Ballhawk

What surprised me the most was how effectively the Chiefs loaded up the box and stopped our running game, on first down especially. We stopped getting 7 to 8 yards on first down and instead got 1-2 yards. The easy answer would seem to have been to throw the ball more, but given : a) the fact we needed to control the clock to protect our defense b) Our receiving corps was inconsistent with drops c) we had , as usual, a terrible screen game that we were going to keep running into 9 and 10 man boxes. Hindsight is 20/20, but Brady and McDermott should've adjusted to the fact the Oline was increasingly losing battles as the game wore on. Even the 4th and short plays were getting less push and Josh was barely making 1st downs that he easily made in the 1st half. They dared us to pass, and we proved that while we are a much improved running team, we are not a team that can run effectively when the D commits to taking away your running game.

Great, I won't have to watch that old man vertical leap on hail marys next year!

Lol, Cut him! (on his way out the door) Love ya! NFL is a business, but I suspect Tre gets every chance to take a) a pay cut and b) prove he's still got it after his recovery.

This is the most compelling one to me ! It actually looks like Mahones losing his cool undermined how they operated with those remaining downs. I can understand KC being upset, if this had happened to the Bills I'm sure I would have been upset but... for a seasoned vet to not compose himself and deal with his feelings internally is surprising. It tells me he hasn't had to deal with a lot of adversity in a public setting to develop this skill. Andy and Pat wouldn't last long with Buffalo's luck with calls/fate.

Unless Elam becomes a locker room cancer there just isn't a compelling reason to cut him while he's on his rookie contract. I would keep Poyer and cut Hyde, I'm not sure I'd want to absorb both losses to the depth chart in the same year. Tre is a tough one, cap savings makes case for cutting him but I think management will be watching his recovery closely as this one could go either way. TJ is one of the most valuable DBs to this nickel defense as he let's us play light and get away with it, I would leave him were he is.

Yep, I've really lost respect for Andy and Pat after this. It's easy to be magnanimous when you are winning, reminds me a lot of Brady and Belichick. What I cannot for the life of me understand is how the CHIEFS with their tomahawk chop chant have not been forced to rename their franchise as was the case with the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians. Every time I hear that chop chant, I'm like, this is just wrong (and I'm usually the last one to be politically correct!). Honestly, I didn't think it was possible but my immense respect for Allen has just grown from this as he has suffered as much as any QB in the league from heartbreak and never resorted to this crap. Sideshow Bob should go cry elsewhere than Allen after the game!

What can he do? Evolve as a leader and start holding others accountable. We've all heard the stories of the fun big kid next door that leads by example. We don't need Allen to have a cape, he needs a stick. Josh Allen clearly: 1) Puts his body on the line to win 2) Stands up for teammates in ways most QBs don't (i.e. Williams play in Giants game) 3) Holds himself personally accountable What's not clear is if he is holding his teammates accountable? Fans can't know if Davis keeps screwing up (but Josh does), and if he is, I want Josh to get in his face. While conventional wisdom says that should mostly occur behind closed doors sometime the moment dictates that it be on the sideline. Between McClappy and Josh this team's leadership style appears on the surface to lack accountability. When you look at some of the most iconic QBs to play the game, once they were 5 years plus into their careers they held players accountable on the field (Brady, Manning, etc...). Monday morning accountability means not adjusting to the game in real time. Josh's play is not the problem (certainly not yesterday), where he can improve is in taken full control of holding the offense and the team overall accountable. My hope is he gets so sick of losing that he adopts a more assertive leadership style next year. Anyone that has a problem (ala Diggs) can STFU and get in line with Allen's way. Give him full control on the field (excluding play calling). I hate (and I mean hate) Tom Brady, but you have to admire how he controlled his offenses and got after guys that were not on their assignments. This team is politically correct and says all the right things (one game at a time, trust the process, personal accountability...), it's time for Allen to start getting in people's faces.

Buffalo 21 Philly 17 I think these defenses come to play.

I'm pretty sure Beane, McD and all the coordinators are way too busy to consult this board. Maybe the Assistant to the Assistant Quality Assurance Coordinator who preps video review and gets coffee for everyone checks here. Yeah, that person might be tasked with keeping an eye on the pulse of social media.

Stats like passer rating and Time of possession always make me wonder if these stats are correlative vs causative (i.e. a reflection of success rather than a cause of it). For me there are two main other considerations in firing McDermott: 1) Can Beane fire McD given how they were hired as a package (surely he can technically do so, but practically I'm not sure this is in play). By extension are we saying get rid of Beane as well then? I've been pretty happy with the level of talent and the moves he's made and I'm not sure I want a new GM. 2) How do NFL teams quantify the value of continuity in assessing personnel decisions. Many this week might say, if the continuity is flawed then what are you preserving, does that by extension mean it is absolutely without value, I doubt that. Emotional fans might think so (of which I am often one), but I doubt Terry and Beane see it this way. Just ask Allen's draft mates (Darnold, Mayfield) what they think about continuity? That being said it's clearly not the whole equation as evidenced by the Dorsey/Daboll transition. All this to say, I'm assuming McDermott/Beane go together, given the massive upheaval this will cause I would rather assume the risk of trotting this, at times, mis-managed team out for another year (sans-injuries, hopefully) than rolling the dice with an entirely new GM and HC.

