folz

True, the Saints, Jets, and Dolphins are all in the bottom half/bottom third of the league in offense. But, we still held them to their season averge points/yards per game or worse. And it's not like those teams don't have some very good offensive weapons (Hill, Waddle, Kamara, Olave, Wilson, Hall, Fields---running the ball-wise, etc.), they're going to make some plays. Some posters are acting like we got lit up by these offenses (or played them worse than other teams have) and that we have one of the worst defenses in the league. We are currently an average defense with a lot of opportunity to get much better (with the returning guys and the rookies and 2nd year guys getting more reps and experience). Opponent Total Pts. Pts. rank Yds Rank Avg. Pts/gm Avg. Yds/gm Pts vs. Buf Yds vs. Buf Miami 83 21st 26th 21 286 21 276 Jets 90 19th 21st 23 305 10 154 Saints 66 28th 22nd 17 301 19 298 So, we held Miami and the Saints to just about their current season averages. We held the Jets well below their season average. [Miami has also played: Colts, Pats, Jets; Saints have also played: Cards, SF, Seattle; Jets have also played: Steelers, Bucs, and Dolphins.] And just to repeat from my previous post (what billsfan89 was responding to), if anyone missed it: The Bills held their last three opponents to an average of 16.6 points and 243 yards per game, when league average for offenses is 22 points and 340 yards per game Season combined average for the three teams in question is 20.33 points and 297.33 yards per game. So, 16.6 and 243 is still better--Jets game skews that a bit though. But, just because we let those teams hang around a little longer than we should have in those games, does not mean that they lit up our defense. Though as I said, we obviously still have a long ways to go in the run stuffing department. Also, it's not always just the defense. When, in the 2nd quarter (vs. the Saints), your offense goes INT, 5 and out/punt, 3 and out/punt, 3 and out/punt, it kind of gives teams a chance to get back in or hang around the game. I don't expect our offense to score on every drive, but getting no points on 4 consecutive drives and giving the other team good field position will definitely help to keep a team in a game (plus eleven penalties---seven of which were on the offense or STs). Lots to improve everywhere on the team, but not really anything to be worried too much about overall, imo

No question the team needs to work on the run defense, but I think the Baltimore game kind of skews the team stats at the moment (with both points and Henry's run total). They will balance out as we go. But how bad has the Bills defense been of late? We held our last 3 opponents to an average of 16.6 points. League scoring average is 22. We held our last 3 opponents to 298, 276, and 154 yards of total offense. The league average for yards per game is 339.8. We created 4 turnovers in the last 3 games (we also created 4 more fumbles, but which the fumbling team recovered). We had 7 sacks over the last 3 games. In the last 3 games, we held our opponents to an average of 7.66 points in the 2nd half of those games. Lots of new players, two new coaches, Oliver and Milano coming back, Hoect, Ogunjobi, and Hairston still in the wings. This defense has not been bad the last few weeks and will only get better as we move forward. But again, still need to work on that run defense (hopefully Oliver, Hoect, and Ogunjobi can help in the category, eventually).

First of all, the Bills do have some speed on their team: Worthy 4.21 [40-time] Samuel 4.31 Moore 4.35 Shakir 4.43 And obviously Worthy is waaaay faster than Keon, and no one is going to describe Keon as a receiver who can "take the top off a defense"...and yet, it might interest you to know: In 22 games (including playoffs), Xavier Worthy has 12 receptions of 20 yards or more (54, 50, 50, 37, 35, 31, 28, 26, 24, 23, 21, 21). In 20 games (including playoffs), Keon Coleman has 15 receptions of 20 yards or more (64, 57, 49, 44, 28, 25, 25, 24, 24, 21, 21, 21, 21, 20, 20). Does it really matter if you get them with speed/route running, or you get them with route running/size/jump balls or whatever?

