corta765

As the season winds to an exciting end and the battle for the 1 seed is real it really is down to KC-BUF-CIN. I took a dive into how the last decade the AFC rep was decided by seed and where it shakes out since the 2012-13 playoff: -1 seed has represented the AFC six of the ten years in the SB -1 seed has hosted the AFC title game seven of the last ten years with the only loss being the KC-NE OT game in 2018 -the three AFC 1 seeds that failed to make the AFC title where Denver 2012 (Flacco miracle TD late), Ravens 2019 implosion at home vs TEN, and the Titans last year who truthfully probably should've made the AFC title game had Tannehill not thrown so many INTs -the four AFC representatives that were not 1 seeds were the Ravens seeded 4th, Pats seed 2nd 2018, Chiefs seeded 2nd 2019, and Bengals seeded 4th also in 2021 (maybe the AFC north has an in on the 4th seed SB runs) -If you care about the NFC eight of the last 10 years the 1 seed has hosted their title game with the only two years it didn't happen being Dallas 2016 (lol) and actually last year as Green Bay puked on themselves -The 1 seed has went to the SB five of the last ten years Without saying too much more statistically over the last decade if your the 1 seed it is a 70-80% chance you will be in the conference title game and better the 50% chance of making the SB. We need the Bills to win out lol

I think big rookie seasons can be inflated too much. Baker Mayfield came on like fire same with RG3 or Sam Bradford in their 1st years. I don't think Jones is bad but he is limited by mobility and his physical abilities. If he has success it will be with a better cast of play makers who can catch anything, have good separation, and probably a burner for mid routes. The Pats did him zero favors between OC and cast of support, but at the same time todays NFL rewards mobile QBs more then ever ie: Allen, Mahomes, Hurts etc.. that does not mean pocket passers can't make it as Burrow is torching teams and Tua has been really good. But Jones limitations are highlighted and it is pretty telling he has won two games in his career where the opponent has scored 22 pts or more (both 2021 HOU and LAC) and he had to out score them.

Back in late summer I ranked where I saw the AFC shaking down and I had it like this: The Class of the AFC: Baltimore Buffalo Cincinnati Kansas City Los Angeles Chargers Playoff Contenders Denver Las Vegas Miami Cleveland*- depended on how Watson situation shook out but had them as a middling team 5-7 wins Could be a playoff team, Could be 6-11 Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars New England Patriots Pittsburgh Steelers Tennessee Titans On To The Draft Houston NY Jets Overall I am pretty happy as with a few weeks to go my major miss is Denver which I think a lot of people had and I thought Vegas would've been more explosive then they have been. The Chargers will probably be a playoff team but haven't proved to be in the Elite and BAL is similar in that regard. The Jets are a miss as they have blown away everyone's expectations and still have a decent playoff look. I pretty much nailed the middling group as the Titans are crashing down while the Jags have an outside chance at the playoffs.

I am not disappointed in the least with the team. My point was why people are seemingly not satisfied with a 10-3 team that is currently the 1 seed. This team reminds me of the 2019 team with a higher offensive ceiling and better QB play. The defense is rock stout and the offense can do a lot of things and when on point they can truly dominant.

My thought on why the fanbase and feelings have been all of since the MIN game on is expectations and eye test. When we last left the Bills the offense looked like the greatest thing ever, 17 legitimately elevated to god QB status which only 1 other dude does in the NFL, and IMO most importantly the team lost a heartbreaking game which had they won they would've hosted the AFC title and SB was there. Fast forward to this season they started incredibly hot start with expectations at the max and then attrition set in like it does for most teams. Injuries happened, normal season ups and downs happened, the division got tighter across the board, the new OC has shown some room for growth, and the eye test with the offense of late has been frustrating as they at times do great and other times not great. There have been games the Bills have lost I have felt better about certain areas of the Bills then some they have won. Football at times is not pleasant on your eyes and subsequent expectations, but come seasons end it doesn't matter if you have a lot more Ws then Ls. 2020 I constantly say is the dream regular season you love as a fan in terms of regular season as they started hot, cruised for the division, and the team was pretty much on fire the last 6. All aspects of the team felt good by the end there where you hopes as a fan felt limitless. The thing is even if you have a great team or QB who makes special plays all the time, that is not how most seasons go. The NFL especially is a weird animal where predicting a team is by no means a perfect science for who will succeed in the playoffs. Watching the Eagles right now they look unstoppable the same way the Ravens did in 2019 and then I remember they fizzled out in the divisional round. Same happen for Manning and crew twice in DEN with bad playoff losses despite being the 1 seed. I do agree that you want to be playing your best football heading into the playoffs and McD and crew seemingly turn it on around now every year they have been here. The offense is maybe not the perfection you hoped season start, but they still are quite good and if Josh is humming it kinda doesn't matter.

