Miyagi-Do Karate

the answer is “no.” We seriously are the only one. I can name about 15 totally other improbable losses off the top of my head that the OP didn’t even name.

I agree that they are not backing off. But this Detroit game is probably meaningless for the standings. I just can’t see us catching the chiefs, and the Steelers are probably going to lose to some combination of the chiefs, eagles, and ravens— which will put them firmly as the 3. it might work out pretty well for us. because Steelers D is going to probably give the chiefs issues in the playoffs.

Agreed. I think we are a lock for the 2 seed, probably even before week 18. I have a feeling the chiefs and bills will both rest their starters for week 18, and it seems like we will get Denver in round 1.

I have been beating this drum for many years. Makes no sense for any head coach to have this role. HC is like the CEO. Get an operations guy to handle clock management and challenges on game day.

i actually thought Puka was more deadly when we were in man.

Puka has like 7-10 catches every game really against any team. I was also so impressed at his ability to run those jet sweeps. what a player. That said, the bills have a system to cover tyreek Hill And Jaylen Waddle. I am curious why that system couldn’t work against Puka and Kupp.

my two cents on ST (going back several Bills regimes) is that 90% of it is coaching, and having these core ST players matters less. It’s the one phase where coaching matters so much. You can see it with the elite ST coaches— several of which who then went on to be star head coaches (John Harbaugh, bill cowher). Coverage is about staying disciplined and fundamentally sound. Kicking and punting is about mechanics and process. Blocking on kicks is about assignments and fundamentals. Even the splash plays (blocked kicks or long returns) often are about exploiting certain vulnerabilities, and having sound technique. That, to me, suggests that having that great ST coach can really make that unit a strength, and also can free up the GM And head coach to make roster decisions without regard to ST.

I meant “True,” in the sense that if this team is placing high value on ST players in making roster and game day decisions, one would hope the ST play would be a lot better. It’s been terrible. Every phase is pretty terrible, except maybe Coddrington as a return guy.

This is the sort of thing that caused me to quit baseball and the Mets. When they threw insane money at an aging Mo Vaughn around 2002 and tried to just start outspending everyone, I just gave up on the team. The fun in baseball is developing that young talent, and then being smart with your value free agents.

I feel like this NFC West division is one of the weirdest divisions to predict and all the teams in that division play with extreme variability. we caught the Rams at their absolute best. Won’t surprise me to see them lay a total Egg on Thursday.

Went to a Christmas party that started exactly at 4:30, and had to watch it when I got home later at night. I “assumed” this would be fine because I had to basically watch the last two Bills/Rams games the same way, and the Bills won both. Well, we all know about “assumptions.” I will vow to do better.

So true.

where are you getting this from? In the cover 1 pre-game podcast, they mentioned the Rams run D wasn’t very good. And I am looking at the 2024 stats, and the Rams look to be bottom 5 in the league in run D (total yards).

agreed. I was fully expecting this to be a Cook and Ray Davis game. I thought we might see Davis with like 15 carries. He got none. better TOP would have helped the defense.

This game was the very opposite than what was expected. 1) the rams were supposed to be very bad against the run, and we were supposed to be running wild. Instead, we couldn’t get anything on the ground. And we really went away from it. Ray Davis with no carries! 2) Rams haven’t been all that good on 3rd down offense, but converted at an insane rate. 3) we usually play a lot of zone and go bend some break. Yet We played a lot more man, and were pretty aggressive in coverage. And it didn’t work. 4) Rams with one of the highest pressure rates, but really got no pressure on Josh. I am not sure what to make of any of this.

agreed. His game management for the eagles in the SB was possibly the worst in NFL history. They like ran out the clock on themselves in that game.

Hitting the upright just to show how close they can win. good for them, but there is karma. This team is going to lose in an epically Billsy heartbreaking way in the playoffs. Like a Hail Mary or wild lateral play. And everyone will laugh hysterically.

Here comes the hard slice. They are due!

I bet the chiefs 3rd string kicker shanks one and they choke this away. They are due for some chiefsy luck.

they seemed to be in Man from the get go. I don’t think they started in zone and switched. I noticed them in man immediately on the first drive. By the end of this game, they actually held the Rams’ run game in check. I think Williams had like 80 yards but on like 30 carries. The problem was they just couldn’t stop Puca from converting on 3rd down. and they couldn’t get any pressure. I am not sure the dolphins game is a good comp, because I believe the Rams had a lot of missing guys on the oline until recently. Rams are now fully healthy.

they missed that 4 or 5 times today, on both teams though.

Schematically, I assumed they would play the Rams similar to the dolphins with waddle and Hill. Sort of put a shell on it; give up some short stuff. Clamp down in the red zone. Instead, looked like we played a lot of man, and were pretty aggressive with some blitzes and run blitzes. I wonder why they felt they had to play so much man on Puca and Kupp. It obviously didn’t work at all.

Man, just thinking more about this game, it was wildly entertaining with high execution on both sides. I am truly only “mad” about the punt block. Everything else was just superb offensive football by all the play makers on both sides. it’s probably truly the most entertaining game of the season in the NFL.

I felt like they played mostly man from the first snap. Will be curious to see the snap count.

I believe they have had some oline injuries and recently got healthy and their oline in good positions. Showed today— we couldn’t generate any pressure.