BigAl2526

Interesting how the thread has evolved to revisiting draft reactions. I don't recall what I might have posted specifically about Bernard. I tend not to make snap judgments. My strongest negative reaction is usually along the lines of "I was hoping they might have picked _______ instead or I was hoping they would pick a ______ instead of a linebacker. If I were to guess my reaction to the drafting of Bernard, I probably worried about his lack of size. Still, I have always accepted that I don't know what the Bills know about prospective players.

When the Bills are in 4th and short (a yard or less) going for it is not a huge risk. It's almost impossible to stop Josh Allen on a QB sneak. The 4th and 2 at the end of the Kansas City game was a bit different. I think that happened because of the history Mahomes has of being able to move the ball in critical situations at the end of games. I don't think McDermott is a conservative coach though. I would like to see Joe Brady mix up his play calling on first down though.

I think voters look for turnaround situations in coach of the year voting. Brandon Beane will get credit for Buffalo being consistently among the league's elite teams. It's coaches who get credit for a team going from mediocre to really good or great in the space of a season. Dan Campbell is another coach who's done a real good job this season. I doubt he gets coach of the year consideration though, because the climb of the Lions has been too gradual over the last few years.

I think it is a common affliction among fans of teams enjoying a dynasty period. I hope that if my Bills should be so fortunate to sting some Super Bowl wins together, that I and my fellow Bills fans will maintain some self-awareness and avoid falling into stupidity.

I don't see Cleveland as the threat to KC that some do. I think the legit threats to the Chiefs in their last seven games are the Chargers, Steelers and Texans. For Buffalo, San Francisco may not be the threat they would have been a year ago, but I'll still be wary of Kyle Shanahan. Detroit is the biggest threat, obviously. Every other team on the Bills schedule is beatable if they play like they're capable of playing. The Detroit game will be every bit the challenge that the Chiefs game was, except it won't happen in the friendly confines of Highmark Stadium. I think there is a decent chance Kansas City loses one more game this season. If Buffalo can get past Detroit, I think they have a decent chance to go undefeated the rest of the way.

I agree that he and Hollis will get snaps and receptions. Will it be enough for fans to see him as a star? That's another question. I happen to think that Kaiir Elam is a talented CB. He was solid when he had to sub in for a starter (Douglas?) a few games back. With Benford and Douglas on the team, and healthy, Elam for all his potential is basically only going to get snaps in garbage time at the end of games when the score is not close. I know it's not the same thing with cornerback, but it's simple mathematics that say opportunities will be harder for Samuel to come by with all the receivers healthy.

Not surprising. I think many see Mahomes - Allen as the new Brady - Manning. It's a rivalry between the two best QBs in the NFL, and America loves rivalries.

I've checked a number of power rankings and I haven't found any. Realistically, since the Lions were #2 of virtually everybody's power rankings last week and hung a 50 burger on the Jaquars, #1 was not going to happen for the Bills this week. Almost all the rankings have Buffalo at #2, though I saw one (Bleacher Report) that had Buffalo stuck at #3, not moving despite knocking off the undefeated Chiefs. Detroit was #1 of course, but they still had the Chiefs ahead of Buffalo at #2. The commentary reasoned that KC would wake up now and beat the Bills in the playoffs. Haters gonna hate.

Life is good!

Twice in the space of a month, Buffalo will be facing the top rated team in the league. Had the season panned out for San Francisco the way most people expected it to prior to the season, Buffalo could have been facing three top three teams in the space of a month. Talk about running the gauntlet.

The Bills don't publicize or comment on the communications they have with the league office.

It is odd that neither of the top two receivers from the last few years for the Bills, who left the team, could last a whole season.

Assuming Buffalo meets KC in the playoffs, it will be a different Buffalo team. Presumably, Kincaid and Coleman will be back healthy. Amari Cooper should be healthier and more familiar with Buffalo's large playbook. On defense, Buffalo should have Carter and Milano back. Buffalo could go the whole game and not run a single play they used in the win on Sunday.

