SCBills

A game like Monday Night is when he needs to step up and bring interior pressure against good teams. I loved the Oliver pick when we took him, but I’ve been meh on him ever since. If you draft a guy in the Top 10 on the DL, he should be someone you can depend on rushing the passer in big games. Anyone here have faith Ed shows up Monday Night? As for Basham … the pick looks awful at the moment. He screamed rotational DE coming out of college and I’m not sure why you draft that in RD2.

I think the Defense is about the same as last year. Hughes & Addison might as well been invisible in the KC playoff game. I feel better about what we have now, even without Von… at least there’s potential in Rousseau and AJE. The DT room is much better than last year. The key is for Jordan Phillips to stop getting hurt. Probably too much to ask. Oliver/Jones is a really strong tandem. Settle is fine, whatever. Phillips can be a weapon if he stops falling apart. The interior pash rush is probably more important than off the edge in this game. Edmunds & Milano are better this year than last. Secondary about a wash given the +70% Tre, -Hyde and more talent at CB2 if they ever figure it out. I still think our coaches/scheme can slow down anyone not named KC. As good as anyone else is, KC with Reid and Mahomes when he’s on, is just a different animal.

Well this stat is …. surprising

It’s all narrative driven. If Allen plays well Monday Night and we win, Allen will be viewed as the best QB in the NFL, leading the team that beat KC and Cinci into the playoffs as the Super Bowl favorite. Heading into the game, Mahomes leads the MVP race, with Burrow seemingly in 2nd place. That’s why they lead the segments right now. Hurts fell off due to the injury as Minshew, as many suspected would happen, lit it up on that offense. Allen has fallen behind because his numbers have been meh over the last two months with us running the ball more and playing in garbage weather. My personal opinion.. Allen will get an MVP at some point, but he doesn’t really have a regular season MVP playing style. He does what he needs to do, has lots of ups and downs throughout the season, but has a level nobody can match in big games. Regular season game vs random meh team who’s playing a two-deep shell giving Allen check downs all game to inflate his completion percentage and methodically work down the field... Allen isn’t that guy. Burrow is. Mahomes will reluctantly do it. Allen, not so much. Leads to some rocky games where he forces it. He’s clearly more willing, and more locked in, in big games and the playoffs. It’s very evident.

Refs blatantly favoring Dallas

This is a big deal. Reader is a beast on the interior, but the pass rushers they rely on (Hendrickson/Hubbard) are both banged up. Hendrickson playing with a broken wrist and Hubbard with a calf injury. If our interior doesn’t cave in, we can be optimistic the tackles will give Allen time to throw. The Bengals pass rush formula, from what I’ve heard, is to have Reader and co. collapse the interior and allow their high motor pass rushers to clean up off the edge.

Team shouldn't lack for bulletin board material. We apparently... -Can't guard their WR's, even with Tre -Can't run on them -Can't throw on them because Josh Allen is struggling Anybody else want to chime in before Monday?

What does this even mean? His actions don't align with these statements. Dane Jackson has struggled all year. I get that they trust him and he's usually in good position to make the play... but just hasn't. Kaiir Elam has made some noticeable plays in limited snaps and from all the "watch the tape" guys, his play on the field is pretty solid. Far be it for me to question this staff on the secondary, but the Elam/Benford/Jackson stuff has been annoying, to say the least.

If we draft a WR in RD1, and I'm all on board if that falls our way, he should be a guy with a WR1 profile/skill set. Not necessarily a guy who will be a WR1 out the gate, but someone with a body type, speed, skill set that translates to a WR1 at some point. If that guy isn't there, I'd be ok going OL or BPA. There were guys where we drafted last year that fit the profile.... Watson/Pickens. I'm not interested, at all, in drafting a small burner or big jump ball guy in RD1.

Another thing I keep hearing is how the Bengals are the most well-rounded team of the contenders.... Except, of all the contenders, Buffalo has the best defense and best running game. What it comes down to, and we all have to admit, is that pundits/analysts aren't sold on our passing offense. Mahomes will forever get a pass as long they have Reid/Kelce and can ride off waves of their Super Bowl trophy. Burrow has the most elite WR room in the NFL, with Miami as a close second. The Bills have Allen and Diggs... then what? Knox who (hopefully) is finding his groove in this offense. Davis who is a big play WR3 that we are trying to turn into a WR2. McKenzie/Beasley/Shakir in the slot. There is talent. Allen can take over games. This could start to look like the Bills Offense of Playoffs last year if things click... but I don't necessarily blame people for taking shots at us based on how Allen has played since our bye week. Also, maybe Allen is just an up and down regular season QB that can take it to a level nobody else has in big games/playoffs. Revisionist history aside, that's what he was last year. His highs and lows are higher and lower, with more chaos, than Mahomes or Burrow...but Allen, when he's on, and he's usually on in big games, has a level no one can match. (not even Mahomes... watch our most recent three games against them... Mahomes has not been on Allen's level.)

Sounds like Lamar is angling for the Watson deal. If someone does or does not give him that will say a lot moving forward about QB contracts. I don't necessarily think Wilson/Watson changes much. Teams are still desperate for QB's. I wouldn't be shocked if there isn't a bidding war over Derek Carr. Not anything like Wilson, but Carr is going to have quite a few suitors this off-season.

