Success

I've watched the NFL for decades. Quarterbacks like Josh Allen win Super Bowls. They don't NOT win Super Bowls. And don't give me Marino. First, he was a great passer - but he's not Josh Allen. He couldn't create like Allen, and he certainly couldn't run like Allen. And those Miami teams were always poorly constructed. Beyond all that, they couldn't get by the Buffalo Bills. People rarely talk about that when they cite the Marino quote about how he always thought he'd get back to the big game. We won't have that kind of competition on the division for at least a few years, and I'd wager for a lot longer than that.

Who? Oh, yeah - I forgot about them. I remember they used to win the division a ways back, now that I think about it.

And to add, the Bills & Chiefs are offensive jauggernauts. But both have liabilities on D. Defense DOES win championships, more often than not. I thought the Bucs were still the best team in the playoffs, even without Godwin and Brown, and the Rams D shut them down for over half of that game. Only turnovers gave the Bucs a chance. We may be watching the SB & feel just a teensy bit glad that it isn't us, if it turns into one of those dominating defensive performances like last year.

I always forget how old Kelce is. Honestly, without him, they're a completely different team. I don't think the Bills & Chiefs are apples-to-apples in terms of the stage they're at, or their development. McD is a lot younger than Reid, and the Bills are younger than the Chiefs. The Chiefs could stay on top of the AFC if they draft well, but this is probably as good as they'll be. They're in the middle of their window; we're starting ours.

Yeah - because that's what they did to the Bengals a few weeks ago. I was indifferent about the game, but now I'm all in on the Bengals. People forgot how the seasons went for the Bills & Chiefs. Both teams have been playing better ball lately, but there is no huge gap between KC and Cincy. And certainly not the Rams. If KC makes it, they're going to have an extremely challenging time protecting Mahomes again.

I keep seeing people think that the game won't be close. We're not the same ol' Bills - and the Bengals aren't the same ol' Bengals. That team is legit, and Burrow is as good as anyone not named Allen or Mahomes. I mean, they JUST beat the Chiefs, in early January. I'd pick KC, but I could easily see a shootout/who has the ball last kind of game, like ours.

It's good to see more of a shift from our former division rivals. When they had Brady, talented vets were tripping over themselves taking pay cuts to play w/ him. At least that's one thing we can take from this season. The Patriots dragon was vanquished & transported to another universe. Now, they'll have to get used to the view from down in the standings.

That's a good sum-up. It definitely was a great opportunity. I guess my hope is that when we look back in a few years, hopefully w/ at least one Lombardi, we'll look back and have a different take on it. In the Jordan doc, he looked back on the losses to the Pistons like, "that had to happen so that we could win as many as we did" (paraphrasing). Maybe that's too much of a hope. But I tend to think there is a reason for everything.

I posted yesterday, but the mighty Belichick basically did the same in the 2018 AFCCG. KC had more time - 38 seconds - but only 1 timeout, and they went from their own 31 to New England's 20 in 18 seconds. 2 passes, just like against us. And BB didn't squib it, either. 13 seconds is like a minute+ for KC. And it would have been for Allen if the situation was reversed. It was terrible, but not that crazy.

I keep thinking about that defense. I'm old school, so an adherent to the "defense wins championships" wisdom. I know there are exceptions, but that is a pretty solid rule. They have a great pass rush. We don't.

I continue to hope that this isn't true.

I've heard this a few times - it's a valuable historical example, but I reject it. The Dolphins were terrible at building a balanced team around Marino. They kept doing the Lions thing of getting receivers and ignoring other key areas. And the game passed Shula by. Plus, they couldn't deal w/ the Bills. We don't have that kind of divisional obstacle.

Andy Reid was considered to be a choker in big games for over a decade. Philly fans always complained about his time management & coming up short, and were happy when he left. McDermott is going to be fine. He's a great coach. EVERY coach makes mistakes.

Why would we have been faves over the Rams? They only have 5 losses.

I agree w/ most of this - but destroying the Bengals? I think we're really selling that team short. A lot of fans are saying that, but Cincy is an excellent team. They just beat KC a few weeks ago.

The idea that we would have breezed to a Lombardi seems to be a popular one on the board, and I admit that it's how I have felt. But we were a one-man team all year, for good and bad. Even in our good wins, it was almost all Allen. Singletary was starting to click, but all that did was give us a competent run game - nothing above average. Our D was ranked #1, but I think we'd all agree that was kind of a mirage. Personally, I think the Bengals and Rams have more impactful defenses, though they are both ranked much lower. The Rams in particular have a fierce pass rush - which we do not have and haven't really had all season. Allen's already a legend at this point, but it's hard to remember too many teams that won it all w/ so much of their success attributable to one player. Even in Brady's runs, there were games that the D & special teams made the plays for the win. We were clicking on all cylinders over the last month+ for sure, but the most impressive wins were over Carolina and New England (both times) - and I think the Pats were wildly overrated because of that 7-game win streak, which was their mirage. Prior to that, we couldn't figure this team out. The Bucs had one of the best pass rushes in the league & had a hard time getting to Stafford. It's possible that a SB match-up with the Rams would have really exposed our weaknesses. I tend to rationalize losses, but maybe we'll look back on this as a necessary step. We need to get this team's Bruce Smith & shore up a few other areas. And when we finally do get back, there will be no doubt.

I'm not sure I understand this sentiment. The Bengals beat them in a shootout just a few weeks ago. We really underplay how good the Bengals are here. They had just as good a season as us, and Burrow is one of the top QB's now. Their D is a bit better than ours, also.

It would be cool if he worked one of the concessions. I'm all for it...

I'm gonna get hated on for this - but I like KC. I like Mahomes, and I really root for Reid, who I think got a bad rap for a long time. We also owned them on our SB runs. I wouldn't MIND seeing them win another. But overall, it would be cool to see the Bengals win next week, and even the SB. Their fans have been through a lot. I don't really view it in a way that affects how the Bills or Bills game is perceived. It's already being talked about as the greatest ever.

I hate these threads - but get them. It's easy for me: wide right, MCM, 13 seconds. In that order. Gotta be playoff games. Dallas MNF was brutal, but inconsequential. The 3 I named are all potential - and even somewhat probable - Lombardi's.

We need to move on from this. The Bengals are a GOOD TEAM, and Burrow is legit. That game was no cakewalk. And the Rams? That's the most fierce pass rush in the league. Stafford? Kupp? Personally, I don't think we're quite at the Rams level in terms of balance. Obviously, Allen is the differentiator - but our D doesn't have that disruptor that we need. I'm starting to think this all happened for a reason. When we do make the SB - there will be no doubt.

Is Josh Allen's trajectory unprecedented? I don't even Brady saw such significant increases in the measurables. But I'm too lazy to look it up. The only thing I know is that he'll be even better next season.

I think they should add him to the staff just as "spiritual leader & all-around guru."

I brought it up on another thread, but Belichick had almost the same sequence in the 2018 AFCCG. There were 38 seconds left in that one - but KC only had 1 timeout. KC went from their own 31 to the New England 20 in 2 passes (and in 18 seconds), just like our game, and they kicked the tying FG. The only difference was that NE won the OT coin toss.

You know, we're all over McD and Frazier for the lapse w/ 13 seconds left. But Belichick had basically the same fail in 2018. There were 38 seconds left, but Mahomes went from his own 31 to the New England 20 in 2 plays & 18 seconds. The main difference was the KC only had one timeout in that game. It's probably been talked about already here, but I had forgotten that. The only difference was the KC lost that OT coin toss.