TheFunPolice

100% There was about 5 minutes to go and the Bengals were up 3 with the ball at the Bills 30 (ish) Run a couple minutes of clock and score a TD (which seemed inevitable without the pick) and you're up 10 with between 2-3 minutes to play. Burrow blew it. I think if Belichick has any NFL offers the most likely team is actually the Bengals. Since they have no GM there's no issue there. There's big problems and their overrated HC is terrible. Burrow is having a public meltdown. Now, they are the Bengals, so the most likely outcome is that they try to stick it to Burrow, and Brown tells him "you work for me son" and plays hardball. But there's a chance they get a clue and hire a real HC, and whatever Belichick is or isn't he with a great QB would be very dangerous again. Don't forget: when the Bengals used to play defense too they were extremely tough. They don't even need to be good or great, even a middle of the road defense would make them a SB contender. Right now they are laughably bad.

I think part of it was keeping Allen under wraps as long as possible to keep him fresh for the playoffs. Look at Jackson: hamstring injury, knee injury, a shell of himself. Not able to really run. Very very rarely is a QB able to just put on the cape and become undefendable. And it doesn't usually last long. Cam Newton is the last guy I can remember who could physically take over a game. People forget just how unbelievable he was for a couple of years. He was undefendable. Allen is even better, and I can totally see him simply taking over playoff games and leading us all the way. It's not something you would ideally count on, but when you have a cheat code you might as well use it.

Bills 27 Patriots 17 We're about to make it so.

Give it some time. It's the Diggs cycle. Right now we're in the honeymoon, "we're like brothers" piggy back rides on the cover of Sports Illustrated phase. This week he'll catch a 9 yard pass on 3rd and 7 and stand there staring into space all "intense" for 5 seconds. But soon Diggs will be doing the "almost" sign with his fingers to Maye or signaling "just a bit higher (or lower)" with his hands in a few weeks when he drops a pass in a big moment. Then after we go into Foxborough and thump them in the divisional round in a game where he was invisible he'll throw a fit and leave the stadium without talking to anyone and Vrabel will have to run out into the snowstorm and talk him out of an Uber and back into the locker room to talk with his team. But don't worry, everything is great. All are in harmony. Then he'll not show up for minicamps. Then he will. He'll say he was told to go home. The team will say no he wasn't. He'll make veiled comments on social media. Next season will start, he'll be invisible for long stretches except for outbursts. Then he'll drop another ball in a big spot and show up Maye acting like it was a bad throw. This will go on all season, and after he disappears in the 2026 playoffs NE will cut him and he'll go sign with another team with a young QB and the cycle will start again. BTW, this is the difference between Diggs and guys like Higgins and Chase. Those guys seem to catch anything thrown in their general direction. Freaking Higgins is out there concussed catching passes with 1 hand in a blizzard and holding on as he falls to the ground and hits his head on the turf yet again. Diggs is a great WR but he also vanishes in the playoffs. Those dudes are uncoverable. Luckily CIN doesn't play defense or special teams.

Agreed! Penix is horrible, and looks like a trebuchet launching rocks with that windup and exaggerated throwing motion. He made some plays here and there, but he's never going to be great IMO. Atlanta totally wasted that 1st round pick and mismanaged their roster. They paid Cousins a huge contract then cut his legs out a month later instead of building the team to win. A QB in his mid 30's could have 5 solid seasons left.

First off, I hope Watt is ok. Being on the injury report for a lung injury is never good. That being said, Pittsburgh is 100% capable of falling off at the end of this season. The refs totally jobbed the Ravens or Baltimore would have won last week. Steelers closing stretch is pretty tough, so it'll get interesting.

Brady was asked on Cowherd's show if he could still play at age 48 and Brady was quick to say yes he definitely could still play and would say yes if asked, except that he can't because of his Raiders ownership stake. I'll bet Brady could suit up and look the exact same as he did 3 years ago. Good points about Rivers too! If somehow the Colts make it in and we don't go all the way I would be rooting for Rivers just because, what a crazy, insane, storyline.

I always wondered how common this is. When you're all geared up with pads and uniforms it's not easy or quick to go, and it's not exactly like you can just duck out at any time.

I thought so too.... Zero excitement on a game winning play

Wow! Kudos to the Falcons for still battling

The team made crazy plays to tie the game but the coach blew it

This is why I hate going for 2 when down 14 I just think it's dumb. You put a ton of pressure on yourself

Good Lord these penalties

Burrow is a different guy, no doubt about that Apparently he got all excited about talking Pokemon in this same press conference

Just cancel practice and everyone goes over to McGovern's house for homemade create a pizzas and film study.

That too, but Taylor cannot win games without Burrow. Even with Burrow the team comes out unprepared, sluggish, unmotivated and starts slow almost every year. I just don't get how Taylor has a job. They're so cheap they don't even have a GM!

They remind me of those early 2000's Ravens defenses when they shut down teams like NE and Indy. The key was to get up on them early. They usually had Manning's number often but then he put up 7 TDs against them. It's not easy, but get up by 14 and it's a wrap.

