CincyBillsFan

That's quite a short lifespan.

Here's my issue with those claiming Allen could have just stepped up into the pocket on that play. If Dawkins was pushing Jones to the outside it would have been a simple matter of moving up into the pocket. But Jones was driving Dawkins STRAIGHT back into the QB. If Allen had stepped up into the pocket Jones disengages from Dawkins and tackles him as he steps up. I guess Dawkins could have held him and hoped the Ref doesn't see it but there is no way that an all pro like Jones isn't fully aware of Allen's threat to step up and throw or run the ball.

A lifetime to make that throw? Me thinks you exaggerate a bit here. It's actually insane the way Bills fans are analyzing this one play. It's obvious what happened: Allen choose to go for the TD hitting an open Shakir and missed the throw because the pass rusher pushed the tackle into him. An for this we've had a ten page thread. Nitpicking Allen seems to be a favorite activity for some Bills fans.

It was the start of doing the right thing - THE START. From 2019 - through the 2022 draft (4 drafts) how many high draft picks were spent on the offense? By high I mean 1st or 2nd round picks. A 1st to land Diggs and a 2nd for Cody Ford. Am I forgetting any? And for the record I liked the McGovern signing. It was a great VALUE signing that worked out a lot better then the previous years signing of Saffold. But again, from 2019 through the 2023 draft (5 drafts) the Bills spent two #2 picks and NO #1 picks on the O line. And the only high profile FA signing over that 5 year period was Morse. So yea when it comes to prioritizing the Offense and surrounding Allen with the best possible players the Bills have not put in much of an effort focusing instead on later draft pick projects and value FA signings.

McD's game plan depended on PERFECT performances by Allen & Brady. He almost got them to but depending on perfection in football is never going to work. Of course to make this statement you have to ignore that Jones pushed Dawkins into Allen impacting the throw. It was a great play by one of the best D linemen in the NFL.

It's simple the Bills did not try to surround Allen with the best available offensive players to fully exploit his skills. A secondary reason was that the head coach was not up to the task in later round playoff games against better competition.

Agree 100% here. And with 15 plays and over 6 minutes invested into that drive the odds of a sack or holding penalty or TO go way up. IMO the concept McD worked out with Brady to protect his defense was bound to fail. The only reason it came so close to working was Allen's otherworldly performance. A better plan would have been to wage a shootout with KC. We had the advantage of being at home and having as good if not better group of skill players then the Chiefs. I could have seen us winning such a game 38 - 34.

I think it strengthens the narrative that McD is not good enough to get the Bills to the SB. KC & Cincy have both put their offenses ahead of their defenses and both are coached by offensive minded guys. The Ravens made a decision to tear down and rebuild their offense to better compliment Jackson. They added a new OC and made a couple of splash draft/FA signings of offensive skill players. So after failing to make the playoffs in 2021 and a 1st round ext in 2022 (both years Jackson was hurt) the Ravens made major changes and they're now on the cusp of a SB.

There's a pretty simple explanation for this. Reid attacks when his defense is bad because he has an elite QB that he puts his trust in. McD on the other hand retreats and demands that Allen & the OC button up the hatches and hunker down. Run clock and protect the defense. Reid embraces the shootout in these situations and McD embraces a bunker down mentality. Both the Houston and 2020 KC championship game were examples of this. Remember those 2 FG's instead of attempted TD's (4th & goal from the 2 and 4th & 3 from the 8 yrd line) against the Chiefs in the Championship game? In the one playoff game they unleashed Allen and embraced the shootout in the 4th quarter of the 2021 playoff game Allen led the Bills to a 3 point lead with 13 seconds left. Only the extreme incompetence of McD and the defense allowed KC to win that shootout.

First off Allen would have walked into a situation with two first ballot HOF skill players to throw the ball to. Second, Reid would not put a governor on Allen in situations where he was trying to protect an ailing defense. Reid's response would have been to turn Allen lose and win a shootout. Third, Reid would have provided better play calling and play design throughout Allen's tenure. Fourth, Reid would have fielded a better O line throughout the last 6years. Imagine Allen with a fraction of a second longer on his passes. Fifth, Reid would have found ways to best utilize Allen's running ability and cannon of an arm.

