harmonkillebrew

Bills D has a way of making bad running teams look good. I'm a little worried we play 2 high, nickel base against Burrow this weekend and get both gashed in the run and passive/gashed in the pass. Bernard and Oliver out doesn't help us against good pass teams and if we are game-planning to stop the run, those nickel packages expose us

I feel like the D gets tougher and meaner with Shaq in the lineup. It also seems to enable more aggressive play from Dorian and Milano. This 3 LB lineup is particularly good against run teams. Perhaps Bernard comes back in against the Chiefs or other stronger passing team, but Shaq definitely improves our run D. I also feel like some of our other (supposed) playmakers like Benford and Milano are stepping up with Bernard out. Bernard's lack of size and style of play leads to constant injuries, but he's is pretty good when he's fully healthy.

Nah, Gabe made no effort to beat the DB to the ball. I think they were all fooled by the switch in coverage, but Gabe should have come down harder to at least break it up

1988, 9-6 versus the Jets to clinch the AFCE. Fans stormed the field and carried the goal posts off

Bills had a horrible game plan for the texans too. Play them like we played the Steelers (smash mouth, ball protection) and we win

Feel like guys regularly play with elbow braces to account for bicep or other injuries

It's pretty damning combined with that DeMeco Ryans was saying about the Bills pass coverages. They try to get by with minimum pass protect, thinking Allen will just escape guys, largely to compensate for the inability of their pass catchers to win 1 on 1s. It's a recipe for disaster and for shortening Allen's career. Protect him and get guys that can get open! he was a healthy scratch against the Texans. Not sure what they saw in Samuel over Moore, but obviously wasn't working. At least Cooks brings in more #1, X vibes. He should at least threaten the outside better than anyone else on the roster Moore could have been a good addition, if we didn't already have Samuel and Shakir. We didn't really need another slot guy

Could we be looking at a Cooks, Aiyuk, Shakir WR room next year?

haha, love it. need some delusional positivity these days. I'm hoping it's so, just wish they had made this move in the offseason instead of waiting until week 12. Very little time now for Josh and Cooks to jell.

That's a good point and seems to be the overall roster building philosophy of Beane (except when wasting draft picks to trade up in the 1st). Bills seem to believe that if they just stick around long enough eventually the balls will fall their way and they'll win a SB. Pretty pathetic strategy.

Rosseau is solid and he does a lot of the dirty work. He's not getting sacks or making some of the splash plays he did the last few years, which is too bad, but I think as much a product of the DT play and what he's asked to do. Of the newly extended guys, Benford and Bernard are bigger concerns.

I'm not giving up on playoffs yet, particularly b/c there are young, unproven teams that I think we could beat. The road to the SB will not go through KC this year. We need to rally, get in, and go on a run. But, if they fail in the playoffs, I'm ready to see some changes.

After that first drive, it seems Texans started game planning for runs on 1st down and subbed in a heavier Dline rotation. They knew the Bills would then abandon the run on 2nd and longer and brought their pass rushers back in. Same for 3rd and long. Brady should have had the smarts to see that strategy and the guts to keep running it on 2nd and 3rd down, even if the yardage was more. Cook is a weapon to break it anytime, you can't just run him on 1st, especially when going up against a strong pass rush. Keep the D on their toes with draws and screens. Brady was so ill-prepared for this game

But it makes me feel better. 🤣

NE has gotten better quicker than anyone anticipated. Miami was a head scratcher, but they wanted it more and we often wilt in the S Florida humidity. ATL was also a head scratcher, but I think their aggressive pass rush caused similar headaches as the Texans.

that's true. Kicking FGs should have been the strategy against that D. The Texans have been losing games 16-13 all year.

Texans game was tougher than any other game left on the schedule. That D was nasty and we were not ready given the short travel week and let down from the big TB game. Bills will be better prepared moving forward and will get Kincaid back. D will continue to stink, but losing Bernard might mean more Shaq Thompson. I also felt like Milano found the fountain of youth in the 2nd half after Bernard went down. Old guys ramp it up and put it all on the line for the postseason run!

the number one reason we keep Knox around on that salary is to keep Josh happy. There are probably a number of moves (like getting rid of Diggs and absorbing a $30M cap hit) that are done to keep Josh happy. McD and Beane will never go, unless Josh signs off on some proven SB winner they can lure over from another team (like Tomlin) we also have no proven ability to draft well in the 1st round. FA WRs are not a dime a dozen. But a lot get traded. We missed Metcalf, Deebo, Pickens, Waddle, and others. Not sure what's left for the offseason

I don't think Defense is being scapegoated. Offense is getting the lions share of the blame for only mustering one TD in the 1st quarter. There seemed to be no coherent game strategy for facing the Texans top D on limited rest. O and D were out sync

Did they have mics in their helmets back then? The K-Gun was so successful because it was up-tempo, but they can do that now without having the QB call the plays. The QB instead gets to audible out of plays based on his read of the D But I agree, it would be fun to see, even if it will never happen

I think road teams are already at a disadvantage on Thurs night, esp if you're boarding a plane to fly across the country with only 3 days rest. But you're right it wasn't the cause of the defeat. It just made the task of facing the top D on the road that much harder. I wasn't overly surprised by the egg given the context. It all rests on our O. We know our D is crap and the offense will generally have to score over 25 to win, against anyone.

We don't do well against top Ds with good pass rush. If you can get pressure rushing 4, or with well-schemed blitzes, it exposes our lack of WR talent and overall back offensive scheme. Josh also struggles as he holds the ball too long and thinks he can make a play, but its harder to get away from the elite athletic pass rushers

I honestly think Beane needs to go, before McDermott. At least Sean coaches up a strong, tight lockeroom, even if his game day coaching struggles. McD predates Beane, so maybe he survives and we get a better GM...?

Almost always loses. Texans were always going to be a tough game, given how their D matches up against our O. But you throw in a short week and the Bills having to travel to Houston, makes it damn near impossible. I saw this game on the schedule and thought it was a likely "L". But the backup QB made me hope otherwise. In the end, the Texans D did what it does at home and with three days of opponents prep - it harassed and dominated. Unfortunately, McD and Brady couldn't create a game strategy that controlled field position and kept Josh's exposure to a minimum against that nasty pass rush. Moving away from Cook after the 1st drive was a huge mistake. But I give the team as a whole a pass. Playing on the road on TNF right after the big game against Tampa was a big ask.

Texans have always played us tough. Brady and McD get out-coached every time. Cant' gameplay for a ball-control, low scoring affair.