First of all, Beane had nothing to do with passing on Mahomes (that was McD/Whaley). But, yes, let's talk about hindsight with Mahomes. Easy to say now the Bills should have drafted Mahomes or not traded K.C. that pick. But, in 2017, we had a first year head coach who didn't even have a good assessment of his own roster yet. We had a lame duck GM, who was about to be fired. At the time, 2017 was not considered a great draft for QBs. Some people felt that K.C. reached for Mahomes at 10 (he was not expected to be as good as he's been, or at least get there as fast as he did by many at the time). And 2018 was already shaping up (again, at the time) to be a generational QB class, as good as 1983. It made all of the sense in the world at the time for McD to wait on his QB. Wait until he knew his roster and organization, wait until he had a GM he trusts and had time to scout all of the QBs, wait for the better QB class, etc. I think you are looking back with hindsight if you think the Bills should have drafted Mahomes. I tried to follow all of the trade deals and subsequent trades of those picks and this was basically what I found as the outcome of the two trades (draft picks in parentheses): Chiefs got: Mahomes (10), Worthy (28), CB Jaden Hicks (133), OC C.J. Hanson (248). Bills got: Tremaine Edmunds (16), Tredavious White (27), Keon Coleman (32), Zay Jones (37), Dion Dawkins (63), DeWayne Carter (95), and OT Travis Clayton (221). The Bills also had to give up two 5th rounders in the process: picks 154 and 156. So, picks 10, 28, 154, and 156 netted us the above 7 players. Sure Zay was a bad pick and Tremaine never quite reached the level of his draft status (though a solid player), but I'd say we did ok. No picks will ever match the value of Mahomes, obviously, but considering we were still able to get Josh the next year, I'd say things worked out for the best. I personally would take Josh 100 times out of 100 times over Mahomes, not because I think Josh is better than Mahomes, but because he just fits Buffalo so perfectly (and I like him/his personality better---though Pat seems like a good guy too). Time to let the whole Mahomes trade go...everything happened they way it was meant to and our day in the Sun will come. Couldn't agree more with everything you've said Generic (even though I didn't quote all of it). But the bold statement is the key that some people just can't get. Both players are good and each team got the guy they wanted. We didn't want Worthy for our offense (otherwise we would have just picked him where we were rather than trading back, and obviously K.C. wanted Worthy over Keon, as they picked Worthy with Keon still on the board). This was a win-win for both teams. And it's not like Worthy is going to be the one player that prevents us from beating K.C. Well, yes, let's talk about the playoffs for a moment. Before garbage time in the Super Bowl (11 quarters of playoff games), Worthy was averaging 53.45 yards and 0.36 TDs per playoff game (and that includes the 29-yard reception in the Bills game that definitely should have been called an INT or an incompletion---but the refs gave it to Worthy). He wasn't killing it all playoffs. Then, with 2:33 minutes left in the third quarter of the Super Bowl, with the Eagles winning 34-0, Worthy hits some big plays. Let me repeat that, the game was 34-0 in favor of the Eagles (34-6 going into the 4th quarter) when Worthy went off. Do you think maybe the Eagles had let up a bit at that point? Do you think Worthy still has that outburst if it's a one-score game at that point? I'm not knocking him for his SB production (it was still impressive and I'd be excited about it as a Chiefs fan as hopefully, things to come), I'm just saying I don't think you can use last year's playoffs as any kind of arbiter for these two players because Keon was in a weird place in our offense after coming back from injury and with Mack playing well in his absence (and Curtis Samuel getting healthy), and because the majority of Worthy's stats came in garbage time of a blowout. To be clear with their career stats thus far: Regular Season: Worthy (19 games): 64 recs on 107 targets for 721 yards and 6 TDs, 11.3 yards/rec, 6.74 yards/target. 142 rushing yards with 3 TDs. Coleman (17 gms): 46 recs on 79 targets for 759 yards and 5 TDs, 16.5 yards/rec, 9.6 yards/target. 8 rushing yards with 0 TDs. Total yards and TDs (reg season): Worthy 863 and 9 TDs; Keon 767 and 5 TDs (Worthy has played two more games than Keon and has 50 more touches). Total yards and TDs (reg season and playoffs): Worthy 1,150 yards and 12 TDs; Keon 789 yards and 5 TDs. (Worthy had 66 more touches than Keon.) Total yards and TDs (reg season and playoffs, minus SB garbage time): Worthy 1,002 yards and 10 TDs; Keon 789 yards and 5 TDs (Worthy with 60 more touches than Keon.) Like I said, it seems like a win/win scenario for both teams, imo. But either way, it will probably take a couple more seasons to make any true assessment, in relation to comparing the two players.

