theRalph

The 3 are all against the Jitz. That's sort of the point...

As the Bills HC, McDermott is now 3 - 2 in openers (including this loss) and 9 - 4 over the first three games since 2017. McDermott's opening day wins have all come against Jet teams that finished 14 - 34 (.292) those seasons. Opening day losses (including the Steelers and using their 2020 record of 11-5) were against teams that finished 21 - 11 (.656). This makes his 2017 - 2020 .750 in openers — now .600, including this current loss — look suspect when the three wins came against the Jets (including coming back from 16 down in 2019!) and the 2018 Ravens dropped 47 on the one-field-goal-Bills. On the other hand, McDermott recovers nicely in Games 2 and 3, where wins were against teams with a cumulative record of 39-56-1 (.419) The losses came against teams with a cumulative record of 23-9 (.719). McDermott is currently .750 in Games 2 and 3 — versus competition that finished .488. Looking at Games 4 - 16, wins were against teams with a cumulative record of .428 and losses came against teams with a cumulative record of .599. Overall, McDermott is .557 in games 4 - 16 versus .504. There is an argument that McDermott is not the best opening day coach...but one of the best at adjusting thereafter. Of the 110 Super Bowl teams, 20 have lost their opener — and in a number of cases a few more early games.

McDermott is now 3-2 in openers — but there is a fat asterisk on this record as the three wins came against the eventual 7-9, 4-12, and 2-14 Jets. And the Bills had to come back from 16 down in one of those. Pittsburgh's defense is very good and this is no surprise, nor is a Bills opening day loss in consideration of McDermotts game 1 record. Of the 110 Superbowl teams, 20 have dropped their opener. I'm just not that worried.

Riddick and Griese sound too much alike....and Levy sounds like a computer-generated hybrid of Marv Albert and Al Michaels.

McDermott is now 3-2 in openers...but the three wins came against the Jets. He doesn't have a strong first game. The SuperBowl XXV Bills started the season with a 30-7 beating at Miami. Fear not.

Smells fishy is right. Watch Reid's postgame presser. He looks like he's really shaken. My daughter, a psych major, identified it in the speeding up and slowing down of his speech patterns. Never seen him like that. Plus, what in the hell does "he passed all the deals" mean. If 15 "passed all the deals" why wasn't 15 in the game???

Plus, without the thermodynamic lift created by thousands of bbq grills around the stadium, the inversion layer over the 6700 Would have acted as a sound mirror.

Great point.

Other than the fact that Bills fans are the best and loudest in the world, there are three reasons the Ralph could be so loud: 1. Though only 6700 fans were allowed in, these were all in the lower bowl which represents just 2/3 of the 71870 capacity. That means the lower bowl was at 14% capacity, not 9% 2. When hearing a crowd of 70000 scream, there aren’t 70000 actually screaming. It’s usually about 40 - 50% that are the loudest. Using 50%, that means that the 6700 (who were all screaming, of course) represented no 14%, but 28% of the lower bowl capacity. 3. With only 6700 in the stands, that left a lot of hard reflective surfaces that allowed reverberation. This would have greatly amplified the voices that were there. In a full stadium soft bodies and clothes act to deaden sound.

Per the NWS for Orchard Park Saturday Night: Snow showers likely, mainly after 10pm. Cloudy, with a low around 30. Breezy, with a west wind 16 to 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. ICE THE RAVENS.

The post seems to infer Josh has played in previous Divisional playoffs...wherein he must "finally" dominate. I'd settle for him dominating...or just winning his first divisional playoff game.

Don't believe it has anything to do with his being serious. He spent prob less than an hour with each. It may prod the Bills to give him HC level money and an asst. title.

Are we SURE Daboll wants to be a head coach? He's already seen the experience of Josh McDaniels leaving the Patriots...then returning. That was a disaster. He'd also be replacing the same guys that were the hot coordinators three and four years ago. Most of those first stints do not go well. But moreover - again with his Pats experience - I'm wondering if he's thinking the Bills can be dynastic with Allen, so why leave? It could go on for a decade. The Pegulas can pay him whatever they choose, of course. And, of course, he's a WNY native.

