Success

Such an unhealthy season. But I'll say it again - the only guy we're missing for the WHOLE year at this point is Hoecht (and maybe Rapp, though I think we're better at safety even w/ him out). If there is anything to "odds," we won't sustain many more serious injuries the rest of the way - and we'll continue to get guys back. We just have to find a way. Win however we can the next few weeks, and try to roar into the postseason healthier than we are right now, w/ hopefully Big Ed back for game 1 of the playoffs.

What team in the league has been better in December the last 5 years? It's a short list, if there even is a list. We're winning the AFC East.

I will choose to hold out hope for Keon. Imagine if he comes out & has a big day tomorrow? It would give all of us renewed optimism for the rest of the season. It could happen.

It's funny reading the comments of Steelers fans online. Pretty much a mirror image of our discussions here. Feels like most games, both fanbases are talking trash & beating their chests. We're having a doom-off w/ Pittsburgh fans.

The wheels aren't falling off. There is too much doom in here, because we happen to be missing 2 starters on the O line. Lots of teams have overcome that in the past. I saw Pitt fans saying that they faced 2 teams in the same situation already this year, and came up short. And the O-line is the one unit where we have built very capable depth. Faith, peeps. I thought this was "our year" in August - and I still feel that way.

I'd like to nominate you to be our new OC.

Just reading "in the hunt" has some PTSD implications for me. I did 20 years of "in the hunt." I need the Bills to win a title before we go back to that.

Done? I can't really relate to that. Maybe in a year when the Eagles or Chiefs looked like dominant teams. But man, every single team is seriously flawed this year. No matter what happens in the next month+, if we get in the tourney - I'll still have hope that for once, we're the team that gets hot.

Feels like we've lost a lot of speed w/ Samuel, Hardman out, and Moore cut. Not that we utilized any of their speed, anyway, but our WR corps seems to have gotten quite a bit slower.

The Samuel signing really wasn't a bad one at the time. He was a proven receiver. I remember KC fans saw getting Hollywood Brown as sort of a consolation prize - most of the fans I saw online wanted Samuel. It's a real bummer w/ him. I don't think we've ever seen him fully healthy for us.

The Steelers still aren't a very good team. We may not be either, but if the teams are basically equal, Allen gives the Bills a pretty big advantage. Our injuries really aren't that bad. We have good depth on the O-line, and Bernard hasn't really been good all season. If Kincaid & Palmer actually play, we'll be in pretty good shape.

In a way, I'm kind of encouraged that they didn't put Brown on IR. Maybe his injury isn't as serious as some have speculated? Losing guys like Brown & Oliver is huge and impactful, but if both are back by the playoffs, we just have to figure out a way to get there. And we do have depth, especially on the O-line. All teams are dealing w/ injuries this time of year. The Steelers are missing some key players also.

The injuries have been rough - but outside of Hoecht, we still can have an expectation of most of the guys coming back either in the next month or by the playoffs. Just get there. This is a year when no one is that good, and we can definitely make a run - even as a WC.

Have they given more official updates on Brown & Bernard? There was talk that they might be put on IR, but I'd have to think they would have done that by now. Would be nice to see both back in December at some point....

There are issues w/ our schemes on both sides of the ball. We complain endlessly about a lack of talent in this unit or that unit, or overall. And we don't have a lot of "pro bowl" caliber talent. But I will generally believe that we could be much better on both offense & defense if we had real coordinators who had a track record of success. We're not getting the most out of the talent we have.

Personally, I'd be shocked if it was the Chiefs again. What we're seeing is not an illusion - it's a weak & flawed Chiefs team this year. They're just not at that level anymore. Neither are we - which is frustrating given that they've been our biggest nemesis, and this is the year I think we would normally be able to finally get past them in the playoffs. But it might not even come to that. It might be Pats/Colts in the AFCCG, which would really give me such a feeling of deja vu, and of futility. Like, okay universe - you win.

"Delusional positivity" describes me so well. I mean, I remember talking myself into Tuel, Thad Lewis and Orton. I'm certainly capable of talking myself into Cooks saving our WR corps.

That's a hard watch - because they're so right. It makes it even more infuriating that we were so negligent of the WR position not just in the offseason, but at the deadline. I so hope that the Waddle story isn't true - the idea that we would give up a 1st rounder in '27 but not '26 is mystifying, if so.

I feel like he's back for the playoffs. It seems like every player that gets a long term injury these days is coming back sooner than expected - medical advances are outpacing conventional wisdom on recovery times.

A couple of things are true here: it's worth a swing, and we deserve to be clowned for it.

I mean, can't Brady just study what other OC's do and copy it at this point? I don't understand our offense at all. I can't pretend to understand schemes, but just eye test-wise, it seems very easy to defend.

I like that we've been trying. But a better time to "try" would have been the offseason.

I can't anymore w/ the Allen narratives. I've lost track of the # of "Allen always chokes in the playoffs" comments I've seen from other fans. When he has basically been immaculate. And if he's reverting a bit this year on the turnovers, it's pretty obvious why to those of us who watch the team every week. No one to throw to, no one open, and just trying to make something happen - because if he doesn't, we'll lose.

On that point, I will take new coordinators all day. One thing I have never understood - we have a QB like Allen, and we promote from within on the coordinators, instead of hiring experienced, proven & successful candidates. Which we obviously could. I'm okay w/ McD as HC/culture guy, IF we have top-tier coordinators running the offense & defense. All of that said, in no way do I want to lose more games to see if that happens. I hope we win out and still grab the 1 seed.

Only 1 from KC. I guess we differ on "fortunate." I'm not sure I consider it too lucky when we're coughing the ball up a lot, but happen to recover.