Actually Wright's hatred of Allen only confirms that Allen is the only QB out there that Nick fears could be better then Mahomes under the right circumstances. As for Purdy, Wright is jealous that he has had an even better situation to start his NFL career then Mahomes did. And because of that Purdy may soon be hosting a Lombardi trophy and producing better SB stats then Mahomey. Nick Wright hates and trashes what he fears.

This would be an interesting interview. Last year I would have said "hell no" but Bienemy did a good job in Washington in spite of not having much to work with. For Bienemy it might be his best shot to parley this job into a head coaching job. I suspect that when Ben Johnson is hired by the Commanders Bienemy will become available.

When you consider the game plan the Bills used against KC, which clearly had McD's fingerprints all over it as it was designed to protect his injury ravaged D, it's Brady's job to lose.

Unfortunately they are not the only ones to live with their decision.

I was thinking of the Bills. Or maybe I was just dreaming of the Bills here. I know Pegula will not pull the trigger and I get his hesitation but anyone who watched the masterful way Johnson called the game in the 4th quarter against TB can only wonder at what he could do here with Allen. The best job would be Buffalo but alas........................

It is sort of down here. The Bengal's are very tight lipped about almost everything so ho knows. The speculation is that they're inclined to use the franchise tag on Higgens but given how expensive it would be they would really like to do a deal. The problem with franchising Higgens is it might interfere in doing a deal with Chase this off season.

So the Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator is still available and the coaching slots are filling up fast, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

One top offensive player dose not make an offense above average if the O line and the other skill players lag behind. Or are you suggesting that Allen had a good O line through most of those seasons? IMO Allen doesn't own any of the Divisional losses.

Allen is elite and to suggest otherwise indicates an extreme ignorance of football. Also when playing one of the best defenses in the NFL and needing to score a TD to win the game you take it any time you can with under 2 minutes to play. The idea that it's easy to both score the TD and use up the last bit of clock is wrong. Don't forget that the Bills had already executed 15 plays and used up over 6 minutes on that drive. The fact is that the run play on 1st down forced Allen to go for the TD on 2nd down when it it didn't gain anything. The idea that a throw to Diggs picks up the first down is not supported by the video evidence. We likely would have been left with a 3rd and 4 or 5 which while easier to pick up in no way is a gimme.

And yet people regularly come on 2BD and claim that Allen TO's cost us regular season games and any chance of being the #1 seed. It's maddening. In only one of the 6 loses could Allen's careless play be blamed for the loss.

If Bass makes that FG we lose but given that KC did falter a couple of times in the red zone I would have liked our chances with a 4 point lead and less then 2 minutes left. The real problem is that Allen, while trailing by 3 late in a playoff game, had to not only worry about scoring the winning TD against one of the best D's in football but also was expected to manage the clock and run it down to almost nothing. All because the Bills D, which has received the lions share of resources over the last 5 years, couldn't be expected to make the stop. This is the root of the problem, not any perceived failings of Allen here.

I am positive because he puts up MVP numbers every year and wins big games in December & January. That he can't get over the last hurdle says more about McD and the defensive oriented structure of the Bills then any failings of Allen. Consider Allen's total (regular season & playoffs) yardage/TD stats the last 4 seasons: 2020: 5927; 51 2021: 5941; 51 2022: 5707; 46 2023: 5365; 51 Four straight seasons with over 5000 yards and three o four seasons with over 50 TD's. And he's put these numbers up with at best average offensive talent round him. Extraordinary.

But the Bills can afford Higgens if they make the right choices.

Yep he needs to have the confidence to throw the ball into tight windows! And of course NO off season golf. I mean if Allen didn't play golf he would exceed 6,000 total yards rather then the measly 5000 yards he hit this year.

What? I hope Allen gets away from football completely for 2 months, decompresses and plays so much golf folks will think he's on the PGA tour. The notion that he doesn't work out in the off season and plays to much golf is rubbish. It is not supported by anything we see on the field from Allen. It's actually slanderous IMO. The out of shape, golf obsessed Allen played in all 19 games this season and amassed the following stats: Passing: 4695 yards; 33 TD's & 18 INT's Rushing: 670 yards; 18 TD's & 3 lost fumbles Total: 5365 yards; 51 TD's & 21 TO;s Team stats:12 - 7 record. Division title and playoff berth. People who push this ridiculous narrative should be ashamed of themselves for exhibiting such a complete lack of football knowledge.