The Pats game I thought was a bit of a break through as they routinely were eating yards on 1st and 2nd down which made 3rd really manageable and Buffalo was very successful. The Pats have a very good D so I was hopeful that it might translate to another strong game against the Jets. Unfortunately yesterday felt like a step back and more of what we saw vs CLE/DET where mistakes from OL, drops, and a few Josh decisions limited drives. Buffalo's offense when operating at full capacity and clicking is incredibly dangerous. But I think these things have limited them: -Dorsey 1st year. As much as we wanted to hope Dorsey would be perfect year 1 he has had growing pains and outside of matching weekly the performance of the Bills in the playoffs I think expectations were always going to be unrealistically high. With that said at times the offense has looked stale or predictable and he hasn't at times used his playmakers to the full extent. With that said... -Injuries. The OL has been a turnstile which is never easy to build a group, the WR corp has went from a strength to question mark at times due to injury, and Josh himself getting hurt only further complicated things. Crowder was meant to be a dependable security blanket and we got 3 and 1/2 games out of him. -Drops. If my fat a$$ on the couch is getting frustrated when Josh throws a simple toss two yards up for a RB to take for YAC and it is dropped, I can't imagine what he feels after a while. The last few years it felt like it was on Josh to get the ball to his dudes and they could make a play, this year has felt like Josh is hitting you in the hands and you didn't catch it? -Gabe Davis. I hate singingly guys out as football has so many factors and influence of your teammates on what you do, but the team bet he could grow into a true #2 option. Instead he is at that awful middle ground of WR2/3 where he could finish the year with 1000 yards 7 TD's yet you feel let down. He has dropped enough balls where it feels like Josh doesn't trust him him the way you hoped. With this said while the Bills offense is probably not the world destroying juggernaut we maybe all hoped, they still are a very good unit that just has flaws and limitations like a lot of other good offenses past and present. 17 gives them a ceiling that allows for so much belief to be justified and that is enough for me despite frustrations at times. With that said even if they win the SB I would expect some revisions at WR and OL this offseason to switch things up vs keeping the band together as they had for the last 3 seasons.

He played at state!

I have never liked him. He is smart but he overtalks far too much and can't keep his voice quiet to let the game itself happen. Maybe because I grew up with guys like Madden and Summerall who picked their spots far more or that in general was the way of doing things, but most of todays broadcasters just want to talk far too much for my liking.

Fans are going to hang onto 13 seconds until they go further and lose or they win a title. I get it because it is what fans do and given our history a lot of damage is there. Doesn't mean its 100% accurate and for some fans its more of a defense for their own emotions. If you don't subscribe to it and think they will be great despite Von out more power to you. The team itself has seemed to move on in a pretty big way, so the most important folks are not showing any impact. I guess I never could get that broken up on it. IF the Bills would've won they still had a task at hand to beat Cincy to even make the SB before actually then having to seal the deal. I understand it felt like they are unstoppable etc.. but KC thought the same heading into that week against CIN and proceeded to lose at home in a game no one saw them blowing. It def sucked and was a bummer, it also was the best game I have watched and 17s play gave me more resolve then I have ever had as a Bills fan he will help win a title. If they do not win a title ever with 17 then maybe I look back differently on it.

No my idea would be you play your own division once (7 games East), one rotating game against your old division (NE/NYJ/MIA), four of the eight in the AFC West (play the other half the following year), and then the NFC as is with a division and the extra game.

No. The NFL playoff format is extremely unique and successful as is. 7 is the perfect number of teams and the bye rewards a truly great season while also forcing teams to have to play to the end. The only change I really want is the East and North divisions merged and the West and South divisions merged in each conference so we just have two massive divisions East/West. It would forever eliminate a bad division winner which happens too frequently, would allow for good teams who don't win the division to host playoff games, and allow a better schedule balance.

Wherever or whoever has the worst post of the year rankings please make sure this one is in the top 5

I'm on to 2023

I think offensive line is something always in constant flux and in the past where Beane I would say hit on some free agent signings like Spain/Feliciano/Williams that filled a void for a year or so, this year Saffold has not answered the bell as we hope and Brown has taken a sizable step back (maybe injury related). Van Rotten is playing more then you would like as a healthy Bills line would be Dawkins Saffold Morse Bates Brown. The stalwarts of the line are Dawkins and Morse and everything else has been interchangeable going back to 2019 which has led to some good and some bad. I doubt that Brown is replaced as though this has not been the best year he was good last year and as I said injuries I think have had their toll. I would expect next year a focus on OG in draft and FA to try and get younger. Additionally Morse is not exactly a young guy either and the Bills need to consider having an OG that can eventually move into that role. Bates has been fine but depth is always a luxury if you can get it. Finally injuries have been everywhere this year. Offensive line requires a lot of cohesiveness to be at your best and truthfully they just have not had that. Not trying to make excuses as line play has hurt the Bills especially in the Jets game. After tomorrows game Buffalo gets a needed mini bye to put what will be their best roster possible out for the rest of the season and hopefully with that their most cohesive and high performing line.

