Logic

It took me like a solid two weeks to get over my D injury. Lots of ice and thinking about baseball and my grade school lunch lady.

You must be new here 😜

From my perspective, the Steelers didn't start moving the ball with consistency until Taron Johnson left the game, at which point they picked on Cam Lewis relentlessly. It was attacking the middle of the field after Johnson and Bernard and Spector left that got the Steelers offense rolling, imo. Elam gave up some catches, yes, but nothing back breaking. He was not the liability that his play at the beginning of this year would've indicated that he might be.

The three you mentioned are the biggest candidates, but...the Elam pick wins it for me. Not only did it keep 7 off the board for the Steelers, I think it was also a huge confidence builder for Elam. A turning point in his day. He was getting absolutely picked on on that drive, and rather than "throw it to whoever Elam's covering" being the edict of the day for the remainder of the game, Kaiir said "I can do this", and acquitted himself reasonably well the rest of the game. Massive play at a huge moment in the game.

I thought I maybe imagined this post. Like a fever dream. I went and had a beer and ate some rice and came back and it was still here! It's real! A human being who is a fan of neither of the teams that played today actually took the time to come here and post it! Amazing.

So impressive. Klein Elam Spector Williams Next man up, over and over and over with this team. Yes, the injuries the Bills sustained are very concerning for next week against KC, but that's something to worry about tomorrow. 24 hour rule. Tonight? Tonight it's celebration time. Depth was tested and held firm. On to the Divisional round. GO BILLS!!

If we're giving out multiple game balls... AJ Klein Kaiir Elam Kalil Shakir Josh Allen Sean McDermott If we're just giving out one game ball, as it seems like SHOULD be the custom... It's Josh f'n Allen. All day and twice on Mondays. Dude was a rabid pack of great white sharks tonight. Super-human. Best player on the field. Best player in the league. GO BILLS!

As someone who called for McDermott to be replaced after this season, it's only fair for me to come here and say... That man deserves a world of credit right now. From keeping the team together and going from 5% chance at playoffs to the two-seed, to keeping this defense together with duct tape and baling wire, to holding the Steelers to 17 points despite being down to CBs 4, 5, and 6 and two backup linebackers. He made major changes to the way he was calling defense on the bye week, he had the courage to fire Dorsey mid-season. All in all, Coach McDermott just deserves a ton of credit. A ton! Bravo, coach. Way to go! GO BILLS!!!

I can't believe @Zerovoltz actually came here to start a thread about this. Actually...yes I can. Same as it ever was...

They must have really liked what they saw from Mayo to hire him so quickly. I can't imagine a tougher job in football than following Bill Belichick in New England.

Zero All-Pros and just two Pro Bowlers is the best possible motivational tool McDermott could've been given right before the playoffs start. And if you think he doesn't resort to those tactics, or that the players don't care...you're wrong on both counts.

These signings are almost always an indication of the health of one or more of the players at the same position on the active roster. Klein signed to practice squad because Dodsen will likely miss this game, so Klein takes his roster spot and provides veteran guidance and to Spector/Williams and a "break glass in case of emergency" presence if those two struggle. Ankou is the one who loses his practice squad spot because Jones is now back fully healthy at DT, lessening the need for another depth body there.

Yep. Said this earlier in this thread, but... Fournette has fumbled four times in his entire career. One fumble per 286 carries. Cook has fumbled four times THIS SEASON. One fumble per 59 carries. Add to that the physical nature of Fournette's game and the fact that defenders won't wanna tackle a guy like that on a 20 degree day, and Fournette oughta be getting half of the carries at least, IMO.

I think that an extremely windy game still limits the Steelers more than it does the Bills. For one thing, Josh Allen's passes should theoretically cut through the wind much better than Mason Rudolph's, so the opportunity to pass the ball effectively seems greater for Buffalo than Pittsburgh. Additionally, Josh's legs can and should be a very effective weapon on days like Sunday. When it's bitter cold and the wind is whipping, no one wants to tackle a 6'5" 240 lb freight train running at them. If the weather on Sunday and Pittsburgh's predilections want to make this an old school, smash 'em up slopfest, then the Bills need to be ready. Make Josh's legs the primary mode of offense. Run it right at them. Be physical, be proud, and set the tone. All of that said...I'm terrified of this game. I don't know how anyone could've watched the recent Pats and Chargers games and not conclude that this is the exact same type of thing, where the Bills could potentially play down to the level of their opposition. Add in the way that bad weather levels a playing field, and the way that Pittsburgh's D has given Allen fits at times in his career and, well....I'm not exactly predicting a Bills blowout.

This makes me sad. Just as Tom Brady retiring made me a little sad. Football is a GAME, it's entertainment, it's cinema. When the primary villains of the past 24 years of my football loving life exit stage left, it's a little bit sad. Palpatine and Darth Vader are gone. Who will I loathe now? One thing I will say is that I begrudgingly like and respect Bill Belichick. Tom Brady? Not so much. Still don't like that guy. But Belichick? Away from football, he's eloquent, smart, extremely knowledgeable about football, and even has a dry sense of humor that's pretty amusing. Would love to have a beer with that dude and talk football for hours. Aaannnyway...who are the villains now? Jackson Mahomes, Jalen Ramsey, and Christian Wilkins? Am I missing anybody?

