Rich Stadium Original

Just out of curiosity, checked ticket prices on the market. $33 for upper deck..$175 for power bowl seemed to be the average.

I wasted my time watching clips from a whole bunch of talking heads on all the networks making their picks for the game on Sunday. The vast majority thought the Bills would win quite easily. Skip and a few of the others picked the Steelers not because of their defense..not because of the running of Harris, but the FACT the Allen WILL turn over the ball at least once..maybe more because he ALWAYS does.(At least in their opinion)

Lake effect snow can be very unpredictable. That being said, as important as it was to win the division and play at home, heavy snow WILL negatively impact some of the advantages the Bills had going into the game. I don't care how big and strong Allen's arm is, you just can't throw the ball at all in those conditions. Games de-volve into the neighborhood kids playing street football in snowbanks..where anything is possible. For those of you who didn't see it or remember, the Bills won one of those games vs the Colts in 2017. McCoy ended up running for like 32 carries. (Hi-lights available on YouTube for what may be a preview)

Hopefully there isn't a bug going through the Bills locker room. There certainly is right now in Western New York. Looks like two players didn't practice today due to illness.

As a resident of Orchard Park, the answer is it depends. Right now, the forecast is for localized heavy bands of lake effect snow, blowing and drifting due to winds. Lake effect bands are very narrow..5-10 miles wide with intense snowfall rates. It may be snowing heavy where you are, and blue skies just a few miles to the north or south of you. So whether one of those bands sets up over Orchard Park and doesn't drift north or south will depend on specific wind direction on Sunday. It's in the forecast because you can't tell EXACTLY where they are going to set up. That being said, snow removal crews in Orchard Park, Erie County and New York State are the best in the country...but if one of those lake effect snow bands sets up over the same area and doesn't drift North and South, it can be tough to keep up with.

There is little doubt that the Steelers will try to run the ball, then run even more, and keep running until the Bills can stop them, especially with the weather forecast. Plus it shortens the game and helps to keep the score close They will probably come out in a two tight end set, and sometimes three. I wonder if McDermott will stick to his lighter LB/DB base defense, or if he'll add the extra linebacker to stop the run. Rudolph does chuck it occasionally, but I dont think of Pittsburgh as a throwing threat, particularly if it's windy and snowy.

I don't this was a game where you could judge Miller due to the quick release and rhythm passing of Tua. In fact, if you look at the stats of the D line it's pretty unimpressive. Oliver, who had been on a terror the last few games only had one tackle, and collectively the group had zero sacks. This doesn't mean he would have been making plays on longer dropbacks, but given the nature of the game, I would give him a grade of incomplete.

One of the quarterbacks tonight is a pro bowl selection, the second isn't. Hint: The guy NOT selected is the one with 360 passing yards and 67 rushing yards

Don't forget Tennessee is the reason you are playing for the Division title after they beat Miami a few weeks ago.

Your team is already guaranteed a playoff spot, but your team is VERY banged up. When you play the Bills Sunday night do you: A.) Push all your walking wounded to play in the hopes of retaining division title and #2 seed. Reward is maybe two or more home playoff games..where your record has been pretty good this year Risk is if you win against the Bills you may play a home game, but then bumped off in the first round because your team is even more tired, and no chance to let injuries heal..more players out when it counts the most. Added bonus is it may be elimination game for Bills, but may not know if that's the case until kickoff. B.) You rest your starters and give them a chance to heal..thus increasing your chances of winning that first playoff game...even if it's on the road.

Due to work yesterday I admittedly missed most of the Bills game and Allen's stats speak for themselves. But i watched the highlights of the "MVP Performance" of Lamar Jackson, and found that on his big throws yesterday for the most part he had PLENTY of time in the pocket to scan the field, with almost no pressure, sometimes throwing to receivers that were WIDE open..essentially just playing catch. My understanding is that was not necessarily the case with Allen.

IMO, this game comes down to two things. First is play of the offensive line. Barmore completely blew up the middle if the Denver line last week accounting for 3 sacks and a fumble. If Allen has time to throw, he should pick this secondary to pieces. Second is the creativity of Brady. Pats have a good defense, but they can't cover Diggs AND Davis AND Knox AND Kincaid AND Cook at the same time... if he knows how scheme them open. IF the line can give Allen time, I think we could see a repeat of the second Jets game. If Allen is running for his life, we may see a repeat of the Chargers last week.