You're right, players (rookies and 2nd year guys) never improve with more experience and more reps. Defenses never improve as the year goes on. Adding decent players to the rotations won't add anything. Yeah, let's write off our first round pick already...I mean he hasn't even seen the field yet this year (Bust). And yeah, it's only two players out, shouldn't make a difference. Oliver and Milano don't bring anything special to the game. This defense sucks and it always will, there is no hope for improvement ever. Coaches and players don't learn and get better. Other top coaches never, ever make mistakes---but McD would throw away every single game with piles of mistakes if Josh didn't bail him out every single time. All these Homer fans with their excuses. I can't ever forgive McD for 13 seconds. I don't care that he's 16th in win % of all coaches who have ever coached in the league, or that it's the best win % ever by a Bills Head Coach. I don't care that we held our last three opponents to an average of 16.6 points (when the league average for points per game surrendered is 22 points) and that we won each of those games by double digits (despite almost 60% of NFL games being one-score games). I mean, if I was coaching, we'd win by like 40 points each week and we'd have like 10 Super Bowls already. I mean that's how good Josh Allen is (even though he's only played 7 years). I mean, how can a coach not win with an MVP-caliber QB, maybe McD should try to learn a little from John Harbaugh. I mean if you're not willing to fire your coach after a 4-0 start, after going 13-4 with an AFC Championship game appearance (that the refs screwed us in), and winning your division and making the playoffs each of the last 5 years, then you're just some pie-in-the-sky homer that can't see reality, that can't see the facts of the situation.

Well, currently, the Bills are: 14th in yards allowed 17th in points allowed 16th in sacks 12th in takeaways I'd say that qualifies for already being almost exactly average. Yes, we played teams that currently have a shared record of 1-13, but let's not pretend that that record tells the whole story. Baltimore is still tied for 2nd most points scored this year (even after their loss today) and have a great offense with two HOFers, Miami has a lot of serious offensive weapons (Hill, Waddle, Achane, Gordon, Waller, Washington)---even if it hasn't come together for them yet. Sure, they got crushed by Indy in week one, but then played two close games vs. NE and Buf. New Orleans also has some pretty decent offensive weapons (Olave, Shaheed, Kamara, Juwan Johnson, Miller, Cooks). Yes, they got crushed by Seattle, but they were also in tight, one-score games with 2-2 Arizona and 3-1 San Fran. Even the Jets---they lost by 2 points to 3-1 Pitt, lost by 2 points to 3-1 Tampa, and lost to us. I'm not saying these teams are all good teams, I'm just saying that they (and their offenses) are better than a 1-13 record would indicate. No question the Bills defense needs to improve, especially against the run. But, let's not pretend like they are currently one of the worst defenses in the league.

Currrently there are only 4 teams scoring an average of 30 or more points/game (in 2025): Detroit: 34.25 Buffalo: 33.25 Baltimore: 33.25 Indianapolis: 30.75 In 2024, only 3 teams averaged 30 or more points/game: Detroit, Buffalo, Baltimore. In 2023, only one team averaged 30 or above: Dallas. In 2022, No teams averaged 30 or more points per game. In 2021, only one team averaged 30 or above: Dallas. In 2020, only two teams averaged 30 or more: Green Bay and Tampa Bay. So, over the last 6 years, only 11 teams averaged 30 or more points per game. With 32 teams over 6 years, that means only 11 teams of a possible 192 teams accomplished that feat (or it only happened 5.73% of the time over the last 6 years---and that is if all four 2025 teams can maintain that rate for the rest of the year). It may not be remarkable to score 30 points in an individual game, but to do it on a consistent basis is actually quite a feat. Since 2020 (5-1/4 years), the Bills have averaged 29.64 points per game. Since Brady took over OC, we have averaged 29.97 points/game.

