CincyBillsFan

Agree. If opposing Defenses have figured out how to deal with Brady's heavy package then McD is going to have to learn how to embrace the shootout. I've never been a fan of offenses throttling down to protect their D right from the start of the game. Sure in certain situations you have do it but it seems like the Bills are in this mode from the first snap.

You and me both. But living down here in Cincinnati the McD years in Buffalo are looking more and more like the Marvin Lewis years in Cincy. Sure McD has had a lot more playoff success then Lewis but in the end with Buffalo exiting the playoffs before the SB every year the similarities outweigh the differences.

The truth is that this game may mean very little over the course of the season. The Bills were not going 17 - 0 and losing a close game on a last second FG to a rising division power is very common in the NFL. I expect the Bills to right the ship and go on another run and finish 13 - 4 locking up the 1st seed. Our uneasy feeling is that after all the draft picks and signing capital that the Bills have lavished on the D, they still can't be counted on to win a game in which the O is struggling.

It's obvious that as long as he's 500 in the playoffs McD has a job. And that's the dilemma to which there is no answer. I'm fully aware that things could go South real fast if they walk away from McD. I also have a feeling that in spite of having a future HOF QB the Bills are never making the Super Bowl with McD as coach.

I'm not firing a coach whose team makes the conference championship game. The issue is the bar is a lot lower then that in Orchard Park and they will never fire a coach that makes the playoffs every year. .

Sure it was a bad INT after a bad offensive pass interference by Shakir that took the Bills from a 3rd & 1 to a 2nd & 13. But cost us the game? Nonsense. The ball was at the NE TEN YARD LINE! Get a 3 & out and the Bills have the ball near midfield. Allowing the Pats to go 90 yards is what lost the Bills the game. The fact is that the Pats adjusted much better on the offensive side of the ball then the Bills did on the defensive side of the ball. NE scored TD's on their first 2 possessions of the 2nd half on drives of 71 & 90 yards. That contributed far more to losing the game then Allen's INT.

That's the minimum IMO. Of course if the Bills win the division, which I think they will, and the lock up the #3 seed and lose in the divisional round McD's job is safe and we'll be living in the movie Groundhog Day.

I have sadly come to that conclusion to. Look the season is far from over and they could go on and win the Super Bowl. But IMO this is the make or break year. Anything less then an appearance in the AFC Championship game and McD should be let go.

The offense struggled, so what it happens. The bottom line is that we needed the defense to be the main reason we won the game tonight and they failed. Is it to much to ask the D to take the lead in winning ONE game in FIVE? The D gave up 17 points on only 4 NE possessions in the2nd half. The Offense generated 17 points on 4 possessions in the 2nd half (I'm not counting that last Bills possession of one play). And while the INT took points off the board it left the ball on the NE 10 where they preceded to drive 90 yards for the TD.

My bad on the 2nd half KO. But my point remains valid - the Bills allowed multiple 3rd down conversions on the Saint's first possession enabling them to match the Bills opening drive TD. That was an important early game momentum changer. Then after the D got a 3 & out on the Saints opening 2nd half drive, again my bad, the Bills drove it in for a TD and a 21 - 10 lead. Another 3 & out or even a forced punt after a 1st down or 2 and the game likely turns into a blowout. Instead the saints drive for a TD cutting the Bills led to 21 - 16 and again momentum is lost. Quote all the stats you want but my eyes tell me that all to often at critical points in a game the Bills D allows to many 3rd down conversions and scoring drives. This is a real problem IMO and it's been a problem for the last couple of years.

My late father had a simple but IMO true belief that defensive success on 1st & 2nd down was driven by the Jimmy's & Joe's while 3rd down was when defensive coaching became the most important factor.

Playing complimentary football demands big improvements in the Bills 3rd down defense. With one of the best offenses in he NFL the Bills can not continue to allow 3rd and long conversions that steal possessions from their O. The other problem with allowing 3rd down conversions is that it steals momentum. Take last week, after the Bills go up 7 - 0 the Saints put together a long drive converting multiple 3rd and longs to tie the game up. Even worse after the Bills take the 2nd half KO and drive for a TD that puts them up 21 - 10 and on the verge of a blowout the D again allows a long TD drive to make it a game.

Last time Vrabel coached at Highmark stadium was in 2022 and the Bills won 41 - 7.

QB: A RB: A+ WR: B TE: B OL: B DL: C LB: C- DB: B ST: C

My guess is that Allen was pissed at himself. He shouldn't have been but the guy is his own harshest critic. I liked what McD said because it is true. Just look at the results of the first 4 weeks of this season. Bad teams beat better teams every week. And this has been true as long as Ive been watching the NFL and I was watching the Bills when they were in the AFL.

Bishop is getting better and starting to display the makings of a very good safety.

I get that this is the NFL and there is no such thing as "name your score" but this is a great match up for the Bills for the simple reason that McD's D eats up inexperienced, young QB's. Spenser Rattler is the kind of QB that the Bills frustrate into 3 & outs and TO's. Both of which are deadly when facing the Bills O. The game may be closer then some think it should be as McD and company continue to pace themselves but it's hard to see the Saints actually springing the upset here.

It was one weird game. Here are the details. Bottom line is Kelly had one of his worst games and the two teams were pretty close in record. Oh and this was the height of the "bickering Bills". https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198912100buf.htm

Yep, he and Kirk Cousins are forming an investment company after they retire.

Those first 3 games were very important. First, you got a huge tie breaker over the team that looked to be the Bills main competitor for Home Field advantage and then you beat back to back division foes. Going 3 - 0 in these early games will matter big time at the end of the season.

Goff's limitations on full display on that last play.

You mean the piss poor downfield passing game that beat the Ravens in the 4th quarter? Looked potent to me. Last year we saw a similar offense for most of the season but at LA & Detroit circumstances turned the games into shootouts with Allen throwing the ball downfield and we exploded. I have no reason to think the same won't be true this season, especially after what we saw in the Ravens game.

The Bills D imposed their will on the Jets offense last week. But by surrendering 370 yards and 31 points the Finns did not impose their will on the Bills O last night.

To be clear it wasn't that we "couldn't throw more then 5 yards up field" it was that we choose not do so. Big difference. In fact the only "deep" pass was a perfectly thrown 20 yarder to Coleman that was flagged for interference after the DB pinned his arm down.

You are correct, at the MOMENT this is not a championship caliber D. And going further the continued trend of allowing teams to convert 3rd & long and keep the O on the bench is a critical flaw in the Bills overall strategic thinking. But all that matters is the Bills D is better in the last quarter of the season and in the playoffs. By that criteria I don't know if what I'm seeing matters or not. Calling what the Bills are doing on offense a "Trent Edwards is our QB philosophy" is flat out wrong IMO. We are seeing what I suspect is the next hot "new" thing that will dominate offensive football the next 5 years. The Chiefs are doing it, ditto for the Eagles and the Rams. Bills fans will always put up with winning. My emotions IN THE GAME are meaningless after the game ends. Last year I was elated DURING the game at LA when the offense was spectacular going up and down the field. But when the clock hit zero and we lost it sucked. I thought the Bills were going to hammer a Miami team that was already heading for the busses last night. But watching the Dolphins from the start I could see this was their Super Bowl. This was their season on the line. I'm glad we got the win because style points are meaningless in the NFL unless the transient opinions of blowhard talking heads matters to you.