Logic

Here's the deal: The Bills have showed -- THIS VERY SEASON -- that they can play football at a level that can win a championship. They did it against the Rams, against the Titans, against the Ravens, against the Chiefs. Injuries hit. Opposing teams adjusted. The franchise QB hurt his throwing arm. More injuries hit. A torrent of snowfall hit. Through it all, the Bills are 7-3. They have had the hardest strength of schedule, they have the best strength of victory, and yet...they possess the NFL's best point differential, are top five on both offense and defense, and top five in overall DVOA. All of this DESPITE the injuries, adversity, and Allen's injury and struggles. So the question is this: Can the Bills get back to playing championship level football? We don't have to ask if they CAN play at that level, because we've seen them do it. They question is simply, can they do it AGAIN? Can they re-gain that form? I choose to believe that if the defense can get healthy -- Edmunds, Elam, and Rousseau back in the lineup will do wonders, to say nothing of Tre White -- and the offense can evolve and find some counter-punches (remember, Dorsey is a rookie OC, Daboll wasn't always an elite play caller, either), they can re-gain that form. Right now, the Bills are a good team, but they're not playing championship level football. Whether or not you believe they can get back to doing so will determine the degree to which you do or do not have hope for the remainder of the season.

Yeah. If only the Bills were like...7-3 and one game out of the AFC 1-seed, we could all chill out and let Tre come back when he's ready.

I subscribed to Peacock so that I could get all the World Cup games...only to discover that only Spanish audio is available! 😅 It's fine. Spanish commentary is much more exciting and excitable than English commentary.

Huh? Unless you're talking about Houston just releasing him outright, this isn't a thing.

What an awful and ugly challenge that was. Totally unnecessary. Good lord.

Hell of a match so far. All USMNT in the first half, mostly all Wales in the second. Both sides have had a multitude of chances at this point. Should be an intense final 15 minutes or so.

I believe I just DID admit that the WR corps is a problem. Like I said, though, I believe that the slot is where the WR production is lacking, not out wide, as you were claiming all offseason. I also do not believe that the WR corps is the sole reason that our offense has had a few down weeks, as you also seem to be claiming. It is regrettable that you continue to be unable to carry on a conversation without personally insulting the person with whom you are conversing. I trust that with continued self reflection you may one day rise above such pettiness. I'm rooting for you.

That is crushing for Les Bleus. Wow. Absolutely. I felt a bit bad for Senegal. They played tough all match, but the Dutch were too much in the end. The first goal was a thing of beauty.

If there is a physical reason for Allen looking diminished as a passer, I would suggest that that reason is his injured right elbow, which happened on ONE play, where his protection -- not the receiver depth chart -- was the issue. To blame "taking a lot of physical punishment" for his poor play instead of the specific issue of his injured elbow and recent stretch of poor decision making seems like a leap. And either way -- whether the elbow is to blame or whether, as you say, "taking a lot of physical punishment" is the issue, claiming that the wide receiver depth chart is the primary reason is also a bit of a leap. I'd suggest that poor pass blocking and defenses catching up to Ken Dorsey's offensive playcalling are as much to blame -- if not more so -- for the offensive regression as the wide receiver depth chart. I DO agree that the Bills need help at receiver, but it's in the slot where I feel they need help, not on the outside. Wasn't it the depth at outside receiver that you were harping on all summer? Yes, I thought that Shakir and McKenzie would get the job done inside. No, to this point, that has not been the case. In any case, I do agree that the expectations were, are, and should be much higher, and the Bills are not meeting them. But to claim that lack of receiving talent is the primary reason for their recent offensive shortcomings doesn't do it for me. I am shocked. Shocked, I say!

This post is a drunken post-game WGR call come to life.

Let's see... Bills are ranked 2nd in YPG and 2nd PPG on offense. They are ranked 3rd in passing yards per game. The Bills began the season as odds-on Super Bowl favorites and, even after their unimpressive recent stretch are, let me check...STILL odds-on Super Bowl favorites. Certainly not the doom and gloom apocalypse you foretold. Hope you're having a nice Monday, my friend.

This is huge. Jeff Okudah -- Arguably Detroit's best cornerback and certainly one of its few bright spots defensively -- is going to miss the game. https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/11/21/jeff-okudah-is-expected-to-miss-thursdays-game-with-a-concussion/ Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah has been having a strong season, but he probably won’t get a chance to help the team in their bid for a fourth straight win. Okudah suffered a concussion in the first half of Sunday’s 31-18 win over the Giants and head coach Dan Campbell said that the quick turnaround to face the Bills on Thanksgiving is almost certainly going to be too short for Okudah to get cleared. “No,” Campbell said, via the team’s website. “He’ll be out I’m pretty sure. We just talked about it; I don’t think there is any way possible he can play.” Jerry Jacobs, Mike Hughes, and Amani Oruwariye will be the top corners for the Lions with Okudah out of action and they’ll have their hands full with the Bills offense in a few days.

I just don't understand how people are so completely unable to levy fair and reasonable criticisms at the team while also maintaining perspective. It HAS to be over the top exaggeration, hyperbole, and...whatever the heck the OP is. Like...yeah...it hasn't been a banner few weeks. We can all see that the team isn't playing up to its capabilities. Still, like Gugny points out, the Bills are 7-3, one game out of the AFC 1-seed, and are top five in offense, defense, and overall DVOA. They've been to the playoffs four out of five seasons. NFL analysts and fans pretty much universally agree that Beane is a very good GM, McDermott is a very good coach, and the Bills have one of the best rosters in the league. Say you're upset with how the team has been playing. Say you wish they had blown out the Browns yesterday. But for the love of god, quit with the "fire Frazier!", "Fire McDermott!", "the roster stinks!" posts. It's just silly and reactionary, not to mention completely divorced from reality.

Lots of gross and ignorant comments in this thread today. Yuck.

Did you think he was gonna suit up for today’s game?

I don’t think it is. Hyde and others have mentioned that he has taken on basically a coaching role this season. I think it is absolutely awesome that he even WANTS to do that, that he still gets to feel like a part of this team, and that the team gets to benefit from his years of knowledge and experience. great stuff.

That seals it. Bills win. 5-0 with Poyer in the lineup this year.

LFG!!!

Right, like I said, I suppose it comes down to the philosophical definition of the word "meat".

Myles Garrett's recent comments sure don't give one much confidence in the Browns' defensive scheme -- or at least the ability of the players to grasp an execute it --in general at the moment.

I agree that our o-line has stunk lately. I do not think that it's reasonable or fair to blame Josh's boneheaded interceptions the past few games on the o-line. Poor protection is not the reason that he's throwing the ball directly to defenders as if he literally can't see them.

In that case, aren't I NOT eating an actual animal? I suppose I'm still eating "meat" by its classic definition, but I'm not eating an animal. I'm eating a product developed from the cells of an animal, but not the animal itself?

I guess what I don't understand is this -- and maybe this is just a philosophical question: If it's grown in a lab and is not the slaughtered and prepared flesh of an animal....is it even technically still "meat"? And if not, how is it much different than the multitude of fake meat substitutes out there now, all the "Beyond" and "Impossible" products? Obviously, one is still derived from animals and one isn't, but...the stuff derived from an animal doesn't seem any more like "meat" to me than the stuff that isn't. Personally, if I'm not gonna be eating an actual animal but still want to get protein and/or pretend I'm eating an animal, I'd rather have something derived from soy or nuts or wheat gluten than something derived from the cultured cells of animals.