Success

With Allen, you can really see how hard a time pundits have adapting and changing a conclusion that they make about a player early on. Everyone thought that they knew Allen and exactly what kind of QB he would be in the pro's. And they just can't let it go. You could see it directly in the KC game: Mahomes would make a mistake, and it was just an off play for him. Allen would make basically the same mistake, and it becomes "there it is! That's why people aren't buying into this guy...." It's fairly blatant.

"Lombardi" is the obvious answer. But, if I had to settle, it would be on "progression." So, we need to advance in the playoffs. That's still a drought we have to break, also. Winning only one game in the playoffs would be disappointing, but I'd still appreciate & value the season if we did that. Winning the division also goes a long way toward "successful." Losing in the 1st round would for sure be a fail.

The Patriots have ruined all other division-team-hate for me. It's like a total eclipse. I just feel bad for the Jets. Though I probably won't feel that way on draft day.

Let this news mark the official end of hot takes.

Good write-up. In a way, it reminds me of the '90's, when the Bills were on top, but the Dolphins were usually the main competition w/ Marino at the helm. It seemed like we were always battling w/ them for the division, while the Jets and Pats fought it out over who would finish last. It's going to be a long road back for the Patriots. As you mention, they currently have the worst QB situation. Belichick can make any roster competitive, and he has done that to an extent this year - but to build a true contender will take a few years, and who knows if he wants to even coach that much longer. Once he leaves, they're really back to being the Patsies. I know some think Lawrence will stay in school, but I'd have a hard time believing that. Being a top pick in the NFL draft is a huge accomplishment, and there is a lot of money involved there. Barkley made a mistake staying in school one more year. That would certainly be interesting if the Jets got him. Maybe it's weird, but I like the idea of getting real rivalries going in the division again, and the division title coming down to the last few games of the season. I also like that it will likely be us, Miami and maybe the Jets fighting for the title - while the Pats are in the cellar.

I haven't read through all of the comments. It's funny that people are critical about it. We're 8-3, with a solid win over a tough opponent. 1st place in the AFCE. Loving it.

Moss is our starter. Singletary is perfect for what he is - he can come in and break one anytime, which is all you can ask for out of the 2nd string guy.

8-3, fairly comfortable lead in the division - this is the best position we've been in at the end of November since the '90's. Loving it.

Patriots fans are ridiculously happy about getting a last-second FG to get to 5-6. I feel like I'm the Grinch watching the Who's celebrate after having everything stolen from them. "Their GOAT QB left....they won't make the playoffs...they'll miss out on a top draft pick....and still they celebrate...."

Klein has been a revelation. Former weak link, current leader. That wouldn't be sportsmanlike, Inigo...

If we're 7-8 years into dominating the division, we can complain about lackluster wins to get to 8-3. Right now? I'm a permanent resident of Cloud 9.

He's been great. And he can kick it far.

I get that this is a tough year, and I'm grateful we have football. But the league is terrible at this. It is NOT hard to set up standards: if you're missing x players, or certain positions, the game gets postponed. This is a complete double-standard when you look at what they did for the Ravens & Titans.

I personally thought Ford showed a lot of improvement this year. I'd hardly call him a bust at this point. And players get hurt. This is bad news for this season, but it hardly plays into how the pick should be evaluated.

Feels like it's been a year since we played. Can't wait.

Man - what a bad day of football it is now. I may not even watch one of the remaining games, which would be a first.

The Giants aren't very well-constructed right now. They have some good skill players, but overall, they aren't very strong in the trenches. I really like what I've seen out of Jones. He's inconsistent, but when he's on, he's very good. They just need to build up the O-line to give him some more time, but he could be the starter there for many years.

This season is great because the Bills are good, fun to watch, and winning. But there are 2 added bonuses: Watching Belichick lose, and watching Brady lose.

I remember being really excited about him on draft day - I thought he was kind of a nice late round find (but I always think that about late rounders). I thought he was just cut or something. Here's hoping he can contribute...

I'm a junkie. Red Zone all day, then the night game, then the highlights. Don't judge me.

I haven't read through the thread, but I would hope that's the majority. People weren't using email the last time we had a true franchise QB. It is very hard to find a franchise QB.

The 3rd place team?

I think it's pretty clear: not only did we get the "right Josh" from that draft, but he is emerging as the clear best QB from that group overall. Last year, that was not really considered because of the year Jackson had. I suppose it's a bit hot-takey to make that determination so soon after last season - but who here would take Jackson over Allen right now? I mean, no way. Allen has all of the skills, and more importantly, all of the intangibles that you could want in a franchise QB. And by all accounts, he's obsessive about correcting his mistakes & his work ethic in general. That's something he shares w/ a lot of the greats.

It's important to remember on this one (and it's probably been mentioned a few times) - there was time enough left for 2 plays. I really didn't think that play would be the 'hail mary.' My expectation was actually that they'd try to pick up a quick 15-20 to make it a manageable pass to end the game on the last play. And the Bills had to play it that way, to an extent. They couldn't just flood the endzone and keep everything in front of them. Our DB's played it as well as they could - it's easy to say that they should have timed a leap better here, or that Poyer shouldn't have knocked into Tre - but it doesn't play out in slo mo like we've seen it a few dozen times at this point.

People keep saying the loss was "Billsy" - but that really connotes how bumbling we used to be (to me), and how we would pull defeat from the jaws of victory and all that. We played that perfectly. I feel totally different about this loss than many others. It was actually cool to be part of an epic game like that, in a way.