Success

Personally, while I like more aggressive play and think McD was much more aggressive overall this season, I agreed w/ the more conservative decision of taking points at the end of the 1st half. That was a long drive, and it would have been very demoralizing not to get some points there. Get the points and regroup at halftime, with some momentum. It's funny how hindsight works. Reich DID go for it in the same situation a few weeks back, and was 2nd guessed all over the place for not taking the points.

We finally have 1st world problems...

These threads are great. And this is without doubt our biggest unit of need. I 100% agree on Oliver. I think he just needs better players around him, but if you watch him play, he has a real aggressiveness to his game that isn't easy to find. Whenever there is a tackle for a loss, he always seems to be making it or assisting on it.

I'd disagree w/ the characterization of "great." We need to upgrade at certain positions, but after so many years in the drought where we had JAG's everywhere, and the offseason "needs" list was epic, catching KC in one offseason seems very feasible. I don't think the gap was as stark as we saw the other night. Get a better running game & go into the re-match with a receiving corps that isn't as compromised by injuries, and we're right there on offense. Obviously, we also need a better line and pass rush on the other side, but I could see a good draft and a key 1-2 FA acquisitions getting that unit up to speed.

I think Rodgers just missed it - one glance to the right there, and he would have seen that he could have coasted in, but he was too focused on the receivers. Tough day of "what if's" for GB. At least we didn't have that in our game. Not that I'm some kind of prognosticator, but I was definitely thinking on that TD before the half that the Packers should worry more about the hail mary than about trying to prevent a FG attempt. Probably my time as a Bills fan always thinking of worst case scenario.

I think opposing fans might be disappointed to visit here & not see a thread like this....

I went to their main board last night, and I was actually kind of stunned. I thought it was a parody or something - it didn't seem possible. It wasn't a few bad eggs or something like that; it was over 90% of the posts and posters. Just laying into Bills fans that showed up w/ congrats unmercifully. It didn't really compute for me; I can't imagine being that way after WINNING. It made me really appreciate this board. The mods here run a pretty tight ship, and wouldn't allow most of what I saw posted there. And of course you can't judge a fanbase by a board or by the internet in general - but it was unusual. I frequent other fanbase's boards, and they are nowhere close to that. Completely toxic.

You can't really compare the circumstances. We didn't really have a pass rush yesterday, and KC did. Allen was under much more pressure than Mahomes.

I was waiting for the "Josh's skin coloring" thread....

"The Belichick Heritage Annual Classic." I like it. Players kicking balls out from behind trees while no one is looking, dropping balls next to water hazards and saying "hey, I found it!" Grumpy, barely verbal pressers afterwards.

I lived through the 4 Falls. I don't really want to go back to the SB unless we have a defense that can make stops consistently. It doesn't have to be smothering - but it needs to be better than what we have now. Maybe I'm rationalizing, but part of me is relieved we didn't quite make it yet. That D needs to get better.

I mean, does anyone remember Peyton Manning for the 1st 4-5 years that he tried to get by the Patriots? They made him look silly at times. There were some games where he threw multiple picks and looked like he was in completely over his head. He couldn't figure out BB's defenses. I think the Colts only scored a FG in one AFCCG. Then, he got it. The last half of his career, he evened things out w/ that team.

Allen shouldn't have to prove his clutch cred to any Bills fan who watches games at this point. He has been amazing in 4th quarters throughout his career. That pass he made with 30 seconds left against AZ is one only a few QB's in the league can make. Hot take nation. Only one team wins the Super Bowl. Every other team - and their QB's - are overanalyzed and overreacted to.

What Orlovsky is describing has nothing to do w/ being "nervy." And pundits are awesome. I love Orlovsky, but I've seen the same takes here and elsewhere: Allen shouldn't hang onto the ball too long, but the receivers are all covered. He shouldn't force it into coverage, but also has to make something happen. Just pure contradictions all over the place. And if Mahomes had a whole game of that - no one open, pressure in his face every play - he'd have the same facial expressions at the end of the game. And he'd probably throw the ball at a defender and pundits would love his competitive fire for it.

Oh, for the sake of pete....

I doubt I'd be able to walk to the fridge with a broken fibula. This is really kind of astounding...since week 16? Unreal. The rest of the team needs to feed off of that next season.