The NFL every year has a Saturday they throw 3 games in with 5 games as candidates and the other two moving to Sunday. Buffalo had this happen with NE in 2019 and DEN 21. Additionally Buffalo MIA 100% could end up SNF instead, so I would prepare for late game Saturday or the night Sunday game.

lol do any of you read the rules on the number of games a team can be primetime? The Bills already are set for the next week to be either Saturday night or Sunday Night which will max their number of primetime games. They still have a game against CIN then at night and the week 18 finale against NE they possibly may be at night as that is open. There is no way on gods green earth Bills Jets gets flexed and with the amount of night games they have I can't see why people want more.

One thing in the NFL is that when teams get on winning streaks especially not great teams your due to have a fallback game at some point. The Lions truthfully beat two bad teams GB/CHI and a decent NYG team that couldn't stop turning the ball over. 3 wins is 3 wins, but like the Bills in 2011 sometimes you also just have things go your way. The biggest thing with the Lions is they play to the whistle so Buffalo in no way can under estimate DET or they will jump on you. If Buffalo matches DET to the level they should intensity wise Buffalo should win.

I was at this game in that section literally to the left. All the sudden we saw like 10 guys in yellow in security swarm the area, wasn't until social media video loaded we saw what happened.

It wasn't a game but EJ throwing a ball into the hospitality tent during training camp always has a special place in my heart

That is a really good one

The ringer had a good piece on how the butt fumble has represented the Jets struggles and problems as a franchise for the last decade. Here is the link for a laugh: https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/11/22/23471718/new-york-jets-butt-fumble-10-year-anniversary-mark-sanchez It got me thinking what would've been the Bills version for at least the drought era. My top 3: 1. Stevie TD drop 2010 - literally dropped a GW TD pass and proceeded to blame god 2. McKelvin fumble in 09 MNF opener 3. Losman fumble TD in NY 2008

The schedule opponent wise is virtually preset years in advance minus the conference switch over and AFC divisional common seed matchups. In regards to how the schedule lines up and when we play teams it rotates pretty regularly for balance, but every team has certain preferences. The NFL itself makes sure that everyone plays in division the last 2 weeks of the year minus a game or two here as it helps TV ratings when there is division races. Buffalo happens to play in division with NY and NE who both are northeastern teams idk what to tell you there. Miami likes division and conference teams early for the same reason we prefer them late. Now that BUF is good I would expect NE and in the future MIA to have both games later in season as its good TV ratings for the league and like the upcoming Pats/Phins games have big time division emphasis.

The last few weeks have brought the best out of Bills faithful in terms of frustration with the offense for a variety of factors. Once the Bills offense got going yesterday one thing that stood out to me was that the Bills offense reverted to playing a smarter simpler style yesterday. The last two seasons when the offense has hit its funk a portion of this reason was Josh hero balling too much, but a portion was the Bills playing overtly aggressive to the point it took points off the board. The beauty of Josh in 2020 was the lack of turnovers and playing within himself to not cost the team the game just because he had the potential to put a dagger out there. If you take a look at 2020 weeks 5-8 the Bills went 2-2 (at TEN & KC losses) with the two wins being an all FG game against the Jets and a very tight 24-21 win of NE which Josh had 154 yards. The Titans game I always thought Josh played well and the team imploded around him and the KC game was a learning experience against your measuring stick. In the two games following the Bills win in uglier not beautiful fashions but you ended the seasons 13-3 and just said "oh cool what a great year". In the Jets game in 2020 the offense had redzone issues and went all FGs but Josh had no turnovers and threw 300 yds. Pats game week after just 157 yds in the air with on INT, but they ran for 190 and 2 TDs. The last two years we have had games with mistakes or turnovers where you played the if only game from coaching or Josh or the offensive coordinator. Fast forward to now the Bills paid dearly for Josh going too hero ball (think both Jets INTs and final Vikings INT) and coaching not kicking a FG (Vikings game 1st Josh INT on 4th). The Bills offense is talented to a point they can truly score at will when healthy and moving. I get and love the attacking nature they have and it is super fun to watch. But yesterday I appreciated them running the ball and taking FGs to extend the lead so it didn't matter (minus Gabe Davis WTF was that onside kick). It killed me against MIN that they didn't kick the FG and then the INT resulted in the Vikings also gaining valuable yardage downfield. Jets game the INT early on was a killer because it didn't need to be thrown. It felt like yesterday the most important folks on the Bills took a needed step back to say "do what is needed to win even if it isn't the prettiest". You still scored 31 pts, Josh had a day it wasn't all on him, and once he got going on the final drive at the end of the 1st he was dialed in passing the rest of the day. Games like the Steelers/Rams when the offense is just bombing all over the field are great, but simple and easy is just as effective and something Dorsey and crew may have finally taking to heart yesterday.

I have 4 huge slices of pizza and like 10 chicken wings

Lol think I had PTSD reading Saint Doug