our best options are all short-area/middle of the field guys. Khalil Shakir in the slot. Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox over the middle. Running backs in the flats. Even Curtis Samuel is more of a YAC guy. Nobody on the roster is a threat down the field. And outside of 2-3 games, we've really had nothing on the outside at all. After the first two weeks, defenses quickly realized we weren't able to consistently attack deep or outside. Our opponents adjusted, clogging the short/intermediate routes and daring our outside guys (Mack Hollins and inexperienced rookie Keon Coleman) to win. We struggled badly Weeks 3-4 with the Ravens and Texans, until getting Amari Cooper in a trade. Things immediately started picking up again. Then Cooper got injured. Then Coleman too. Yesterday was pretty ugly overall, and it shouldn't be surprising that our best success came when Hollins was actually making plays on the outside. I agree that it's not about having a #1 elite WR on the team. But we do need some variety to our passing attack, or it gets WAY too easy and predictable to defend. Hollins had a good game against the Colts awful corners, but I'm not sure we can count on him on a weekly basis. We desperately need Cooper back, because the upcoming matchup is Trent McDuffie.

I was at the game, and I have no idea who the first INT was being thrown to. There wasn't a receiver within 10 years of EJ Speed.