That is absolutely legendary. He has become one of my favorite all-time Bills, in a pretty short time. I can't think of a player we've had who is tougher, or more reliable. Some just as tough - but not tougher.

The short answer for both is yes. I'm guilty of giving players too much benefit of the doubt, but I look at Oliver's play in the context of our overall line. He's not lining up with very strong players around him. When you watch him on most downs, he is generally fighting off double teams. I know that's an old excuse - but he is a good player. When he's one on one, he has that ability to overpower the guy he's matched up with. He's strong and aggressive. I think he's a good foundation to build around. The defensive line basically needs an overhaul at this point, but he's a keeper, imo.

The OP is absolutely outstanding. What a great detailed breakdown. It really puts you in the GM's shoes; there is so much more than "we need an RB and pass rusher." So many crucial and borderline decisions to make. Gotta say - I agree with just about all of the takes here. It will be hard to lose some guys. I love players like Smoke & Hughes, but sometimes, it's just time to move on, and it may be w/ them and others. I hate to bring up he-who-must-not-be-named, but BB set the blueprint on stuff like this. Better to let a guy go a little early than a little late.

Has anyone else just found themselves smiling more almost every day since the Hail Murray? Going on a run like that throughout November, December and most of January was absolutely joyful. I commented a few weeks ago that it made me dislike Pats fans even more for getting so much of that over the years. For us, it's hard for those of us who were there in the '90's to even remember what it felt like back then. It's certainly not the experience we're used to in the internet era, where most seasons were more defined by how far we could get before mathematics dictated that it was time to start looking at mock drafts. Fantastic season, and by no means a one-off.

For the old timers, this game was a lot like the team of the late '80's. Right on the cusp, but not quite there yet. Honestly, we'll probably look back & be grateful it played out this way. I don't think there is much doubt that the lights were just a tiny bit too bright for us last night - and if that's the case in the AFCCG, it would have been a 500 watt experience in the upcoming SB, especially against Brady. It's better to get to the championship in steps, in some ways.

I'm on the Levi bandwagon. He has been one of our most impactful defenders over the past month.

Good thread. I'm sure whatever I think is a few levels below Beane's thinking, but I don't think we're that far. Moss is a really good start, imo - it hurt us more than we think not to have him yesterday. He was starting to make a real impact, and he is so much better at the LOS than Singletary. I want so badly for Singletary to work out, but it might be time to move on, in whatever form that takes. He's becoming consistent at all the things you don't want consistency in - getting 2 yards on most carries, and making mistakes. That game could have been so different if he holds on to that ball. Keeping your eye on the ball until it's caught is a RB 101 kind of thing. I thought Yeldon was impressive last night in both the pass and run game, and it made me wonder why we didn't use him more all season. Where Singletary can't break the 1st tackle at the LOS, Yeldon consistently turned it into a few more yards. I think most of the offseason work & draft has to be defense this year - but if they like a back in the 1st couple of rounds, they should make that a priority.

I appreciate the sentiments, and I'm sure there is truth there. But that board was crazy yesterday. I saw some Bills fans going there to give general congrats, and they got obliterated, by almost every poster. I gathered reading the responses that many Bills fans, if that's what they were, talked too much smack there leading up to the game. But some clearly came back to eat crow, and got slammed. It was the ultimate sore winner situation. When you win a game like that, how hard is it to be gracious? I'm sure the internet isn't that indicative, and if I went to a Chiefs game, I'd probably have a great time tailgating. Most fans are just fans pretty much everywhere. I just found my visit to that board yesterday to be notable for how hostile it was. I found it unusual for a winning board after a game like that. And I did see a few of the antifreeze comments. Thanks for the translation on that.

I think we all knew we were a fairly one-dimensional team heading into yesterday. All year, we won by passing the ball - not by running, or with a strong defense. There were exceptions on the latter, particularly the Ravens game. But in general, that's who we were and are. I don't think you can win a Lombardi without being a more complete team. The blueprint for a good defensive team against us is fairly simple - limit Diggs, make them run, and you can beat them. Everyone knows what we need to shore up to get further, and I'm sure Beane will do just that.