Bob in STL

Another what if. It is more likely we would have had a better field position, so maybe we get into field goal range. But maybe we run different plays and have worse results? The events coming cannot be predicted. What if Josh hits McKenzie for a TD? Maybe our defense gives up a TD? Who knows? It's over.

Their stadium is designed to be unequal.

I agree that weather is weather and both teams played on the same field. So while the weather seemed to impact Buffalo more, that is the game. BUT - The Bills did not game plan to “chew clock” and leave their offense on the field for 3 quarters. The Bills chewed clock because they had no long pass plays that worked and Miami just couldn’t stop them until the red zone. The Bills blocking just did not hold up and Josh had to work miracles. The Bills long 23 play drive only produced 3 points because Davis dropped a TD. The running game contributed nothing. The one really big 40 yard run by Moss resulted in a missed FG. The receivers and our OL couldn’t not stay on the field due to heat. This was a very weird game because the Bills totally dominated and still lost. Heat exhaustion and injuries played a huge part but Buffalo failed to make enough plays. Dropped touchdowns, missed FGs, bad blocking, dropped interceptions, bobbled snaps, a terrible defensive call on 3rd and 22, and bad decisions in both two minute drills. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a lopsided game result in a loss.

Running against the blitz is not impossible. You use trap blocking and run draw plays and delays, let the blitzers run past the tailback. The running back rotation was due to heat, especially with Singletary getting so many passes. The 60 pass attempts put a huge toll on the OL and even more on the WRs especially Diggs and McKenzie went out on IVs and missed a lot of snaps. With those two out we are much less scary. Davis was getting back from an injury and did not have a good game. I don't know why we didn't target Knox more, especially red zone? Crowder was not a factor.

I think McD is a great coach. His preparation and game management is usually very good which is why we are a winning team and still a team on the rise. There is not one answer for the teams performance in one score games (they are on an 0-7 string right now). Preparation is only part of it. Practicing the 2 minute drill - yes, I am sure they do practice it and plan for a myriad of situations. Look at the 7 games - sometimes decisions are made that turn out to be incorrect, sometimes the players just did not execute, and sometimes the other team did the exact perfect thing to stop us. The 0-7 string almost seems like a statistical anomaly but until they start winning the close ones the critics will be there.

The failure to get into field goal range and stop the clock - that was done wrong at the end of the game, and at the end of the half for that matter. I don't necessarily blame it all on McD, but the 2 minute drill could use some more work.

McDermott had nothing but praise for Von Roten and Josh said the he bobbled the snap just before halftime. Not sure how Mancz did as the 3rd center. What else happened that made you think this?

Morse is a valuable player and anytime he is out he is going to missed for his line calls and for his overall ability. The guards playing next to him have been only serviceable players at best. The Bills seems reluctant to invest a premium draft choice (meaning 2/3/4) on the C/G position. I say this assuming Cody Ford was supposed to be the RT bookend to Dion Dawkins. We have used the 3rd and 2nd rounds to pick running backs. We might be better served to pick up interior OL with these picks and use picks 5/6/7 for running backs.

David "Deacon" Jones mastered the head slap, right into the earhole of the opposing OT. Great point. We lost Benford but hoping that the experience and confidence gained by the others (Johnson, Hamlin, Lewis, etc.) helps them next week too. Would love to see Oliver back. Phillips too.

Spare me this ^. I never crapped on him and I understand the heroic effort he put forth once again. Nothing I said ever had anything to do with the Josh draft pick. The whole subject was does this game impact his MVP status? My take is one play in week 3 of the season is not going to do that. However, my point was the Football media shows that play, the one hopper to McKenzie, over and over. I watch them literally show it 10 times in a row on NHL Network before the Monday Night game. I had lunch with a work colleague yesterday and said the "only play he saw was the bounce pass on an NFL highlight program". I just got out of a meeting and heard the same thing about him missing that pass. I am not criticizing his performance on Sunday, I am pointing out the media spin and how the rest of the country gets programmed by it. I still think we have a shot of winning every time he plays and that he could be an MVP someday.

Reading comprehension?

Maybe that is true but it is a mistake. I expect the spread to shrink once they digest the injury report. Next week we play with 3 out of 5 backups in the secondary (assuming Poyer is back), plus injuries in both the OL (Morse might be back but Bates is out) and DL, plus Knox and Davis not really contributing in Miami. It will start to show. Someone has to help Josh Allen.

Allen played a great game yesterday and I love Josh as much as any fan, but the most played re-play of the Bills-Dolphins game by the national media is Allen missing a wide open McKenzie in the end zone. NFL Network shows it over and over. I doubt that any one play costs him the MVP, but of all the plays the Bills did not make, this was the biggest. McKenzie was wide open and he had time. It was as routine as a play can be.

Lets see ... If the first team OL is out there and feeling good then no doubt you QB sneak that 2nd down play. I think we had a third string center playing his first game in many weeks (Mancz), a backup tackle at RG (Doyle) playing his first game in many weeks, and a backup tackle at RT (Queesenbury). I don't know if Josh was having trouble with snaps from both Roten and Mancz but I might have tried: Run Singletary behind Gilliam and I would be looking more to the left side, or Fake to Singletary and Josh carry it around the end. On third and fourth play action, RPO, do things that keep Josh moving so he can run it in if the pass is not there. Too many plays in the red zone Josh was in the pocket with no one to throw to. He need to be moving on some of those plays. Miami blitzed a lot and kept Allen under pressure. When they didn't blitz deep in the red zone Josh had trouble finding open recievers. Knox was not much of a factor in the pass game again. He is not healthy and he spent time on the IV.

If McD challenged and lost would that be "indefensible" too?

You are looking for one person to blame, huh?

Their defense gave up 497 yards. The Bills lost because they beat themselves with missed plays and penalties. I agree with giving Miami credit, they were ready to play, but your one liners are off.

? The Bills had 40+ minutes of possession and 497 yards, but ok, if you say so.

Always appreciate your hard work to write these but this one misses the mark. We started with a skeleton crew on defense and gave up 21 points, and 7 are on the offense. We used every O-lineman that we had. We were literally down to ZERO backups. McKenzie spent part of the game hooked to an IV, as did Knox and Spencer Brown (who had a horrible game). Diggs was on and off the field all game. Davis dropped two big passes, one in the end zone. Allen was off at several key moments. With all the substitutions he seemed to lose his cool. Missed on throws. Through it all we had 497 yards and 40 minutes of possession and still lost because we just didn't finish, we made too many mental errors. Dropped TDs, a missed FG, terrible decisions at the end of the first half, and the ill fated 2nd last drive of the game ending on the 2. Why not roll Josh out on that last series and RPO? The final drive was killed by poor clock management and a holding call. The dumb penalties were a problem. We lost our cool. Yet, given all the injuries we dominated them again. Had we held on, kicked the long FG and won it would be a totally different vibe. We hung tough even though we played down to Miami's level. We have to get healthy. Now the OL is hurting. Miami will not fare as well in December.

Ok coach

Yes. They called up Mancz from the PS in advance of announcing Morse was inactive. Sure looks like McD was thinking this was possible.

Yes. Morse was limited in practice all week. Von Roten took more snaps.

Moving two players is almost never the right thing to do on the OL. Von Roten is the guy, like it or not. Mancz is the backup. McD saw this coming.

According to Eric Wood, Von Roten took most of the snaps at center. He did ok last week other than a few errant snaps.

Poyer was bit of a surprise.