Think of it this way: Baltimore was said to be one of, if not the, most talented rosters in the league before the season began. If they make it in they could be a problem but their schedule is brutal down the stretch. Bengals could be tough if they somehow win that division, but their entire team is based on Burrow throwing to Higgins and Chase, which is hard to stop but when you only pass eventually something bad, like a sack fumble, key drop, tipped pass INT, or just a bad throw, is bound to happen eventually. I'd worry about the Ravens in the playoffs but nobody else. I see people scared of the Texans. The TEXANS! LOL Yes, they beat us on TNF and sacked Allen like 71 times. Atlanta beat us pretty good also on MNF. Would you be scared to see them in the playoffs? IF the Ravens make it in, they will be the trendy pick and ALL the pressure will be on Lamar to get it done with that supporting cast and defense.

I mean, it's what many of us have been saying all season and it has bitten the team in a few games this season. The margins are so thin in the NFL. If a 4th down deflection doesn't bounce right to Coleman for a TD in week 1 and if Burrow doesn't toss a softball right to a blitzing DB we're likely 7-6 with a hill to climb to make it into the playoffs. But instead we're 9-4 and in a commanding position to make it in and make a run, whereas both of those other teams are in deep trouble. The question is whether any QB, even Allen, can put on a cape and will a team to a SB. If anyone can it's Allen. I'm convinced this is the year. The AFC playoff picture is a joke and we have #17.

I'm hoping it goes better than expected, or even really well, so that it happens again in the future with other guys.

this Sunday is going to be an incredible RedZone day in addition to the Bills games! Meaningful games everywhere

I've been told here and there that it comes across as as schtick or like I'm trolling or something, but I am legitimately this way about the Bills. Even back when Losman was QB I would talk myself into all sorts of way that if ______ happens then ______ happens we can make it in, then anything can happen! Just makes it more fun for me, although it does hurt a LOT worse when it doesn't work out, which has been every season so far. Here's a thought: If we didn't have hat comeback vs Baltimore and we lost to KC we'd be 7-6, tied with KC but behind them because of tiebreaker and also tied with but behind Baltimore due to tiebreakers. In short, we would be in tough for making the playoffs at all. That's how much those 2 wins will have meant to our SB run.

I was sort of bummed in a way that our SB championship wouldn't involve slaying any of these dragons... BUT we did along the way: We beat Baltimore and are a major reason they are in real playoff trouble. We beat KC and if we had lost that game they would still be in a great spot. We are one of the major reasons they could miss. We beat CIN and also could be a major reason they miss. So if we win it all this year we beat BAL, KC and CIN in highly meaningful games along the way and basically eliminated all 3. It just happened earlier. In January we'll get the Pittsburgh extra bye week and then beat a couple of frauds to get there. That's all good.

IMO Zach Taylor is the biggest solvable problem there. If Belichick is ever going to get another NFL job it's going to take someone like Burrow pushing for it. And he would have to be given free reign. The reason I connect him to the Bengals is that the Bengals don't really have strong front offices. They don't even have a GM! That's incredible. So, it's made for Belichick: QB in place, no GM anyway, so he can run the whole show. If Mike Brown realizes this will keep Burrow happy and help the team win he could do it. Obviously Belichick would take that job in 2 seconds. The Bengals have a coffee fetcher right now who got the job because he was in a room with Sean McVay for 5 minutes and he has done ok here and there. But I blast Taylor every chance I get because it is demonstrated every time Burrow goes out that his success is 100% due to Burrow. Without him (and even sometimes with him early in seasons) they cannot win games. Imagine missing 3 years in a row with Allen in a system where 7 teams make it. Belichick would have that team pushing for the #1 seed next season. He would have his pick of OCs to work with Burrow, so he would need someone good, that would be the only possible holdup.

oh we're going to paste these guys. Everything is falling into place this year. Everything. Playoffs are like mid-September/October inter-divisional games. Likely no Mahomes and no Burrow. Maybe Jackson, but it looks doubtful. Cakewalk. Imagine saying the road is: Pittsburgh (LOL), Houston (cute story, but who takes them seriously as a SB contender?), Broncos (another cute story) Even toss in New England, who already won their Super Bowl several weeks ago here and would be trying to be the first team to win 2 rings in one season. I didn't mention Jacksonville Barbie and their dozens of rabid fans. Basically our road to the Super Bowl is beating the AFC South teams and maybe Denver. I mean LET'S GO! Now Burrow is seemingly pushing to get Zach Taylor finally fired (good luck) or get himself out of there and likely to an NFC team (few AFC landing spots for QB) taking one top QB out of the AFC mix if that happens. New stadium. Hallmark movie. Allen being an all time great. The chance for guys from past teams like Tre White, Poyer, Jordan Phillips, Gabe Davis and others I probably forgot to get a ring as part of this reunion tour. It simply cannot not happen this year.