I took his "stealing" in a statistical sense...accurate therein. But stats aren't situational. Plus, if the fumble is correctly adjudicated, this win would feel a touch different and this isn't as much of a discussion.

The effect of Hail Murray on the Bills is undebatable. It led to Buffalo amassing double-digit wins through the end of the regular season. But winning multiple NFL games in one-sided fashion also has an effect. The lack of serious adversity faced by the Bills in the last six regular season seems in part due to how that loss fueled them to play at historic levels. But I think that dose was wearing off somewhat and the gritty win versus a very good Colts team, as Coach McDermott put it, may have been just what the Bills needed to refill their "let's crush every opponent" tank. Coach has stressed in the past that adversity is good. If Hail-Murray is any indication, this Bills team should look rather hungry and intense Saturday 8:15P. Fun fact: Who was the last team to win a playoff game when the opponent gained more than 440 yards and never turned the ball over? The New York Jets, who defeated the Oakland Raiders on their way to winning Super Bowl III.

I agree the bills would never intentionally lose a game. But I think the poster was trying to make the point that, if those initial likely conditions are met, the Bills could rest in week 17 having attained the two seed. And the way it may work out, the bills will likely choose who gets in the playoffs between Miami and Baltimore.

The poster is right. Teddy and Rodney are Patriot loving homer weenees who are dickstruck over their alma doesn’t mater team getting booted from the post season by a rookie QB.

Just go to the New York Times playoff simulator. You can spend quite a long time looking at the possibilities. Bills dolphins could determine the ravens fate.

One reason Allen is outplaying the rest of that class is the same reason haters latched onto him pre and post-draft: Allen was from a small school. The rest of the class came from Power 5 schools and these programs, of course, attract the best talent in the nation. That talent enabled Darnold, Mayfield, Rosen, and Jackson to throw to better receivers with more separation from behind offensive lines that protected consistently well. Josh, on the other hand, had to throw into much tighter windows to complete balls to well-covered receivers - when he wasn't getting pressured behind an average small school line. This, of course, contributed to his college "accuracy". Problem is, everyone EVERYONE in the NFL is very very good. Tight windows to throw at are the standard. Pass rushers are vicious. These are not issues the rest of that draft class faced to the same extent in college. But in a relative sense, playing at Wyoming was, for Allen, more like the NFL. I believe the experience served him well.

tyvm! Changed the link.

GMFB -- Bills Love. Week 14

This team may be better than those old days. I say "may" because there are a few Super Bowl appearances to live up to, but I bet you'll never hear the term "Bickering Bills" from a McDermott locker room. And you're right...Bass is becoming Money.

3-person NFL booth crews don't work when the talent is good, as history demonstrates. Levy and Griese, to a slightly lesser extent, are annoying. I tired early on of their scripted "boy-is-SF-a-physical-team" tripe. Riddick would be great in a duo with a less-pompous play-by-play partner.

With positively no disrespect intended for anyone affected by this pandemic, the Bills may experience some positive COVID effects to go along with their prolific offense: 1. Brain Hoyer will make his first start ever for the Pats and I'm guessing this will be a big advantage for KC. A Chief's win gives the Bills a two-game division lead at the quarter pole. I'd much rather see Cam Newton play, as no one wants to see an asterisk on the NE record but, as they say in Pats land, "It is what it is". 2.The Titans, next for the Bills, have been in upheaval with the positives. The Bills have an edge and possible a free win at hand. Some say the Titans might be better rested after their self-made bye week, but as Eric Wood points out, its not "quality rest" without treatments and trainers and facilities. Now, Roger Goodell has used the word "forfeiture" as a possibility if a team cannot honor the schedule. Tomorrow's COVID tests at the TItan's facility are huge.

He doesn't understand that you must first "earn the right" to win.