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there still are less games at four and more market available. Additionally SF ARZ DEN VEG are sizable draws for TV mixed with a Bills team that’s on the upswing. It still is more exposure then normal for the team. I think the Bills will probably go back to back for two of the four games. In the past they have. They went 6-2 on the road this year so it’s gonna be the gauntlet to repeat that. 4-4 on the road will be success in my eyes

I've been of the opinion the only three numbers that should be retired are 12, 78, and 32 (although at this point I understand using it). Those three are near the pinnacle of their position. Those three you could argue are Top 10 ever for the position. Andre is a HOF for sure but I am not sure you would say that about him. Good question though wonder what others think

Never happened. Closest the Bills have had was 2015 or 2016 they got a TNF against the Jets each year and MNF at NE in 15 and SEA in 16

I'm sorry but your wrong. The Bills front office has on many occasions spoke openly at the preference at 1:00 pm and having games earlier in the year. Just about every team would love to start with 5 home games in the first half of the year or more. It's an advantage through and through and no team wants more of their home games late in the year. So every team gets there chance. For the most part since 2013ish on the Bills regularly have had 4-5 home games within the first 8 games minus 2018 when they straight up got screwed by the NFL. But otherwise they were more or less gifted a great start last year, same in 2017, and especially in 2015 when they more or less wasted a great team and favorable schedule early on. The Bills also have pushed back against home night games until recently where it seems that they are OK with 1 every other year. It is not a perfect equation making the schedule the NFL does mess it up yearly for a few teams but in general they do try to give every team a fair shake at least regarding home and away dates. I truthfully think this is more likely then Miami. It allows the NFL to not have to put the Bills at 4 pm while still giving the Bills some stage and getting them in the rotation. The only reason why I didn't do Seattle at night is because we did face them on MNF in 16 and at 4:25 pm for out "home" Toronto game. I could see the NFL going either way. But my pick would be one of SEA or LAR at home.

