Success

I'll take "much ado about nothing" for now. Nutty week 1 game w/ weird energy from the kickoff on, against the defense that Allen has traditionally had some of his biggest challenges with. If we see more of the same on Sunday, I'll start to furrow my brow. Right now, I'm stoked about how this team will look when JA starts locking in. I think our defense could be right up there w/ the best this year, and if the offense can get clicking, we can go on quite a run (imo).

I really can't celebrate this aspect of it. I feel 100% empathy for the Jets and their fans - getting Rodgers was the right move, and they had such an offseason of hype and high expectation. To see that crumble after 4 plays was brutal. That said, I still think they'll be a very competitive team. I actually think Wilson could be okay for them, if asked not to do too much. With Hall & Cook playing, they'll be able to win games grinding it out and playing great D. It would not surprise me to see them sneak in the playoffs.

It kind of evened out. There was a big hit on Wilson later in the game that I thought should have been called.

Beane got this one right. So glad this guy is on the team and hope he has a long & successful career here.

I think he is. And I'm as big a Kelly fan as anyone here. At his best, Josh is better.

I know what you're saying - but there have been a lot of these sentiments, like "elite QB's don't have these kinds of games." They kind of do. Tom Brady was the most efficient QB I've ever seen, and he had a terrible game in the 1st Giants SB. He also had some bad games against us - in that game that Fitz won, I think he threw 4 picks. Same w/ Peyton Manning, Rodgers, Big Ben - anyone who we consider to be a top QB, or an experienced vet. I am as dismayed by JA's performance as anyone, but until it becomes a pattern, I can't worry about it too much. As the days go by here, I keep thinking of what a surreal, kind of loopy 1st week game that was. Many week 1 games are like that, but with all of the drama around Rodgers, and emotional swings, I just can't put too much stock in it right now. At halftime, I thought Allen was having a pretty solid game. I think he was 17-21 at one point. If he puts another foot on that ball to Cook, it's a TD and the game is likely over. Obviously, the wheels came off after that, but in the scheme of things it's just a bad half of football.

It's being discussed - but it is also getting a little lost in all of the Josh Allen talk: the rest of the team looked pretty formidable. I'll grant that the Jets have a bad O-line, but our pass rush was fierce. Floyd is an amazing addition. Groot looks like he could be our Bruce Smith in the years ahead now. Oliver looked very solid. Even Epenesa chipped in. Bernard did well at MLB. Milano was absolutely stellar. The corners did their jobs nicely Kincaid is who we hoped he would be, and will only get better. Love Cook, Harris & Murray & in the backfield. And our O-line held up well against one of the best D-lines they will face. If JA can get his act together (spoiler alert: he will) - it's not a stretch to say that this year is our best chance for a title yet.

I think 80-90% of what we saw last night can be filed under "Jets issue." He has had some of his poorer play against that team. I think he's going to tear it up in the weeks ahead. He'll face a few other great defenses - I think the Pats have that, and certainly the Cowboys. But in general, I think he'll use last night as a learning experience and be able to take real advantage of lesser defenses. It will be interesting to revisit the hot takes - both here and nationally - in a few months. Obviously, I could end up being wrong - but I think he's going to really rise to this occasion.

The Cam Newton comparison is for opposing fans who want Allen to have a short career. It's simply not a good comparison.

Man, this guy does some great analysis. Clearly a fan, but not a homer. Gonna start watching this more regularly.

JA is going to see all of this. He'll see everything he passed up - all of the much easier plays that would have kept the chains moving. We'll just have to see how it goes. What else can we do? This can all be forgotten pretty quickly if we can get on a roll, and Allen gets back to looking like the guy who had us thinking he might be the best out there just a year & a half ago.

As long as both teams win in my lifetime, I'm good. I'd be happy for the Lions if they won. That's a fanbase I can relate to.

I hear that. It does kind of accumulate after awhile. If we get a title, it will be close to the sweetest of all time because of that. I think only a few fanbases could really relate (Cubs, maybe the Red Sox). If we don't, well....

That would be fair. I like Orlovsky - he is more old school. There are some other good ones, and without doubt, JA's game last night deserves some scrutiny. I'm just wary of judgments that are more broad, which I'm sure are out there. And the guys who were JA doubters to begin with, who will claim some vindication based on this one game. I can't even imagine Nick Wright's take today. Good thing I'll never know what it was.

I give you credit for tuning into the media today. I'm not saying they're "wrong" - but all they do are hot takes anymore. Josh had an absolutely terrible game last night. Burrow was worse over the weekend. Mahomes wasn't exactly stellar. But one of those guys will probably be in the SB. Allen cost us the game yesterday, but he'll probably be the reason we win the next (insert multiple games here)..

There is a New England podcaster I listen to once in awhile. He makes fun of the Bills & their fanbase. His basic premise is that sports are fun, and shouldn't be taken too seriously. Then, last year, to poke fun at us when we won the division again, he said something along the lines of "real fans don't celebrate division titles." Huh? I celebrate every win during the season. I celebrate every division title. If a fan is only going to celebrate winning a championship, that is a long, sad life of sports viewing. Even for the most blessed fanbases. And it's why I don't envy Patriots Nation anymore. They have had a re-set since Brady got there, and it's title or bust for every fan there. I'm jealous of their past success - but not of how the years ahead are going to be for them.

Beane? The guy who got us out of a 2 decade drought, and turned us into an annual contender? I don't think this thread is correct.

And, I would add - to get back to a sense of "fun," I'd recommend tuning out the media and all of the chatter online. The Bills seems to have acquired all of the hate and ridicule, without having the usual run of title success that generally inspires those feelings. It's kind of a drag, and I never feel better if I listen to the talking heads or opposing fans out there.

High expectations are the enemy of fun. Just ditch 'em. It's not as easy as it sounds, but I'm working on it. We have a good team - which is more than we could say for 2 decades. They will win a lot of games. They could get hot in January and go on a run. It's easy to lose perspective. This can absolutely be a fun, entertaining team. The mindset of "I won't be happy unless we win a title" can be debilitating.

Kind of stoked about Bernard. That was such a big question mark coming into the season. He seems up to the task so far.

It's funny - but w/ the way that game was being played, I was secretly hoping we wouldn't win the coin toss. Conventional wisdom is that we had some momentum, so of course it made sense for us to get the ball first in OT. But I loved the way our D was playing much more than the O. It just felt like some weird play was going to win it, as opposed to a long, normal drive for a score.

There is no balance. It's a weird thing about the Bills. And it's not just opening day. Most fans around the league can name some of the more prominent ones. But there is a very short list of corresponding flukey/weird endings that went the Bills' way. It's just disproportionate. I'd be okay losing the occasional heartbreaker, if we also won 1 or 2 along the way. The vast majority of time, we're on the losing end of these kinds of games.

Josh said it himself. The loss was really all on him. He gave the game away. The other facets of the game for the Bills were very good (imo). I loved some of what I saw, especially from the D.

"Burned" is so overused in sports. Tre actually played that TD as well as a CB can play it. Just a spectacular catch. My goodness.

Well, argue the point. Aside from Allen: what aspects of the team didn't look improved from last year?