2020 AFC Wildcard game against Houston registers high on the pain index for me. Thought we had that one locked down, I guess blowing leads doesn't stand out anymore!

Lacking the qualifications or information to assess risk does not mean it doesn't exist. A lot fans knee jerk reaction this week is to want to replace McDermott without considering there is any risk involved. For every McVay, Taylor and Siriani there are dozens of one and done HCs. I find the premise that changing HCs next year is an automatic improvement highly flawed.

I think this speaks to the levels of desperation of certain franchises. Cleveland swung big to try to cross the finish line I respect that. Let's face it franchises like buffalo and Cleveland need to make deals like this to try to compete with the likes of the powerhouse markets (and tax free states) or draft exceedingly well (maybe both). As for Watson, it reminds me of the idiom "Football doesn't build character, it reveals it". Taking Watson was a risk they were desperate enough to take. Buffalo under Beane and McDermott have been unwillling to take players with character issues and who knows where we'd be if they did. It seems that usually character issues don't simply disappear (see 'Diggs' for Bills comparison).

Common denominator? Vets vs. rookies (or young 2nd year players). I think it's pretty obvious McDermott favors vets for playing time and gives them every advantage possible (including the one you refer to above)

You forgot, ...make the playoffs and compete for the division. I'm not saying I'm entirely sold on McDermott, but I want one more year with a new OC and hopefully better injury luck.

I think he's (McD) a top rate defensive mind and just needs a really strong up and coming OC to complement him. I think the dropoff from Daboll to Dorsey was bigger than we wanted to admit. Let's face it, it was such a nice narrative to have continuity between Allen and Dorsey. As much as McDermott is not perfect, I think he's good enough with the right OC and personnel. One more year's worth of draft picks with an established OC would be my preference. Also, Beane/McD seem like a package deal and I'm not sure I'm ready to start anew (remembering past GMs and coaches makes me think we're better with the devil we know).

I agree 100%. Drops balls are one thing, but breaking off routes and not being on the same page with Allen have been drive killers at best and INTs at worst. I realize communication is a two way street but I don't see any of the other WRs or TEs doing this as blatantly as Davis. Problem is he makes just enough plays to make the coaching staff keep him in there, but his inconsistency is a major contributor to the offensive inconsistency overall.

True but on balance with: Milano (27) Benford (23) Sherfield (27) Knox (26) Harris (26) Shorter (23) Doyle (25) It's not entirely age driven, in fact as far as roster construction goes there's a pretty decent amount of young guys injured as well. Look I get injuries are often perceived as a weak excuse, all I'm saying is in the extreme (though few NFL coaches will ever acknowledge it publicly) there is a tipping point...

So let me get this straight, everyone wants to fire the coach that has taken us to the playoffs 5 out of 6 years and won the division 3 years in a row all because we are 5 - 5 just over the halfway mark this year (who has a .639 winning %). I believe McDermott is a victim of his own success as Bills fans now expect so much more. Late 90's, 00's and 10's fans be like D amn you be upset because of what now !!! Holly recency bias Batman!

To me this is the problem with fans, treating the game in either offense or defense terms. The injuries to our defense affect the whole team. If you thought the team prior to London was unacceptable then you should want to see McDermott fired at the end of the year. I saw that team prior to London as very promising, the injuries cloud the assessment of the teams performance since then. To me he gets another year.

Injury luck is affected by an old roster but not solely determined by it. I don't care how young Milano was, that knee was not surviving that hit.

I guess you subscribe to the bull#### mantra of "next man up", otherwise you'd account for the devastating injuries to our defense and adjust your expectations accordingly. Next man up, is coach-speak for we don't like excuses (even when it's perfectly legitimate and clearly affecting performance). It takes everything, scheme, coaching, execution and yes... injury luck to get to the AFC Championship/and or the Super Bowl. While it's not clear if we have the schemes, coaching and players to get there, it is clear we haven't had the injury luck the last two years.

As a starting back, completely agree. As a meaningful role player maybe. As a short yardage goal back with minimal touches, I disagree. Buffalo has two quality backs, which makes Fournette and interesting addition. Entirely not worth it given his age to the rest of the league and if Buffalo wants more from him than that I'd agree completely. I just suspect the three headed monster of Murray, Cook and Fournette is exactly the brand of complementary football McD has in mind. I hope the road grading O line men get behind it (yeah I'm looking at you Cyrus!)

So happy. I fully expect we are going to see some ground and pound. Get Fournette up to speed after the bye, alternate with 28 and 4, let's go! Josh will clean alot up if he can complement an effective running game with play action and a timely passing attack. Honestly, I can't understand anyone that is upset with the defense, they've been covering for the O since the Patriots game in week2. Considering we drafted both 1st and 2nd round on offense last year, it's ridiculous to expect a heavily depleted defense to carry this team alone. As for the D breaking late in games, ummm are you new to Buffalo, that's our calling card!

I get that it was not a fumble, but I do not understand how that is ruled a completed pass based on forward progress when the catch did not survive the ground? If you are going to say he is down by contact on his butt, then doesn't it follow that if the ball comes out from that contact it is an incomplete pass. How many end zone catches are deemed incomplete because the receiver ultimately loses control when contacting the ground, sometimes seconds after the initial catch. I really hate the latitude refs have when when they call forward progress or not? It's bonkers, Sometimes they let running backs go forever (without advancing the ball) and you see strips attempts and other times they call it quick saving the offensive team.