Success

I guess every fanbase must do this - but I see Pats fans do it constantly. The entire week, on twitter & everywhere else: "We should have won 14-3 - the Bills got a gift w/ the Harry fumble." Huh? They didn't get gifts w/ missed FG's, fumbles, poor red zone efficiency, etc? I think it's something about winning as much as they have. Even during the Brady years, they'd win by 30, and their fans would say something like "we should have won by 37 if we didn't make mistakes."

Great post. Like you said, the wounds are "old & deep" w/ the Pats. I don't think any Bills fans can be too rational in the immediate aftermath of a game like that. BB is a better coach than McD, at least right now. And he coached a hurricane kind of game better than McD did (with a team that's more built for that kind of condition). That doesn't mean McD isn't a good coach, or isn't one of the best coaches in the league. I'm still very optimistic. If we beat the Bucs on Sunday, this whole board will sound very different.

They can. In general, I'd rather have the Bills' flaws than the Pats flaws. The Pats actually aren't unlike a team we might have had during the drought. Strong running game, physical. Their big advantage over any of those teams is that they are much more well-coached. But the reason many think they can't go on a sustained run in the playoffs is because (despite some scores during their streak), they are much more ground & pound. They're going to have to make it a winning formula against at least 3 very good teams in a row, and possibly 4. If they get behind by more than a score in any of those games, they'll struggle. The Bills can get down by multiple scores and have ample ability to come back and win.

There are quite a few teams over the years who had disappointing seasons or limped into the playoffs, and made it to the SB. Even a few who won the SB.

I think if we looked at those early seasons, we'd probably see a similar process of the Pats developing and learning how to expect the opponent's best week after week. It's easy to forget now, but they missed the playoffs after the Rams SB, and it was kind of thought that the SB win might have been flukey. By the time 2007 hit, they knew every team was going all out against them, and they had to be ready every single week. I think that's probably an adjustment for a team that hasn't experienced it.

All "same ol Bills" discussions and topics are over. We have the best QB in the league and a great team. Personally, I think this season begins "The 4 Redemption Leaps of Buffalo." Or something like that - I don't love that wording, but you get the gist. And I actually want 5. A 5-4 SB record would be cool.

We tried the whole "rolling into the playoffs on a huge winning streak and looking like a top team" thing. Maybe this is by design. Get everyone to write the Bills off & talk about all of the other teams, then eat some spinach before the playoffs and shock the world.

This past Monday had a very dementor-like effect on me - I felt the joy drain from me, and it felt as though I'd never feel optimistic again. But a win over the Bucs would get me right back in the saddle. Gotta love all of that "look for hope wherever you can" conditioning that 2 decades gave me.

I agree w/ others that the Pats deserve all of the attention right now. A 7 game winning streak is remarkable no matter what the circumstances. That said, I do believe there is a good chance that is a lot of smoke & mirrors. I didn't think that their 6-game winning streak was as impressive as it sounded given the favorable situation they had in most of those games. I thought that the Bills would be able to beat them at home and mellow out the national media a bit - but, wind. They're not the Brady Pats. They're a sound, balanced football team that doesn't make too many mistakes - but they're not capable of running away from good teams and dominating the league like they did in the old days. You just need to get a lead on that team & they'll turn into a pumpkin.

My post was more about how obnoxious Pats fans were about the Bills during the drought. I'd always hear 'This is the Bills Super Bowl' before Pats/Bills game. Then, if they saw Bills fans get excited about a regular season win, they'd say some jaded thing like "I don't even pay attention until January." Like I'm supposed to envy a fanbase that doesn't get excited about regular season wins.....

BB seems so much looser than he used to. I guess winning constantly for decades improves your mood.

On one hand, I can't believe that the game I thought would be far & away our toughest on the schedule is now a must-win. On the other, I wouldn't have it any other way. Why even dream of a SB run if we can't beat the Bucs when we have to?

He didn't go toe to toe w/ either Dak OR Brady.

I mentioned it earlier in the thread, but I really loved how BB made a bee-line for Allen yesterday. He did a quick handshake w/ McD, but spent some time w/ Allen and gave him a half-hug at the end. You could see the respect. I can't remember him doing that w/ too many QB's, at least while the cameras were on him. Belichick loves old school football & those kinds of players. I have to believe he loved not only the way Josh stood tough to make great throws, but on some of the runs, he just put his body on the line and wouldn't be denied.

Am I the only one who thought the pass protection was much improved last night?

Yeah - they deserve respect, but it's way too much. It's based more on 20 years than on this season. I think they lose the next 2 also, and could see them losing to Miami as well. But if the season keeps going like it has for them, they probably face the Colts without Wentz, get a blizzard for the Bills game and close against a Miami team that has a dozen guys on the COVID list. Based on Jones being overhyped & a rookie. The Bills just need to get the lead early.

PTI kept saying that the Pats IMPOSED THEIR WILL against the Bills. They did - on 2 drives. The rest of the time, the Bills D was pretty great. If the Bills score from the 6 at the end, no one would have said that. It would have been "the game might be passing BB by...."

Regarding Jones - he has skated by against bad competition with superior game plans. If the Colts shut him down - combined w/ NE's lack of trust in him yesterday - the doubt will start to creep in. They are not winning the SB with this rookie.

Has anyone said it yet? Are these the BICKERING BILLS we've been waiting for to propel us to years of SB runs? They don't necessarily have to bicker amongst themselves - it can be w/ others. There are no rules here.

Good analogy. I also think of the '07 G-men. They were so up & down that season. They got blown out a few times. NY fans wanted Eli benched for awhile. We were set to run away with our game against them but botched a special teams play that let them back in it, and they ran over us from that point on. They lost arguably their best player in Shockey. NO ONE thought they'd make a run. And when they got to the SB, no one gave them a chance.

During the drought, Pats fans would disdainfully say that the Bills/Pats match-ups were our "Super Bowl," and that the season didn't start for them until January. Well, well, well....

Everyone looks bad against Belichick. That said - MAN, do I wish he hadn't mentioned BB in the post-game. C'mon, man. It reminded me of the Rex Ryan days. It's okay to be obsessed w/ BB. But don't talk about your obsession w/ BB. It's like fight club.

I mean, it's probably been said a few times - but weather can't ruin football games. Weather can ruin a wedding, or a pool party. Football games are often about weather. And for the "dome" crowd - I'm not opposed to it. But even if they build one, we still have to play in NE, NY & a bunch of other "bad weather" places that don't have domes.

Good write-up, but I disagree w/ the focus of this take overall. 4th & 14 is not a winning down, in any situation. The game was lost in the plays & penalties prior to that. The game was lost when we couldn't figure out how to get in the endzone w/ a 1st down on the 6.

I think we need to beat a good team, when they're playing well. Of course I'll still have hope if we lose to the Bucs - as long as we have a winning record and show up prominently on the "in the hunt" graphic, I'll have hope. We've had too many years where we were already mathematically eliminated by now for me to not appreciate and value having an excellent chance to make the playoffs at this point. But this Bucs game probably means as much to me as a fan as any non-conference game in years. We're getting blasted by everyone today, almost to the point of people talking about us like we're a joke. I don't get all hurt over that - but it would be cool to shut everyone up. Especially New England fans who think they won the division yesterday.