VW82

This is the reason I hope we press the issue some in free agency and the draft. Bills have a two year window before Josh gets expensive (assuming he develops). If he doesn't develop we're likely rebuilding anyways. The highest upside move is hope Josh develops now and surround him with good enough talent to make a run while he's cheap. Whether or not he's good enough to carry inferior rosters is a question that can wait.

Dumb thing to say by Beane. You know this will get back to Brady. We’ll be the one team he just torches next year all because Beane couldn’t resist the temptation to take a shot at the GOAT.

It sounds like he's coming back too so it's good their relationship is on such solid footing. I suppose even if it doesn't work out and we wind up going run/play action down the road with less option route stuff, Josh will still be better off for it. Daboll has learned from the best.

I'm torn here. I really do think we'd be better off finding an OC like Roman or Lynn who could build a top notch running game with a revamped line and another back so we're not asking Josh to finish 59 plays in a playoff game (or any game). But is that OC available? Who is he? I don't have those answers.

Clowney has been playing hurt for a huge chunk of the year, and is still playing hurt.

I trimmed your post and itemized it for clarity. I agree with 1 & 2, but 3 is where we differ. Obviously we need better talent on offense but a lot of the problems IMO are fit related. Do you believe Allen is right type of QB for Daboll's system, one which requires a pocket passer to read the defense based on coverage concepts and be on the same page/timing as the reads from his receivers? You mention Greg Roman. How much better would Josh look with a top running game to play behind and protect him? How much better would that type of offense fit with the type of conservative game McD likes to play? I don't think Daboll is doing a bad job. You're right, he takes way too much undeserved criticism on this board given there are weeks (or even random portions of games) where Josh just loses it, and Daboll has to call the game with one arm tied behind his back. Sometimes the fit between player and coach just isn't clean enough. We need to find an OC who better fits our QB.

I'm a broken record at this point but I'd go further and change the offense. It's insanity that we're making him play read the defense for 60 minutes. He finished 59 plays on Sunday including passes, runs, sacks, and the fumble. Find an OC who can call a running game, re-make the Oline with guys who can move and block downfield, get a second RB, and yes, give him another play maker at WR, and then we'll have something on offense. Right now we're asking way too much of him given his experience and skill set. Imagine Josh rolling out off play action after faking to someone like Derrick Henry or Fournette.

Hmm...it would certainly put things in better perspective. Josh was playing fairly well before that but I didn't think there was anything out of the ordinary on the Watt hit. If it came before that Josh made a bunch of key plays in between being concussed and the 4th quarter mistakes which is possible. It felt more like a snowball effect to me. He takes the sack. He doesn't see Mercilus on the fumble. Now he's doubting. He holds the ball too long on the next possession trying to make a big play and it results in three and out. Then the double sacks. Then the crazy lateral. It's what McD said: he was trying to do too much.

That's the first I've heard of it. Do you recall hearing what play people are speculating about?

The lateral cost us 5-10 yards but outside of that it was mostly just funny for other fan bases. The reason we should still care about it is because it capped off a four drive, ~9 min stretch of Josh coming unglued with the game on the line starting with the Watt sack. The moment got too big for him and the lateral was symbolic of that -- that's why people are making a big deal out of it. I disagree with you on the DiMarco pass. Yes it could have been caught had he taken another step before jumping. It was still thrown into double coverage and we had a receiver (Beasley??) open on the crossing pattern. I think you could make an argument that this was one of Josh's top 3 games of the year. We asked him to do too much but he was productive and up until the 4th quarter he did a great job extending drives and bouncing back from his mistakes. I'm hopeful for next season. With a little bit of perspective I think many of the naysayers will start to come around. That's coming from a naysayer

I thought Allen had one of his better games in the wildcard despite the minor 4th quarter meltdown. This team gets to the playoffs with any of the top 20 QBs in the league.

He certainly wasn't the only reason. I keep coming back to him finishing 58 plays. Way too many. Other teams are winning with good defense and run game, and a QB who makes plays when he needs to not all freaking day long. I'm no longer in support of what we're doing offensively. Daboll is not a good fit with Allen IMO. We might as well sign Brady if we continue to run this offense. Find an OC with a creative run game arsenal and re-make the line again with guys who can actually move and block downfield. Bring in another stud RB to play with Singletary and find a TE who can block and catch then we might have something.

Watson was incredible in the second half and OT against the number 3 ranked pass defense, and I have no doubt the experience last year helped. I thought Josh acquitted himself well up until the Watt sack. It could have gone much worse in his first playoff game. There's still reason to be optimistic IMO but we need to change this offense.

B- Overall he gave Houston too many chances to turn the ball over and it eventually burned us, but he also kept drives moving for most of the game and gave our defense the chance to win in the 4th (and they didn't). The play that sticks out to me is 3rd and 6 with 9:40 left in the 4th. Josh has Duke open on the crossing route over the middle but waits too long to throw and Watt gets a piece of his arm. Incomplete, three and out. This came after the Watt sack to kill the TD drive and the fumble on the previous series. The QB has to bounce back in that spot and Josh didn't.

Watching guys like Tannehill and Cousins win playoff games behind a solid run game you can't help but be a little jealous about the way they built their offenses. Josh was asked to do more. So was Watson and he stood up to the challenge, but it's still a lot to ask of Josh both at this stage of his career and of his current skill set to be out there finishing 58 plays including runs, throws and sacks.

The part that's missing here is context. You're posting real time reactions to a crazy game by other fan bases and they're talking about the prospect of facing a second year QB at home in the conference semis not a projection of his career. Unless that QB is Mahomes or Lamar you're probably looking for that too if you're Chiefs. Josh might be the one who cost the game yesterday but he was also arguably the best player on the field through 2.5 quarters. I think we (and NFL fans) are going to have a slightly different perspective on this season and this game in a few months.

Tried posting this in another thread which got locked but I think it's related: 46 passes + 9 runs is too much. He's not Brady. I wish we had Titans offense.

Philosophical team building question: are we better off finding a coordinator that's creative with the run game (Anthony Lynn-esk), draft a stud RB, and re-vamping the O line for more zone blocking and guards who can pull rather than forcing Josh to play read the defense for 60 mins? If you run more play action you have more opportunities to get the QB making plays on the run which is Josh's biggest strength. It might mean having to trade Morse but it would seem a better fit for how McD likes to play.

McD was the main reason we got to play in this game in the first place. We should all be thanking our lucky stars that he decided to come to Buffalo and turn this franchise around. The second half collapse was tough to watch but it happened mainly because the opposing QB started playing like an all pro while ours reverted to his worst college tendencies.

Nah he's going to get at least one more year. Coaches are going to have to stop protecting him and open things up more and see what happens because we seem to be brushing up against our ceiling playing this way. I get why they're so hesitant to trust his decision making.

Deshaun Watson deserves all the credit. He completed the huge 3rd & 18 when we messed up the coverage and he didn't go down when he got sandwiched on that huge last play. He was the better QB today and that's why Texans won. Bills played well today and arguably overachieved this year. All the young guys need to come back as better players next year, including and especially Allen. We're obviously not quite good enough yet.

Good season. Rough way to end. This game was about the QBs. Watson made the big plays in second half and OT and that was the difference.

We got seven sacks again!

Defense held Texans to just 16 points and 275 total yards through 4 quarters. We need them to come through again.

Hauschka is Mr Reliable.