Hi Everyone, Usually I do this once the SB is over, but there actually is stuff to report! For a quick recap if you haven't been paying attention this is the Bills home and away opponents for 2020-21: Home: NE, NYJ, MIA, KC, LAC, LAR, SEA, PIT Away: NE, NYJ, MIA, DEN, VEGAS, ARZ, SF, TEN Now for the fun tidbits: -Much has been made about the Bills getting multiple primetime games, primetime games at home, etc.. Generally teams that make the playoffs get an average of 2 primetime games the following season many times 3. The Bills in 2018 are the major outlier as they received just the NE MNF game as the NFL basically said prove it that you weren't a fluke in 2017. Obviously this season was much different as Buffalo did prove to be a team of substance and they did end up being rewarded with 3 prime time type games (DAL Thanksgiving, PIT SNF, NE Saturday 4:30 game). Every playoff team from 2018 got a minimum of 3 prime time games in 2019 (prime time qualifying as SNF, MNF, or TNF). Buffalo did well ratings wise with all of the games they were on this year which helps to dispel the notion they do not draw on TV. Please do keep in mind that all 3 games were against major NFL draws (DAL, NE, PIT) so I can almost guarantee that the primetime games they receive in 2020 will be opponents who bring that (aka TEN BUF or VEG BUF probably is not going primetime haha). -With the Bills playing both the AFC West AND NFC West they will be flying a ton this year and 4:00 pm games will be coming strong (sorry 1:00pm is best crowd). The last time against the NFC West the Bills faced the Seahawks on MNF cutting out one of the two 4:00 pm starts. With a projected four games starting at 4:00 pm (SF, ARZ, VEG, DEN) I have a strong feeling they will probably move one of those games to a night game as a way to reduce having the Bills in the 4:00 pm slot that many times. In regards to the home matchups the LAC and KC both have played at 1:00 pm many of times when they come to Buffalo so I would be surprised to see them be later given the amount of 4:00 pm games Buffalo already has. LAR and SEA both have played the late game anytime they have come here with the SEA playing up in the infamous Toronto disaster game in 2011 (yay beach boys and rob ford). I would not be surprised to see one of those two teams as the Bills home primetime game as a way again to limit Buffalo having a mammoth amount of 4:00 pm games and the draw power of both teams. At the same time both of Seattle’s AFC games were at 1:00 pm last year and one of the Rams was at 1:00 pm. -With all of that as a backdrop I know many people are saying the Bills and Chiefs are a top night matchup, but realistically the NFL and networks will probably prioritize KC for other top night games especially if they win the SB. The Bills prefer 1:00 pm home games as is and KC is a team they can keep in that slot. Realistically the best chance for the Bills to keep as many games as possible at the 1:00 pm slot is putting the Bills at night against LAR or SEA who give the NFL the draw power they'd want for a SNF or MNF game. The only AFC I really could see being PIT as a rematch night game and has been mentioned that it would be a good game for fans given last years playoff implicating matchup. -It is not unheard of at all that a team plays multiple prime time games at night against their NFC conference opponent or vise versa. Last year the Browns hosted the LAR SNF and went to SF the week after for MNF. -It was recently reported that the NFL really liked the Saturday Xmas schedule they did this last year and they are strongly considering doing the same in 2020. The Bills drew well in that game TV wise so very possible they are in the rotation again. -In the last decade the Bills have hosted home night games in 2012 MIA, 2016 NYJ, and 2018 NE. As I said earlier the Bills are quite sensitive to keeping games at 1:00 pm for their season ticket base and I would expect that they prefer at this point just a single home night game mixed with hopefully only one 4:00 pm game if they can help it leaving the other six homes games as 1:00 pm starts. With the added attention Buffalo has received, the teams upswing, and the possible retirement/leaving of Brady in NE though Buffalo may be subject to more games at 4:00 pm which is typically the game of the week or at night. -Yes there are rumors MIA and Buffalo are playing in London but there is also rumor that Arizona may be hosting a game overseas also. It is absolutely plausible the NFL puts the Bills and Cards as a London game to reduce travel for the Bills from having four west coast trips AND a London game. But the Panthers did that exact schedule and the NFL always will pick money over sanity. -Buffalo has not played overseas since 2015 so it would not be a major surprise if they went there as it has been a few years. -For the record if I had to predict right now what Buffalo’s primetime schedule would be I would say MNF at home vs LAR, SNF at SF, and TNF at NYJ. The Bills have played the Jets at night nearly every other year for a bit so I could see that happening as it gives the NFL NYC market and divisional opponent to market -The Bills schedule will not be released until the middle of April right before the draft. Leaks will come out so please supply them if you hear anything. There is talk of the NFL turning the schedule release into its own event over the course of multiple weeks. That has not come to fruition but is something to bear in mind. -And if I had to make an early guess as to exactly what the Bills start times in 2020 were it would be this: Home 1:00 pm: NE, NYJ, MIA, LAC, KC, PIT (opportunity to Flex) 4:00 pm or later start: SEA MNF: LAR Away 1:00 pm: NE, MIA, TEN 4:00pm or later start: VEG, DEN, ARZ SNF: SF TNF: NYJ It breaks down to nine 1:00pm start times, four 4:00 pm starts, and three night games. It would be the largest exposure forever but realistically the four west coast trips force a lot of later games.

I said in my year in review that I thought both had down years by their standards. BUT they still played well in a top 5 defense. Additionally with the defense now rounding into what McD wants I do not think they have gotten the same amount of opportunities as they had in the previous two years. Additionally I do not think teams are as aggressive deep because of their play making skills. In 2017-18 teams basically tested what they could do against them and regularly got burned. By now your better off staying short then pushing it on them. Judging a player on stats alone is dangerous in the NFL given how misleading certain things can be. Between Hyde Poyer and White they shut down a majority of the field to the point offenses only have the CB2 to really target. I do think Poyer could be gone after this year or possibly cut if they draft a safety for less money as he has outplayed his contract but you can find safeties on the cheap. Hyde's coverage skills really though are top notch. His pick on Brady against NE showed as much and even BB was impressed.

If you have never watched the NFL All or Nothing series on through Amazon it is without a doubt the best documentary out there on football. Think Hard Knocks times a billion. Anyway the new season will be out far earlier with the Eagles being the team releasing Feb 7th. Why do Bills fans care....well we played Philly and it will be interesting to see how that game is shown and the game is portrayed. The Bills also were on the show in 2016 when it was the Rams. Greg Williams and Jeff Fisher had some fun comments about Tyrod back then.