I feel like several in this thread and elsewhere are missing the forest for the trees. It's not about the specifics of what Rodgers did or didn't say. What he did or didn't infer. It's about the fact that this whole interaction has resulted to ESPN -- a sports network -- devoting increasing amount of time on its airwaves to discussion of Jeffrey Epstein, anti-vax conspiracy theories, UFOs, and the petty bickering between two petty men. The entire network has recently been overshadowed by the sophomoric culture war debate between Rodgers and Kimmel. The Pat McAfee show and the network that airs it have become little more than the wrestling ring in which two giant egos are squaring off. It's silly, it's unproductive, and it's not good for business. Regardless of which side of the argument you're on -- and it is a silly, thinly verbally veiled, dog whistle filled, culture war argument -- the bottom line is that the Pat McAfee show and ESPN each had to do what was best for business. Period.

My ludicrous roster/personnel usage take of the day, which will make you say "Logic's an idiot": I think Leonard Fournette should get an equal snap (and usage) share with Cook. Perhaps even be the primary ball carrier. Cook has fumbled (or nearly fumbled) just enough to make me a bit nervous about the wet/snowy conditions this Sunday, plus he hasn't been super effective running the ball as of late. Cook has fumbled four times this season across 237 carries, which equates to one fumble per 59 carries. Fournette, meanwhile, has fumbled four times in his entire CAREER, spanning 1,144 carries, which equates to one fumble per 286 carries. Fournette also has that "I don't wanna tackle this dude on a 19 degree night" build and power. Give me more Playoff Lenny and less Cook this week.

I've been all over McDermott at times this year, including calling for the Bills to replace him after the season. The coaching at the end of the Dolphins game was not cautious or "scared" in any way. Once you go for it on 4th and 1 on your own 35 with four+ minutes left in the game, you've proven that you're coaching aggressively. If that didn't do it, then going for it AGAIN on 4th and 1 in the same drive should do the trick. As for running the ball instead of passing it downfield -- there's a fine line between smart and reckless. If the Bills had aggressively passed the ball in that instance and thrown two incomplete passes on 2nd and 3rd down, I'd be willing to bet you'd be here complaining in the other direction. It's a balancing act of how aggressive to be on both offense and defense in the waning moments. As someone who has lobbed plenty of criticism at our coaching this year, Sunday was NOT an instance to accuse them of over-cautiousness, in my opinion. They toed the line very well, managed to bleed significant time off the clock, were inches away from sealing the game on a Josh Allen sneak, and oh yeah, they won the game.

Are you honestly insinuating that the Bills -- who went for it on 4th down from their own 35 yard line and then went for it again on 4th down later in the same drive -- were "coaching scared"?

Am I crazy to want Linval Joseph active for this game, given the weather forecast and the Steelers' recent success running the ball? I'm not sure there's a position elsewhere on the roster where the Bills could realistically sacrifice a roster spot, and I can't recall ever seeing the Bills have five DTs active on game day, but if there was ever a week...

I agree. I'm surprised this is the first thread about it, tbh. Two guys stepped into prominent roles in a huge spot on Sunday -- Dane Jackson and Baylon Spector. Both acquitted themselves rather well. Neither gave up any particularly memorable plays, and the Bills defense shut the Phins out in the second half and limited them to 7 yards rushing. Jackson playing well was not as big a surprise, as he's done it before, and is a bona fide starting level corner in this league. Spector, though, was a HUGE surprise to me. I was worried when I saw him jog onto the field. I then proceeded not to think about him the rest of the game, because he just looked like he belonged. If he turns out to be a good player at Will, it'll be great news for our linebacker depth this year and beyond.

He has earned the right to be the head coach of the Buffalo Bills again next season, and that's as far as I'm willing to go.

Right. Exactly why I'm picking such a close score for the Steelers game. If the Bills kept shooting themselves in the foot that often in pristine conditions against the Dolphins defense, why wouldn't I think they're going to do the same or worse and snowy/windy conditions against the Steelers defense?

Each game is a unique and self-contained entity. I think the Bills can beat the Steelers by FOUR touchdowns at home. However, given the weather, the Steelers scoring defense and red zone defense rankings, and the Bills' recent propensity to commit bonehead mistakes, I predict a much closer game. If it were as simple as "we beat the Dolphins by a touchdown on the road, and they're better than the Steelers, and we're at home, ergo we'll beat the Steelers by multiple scores", then sports prognostication would be a much easier practice. The transitive property does not apply to the NFL.

Having watched the Pats game and the Chargers game....yes, I see how it is entirely feasible that the Steelers could win. It would involve the Bills basically beating themselves, which unfortunately, they have been all too eager to do at times this year. I maintain this will be a much closer game than it needs to be, will be anxiety inducing to the final whistle, and will be ugly and low scoring. 20-17 Bills.