warrior9

It turns out, it was.. or else we'd be 2-2 staring at a tough Tennessee team possibly without our QB.

Lol, obviously...... that clearly not the point... Let me summarize thread: This game is more important than others because: In terms of how we respond to an emotional loss and adversity In terms of how Josh Allen can respond to playing poorly In terms of how the defense responds to having TB post his worst career numbers In terms of seeing where we are in the "process" and how we can shake a loss and come back and be "complete?" In terms of gauging, "are we a play off team?" or "are we a fringe team?"

No. There are many many reasons why this game on Sunday in important. That Dolphins game can and should be a cake walk.

Doesn't "multitude of reasons" make it critical?

Yes. This is my point.. These are games that past Bills' teams lose! 100%.. This is why I think this game is more important than most.

In terms of how we respond to an emotional loss and adversity? Yep. In terms of how Josh Allen can respond to playing poorly? Yep. In terms of how the defense responds to having TB post his worst career numbers? Yep. In terms of seeing where we are in the "process" and how we can shake a loss and come back and be "complete?" Yep. In terms of gauging, "are we a play off team?" or "are we a fringe team?" Yep. Stop it..... stop... you're using your brain and making sense.... just stop it. Essentially my point. Yepp

100%.... I want to say it's just another game ... but it's not. It's going to be important to see how JA responds to that hit, the pressure he took, the 3 INTs, etc It's going to be important that the defense comes out and plays the same way after they literally played out of their minds yesterday. There's a lot of things that will tell us a lot about this team with this game. That bolded word is what makes this game interesting.

I believe it is the most critical. It's a team with expectations (we haven't had that in years). It's team coming off of an emotional loss (we have't had that in years). It's a team we've yet to see respond to true adversity. I think this is a very critical game to gauge in terms of where we are at in "the process." It's important to be able to respond.

Yeah, I think it's important. This can game can ultimately come back to have tie break implications as well. Exactly. Especially with how animated and seemingly upset McDermott is with how JA went out. He, himself, needs to reel it in and stay composed now as well.

no

I (like most of you) probably thought that was the most winnable game we've had against NE in what seemed like decades (when TB plays). It feels like it slipped through our fingers. I don't want to dwell on that game but moving forward we are playing another tough defense with an inconsistent offense. This is a true test to see how we can handle a tough loss and move forward from it. It will be a true test of character/new culture to see if the team and Josh Allen can bounce back from that game (assuming Josh Allen plays). Going in to the bye week at 4-1 with VERY winnable games after is going to be EXTREMELY important.

I also don't live in WNY anymore and I can tell you that Josh Allen is must-watch. All of my co-workers mention, "You must be excited about the Bills and Josh Allen." It's not just "The Bills" anymore... it's "The bills and Josh Allen"

Anyone every wonder what would happen if they played a short football game at the halftime of a concert?

I think it's to stick what we've been doing: A lot of 5 wide, crossing routes, using our speed to get our receivers in space. I don't think you change much. The one thing we HAVE to do in order to win is negate the 1 or 2 quarters of non-sense and conservative play calling. In each of our first three games, there has been a quarter or two where we either took our foot off the gas, play calling changed, or we got too comfortable. ok, ok. One more. We can't keep losing the field position game. We have to have sustained drives. Starting field position will be huge in this game.

Mike Schopp and Bulldog would say that Josh Allen's game is horrible and that the Bills got lucky.

That guard play by Feliciano is just a thing of beauty. That is high level recognition. One can hope we have him and Morse healthy for the next few years. Morse is so sound in pass blocking. This is refreshing. Spain moves really well in pass sets as well for an absolute mammoth. One thing I noticed in watching the Jets game is that there weren't many miscommunications. Missed blocks? Sure, it's the NFL and the defensive players get paid too. It just seems like this o-line understands their assignments very well on a play to play basis. I wonder if this also means that JA is taking more command and setting blocking schemes more so at the line based on what he sees from the defense.

Yupp .. which is my point. I don't think they'll have Milano spying Barkley exclusively. I think we're going to see heavy heavy zone this week.

Please see: I don't disagree that it worked overall.. My point is, asking a linebacker to cover an elite RB for an entire game is not ideal. If they mixed different spies it could have been more effective. Milano on James White, Barkley, etc all game may end differently....

I don't disagree that overall it worked. I just meant he shouldn't have been tasked solely with shadowing LeVeon. They should have mixed more Poyer, Hyde, Taron Johnson (before he was hurt). etc.

Sweeny? Knox? Anyone with more athletic ability. I don't think having a FB split out wide varies far from it being a TE. He does not present match up issues as most LB's in the NFL can run with him.

I agree, however, I don;t think Milano should have been tasked solely with covering Leveon. There were a few times Poyer was spying him and it was very evident by how fast he was in the back field. I wish we saw more of that.

If we're going to consider TE's O-linemen... 2 of singletary's runs were sprung because of Lee Smith's blocking .

Proof of him being immature? Proof of him acting and showing it on the field? Not sure I've ever witnessed that. I have witnessed him firing his teammates up, jumping on them when we score, running down the field to congratulate them.......

IIRC, Boyd was extended this off season.

Two of the best opinions i've read. We are watching the downfall of the game happen right in front of us.