You will get little argument from me that Miller has not nearly shown anywhere near his past productivity, particularly with what the franchise is paying him. But I would argue that there is a lot more that we don't know about his injury/recovery than we do know: a.) What was the severity of the original injury, and what is the usual recover time to full speed from such an injury? (A lot of his game is built on speed and quickness) b.) How successful was the surgery, and have there been complications in the recovery limiting speed and agility? c.) What are the doctors and trainers telling him now? How much pain and swelling is he getting during repeated use? d.) Are the Bills aware of his limitations, but putting him out on the field in certain situations just to draw extra attention? I would assume he is a professional athlete with a desire to win, and not just taking plays of because he's afraid of getting hurt again. If his physical condition was as bad as it may appear without hope for improvement, I would have thought the team would have shut him down on IR...We may never have the answers to a lot of these questions until the season is over.

Bolts know Bills a little banged up along the D line...they come out in 2 TE sets and try to shorten the game by running a lot with some success. Think pass rush will give Allen fits at times (see: Mack) Ultimately Bills have more talent and win in what shouldn't have been so close Bills -19 Bolts -17

Sometime teams/players make a run at bending the rules until the NFL figures it out. Another trend lately seems to be the tackles coming out of their stances just a fraction before the ball is snapped to gain a little advantage in pass protection. Seems to be spreading too until they start flagging it.

Chargers may come out very spirited after last debacle, and its very important to get on them early. Keep the mistakes and turnovers to a minimum, and the difference in the game will be the Bills talent...certainly don't want a very close game going into the 4th quarter.

Yeah, I would say this goes beyond "padded practice" and into my "a bit nicked up" catagory...

Saw a report of a sprained wrist somewhere...nothing official. Team actually got a bit nicked up yesterday. McDermott even mentioned it in his press conference. I think Spencer Brown had fingers x-rayed after the game. Ty Johnson came to the sidelines twice with right shoulder drooping twice--looked like stingers to me. Leonard Floyd sat out for a bit being evaluated for an unknown injury, but went back in. No reports of severity from what I've seen

I saw part of a clip of Greeny this morning. I didn't watch all of this posted clip so not sure if it was the same show..but I think it was Jeff Saturday that said the reason the Bills were so bad was that they had no running game beyond Josh Allen. Come again?..do any of these guys do ANY research before they spew stuff? Yes, #10 in rushing in the NFL this year is James Cook..that places him ahead of Barkley, Najee Haris, and Joe Mixon to name a few..how can you believe ANYTHING these guys say? They seem to latch on to something that isn't true and just keep perpetuating the lies through reputition and ignorance.

Started this topic back on Oct 1st...any change of opinions since then? Epically bad on offense (shut out twice this season) At this point, the #2 overall pick. Will have to see if they actually give Cunningham a shot at QB.

He said/she said very difficult to prove without witnesses or corroborating evidence (see: your rookie punter last season) That being said IF ANY portion of it proves to be true, Pegula will want him off the team. He recently fired a Bills executive and team lawyer for having an affair.

A lot was made during the broadcast about the amount of third down snaps where Diggs was on the sidelines...haven't seen a dedicated thread about it yet. Has anybody verified his snap count?..particularly on third down? I have not heard the question come up in an interview since. A little dinged up?..he was banged up a little on one of Allen's touchdowns..slow to get up. A lot has been made of the miscommunication between Davis and Allen on the last third down..but just a few plays prior there was a quick wide receiver screen to either Sherfield or Davis to the left, and they both ran downfield blocking..was Diggs on the opposite side? It should be remembered their third down conversion rate wasn't bad, particularly on 3rd down.

If hindsight is 20/20, then McDermott needs a new optometrist, because HE is certainly not learning from his mistakes. I think he comes into the game extremely well prepared..look at the first half last night...then as the game goes on and you need to make further adjustments on the fly, he is unable to keep up. It almost feels like a tidal wave overwhelming him in the fourth quarter..playing not to lose/soft zone/ill placed time outs and blitzes..and it comes back to bite him over and over. Think: Jets OT, Pats, Broncos, Giants(should have been a loss), and now Eagles. What's the old definition of insanity?..doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.

Last 5 PHL drives: TD TD punt FG TD...this team does not know how to close out a game.... and the Bills have now lost 4 of their 6 losses on essentially the last play of the game.

Know the Bills can't keep this up...but the Jets were 0 for on third down last week, and the same is true of the Eagles today