Cook is currently on pace for 1,704 rushing yards and 21 TDs---2,082.5 yards from scrimmage. 😱🤪 Not saying he'll reach that, but wow. It wasn't the greatest defensive effort, but a few things: 1. No Oliver or Milano today. Hoect, Ogunjobi, and Hairston are still in the wings. 2. Desperate teams (0-3) are dangerous. 3. The Saints may not be a great team, but they do have some talented players (Olave, Kamara, Juwan Johnson, Rasheed Shaheed, C Erik McCoy, etc.). 4. Bills are still adjusting/growing on defense (lots of new players---7 new guys on the defensive line alone, lots of rookies and 2nd year guys, and they're trying to tweak some things scheme-wise). This defense will get better as the year rolls on. 5. How bad were they actually? (see below) NFL teams are currently averaging 339.3 yards per game and 22 points. Bills allowed the Saints 298 yards and 19 points (so below league average). The Saints offense (weeks 1-4) is averaging 301 yards and 16.5 points per game. The defense stopped them on 6 of 10 drives, with two of their successful drives being field goals. We had 3 sacks and caused two turnovers (well, technically only one, but Boas also forced a fumble that the Saints recovered). Held them to 3 points in the 4th quarter on three possessions. Held them to 109 passing yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. It wasn't a dominant performance by any means, but it wasn't awful. We basically kept them right around their average (which for an 0-3 team is not great). They didn't really perform much better than they did vs. their first three opponents. Run defense still needs work (gave up 189 today) and there is still a lot for them to learn from this game, but with guys returning and all of the rookies gaining valuable experience and reps...we'll get better.

Desperate teams (0-3) are dangerous. And the Saints may not be a good team, but they do have some very talented players (Olave, Kamara, Demario Davis, Cam Jordan, Juwan Johnson, C Erik McCoy, Rasheed Shaheed, the rookie corner Sanker looked pretty good, etc.). They are going to make some plays. Props to the defense for shutting them down in the 4th quarter (and with no Oliver or Milano). The Saints last 3 possessions were field goal, downs, downs. I got: Josh Cook Shakir Bosa Bernard Bishop Shout outs: Not just from today, but man, I really like Dorian Strong's toughness and tackling (4 solo tackles today). Tre seemed to have a bit of an up and down game, but he did have 7 tackles, 1 TFL, and the big stop on 4th down. As to the rookies, along with Strong, Hawes and Walker are looking like players....and even Sanders had a nice tackle today. This rookie class could be very strong if they keep up this progress (and we haven't even seen Hairston yet). Taking the positives from a not-so-pretty win. 4-0 baby! Go Bills!

Cook kind of reminds me more of Leveon Bell in his prime. Bell was a bit bigger and Cook is a bit faster, but, the way Cook is patient finding the holes, follows and works with his blockers, and then the explosiveness when hitting the hole all kind of remind me of Bell. Last two years: Kamara: 2,653 yards from scrimmage and 14 TDs; 4.05 yds/C, 7.1 yds/rec (27 games total) Cook: 2,834 yards from scrimmage and 24 TDs; 4.80 yds/C, 9.1 yds/rec (33 games total) Should be a good match-up (of the RBs), though obviously Cook has the way better overall team. Kamara has averaged 1,442 yards from scrimmage per season over the last 8 years, with 10.4 TDs per year. Just FYI. (He missed 17 games during that span---8 years). I know it probably won't happen because we have run the ball a ton these first 3 games and I'm sure there will be games where we end up passing much more or the backup RBs get more touches than they have, and I know it is only 3 games, but currently Cook is on pace for 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 22 TDs this year (on pace for 1,609 rushing yards and 402 receiving yards). Like I said, he probably won't reach that, but I was a bit surprised that he was on pace for 1,600 rushing yards and 22 total TDs currently. Last year, that would have put him third in rushing (behind only Barkley and Henry) and first in TDs. Glad we paid the man his money.

