dave mcbride

It's actually 54 passes because he was sacked 3 times.

Agreed, but that sorta confirms my point -- he has to be pinpoint, and every once in a while he will be because of the law of averages. But the approach is going to result in a very low completion percentage overall on bomb throws relative to other good NFL QBs.

It's not a one-off, though - it's been an issue for years. If nothing else, throw it up there with more arc and draw the 35-yard PI if the d-back catches up and tackles Sanders. He's just giving his WR zero chance on those throws. They need to be pinpoint given the arc and velocity, and it's extremely hard for anyone to be pinpoint when you're throwing it 40+ yards on a throw with only slightly more arc than a rope. Mahomes always puts some air under those and allows his playmakers to catch up or adjust and make plays.

Ford is not a good pass blocker. He probably needs the help. But so does Feliciano.

Is he actually slower? I can't tell. If someone has info on that, I'd be curious. He didn't turn his head back because he was beat. Not by much, but "not by much" is often good enough for a good QB/WR combo to connect in the NFL. Anyway, that's what happens when you get beat. Wallace absolutely should have been called for it in the first half too on that pass to Claypool on the other side of the field but got away with one. He never looked back and plowed into Claypool well before the ball arrived. Roethlisberger and Claypool were incredulous, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if Roethlisberger informed the officials about that and told them to pay extra close attention the next time he did that.

The Bills D-line wasn't drawing the holds, however. The Steelers D-line was because the Bills couldn't handle them. Felciano and Dawkins were horrible yesterday. Felciano is OK against JAGs but he's an utter liability against the Chris Joneses and Cam Heywards of the world. Simply not athletic or strong enough.

Whatevs. If he's defending like an elite safety in the passing game, he's worth the money.

They were tough catches. Allen's ball placement was off on a lot of passes yesterday. Not his finest hour. The DB went through Sanders but played the ball all the way. Could have gone either way, but it was bang bang and I wasn't upset by it. The Bills got called for offensive holding on the play anyway, so it wouldn't have mattered.

Agreed 100 percent. It is unbelievable.

Minor point and I honestly could care less about the Edmunds debate, more or less. I find it tiresome and am sorry I even waded in. The far more important point I made was about the Allen throw. Worrying.

Milano was the best cover guy on the field yesterday, fwiw.

The league is set up for teams to score. Pitt has a lot of playmakers and a HOF QB, and they are always at least pretty good. Holding them to 16 over a full game is basically an example of the D doing its job.

That series on first and ten from the goal line drove me nuts. Never go run heavy when it’s basically first and ten and the defense is defending an extremely short field—especially when the qb runs aren’t really working except when in scramble mode.

We didn’t stall on third down. It was first and 20 when they decided to kick the final FG. The poster is right. The bigger issue is running twice when it was first and goal from the ten yard line.

Sanders was consistently open yesterday and freed himself for a big TD catch only to see it badly overthrown. Sanders finished top three in the NFL last year in getting separation. He is good.

Well said. Too often, fans blame “coaching” when it’s players not making plays.

Enh … I watched that a couple of times and that’s not what I saw at all. Watch it again. Also, a worrying sign: Allen’s bomb to a WIDE-open Sanders was yet another low-arc missile that gave his receiver zero chance to adjust/catch up. How that hasn’t been coached out of him yet is beyond me. Put some air under it, for chrissake. The Sanders hatred here is laughable. He was excellent yesterday, consistently getting open.

Hughes had a great rush on in the play that forced the INT that was called back (on the very sketchy holding call).

Yes, and he actually looked great.

He was hurt last year still. Couldn’t really fully rotate his hip. His hip movement looks measurably improved, and there is more juice on the throws.

Tua looks sharper.

I don’t know about that. They played poorly late last year, but they did start out 11-0 for a reason. They’re always at worst decent and usually good.

Complaining about refs is a loser reaction. The Bills were called for a ton of offensive holding, but actually should have been called for MORE. They were gifted some non-calls on what to me looked like blatant holds. Also, Wallace clearly interfered with Claypool on that little pop fly Ben R threw on 3rd down in the first half (he didn’t look back, and plowed into the receiver before it arrived). Yes, there were a couple calls/non-calls that I wish had gone the Bills way, but the Bills lost this all by themselves. Not the refs.

Was it kumerow who blew that inside block on the blocked punt. I thought i saw a long-haired guy get beat. Not sure though.

Game over.