Bijan Robinson/James Cook might literally be the most talented RB duo in the NFL... on a team that doesn't run the ball. Normally I'd be ok taking someone as talented as Robinson, because if a game breaker is there at RD1... shouldn't you take the elite talent?... but we need OL/WR.. and James Cook, IMO, is going to be a great RB1 next year.

Feel the same way. I'm not exactly in love with how we've been playing lately, but the Bengals and Chiefs are struggle-bussing their way to W's as well. Am I supposed to be blown away that Cinci got down big to a team that can barely score TD's in Tampa until Tampa literally just kept giving them the ball on the plus side of the field? Or am I supposed to be amazing that they were a 1st and Goal fumble away from potentially losing to the Pats? What am I missing? Chiefs... same thing. Went to OT against Houston and then Mahomes struggled all day against a bad Seattle Defense.

Fwiw… I’d take Mixon over Singletary too, but the sample size is pretty large. Bengals haven’t ran the ball very well all year. The Bills, in Aaron Kromer OL fashion, have gotten better and better at it. James Cook is the most talented back in this game, but we refuse to let him take the role fully from Singletary so it is what it is. Agree to disagree. Until Allen gets a Super Bowl, you have a point based on history. As far as Burrow goes.. he may light us up.. it still won’t change my mind. He has the best weapons in the game, doesn’t have the mobility of Allen or Mahomes and he hasn’t performed at an elite level in the Playoffs yet.

No GM would take Burrow over Allen, not even Cinci’s. He’s elite, but he’s a notch below Allen & Mahomes. He has the best weapons in the game and was riding in the backseat during their Super Bowl run last year. RB.. Do they? Joe Mixon 4.0 YPC Samaji Perine 4.2 YPC Devin Singletary 4.6 YPC James Cook 5.1 YPC Logan Wilson & Germaine Pratt over Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmunds?….

Of course, I agree, we can still win the Super Bowl in a worst case scenario of the 3 seed … but there is no denying the massive difference between the following potential scenarios: Bye. Home against Jax/Bal/LAC etc. Home for AFC CG. vs Home against LAC/Bal etc. At Bengals. At Chiefs.

Me, personally .. Poyer - Gone Singletary - Gone Saffold - Gone Phillips - Gone *Poyer likely gets paid, but the other three could be welcomed back on VERY team friendly deals. Edmunds - Back (gets paid) Shaq - Back (team friendly) Marlowe - Back (vet deal) Klein - Back (vet deal) Oliver - Trade for a 2nd RD1 - WR RD2 - OL RD2 - OL RD3 - S/DT RD4 - DT/S RD5 - RB I doubt we trade Ed Oliver, he’s very good, but he’s not elite .. and I don’t see the point of paying big money to a very good DT long term.

I think a lot of people noticed the head hit, but they cut away from it really fast as the play was going on down the field. It’s also a play that happens all the time. People just noticed it because it’s Tua. I hate it for him, but if you can get concussed that easily .. you either need someone to coach you on how to protect yourself, or maybe you’re just unable to given physical stature. I know guys like Brees had long careers, but Tua and (for other reasons) Kyler seem injured all the time.

Hasn't Morse said one more won’t change my mind, nor will another after that or the next after that? Hes consulted with neurologists and, for whatever reason, concussions don’t worry him long term. Also, I’ve heard somewhere that there’s a thought it isn’t severe concussions that mess people up, it’s the repeated minor head injuries. Im not saying Morse is right or wrong, just that we all seem to think he should hang ‘em up after the season, but everything he’s ever said indicates he’s unbothered by concussions.

My (uneducated) guess at the positional breakdown given we rarely play the Bengals. OL - Bills (If Morse plays) TE - Tie WR - Bengals RB - Tie QB - Tie DL - Bills LB - Bills CB - Tie S - Bengals ST - Tie Next Gen Stats was scrolling a stat during MNF about how Burrow is killing teams with his WR’s getting 3 feet + of separation. Game may come down to Bills DL vs Bengals OL and Tre White’s Progress / CB2 not being liabilities out there.

Are they though?.. I feel this is a narrative that’s taken on a life of its own. “The red hot Bengals” They were a Stevenson fumble on 1st and goal away from potentially losing to the Patriots … a division team we toyed with a few weeks ago. They went down big to a bad team in the Bucs, until the Bucs literally kept giving them the ball over and over on their own side of the field. They’ve won 7 in a row, and lately it’s been ugly. We’ve won 6 in a row, and much of it has been us just going through the motions and/or also playing one good half. injuries play a big part this time of year .. We’ll have to see if Morse can go, but the Bengals are without Hubbard on DL and they just lost Collins from the OL.

Put Ehlinger in. This is just stupid now.

That check down, Herbert throws every time if the play breaks down and no one is open after a second or two. Mahomes. Maybe 1 out of 4 times. Allen. McDermott would need to have one of Josh’s family members held hostage in a secret location under the guise Allen must throw the check down to free them.

He is the king of watching him play, thinking he looks good… (looks at scoreboard) … 10 points at halftime.