I was thinking about the bolded statements. I mean we all know about the playoff losses for Lamar and I wondered how has he done in prime time games (as Josh is well known for playing well in prime time---and prime time games being another type of pressure situation with the whole country watching, depending on who you are playing of course). Turns out, Lamar has the best percentage of any QB in prime time games (with Josh in second)---impressive. Win percentage in Prime Time Games: Lamar 76.9% Josh 74.1% Peyton 73.4% Goff 71.0% Mahomes 70.3% https://www.profootballnetwork.com/josh-allens-primetime-dominance-takes-center-stage-against-dolphins/ I didn't expect that, but then...they are still regular season games. (Those stats are from before Josh's win against the Dolphins on Thursday night and Lamar losing on Monday night---though that probably wouldn't affect the stats too much---with the volume of PT games each has played). As to playoffs: Record total Yd/game total TDs/game TOs/game Jackson 3-5 299.2 1.63 1.38 Allen 7-6 309.8 2.46 0.46 (TDs and turnovers seem to make the difference) One other interesting career stat (not just playoffs): 4th Quarter Comebacks Game Winning Drives Lamar 10 12 Josh 14 23 I like Lamar too (great player, nice guy, he's fun to watch)---wouldn't be unhappy if he were my team's QB (if we didn't have Josh, of course). And I definitely wouldn't call him a choker (sometimes it's his teammates, I'm looking at you Andrews and Henry), or a guy who can't win the big games. But I do think Josh definitely has an edge in that category (even if Josh too has yet to reach the promised land). Lamar and Josh are kind of head-to-head in so many stats/areas. But, I think two stats kind of show that Josh has just been consistently better in crunch time, when the game is on the line---4thQC/GWD (37 to 22 in favor of Josh), and then playoffs TD/TO ratio. So, agreed, I'm putting my chips on Allen too when the game is on the line.

Mitch Morse resume for Legend of the Game: -5 years as the starting center of the Buffalo Bills -Made the Pro Bowl as Bills' center -Was Josh's center from year 2 to year 6 of Josh's career, helping to develop and protect our young franchise QB. Stability at the center position for a young QB is huge. A guy who can help with the protections, keep the huddle calm, keep the offense steady. As Artful Dodger posted, he was like the dad of the offense back then. -We made the playoffs all 5 years Mitch was here -Starting center for 10 playoff games, including an AFC Championship game -Put his body on the line for the team (the concussions) -Was with the team through some serious adversity (the AFC Champoionship game loss, the pandemic, 13 seconds, the Damar situation---heck, all of 2022). His stint with Buffalo wasn't that long, but he did a lot of Bills living in those 5 years. Definitely worthy of being a Legend of the game...and having long-term respect from Bills fans.

True, Beasley was very much like a Welker or Edelman. Though I think Beasley could be considered a big help to Josh at the time...having both Diggs and Beasley made things go back then. Not a HOFer or anything, but he was one of the best slot receivers at the time (the same with Edelman), so that does count to an extent (just not if you are counting like how many All-Pros/HOFers on a particular SB team or whatever). And I do agree that Welker and Edelman were both a bit of a product of Brady and the New England short passing offense (Edelman was raised in that offense and didn't become a main factor until his 5th year). Curious, I know you are kind of putting Josh in the same boat as Brady as far as lack of other All-Pro/HOF-level players around him (which is true), but what do you think of Josh's weapons overall this year (in relation to Tom Brady, and obviously acknowledging that we don't have a stud #1 outside receiver). Outside of maybe 2008-2012 (the Moss and Gronk/Hernandez years), do you think Josh's weapons are better this year than what Brady usually had? It definitely seems like we are at least deeper at the skill positions than the Pats were for many years. I did see a stat that from 1966-2000, the average number of HOFers on a winning Super Bowl squad was 5.68. I would assume that number has lowered a bit over the last 25 years due to free agency and both New England and Kansas City winning so many Super Bowls (without a big number of HOF players). My bet is that it is closer to 3-4 players now (besides NE and KC, the Giants won twice without a stacked roster...I don't feel like Seattle, Pitt, Denver, or Tampa Bay were stacked with HOFers---meaning like 5-6 or more). And one last thought, a player could not end up being a HOFer, but could have a HOF-type season. For instance, if Cook and Kincaid have huge years this year (that if maintained might make them a HOFer, but say they don't maintain it---then they wouldn't be a HOFer on that team, but for that season, maybe they played as if they were). Not sure that I have any point here...just some food for thought.

