Boatdrinks

Sounds about right. I’d have put it at about 15-20% chance of Bills winning. It’ll take a lot of things going right, but maybe that once every eight seasons thing continues.

They are basing it on the last 18 years. Before Brady , the season series between the clubs stood at 41-38-1 in favor of New England. Pretty even. Since ? Not even close as it’s 74-43-1 and counting. The Bills are at home, but they’re playing the Patriots. Hence the spread.

Cowboys, then Redskins. No special reason, goes way back to pre Jerry Jones and Snyder. Just never liked either of them.

Hmmmm, maybe and maybe not. Seeing Brady carted off with a devastating knee injury a la Pollard would certainly qualify for me. While a Bills loss would still sting, I’d take being able to actually enjoy an NFL football season for the first time since probably ‘08. Any others weren’t really enjoyable until NE was officially out of the Super Bowl tournament. It’s been an awful 17 plus years sticking with the game I love dominated by a team I despise with a passion.

I expect the Bills defense to do a pretty solid ( if maybe unspectacular) job. The crowd will be into it for sure, at least at the outset. The deciding factor will likely be Josh Allen and the Bills offense as a whole. If the Bills manage to win this game, it will probably due to efficient and largely error free offense that controls the clock with Allen hitting on some big plays.

The fact that the penalty places the ball at the 1 yard line makes the situation perfect for a “ pick play”. So good that an official threw a flag before Blakeman overruled on the basis of the one yard free zone. I don’t think they saw anything special on film, just that the rule makes the gamble a very good one.

Oh wow, I highly doubt that. Maybe in the New England area media, but not nationally. If the Bills win this game , they will get a healthy dose of media respect because they most certainly will have earned it. Lack of offensive consistency vs their somewhat suspect competition to date is the source of the skepticism. I think the Bills defense gets a fair amount of respect as a very strong but not quite elite unit.

Is it bias or subjectivity with context ? The Ravens started strong defensively vs one of the highest powered offenses in the NFL and the MVP. They got behind, but rallied late and made a game of it. That was also at Arrowhead. The Bills started strong, faded for 2 quarters for the second straight week then needed a late rally to hold off the Bengals in their home opener. Now, if the Bills mange to hold their ground vs New England with a realistic chance to win late, I’d surmise they would get a strong helping of credit in the power rankings for it. If they get pasted by the Pats* ? The media will say “ same old Bills”. While they can only play the teams on their schedule, how they won holds a lot of sway in these highly subjective ( and largely silly ) power rankings.

The way the game was going at that point, I believe they were going to go for it barring a 3rd down penalty. Maybe I’m wrong and McD was going to tie the game and play D with 2 TOs in hand. My gut says he goes for the TD and trusts his D with the Bengals at the 1 yard line.

I agree with the five, but my order would be Bears Rams Patriots Bills Vikings

I’d prefer Taylor. Seems like he could be a good fit in this defense.

At least two of those statements are entirely correct ( 2 and 3).

With Phillips out, is Vincent Taylor likely to get activated off PS now ?

Right. However, they have the track record and dispatched those teams pretty handily. We have a decent idea what that team is, but not a very clear picture for this one. Especially on offense, it’s just too new.

It is those mistakes that are cause for concern. While blowouts are not the norm, good teams don’t make a lot of mistakes. Making less mistakes is a marker of a good team, as the talent level between most teams isn’t that different. The Bills need turnover free football and practically error free execution to stay with NE for 4 quarters.

This game will be a measuring stick of sorts, and even though I expect a loss I think the Bills can give them a game. I don’t think they can win at their current level of performance, but they could manage to limit Brady if they play it right defensively. You need middle pressure on Brady to do that. Offensively, I don’t think the Bills are far enough along to move the ball effectively. While I believe Daboll can scheme some things up, the Bills execution has been too sloppy to succeed vs NE. However, if the Bills manage to stay competitive in this game it may bode well for the rest of the season.

And yet 3 games that didn’t look so tough were pretty close late , where a play or two here and there could have lead to different outcomes. Can’t assume anything in the NFL. I’m not predicting it, but 7-10 wins IS realistic for this team.

Danielle ?

Geez, Jones throws for over 300. What freaking gives with the Bills and this stat ? I know the QB issues, but come on it’s ridiculous.

Yep, the issues on O right now look like communication issues on the OL ( missed pickups on stunts etc) , decent ( not great ) WRs , RB injury and turnovers. Allen’s INT was a product of him forcing the throw while not wanting to get called for grounding again ( earlier throwaway didn’t get to the LOS) and started with the bad protection. He’s unwilling to take a sack at times, but needs to learn to “ live to fight another down” . The Bills TO differential probably isn’t good right now and needs to improve.

Thats IF Singletary stays healthy. He hasn’t , so it’s a problem. Can’t rush a hammy

The Frazier D is predicated on “ keeping everything in front of you”. That gets harder to do near the goal line , and they don’t have any elite pass rushers coming off the edge to wreck plays. It’s an issue for sure.

Damn, it’s crazy how good Tony Romo is at telling us what’s about to happen. Literally called the SEA play on 4th and 1 , saying the Wilson had to shift a player over to run the keeper they wanted to, otherwise his only option was a go route...snap, and Wilson throws the go...Romo is freakin uncanny

Yep. They must’ve been concerned about McCoy handling a reduced role. They didn’t need the cap space.

Their strategy was to lean on Singletary and Gore with contrasting styles. No Singletary hurt, as Yeldon has issues with fumbling. That was a major limitation. They used those other players because the Bengals have issues on the edges, but Gore isn’t the best guy to get on the edge.