BigDingus

It's not just the shotgun run plays, it's the plays they call out of that formation without ever mixing it up. They also have substantially more success running under center, which all points to Dorsey not really putting much though or effort into developing the run game. So when we get to this midfield spots, we stall out just standing back & passing every play. We don't make it easier on Josh, and playcalling suggests we want to stop running as soon as we can. It leads to punts in the opponent's territory, nearly dead last in FGs, and wasted drives. Earlier in the year, I kept saying the Bills were the safest team to commit turnovers against, as we rarely punished teams for committing them. I didn't know why that was, but you rarely saw them score points off turnovers. If anything, you got to see the defense stop a potential scoring drive or possibly flip field position, but rarely did we use those extra possessions to put points on the board. Sadly, we just don't get turnovers at all anymore... so that's not an issue 😓

I'd throw Seattle in with the overachievers for a 2nd year straight. I know they finished 9-8 last year, but they're right at the top of the division with the 49ers at 6-3 and still get next to no attention. They have a tough stretch coming up which could decide the division & tell us if they're a legit contender. Next week vs the Rams in LA, then a crazy 4 game stretch against the 49ers twice, at Dallas, then home vs the Eagles. Colts are also overachievers, sitting at 5-5 despite losing their starting QB 5 weeks ago. They could easily be 6-4 if they hadn't given up a TD with 15 seconds left against the Browns, losing by 1 point. As depressing as it is, the Bills are closer to the Colts than we are to the top teams in the league. That's not something I ever imagined would be a possibility heading into the year.

Look at the runs Dallas is able to pull off by switching between under center & from shotgun. 2nd and 3rd downs are a lot easier when you actually gain yards on 1st down.

They did what Dorsey does. Get within range, then just go pass, pass, pass. The only time they got yards was a run... on 4th down. Should've tried that sooner.

Of course they wouldn't. He's already about as good a passer as Josh. Stroud: 2,626 yards / 15 passing TDs / 2 INTs / 102.9 passer rating Allen: 2,423 yards / 18 passing TDs / 9 INT's / 99.6 passer rating Allen's got him beat on rushing, with 233 yards / 6 TDs (2 fumbles) vs Stroud's 86 yards / 2 TDs (0 fumbles), but Stroud is also only 22 years old. On the flipside, I don't think the Bills would take that trade either though, so it's purely fantasy anyway.

I'm gonna be honest, even if there's 0 chance we catch the Ravens and probably want the Browns to lose (same with Texans), I'd rather the Ravens, Bengals & Chiefs lose no matter what. Better chance for Josh to win MVP at that point, but only if he cuts the turnovers & the Bills snag some more wins.

It honestly wouldn't matter how great he was, the Bills have the most vanilla, uncreative run game possible. You could throw Barry Sanders back there & only expect mild improvement, as there's only so much you can do when your entire run concept is shotgun handoffs straight up the gut.

Just like he can't figure out how to run the ball, or at least doesn't care enough to figure it out.

Despite that late turnover, Stroud is extremely impressive. 17 total TDs to 2 INTs, 2,600+ passing yards, 100+ passer rating, etc. Houston got a great one. Then again, we all thought they had a great one with Watson, but things didn't turn out so well there. Crazy to think we have the same record as the Texans right now.

What a depressing way to get injured... Just a freak accident after the play.

Geez... these WRs just don't want to catch passes.

And this is why Burrow gets a pass for any stretches of poor play. He's proven that he can shrug off mistakes & doesn't add extra pressure to himself to makeup for those mistakes. But man... Boyd just dropped that gimmie TD pass. Hope the Texans can somehow get their s*** together & get some quick points

Agree 100%! I still remember when people would dismiss his success early on, saying he was just coasting off the team Bill Cower built. Safe to say he silenced those doubters.

Good teams find ways to win, even when not playing their best. But the Steelers are taking that a whole new level. Tomlin just refuses to finish below .500.

Can't believe that was only Stroud's 2nd INT all year. Dude had 15 passing TD's to 1 INT.

Sucks that we have to rely on so many other teams to do our dirty work for us. The Bills from a couple years ago would've feasted on this schedule.

We can sign him as a backup to push Josh to compete in practice.... You know, like that one thread a week ago suggested! 😆

I know I'm in the minority, but I still think offensive playcalling, lack of balance/creativity, and Allen's decision-making (plus shoulder issues) is affecting offensive production more than anything Gabe can control. Gabe's production has taken a nose dive along with Allen's deep ball accuracy. With Allen now ranking 31st in deep pass accuracy, Gabe's ability to stretch the field isn't as relevant anymore. And with the offense allergic to running the ball, playing exclusively from shotgun & consistently stalling out midfield/inside opponents territory, Gabe's opportunities dry up. I don't think he's amazing or anything, but I think this is another Singletary/Moss situation where the Bills offense doesn't use the player, and we'll see them have success elsewhere.

I definitely think this is one element, and I think teams smell blood in the water facing us. All these "bad" teams see they have a legit chance of winning, so players go all out hoping to pull off the upset.

I'm only now going back & watching the Pats/Colts game, and I'm at a complete loss how that team beat us. I know the Panthers have a worse record, but they'd beat the Pats 9 out of 10 times.

The Bills have let a lot of "ordinary" & unimpressive teams look better than they should. The Bills from a couple years ago would've dominated this schedule.

Is this worse than last year when we had Von, Hyde, Poyer, Tre, etc. all injured at various points? I know they weren't all 4 injured at the same time, but there was definitely overlap with Von + others.

Time to suck it up & break out these bad boys more often!

That segment was one of the most telling. Even though the Bills are objectively more successful running from under center, other teams also run prominently out of shotgun. The only difference is those other teams do so in more creative & confident ways, leading to their RBs still having success. We wasted 2 x 3rd round picks on Singletary & Moss, and a 2nd rounder on Cook, yet we still do nothing with these guys. We even traded away Moss + a 6th to get another RB in Hines, as if we had plans to utilize him in some unique way. Nope. Suddenly, Zack Moss is the 2nd leading rusher in the league, and with a team that runs from shotgun as well! With our QB & roster, RBs SHOULD have an easier time given that defenses prioritize defending the pass. Nope again!

Individual teams can recognize their pre-Super Bowl championships, but the league shouldn't elevate those to the same level of actual Super Bowl championships. With only 10 teams & 10 seasons (more like 6 seasons before the merger & Super Bowl started being played between the leagues), its titles aren't quite on that same level. Same can be said with the NFL though, with only 16 teams at the time but a longer history. Even worse, counting AFL championships on the same level would give the Chiefs 1 extra championship, unless you want to give them 2, since they won the AFL championship in 1969 before going on to win the "AFL-NFL World Championship" (Super Bowl IV) that same year. I won't stand for that! 😉 ****AFC/NFC Championship Game Rant Below**** All that being said, I think the NFL does a pretty good job recognizing pre-SB era history, AFL included. The only other thing I'd like to see is conference championship games elevated to higher status somehow. I know most people will disagree with me, but hosting them at a neutral site (as was planned last season if the Bills advanced in the AFC), and include all the pagentry/celebratory stuff that would honor such a great achievement. I want conferences to matter more, almost like the AFL vs NFL days. Instead of them just being a footnote for the eventual Super Bowl winner, make it something worth recognizing (like baseball has done).