Success

Re: the bolded. Absolutely. Why wouldn't we have a "chance?" We're actually built to beat that team, and we beat them handily there last time. Our 4 top receivers had significant injuries in the AFCCG. No one holds that game as any kind of standard.

Isn't the guideline now to only test when there are symptoms? I didn't think it was tied to vaccinated or not. Gotta bad feeling though. My season goal now is to beat NE and win the division. If we get playoff football, it's a bonus.

After all of the hype - he's playing exactly like scouts figured he would. We're seeing his ceiling.

The Pats blueprint against the Bills only works if the Bills don't succeed in the blueprint against the Pats. Get an early lead, force the Patriots to come from behind & pass the ball. Win.

I mean, life goes on if we don't win this game. I think we WILL win, but the ball can get bouncy, and nothing is guaranteed. The way some are talking, we go back to watching NE win one division title after another if we lose this one. Their HOF coach will be 70. We'll have the best QB by a few miles, for at least a decade & probably more. If we drop the division this year, it's a blip. An extremely unpleasant blip, but we should be faves to win the division again next year. And really, as long as we have Allen.

15 mph might be a lot for a completely overhyped, weak-armed, game manager-type QB. Not saying that there is one of those playing Sunday. But I'm not not saying that.

I think they think we envy them. But they're cartoon characters. I can't really envy cartoon characters.

If there is a "most pleasant surprise of '21" award, it goes to Harrison Phillips. He's been a joy to watch, and at a time when we need good play in that unit. Great summary!

I have to appreciate not going into a game against the Patriots thinking we will need luck or certain breaks to go our way to have a chance. It's kind of the opposite. I feel like the Pats need those things to beat the Bills. If it's just talent against talent & everything else is equal, the Bills win. And we have the better QB - finally.

You implied that Jones has been deemed "good," and we're just not acknowledging that because we're rival fans. I think the hype on him to this point is what isn't valid, or realistic. I think my take is unbiased, and it's actually the take that is most consistent w/ the scouting on Jones coming in. Time's gonna tell on this one. I know that after initially being concerned about Jones, I no longer have any worry about him at all. I think at best that he'll be a marginal starter. He's exactly what scouts said he was going to be.

And what does the bolded have to do w/ Jones?

Lame cheap shot.

The bolded is hilarious, and typical of what I've seen from Pats fans online. So many are convinced he'll be as good as Brady or close to it, based on the fact that his stats are better than some of Brady's 1st year stats. Jones is such an average prospect right now. He gets more time than just about any QB in the NFL, and he's hyped through the roof for completing game-manager kinds of passes under almost no duress. When he is pressured somewhat, we see what we saw on Saturday - less accuracy, crucial picks, and a QB who looked lost halfway through the game. Personally, I'm happy about the hype. He'll never play well enough to match it. Could he still pan out & be a solid starter? Of course. But he could just as easily end up as a career backup. He'd be floundering in NY or Jax, or almost anywhere else.

Jones is bad under pressure, as well. He can't really move in the pocket, so it's fairly easy to sack him if you can get back there - which is the biggest challenge against that line. The line is one of the best in the league, imo.

I thought it was more 50/50. There were times that Allen was running for his life, as usual - but I thought there were significant portions of the game where it actually looked normal, and he had plenty of time to throw. I was actually kind of encouraged after watching the game. They also looked better run blocking, imo.

I think a bit of that is tied to the pandemic, too. It's definitely something I'm feeling this year - and really in a full blown way for the 1st time. As an adult, Christmas definitely has some exhausting elements to it. It's awesome, but trying to juggle family visits if you're married, get gifts for the same people you've shopped for over the course of years, plan schedules/entertaining/cooking etc. - it can be draining. Add to that the complications of COVID, which can change shopping & traveling plans among other considerations, and it can be a bit overwhelming. I think I'll be more relieved this year when it's over. Kind of like beating the Patriots if it happens.

On one of the sports shows, they said that the Bills don't have a chance in the next one because of McD's comments about Belichick after the wind game. You know - because Belichick will now be "mad." These are paid professionals who said this. They said that a HOF coach who is preparing for the most important late-season game in the AFCE in decades will try harder because he's "mad."

Had they missed that 2-point conversion, and we took a 7-6 lead on that TD - the entire game would have been different, imo. Jones would have been seen as MUCH more of a liability in any kind of comeback situation in those conditions. Even a single point.

It's really the only way the season continues. The #'s of players that would test positive over the next few weeks will only grow significantly (in all likelihood). Has anyone talked about fans at stadiums yet? I would think that's going to change...

Has anyone gotten him a new phone yet?

You should really put together a summary of when wins really count & when they don't, and when fans should feel good about them & when they're meaningless. It's all quite hard to keep up with. I know that personally, I felt good about beating the Chiefs, who are the #1 seed in the AFC right now. But apparently, that was a gimme.

I think the "Super Bowl" comment is always only reserved for teams playing the Patriots. It's always every team's "Super Bowl" to Pats fans. Even though they celebrate like crazy when they beat the Bills now, or just about any team. Gotta love that jaded Pats fan disposition. "Ho hum....we know this game is your Super Bowl, but for us, the season doesn't really start until January." Or, "How cute - you're actually excited about just making the playoffs." They're all like trust fund kids now.

Confession: I used to kind of pull for the Pats in the Grogan days, and I wanted them to win the SB against the Rams. Weird to think about that now. My wish now is that they lose every game until the end of eternity. Mac Jones is who we thought he was. He was never going to play up to the hype he was getting anyway - but he is so limited. The only thing keeping him from being the worst of that class is that O-line, which basically gives him all day to survey the field when he drops back. And he still threw 2 crucial picks w/ that kind of time.

It's joyful watching a Brady team get shut out. I have to chase that feeling.

Sure, Evans - get a hammy THIS week....