Haha I’m on to 2020-21

sorry should’ve referenced after this year. I’ve read it’s possible buffalo drafts a safety and cuts Poyer so I’m semi referencing that and also when his contract expires. Otherwise your right we do have him another year but if they pay Tre Day, Poyer will want more

Haha well a normal human could not go through a phone book, but Singletary is so shifty he can. OR he is really good at finding holes in places that don't exist and evading tackles

This will be my final rational thoughts post for the 2019-20 season. It has been a pleasure having some great conversations with everyone and it has made the season quite fun. I will be moving into my offseason mode where the majority of my posts are schedule related because I spend WAYY too much time analyzing it. The first three posts here are game related and the rest are the season. Cheers! Playoff game 1. No way around it the Bills choked and they missed a big opportunity to move forward. It has already been analyzed thoroughly by others so I won’t go into the details but this team fell apart when they typically had been their strongest. On the 1st drive to tie the game I had no doubt Allen was going to get a TD to win instead. On his first OT drive I believed he would get the win. The defense I swore was going to hold Houston and not let them get the 2 pt conversion, force a FG instead of TD, hold on 3rd and 18, not allow Watson to scramble out of a sack etc.. To this teams credit when it hit crunch time they've made me believe not doubt. To this teams criticism they looked too big for the moment and they missed. I believe in the future big time and where they can go, but you only get the season you have in front of you. The Bills probably were not going to the Super Bowl but I would’ve rather played this weekend then not had the chance to fail. Next year could be great, next year could be a disaster, the defense was relatively injury free and they had some good luck in close games they could’ve lost. They had a big chance after making the playoffs to win a game for the first time and 25 years and they blew it. That sucks it still hurts days later. 2. Allen put his rollercoaster style on full display. Overall I was not disappointed with Josh. He had a role in them not closing the deal, BUT he did lead the team to tie the game, he was let down by some awful drops, and his blocking failed him including on the sweep which would’ve iced the game in OT. He will learn from this I am actually more encouraged by his performance then discouraged. 3. I generally do not blame the defense. They allowed 19 pts total in regulation and gave the offense numerous chances to close the deal. I will say some of their best players Tre, Milano, and Poyer all had their worst moments at absolutely the worst times. I thought Edmunds over pursued at points and Houston took advantage of that. Levi Wallace being out and Taron Johnson going out hurt the defense and showed CB is a problem without them. Still I look at the names I just typed and they are soo young that this experience should help. People are going to bash Daboll and I hated his insistence on running Gore and his lack of running Singletary in OT was mind blowing. But I will say the offenses issues from the 2nd half on were far more execution related then coaching. Regular Season 4. I would grade the season as a B+. Massive strides were made and you cannot undersell how big it is that they made the playoffs a second time in 3 seasons, made the playoffs without a crazy play getting them in, won on primetime on the road in PIT to clinch the playoffs, won primetime on the road in DAL, the offense improved from doormats to OK where you were more frustrated because they can do more (that’s a good thing), the defense was top 5 and very good, AND they played a highly competitive playoff game which took an OT to knock them out. I cannot give an A or A- because they did not win the division, did not win a playoff game, and they couldn’t beat NE or BAL despite three big opportunities where they were oh so close to doing so. That’s the next step and they are knocking on the door, finish the job in 2020. 5. Allen was a B grade to me. Last year he was a C- showing tons of promise but little consistency with nothing of substance to help him at the skill positions. He showed with better weapons he can do more and certainly evolved into a talented game manager. That’s not a slight because he can do a lot and was a piece to the team winning. I want him to become the reason though, game managers are rarely the reason for wins while franchise guys are. He absolutely needs a bigger WR who can be the #1 guy though. The throw to Duke Williams in the endzone that Duke couldn’t hang onto is what the top WRs do. The biggest thing I think that will help Allen and this is more on the OC, but is running the offense with a quicker tempo more regularly. He really did well when he was in a quasi-hurry up offense and his decision making absolutely was good there. Also do not undersell how big of a deal it is that the Bills found and drafted a QB who helped them to the playoffs for the first time since Kelly. 6. Of the 3 years Poyer and Hyde have been in Buffalo this felt like their weakest year for me which is weird to say. I have thought for a while that Hyde has an injury as he has seemed a half a step off all season and Poyer had some rough games here. You could list quite a few plays where one of them missed or blew coverage this year with the Hurst TD being probably the worst of all. I wonder if with the rest of the roster on defense upgraded with far more talent than their first year, they do not have as many opportunities to make plays so you notice their faults more. If you have to keep one I am keeping Hyde and drafting a replacement for Poyer. Hyde has that overarching coverage ability that you do not get with Poyer. In no way do I want Poyer gone and I hope they sign him. But he could get a decent payday and I could see the Bills being priced out. Remember the Bills drafted Jarius Byrd & Aaron Williams within a few years of each other. McD’s scheme also helps to make the safeties have opportunities for big plays. 7. I went to the Miami home game and left saying they have to learn the killer instinct on offense or they will get burnt eventually by it. The playoffs they finally got burnt by it and there was other games where a killer instinct for more points earlier would’ve helped closed things earlier. I want to attribute that to the offense learning and growing, but it will be the difference next year to their success regardless. 8. The Bills were very healthy all year and I think a portion of that is the new facility they created and the other piece is the coaches telling the players to not fear the doctors and get themselves treated. Teams with good defenses usually are helped by a clean bill of health and outside of losing Harry for the year they seemed to manage the team better than any point I can remember as a fan. Keep in mind next year they probably will not have as great of injury luck so it will be crucial Beane adds the proper depth to help. 9. If you told me at the start of the year Robert Foster would finish with just 64 yards and 3 receptions I would’ve been stunned. Brown and Beasley certainly took throws away, but I would’ve thought that with the additional weapons it would’ve opened up more chances. Instead he looks more like a flash in the pan and was rarely on the field to any great length. Duke Williams feels like he has come in Fosters spot and I expect a top drafted WR to probably bump him off the roster completely. Too bad Foster was a really fun player I wanted to see workout. 10. 4-3* at home (I don’t count the Jets loss we were not playing for anything) is OK but I would’ve like to seen the Bills defend home a little better. Had they won one of PHI/NE/BAL they take the division and having those games at home make you feel like missed opportunities all over. Again this is one of those next step type things, but the best teams turn home field into a place the opposition virtually never wins at. 11. Singletary is going to be oh so good. He could slip through a phone book he’s that good at evading tackles. 12. In general Beane and McD have done a tremendous job in the draft at finding talent in the draft. From 2017-19 they’ve added White, Milano, Edmunds, Knox, Singletary, Allen, T. Johnson, Dawkins, Phillips, & Oliver all who were starters this year. That is how you build a true core to work with long term. I am very excited to see how they keep drafting given they can basically go BPA now which is how you find even more stars. Until next season Go Bills!

