Success

I never want to see a designed run for Allen again, personally. Cool w/ the scrambles, but it never really works when we make him the back on purpose.

It's the whole "chess/checkers" thing that people have said ad nauseum, but correctly. It's true about BB. I think McD is A1, but BB is just head & shoulders above everyone. It's enough to make you cry "that's not fair" like you would have in 3rd grade playing against the big kids. New England will never beat themselves. We gave them all they could handle, but they still found a way, as they always do. They made some plays where all I could do was shake my head. Some of those fakes Brady executes are unlike any other QB - I have to watch the replay twice just to figure out what happened. Hate it. Hate all of it. Must end.

I’d take Allen over anyone. I get that this is pure homer talk, but the guy was born to play in Buffalo. He was a Bill before he became a Bill.

If everyone isn’t exactly as excited about Allen as I am, they’re wrong. Fans always let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Of course he has tons of room for improvement, but he will and already has. He has everything you need in a franchise QB - particularly how he plays in the 4th, on prime time and in big moments.

Honestly, we’d probably be the tougher out for them. I’m sure Pats fans will be pulling for us against the Ravens if we get that far, but man, is it hard to beat the same team 3x in a season. Would love to see it. Beating that team in an AFCCG would erase a lot of demons for me.

I hated the way they were able to run on us. It was definitely the difference. Textbook for the Pats - establishing the run opened things up for those big passes that decided the game. And on our side, I found myself missing Gore. We had no change-up.

Same. They’re like cockroaches would be years after a nuclear war. They will not go away.

Everyone gets out coached by BB. It wasn’t one sided - I thought our coaches kept them fairly off balance. It was actually one of the best gameplans BB has put together all year, and we had a chance to tie at the end. Ours coaches are legit. McD may not be a riverboat gambler, but he is a tough coach who gameplans well and has built a hard-nosed team that will always fight to the end. We’re looking good for the years ahead. I think McD/Allen could be a lot like Levy/Kelly for us.

We simply can't get a 17-13 lead with a quarter to play, and think we can just "hold on" against a team like NE. Similarly, we can't get a key turnover in the 1st quarter and play for a FG. Philly set the blueprint in the SB win. You have to be FEARLESS, a theme for the Bills, and one they need to walk the walk on. We played scared yesterday.

I swear, he does that almost every time. It's like he's ticked at defensive players for actually, ya know, playing defense. I don't think I've ever disliked a player in the NFL so much.

Maybe I'm too much of a homer, but considering that Allen was out a good portion of last year, I think his progress has been absolutely remarkable. He has that determination to fix mistakes & improve that you want - he's relentless when it comes to evaluating himself and looking for ways to get better. It reminds me of the dude he faced off against yesterday. And he is BIG in both prime time games, and in the 4th quarter. It's hard to adequately convey how important that quality is if we every hope to win a championship. I'd be absolutely shocked if he wasn't our starter in 3 years, or 10 years. I'm so happy we got him over Darnold, Rosen or Mayfield (no comment on Jackson for the time being). We finally have a guy we can build around, and that should be exactly what we do going forward.

I didn't like the gameplan overall. While I've been screaming for more running, starting out w/ 6 consecutive runs was a bit much, and in general, it seemed like they want back to treating Allen like a rookie. No team calls a designed QB run on 3rd & 4 in that situation - you have to trust him to make a throw there. And on D, we went back to treating Brady like he was in 2007 mode or something. We should have blitzed that guy all game. The lack of pressure on him was the most disappointing aspect of the game. Tough, tough loss. Ultimately, meaningless as far as what happens in the postseason - but could have been so meaningful in terms of making a statement and flipping the script. And we gave that team a bye, which I'm sure all of America mourns today. I swear - watching Brady hoist yet another Lombardi might break me for good....

If I'm objective, we were kind of lucky to be in it. It felt like the Patriots dominated a lot of that game, and certainly TOP. We had a couple of great plays, that some might also describe as a bit flukey, but it's football & those are part of the game as much as anything. I'm 100% spent on losing to that team so much. Over the years, the Jets & Phins have split w/ them much more - we have been swept so many times. It's hard to deal with at this point. Not digging this feeling, at all. I do hate everything they do at this point - but a lot of it is the stuff that makes them great. Brady completely fakes me out watching on TV - I can't imagine what it must be like to defend against him. He sells every fake incredibly well, and even a great D can't help but let it fool them once in awhile.

It's just not healthy how I feel about the Patriots. A win would go a long way. I feel like we're close to ending this excruciating period of Pats dominance, but I really thought it would be tonight.

It's part of fandom. The post-loss period of time is, by design, not rational or worthy of defending. It's as "fanatic" as fans get. Everything is wrong, life is bad, nothing will ever be good again. It lasts at least 12 hours. Depending on factors such as age, upbringing, longevity as a fan and genetic influences, it could go up to 24 hours, 1 week, or in some extreme cases, indefinitely. We signed up for all of it. And I embrace it.

I will not bathe until the Bills eliminate the Patriots from the playoffs at Gillette in January, with that insipid horn playing all of the time. So let it be written. And so on.

It's very possible it's about me - but I have a hunch it's about the Bills, and most other teams. When the Pats step on the field, I feel like they have half the battle won. It's the "mystique and aura" that Schilling joked about the Yankees years ago. I'd take a lot of convincint to think that the Patriots do not have a psychological advantage at the start of every game at this point.

Exactly how I feel about it. And that makes me think it's psychological at this point, which is the worst. It's so hard to get past that.

I dunno. I'm at a point of psychosis - I'm seriously worried about my mental health. That team has dominated us in a way that is one-sided to the extreme. I'm really grappling w/ it right now - trying to figure out different rationalizations, or things outside of my "sports fan" life that might make me feel better. I don't think any fan should have to go through this, though. I don't care how whiny it sounds. I just want to beat that team.

It's an easy hindsight call. At the time, it was 50/50. I was all in on going, but smart coaching generally falls on the side of punting, and trusting your elite D. I really can't fault them. Of course it's easy to say it was the better decision now.

At 4th and 1, I would have LOVED to see us go for it. It's not the normal move, but against the Pats, that's kind of what you have to do. A 50/50 call - can't fault him too much. But we would have had a better chance to win being more aggressive there.

Your opinion is always this: "the Bills have no future, and I am here to make sure you have no hope." Always. For a very, very long time. It's sad. Allen is a young QB, who is a total gamer, and continues to get better. He is going to own your team for a very long time. And unfortunately, that is the only time you will leave this board - you should be banned.

Seriously? That's your attempt to save face from such an easily disprovable lie? Stop trolling here. You have no interest whatsoever in talking Bills football. None.

"Every time?" Really? I haven't responded to you in at least 3 months - probably 4. I'm too lazy to look. What a lame response. Wanna try again?

I love this team even when they're bad, but they're not bad now, nor have they been at any point this season. In their biggest games, they have stepped up. Tonight was no exception. They played that game even, after an awful start, against one of the best in the business. Such effort - I feel like they'll always fight to the end, no matter what. For the 1st time in ages, I'm looking forward to January football.