The interesting thing about that 4th and 2 touchdown run is that Kansas City ended up in a zone defense. According to Josh, they gave a look of man coverage, which is what he generally looks for in a designed run. Josh decided to run the ball anyway.

OCyrus Torrence

I got my Jim Kelly Hall of Fame jersey out and wore it for the game. First time all year.

When it happened, I chalked it up to matchup problems for the Bills. The Ravens have long been one of the NFL's "bully' teams. They not only talk tough, they play to beat up their opponents. Acquiring Derrick "Mack Truck" Henry only adds to that persona. I'm not so sure now. I think perhaps Buffalo had not yet fully adjusted to the injuries they had already sustained to that point in the season. Of course, the choice the Bills have made to go primarily with a 4-2-5 nickel lineup as their base defense also reduces their margin for error in run defense and a number of teams have run up yardage totals on the ground against the Bills this season. The Bills have adjusted to their injury situation and found other players who can contribute effectively. Against KC, they played with a pretty high level of consistency. Kareem Hunt actually had his longest run of the season yesterday, but overall, Buffalo's defense did a solid job against both the run and the pass. I think if Buffalo played Baltimore now, the result would be very different. Even if they didn't win, it would be a very close game. Against Houston, I think Buffalo was still dealing with the shock of the Baltimore blowout. It's on the coaches that they didn't get the players past it. What do you think? Has your view changed?

Hopefully, they can expose the "overrated" Detroit Lions in a few weeks.

Beane's philosophy is plug all your holes in free agency and then draft BPA. The Bills adhere to that pretty closely. The Bills' own upcoming free agents is the driving force in their off season strategy.

The biggest obstacle to Samuel having significant numbers of receptions is probably the number of quality receivers on the roster. Shakir is going to continue getting targets. So is Amari Cooper. Hopefully Keon Coleman continues of his upward trend and continues to get opportunities to contribute. And, of course, a healthy Kincaid is going to have his catches. Counting Kincaid, Samuel is likely the fifth receiver for the Bills and the fifth receiver rarely gets many opportunities when the guys ahead of him are healthy.

That, of course, depends on what the Chiefs do over their remaining games. Their toughest opponents remaining are the Chargers, Steelers and Texans. The toughest games for the Bills ahead are the 49ers and Detroit Lions. It won't be a piece of cake for the Chiefs to run the table, but I don't expect them to lose more than one additional game. If they do manage a record of 15-2, that forces Buffalo to run the table (Buffalo has the head to head tie-breaker). With Detroit in particular, that is a tall order, though not impossible. Buffalo versus Detroit could well be a Super Bowl preview.

I was just interested by the mathematics, that it is easier right now for the Bills to win the division than to get a wild card berth

Buffalo Rumblings has an interesting article on playoff numbers for the Bills: The Bills and the Playoffs The article points out what we all know, that the Bills are close to clinching the division. Two wins by Buffalo, two losses by Miami or a win and a loss by each would do it. Miami is second place in the division with 4 wins and 6 losses. By winning out, they can get to eleven wins, but Buffalo owns the first tie breaker over them (head to head). New England and the Jets have 3 wins and 8 losses. If one of them could win out, they can only tie Buffalo's record of 9 wins. If Buffalo takes care of things with respect to Miami, The Jets and Cheatriots are history too. Do you wonder if the Bills could win a wild card berth? It would be difficult. If Buffalo loses out, 9 wins might do it, but it's not likely. If Buffalo win's just one more game, I think they could sill win a wild card spot, though as I read the article, I don't think it agrees. Clearly, it's much easier at this point to win the division than win a wild card spot.

I'm thrilled that Allen scored the rushing touchdown,, but if he had gotten a first down without scoring, the Bills would still have been in good shape as they would have been able to run a fair amount of the remaining time off the clock.

He came back in after missing a bit of time to get his ankle taped up. He'll be fine in a couple weeks.