The Admins should have the ability to ban new users if this is the type of threads they start.

Bills 24 Texans 19 Houston comes out and scores on their first drive to make it 7-0 thanks to a Watson QB keeper. But the nervous Buffalo faithful calm when Allen matches with a Bills TD with a pitch to McKenzie tying the game 7-7. In the 2nd quarter Hyde picks off Watson and Beasley takes a 10 yard pass on 3rd down to put Buffalo up 14-7 at half. The Bills get the ball and actually do something with it in the 3rd quarter getting a FG after Allen hits J. Brown for 30 yards deep to go up 17-7. Watson moves the ball twice downfield but the Bills defense hold both times allowing FG's to make it 17-13 at the end of the 3rd quarter. At the start of the 4th Allen and crew get past mid field when Singletary breaks a 39 yard run for a TD putting Buffalo up 24-13. Each team trades three and outs before the Texans go downfield and Watson throws a TD to Hopkins in the redzone. Houston goes for two so they are only down by a FG with 4 minutes to go but the Bills hold. Buffalo runs the clock pretty much out and the Texans last ditch effort to win fails late at mid field. Allen 213 yds 19-30 2 TDs 40 yds rush Singletary 118 yds 1 TD 16 carries Brown 96 yds 4 recs 538 should've stopped predicting anything after they whiffed on the 2016 election

Chiefs 30 Packers 24 thats been my SB since the start of the season ain’t moving from it now

Agreed on 1999 being the last shot at a SB. That was a really solid veteran team which had the issues you listed. I would even add Ralph’s age and the teams future in Buffalo was a problem as no one knew what would happen and that absolutely took the focus away from football. i think the way they lost also had a big impact on the franchise in a shock type of way also.