Freddie's Dead

Dane Jackson was the best defensive player for the Bills yesterday, and it wasn't close for second place. 3 PDs that I counted.

I'm like Randy Quaid in the middle of Major League 2....

No, refs would have continued to screw us using extra crunchy peanut butter with glass shards for lube.

A thoughtful post. Who are you, and what have you done with @corta765?

That was Dick Jauron.

Translation: Don't blame me for my idiot coach calling the plays.

This^^^^. The Bills went toe-to-toe with the best team in the AFC and came up just short because they couldn't overcome incompetent reffing and coaching. This was not the 2022 playoff game. They came in ready, answered the initial Bengals TD with one of their own, and generally hung tough as the defensive injuries continued to mount.

Agree with all the above, but would make some changes/adds: The Ugly: Some of the worst officiating I've ever seen in an NFL game, and all the missed/bad calls went one way. On the first Bengals drive, the refs ignored two blatant DOG penalties. The tripping tackle which injured Kincaid, 15 yards missed, followed by the IG on Josh, WHEN HE WAS NOT UNDER PRESSURE (read the rules refs, it's your *****in' job; never saw that call made on any other QB). Those last two calls kept at least 3, likely 7 points off the board for the Bills. The RTP on Tim Settle was ridiculous, he turned Burrow over when he tackled him, did not land on him at all. Huge call that helped the Bengals score their second TD. Next missed call was the facemask on Gabe Davis, which took 4 points off the board for the Bills. They missed the call on the Sherfield catch (the challenge we'll get to in a bit), and finally, the piece de resistance, ignoring Higgins holding Josh Norman at the point of attack for Mixon's first down run that iced the game. McDummy was in fine form last night. The total capitulation at the end of the first half, when there was time for Josh to make at least two Hail Mary heaves into the EZ was a fireable offense all by itself. If I'm a player on the team, I know at that point that my coach does not fight and claw for every single point, having no faith in his players to come through under pressure. It was a complete puss move. 3rd and 10, offensive holding, McDummy declines the penalty and allows the Bengals to attempt a 55 yard FG. I got really upset because McDummy lost us a game a few years ago when he declined a 3rd down penalty and allowed an opposing FG attempt, which was made. When questioned after the game, he said he ***** up and would make a different decision, in hindsight. Unfortunately, he seems to have forgotten this incident, because he's done it twice this season. The Bengals kicker made the kick, but McDummy was bailed out by a FS penalty. He's simply unable to learn from his mistakes, because he makes the same ones over and over again. For those who were so scared of the Bengals converting a 3rd and 20, look up the percentages for a 55 yard FG vs. a 3rd and 20 conversion. 55 yard FG's are not the coin flip they used to be. And at last, we come to the challenge. 90% of this board thinks that the challenge was bad because it was unlikely to be overturned. That's correct, but misses the point entirely. Winning the challenge is not the criterion for a proper challenge. Challenges must be used strategically, on critical plays that turn the outcome. When you need two scores to tie/win, and you have less than 5:00 on the clock, you need to realize that the TO you have to spend on the challenge is worth 40 seconds, at least. You can't spend that on a 9-yard gain on first down! You win, it's 2nd and 1, big whoop. If you lose, you just gave away 40 seconds of clock. By any measure, this challenge was a colossally boneheaded move. I will disagree with others that have posted that you never use a challenge on a 9-yard gain. On first down, no. On second, third, or fourth down, you use it ONLY if the 9-yard gain would result in a first down. What amazes me week in week out is how the members of this board display more clearheaded and strategic in-game decision making than a guy who has played/coached professionally for most of his life and gets paid millions per year to do it. McDummy must go, because under pressure, he constantly McChokes by making bad decisions.

FTFY.

Remember when we ran McKittrick outta town on a rail? And when we replaced him with two guys that cost like 4x what it would have taken just to keep him? Well they have way less FDs and points halfway into the season, and likely won't equal McKittrick's 2022 output by the end of the season. Good times.

I don't do the Game Balls thread when we lose. It's just not done.

Would I throw in a lighted match if my friend Bubba Gump was in there? Ya might, rabbit, ya might....

Stay warm. Just remember that Buffalo in January....it might be chilly....

I will differ with the OP on one point. Dane Jackson was the only player on defense to really show up tonight. Had a helluva game until that big play to Tee Higgins on the last Bengals drive. Hyde made two big plays, the PD where he got dinged up, and the rejection on 2nd down. Other than that, Hyde got pwned. Both Hyde and Poyer have lost a step, and their replacements are not on the current roster (Rapp? Biatch, please).

OK wiseguy. 29 other NFL coaches. Speak for yourself, Kimosabe. RUN JOSH RUN!!!!!!

No, we're not. They are the real deal.

29 other coaches (updated for the wiseguy below) in the NFL would give their left nut for Josh Allen. He would immediately make any team, even the lowly New Jersey Giants, a Super Bowl contender. It's not his fault he has a *****in' idiot for a head coach. He's a winner, which I've known since his smiling face was seen in the Pylon Cam at the Metrodome in 2018 as he dove in for a TD. THAT'S MY QUARTERBACK!!! HANDS OFF, MUTHA *****A!!!

That's the problem. It's not Josh Allen lead, it's McDummy lead. Josh's talent is being completely wasted by this coaching staff. They should have been gone after 13 seconds.

Wrong, they showed a shot of him in the 4th QTR with a coach next to him, going over stuff on a tablet. I pointed this out in the GDT to all the Josh haterz out there. Thank you for paying attention.

I respectfully disagree with the premise of this thread. Unlike the playoff game in Buffalo, the effort was there tonight. The Josh INT and Kincaid fumble were killers, and we could not overcome one of the worst reffing jobs I've ever seen. Lastly, McDummy threw dirt on the coffin with horribly bad in-game decision making (not taking the holding penalty, pussing out at the end of the first half, the challenge which cost us a timeout that we needed). The effort was there, we just weren't good enough to overcome our reffing and coaching handicaps.

McDummy must go. We need a coach that will not waste Josh's peak years. I'm split on Beane. He might have to go to make sure that McDummy can be fired. It's too bad we just extended these guys.

Both for $1000 Alex.....

Congratulations to all who picked the Bengals, you were right. With the final score of Bills 18, Bengals 24, the winners are: Gold - @BuffaloBillyG 20-24 for a total difference of -1 points (three points deducted for hitting the Bengals score on the nose) Silver (tie) - @Taro Nimbus 21-27 and @HappyDays 17-29, for a total difference of 6 points Bronze - @PastaJoe 23-26 for a total difference of 7 points See you all next week.

Winning the challenge is not the point. You don't challenge a 9-yard gain when it's not even a first down. The TO was worth 40 seconds of game clock, and you needed that more than a non-FD 9-yard gain.