The Red King

I'd rather play Houston. KC has heaps of postseason experience, I don't trust them. And if we play KC, they get an extra two days to prep for us.

Wait, this game is only on Peacock? Kidding, I only heard this a thousand times during the CLE/HOU game and a hundred during the pre-game show for this one. I went from eyerolling to actually getting annoyed.

I worry far more about KC then Miami. I do not want to lose to KC in the playoffs again, and Miami will not beat Baltimore. As added incentive, my nightmare scenario is us losing Monday, Baltimore losing in the Divisional Round, paving the way for Mahomes to not have to leave Arrowhead until the Super Bowl. >.>

I hated the idea of that trade. The funny part is, the worst-case scenario for the Browns that I imagined came true. They traded their future away and rolled the dice on a single player. A single player that could just drop off in performance, get injured, etc...

Okay, that made my day!

I'm honestly curious what kind of full offensive scheme Brady would implement given an off-season to do so. Remember that in the end he's still stuck running Dorsey's scheme this season. What we're seeing now might not be anything like next season.

In general, it may seem a lateral move. But Brady's stuck with Dorsey's system this season. The biggest change I've noticed is that Brady actually makes adjustments, while Dorsey would keep shotgun-drawing into a brick wall.

Too true, let me be clear I'm not overlooking the Steelers. The key for a lot of these teams though is, did you want Pitt, or did you want [x]? I dunno though, if I'm KC I'm not sure I'd want Pitt over Miami. The Dolphins are beat up and reeling, their morale is crushed. The idle musings over my OP though came from, if you're the 'Phins which is the best option. Hosting the Bills again for Round 2, hosting Pitt or going to KC? Out of the three, knowing Buffalo is in anyway (different story if it was a chance to bounce us) and the opportunity presents, do you play for that tie? I'm honestly not sure, and to be honest, I'm more in the camp of "no", or even "they'd go for two", but I was just curious what people thought.

I'm hoping the Bills got it out of their system, honestly.

KC worries me more then Miami. Besides, by winning the division we have assured that KC is coming here next season.

Didn't want to say anything until the game was in the bag, but I had a thought. Let's say Miami tied it and it went into OT. Time's running out, Miami has the ball and is in a position for a game-winning field goal. Now...if they kick it, they get the division and the #2 seed, but have to play Buffalo in the Wild Card game. What if Miami instead takes a knee? They still win the division and the #2 seed...but they also get to avoid the Bills and instead host the Steelers. If Buffalo wins their Wild Card game, and the 'Phins beat the Steelers, then Buffalo goes to Baltimore. In other words, by going for a tie, Miami would lose nothing at all. They would simply swap in the Steelers and put themselves in the position of not having to face the Bills until the Championship Game. So, with all that in mind, do you think Miami would have taken the tie in OT instead of the win if possible?

Yes, would could beat Miami at Miami, but would then have to go to Baltimore the following week. No thank you. Play your starters.

I'm actually stunned at the work on the picture there. Combining three different logos in a way that really looks good. Putting the Bills' horn behind the chin was inspired.

Yes, but then after Miami, we'd have to go to Baltimore. No thank you!

If the Bills win the Super Bowl, especially if it's not even close, Nick will implode onto himself and become a black hole. 🤣

Ah, gotcha. Fixing is a *lot* easier then scripting. The owners don't have to be in on it. And I wouldn't see it like, "Make sure [x] wins this game!". I see it more as, "The spread is [x] on this one, keep it close until the fourth quarter." or "Tip the calls toward [x] today, we'd prefer them to win." With rigging though, it doesn't [i]have[/i] to happen. If those individual outcomes don't happen, oh well. I remember the Jags game, what was it, four years ago? It was the low-scoring mess. For three quarters the Jags were getting *all* the calls. It was still a one-score game, and all of a sudden the calls drift to neutral, then as it gets late into the fourth the Bills get some sketchy calls in their favor at key moments, but still can't pull off the win. I remember then wondering if the NFL told the refs to keep it close, but let Buffalo win in the end. Again, I don't know any of this for certain, and I'm not even sure what I believe on this, but things have seemed sketchy this season so I wanted to open a discussion on it.

Also, for all the Lawrence bashing, let's not forget the sure TD drop at the end of the game. I still haven't been able to unclench.

Oh, I remember him specifically saying the Bills won't make the playoffs. Not "I think...", he specifically said they wouldn't. 🤣 That aside, props to the Titans. They wanted this game, maybe somehow more then the Jags. A couple of key, huge defensive stops there, and Henry spent every last drop of gas in the tank.

Titans upset the Jags. As a result, the Bills and Steelers just clinched the last two playoff spots.

Not good for the nerves. But now Buffalo can just focus on the division. I almost feel bad for Miami. Lose and they drop to #6 and have to go to KC. Win, and the get the #2 seed...and have to play those same Bills at home again next week.

Um, I changed nothing. I quoted the post in my reply. The original is a few replies higher on this page. No way I could have edited that. "Scripted" was used. I...honestly have no idea what you're trying to say.

As I said earlier, "fixed" does not equal "scripted". All you said applies to scripted, the word you used. I'm saying the NFL can have the refs nudge games on a week to week basis to improve the narrative or affect betting outcomes. No, I don't believe it's at all possible to script a season, but that's not what I asked.

There's a difference between believing it's all completely scripted, and believing the NFL influences individual outcomes via officiating.

They find ways to win, and they can go toe-to-toe with anyone when they're at their best. Not sure if they're gonna bring that 'A' game any given week, so I'm not saying it's a lock, but I see it as a definate possibility. I'm confident they *can*, if they get in at least. I'm not looking past that step yet.

You can't help but wonder what he's thinking. He does seem less intense at times this season. He knows it's over in NE. They're in full rebuild. He could retire. Does he want to go through the effort/challenge of building a new champion elsewhere? Or is he happy with his legacy and ready to ride off into the sunset? One way or another that looked like a "goodbye, thanks for the challenge"-type exchange. Given his statement about Josh, I feel like he's got a soft spot for the Bills atm. And I know, that seems odd to say.