No question New England saw a string of mediocre receivers wash through during the Brady years. And I don't think many people will argue against the fact that Brady probably did more with less than any other SB winning QB. But, for a 12-year stretch, he did have pretty good top targets at least: 2007: Moss, Welker, TE Ben Watson 2008: Moss, Welker, Watson 2009: Moss, Welker, Edelman, Watson 2010: Moss (for 4 games), Gronkoski, Hernandez, Welker, Edelman 2011: Gronkowski, Hernandez, Welker , Edelman 2012: Gronkowski, Hernandez, Welker, Edelman 2013: Gronk and Edelman 2014: Gronk and Edelman 2015: Gronk and Edelman 2016: Gronk and Edelman 2017: Gronk and Edelman 2018: Gronk and Edelman *Bold years indicate a Super Bowl appearance. [Note, having Gronk and Edelman was not unlike KC having Kelce and Hill. No question Hill is better than Edelman, but you know what I mean.] Similar to the Bills...no #1 X-receiver (outside of the Moss years), but Brady did still have at least a couple of very good players to throw the ball to (besides the Brandin Cooks, Josh Gordons, Deion Branches, Chris Hogans, Brandon Llyods, Danny Amendolas, and Brandon LaFells that cycled through). The Pats appeared in 5 of their 9 Brady-era SBs during those years, 2007-2018---2 wins, 3 losses in the Bowl. Edelman isn't a HOFer or anything, but he was a damn good player in that system and with Brady (over a 6-year stretch, discounting games he was out for injury/pro-rating them, he was averaging 1,117 yards and 6 TDs per season). And earlier in Brady's career, the Pats had a better defense and Brady was more of a game manager, and though not a murderer's row, he did have Troy Brown, Ben Watson, and Corey Dillon in that era, plus a good D. Still, no question, Brady did more with less. In relation to Josh, I would say that Josh currently (this year) has more/better weapons overall than Brady had for the majority of his career (outside of a few years maybe), but Josh has never had a Moss- or a Gronk-level player either...Diggs was close, but not nearly as dominant (or as big and strong) as the other two in their prime. Diggs was a pro-bowler, Moss and Gronk were generational talents. As far as the Bills of this era, yes, Diggs will obviously be remembered. Shakir may be remembered as an Edelman/Welker type. I think Kincaid and Coleman (if they continue their progression) will probably be remembered. Cook obviously will be remembered (though a RB, not a full-time pass catcher). Hawes is looking like more than just a blocker (who knows where his career goes). But yes, over the previous 5 years, not a lot of guys will stand out from those teams (2020-2024) when looking back from the future. As to the Bills scoring (interesting stat callout OP), If they continue at their current 2025 scoring average of 34 points a game (improbable), they would end the 6-year stretch at 29.93 points/game. If they scored the same amount this year as last year, they would end the 6-year stretch at 29.40 points/game. If they continued at their 5-year (2020-2024) scoring average, they would end the 6-year stretch at 28.98 points/game If I'm not mistaken, any of those scenarios would put them ahead of the New Orleans run. But, we would need to average 38.79 points per game the rest of the season to match New England's run (2008-2013). Really shows you just how good that New England offense was over that stretch---although that team did like to run up the score a lot, which McD never really does---but then, New England will have also played 4 fewer games in their span too (than the current Bills)...due to the increase from 16 to 17 games in 2021, but then the Bills losing the Cincinnati game).

Yes, more pressure from the front four is something we all wanted to see this season. But, it's only week 3. Yeah, the Bills are currently 22nd in sacks. But they are also 13th in QB pressures (which is not terrible and they should get better). 1. Bosa has been playing well (1 sack, 8 pressures, 5 hurries, 3 QB hits, 2 QB knock-downs). He's been pretty active and is still getting acclimated to the system and working with the guys around him. I think the sacks will come. 2. We eventually get back Hoecht and Ogunjobi...which should make the overall line better, which will hopefully lead to more pressures and sacks (even if not by those players specifically). Plus, we were missing Ed Oliver last game (who was playing great the first two weeks). 3. We played the Ravens and Dolphins. Lamar is a really hard player to sack or even hem in...and Tua was getting the ball out of his hands in 3 seconds, the majority of his passes were behind the line of scrimmage. Tough to judge the DL too much (in realation to pressure) with those two games. Need a few more games to see where we really are. 4. The more this unit plays together, the better they should be. There were 7 new D-lineman added this year (and two of them haven't even seen the field yet), and two new coaches were added, specifically to help the pass rush. ...give it a little time.

Slightly off topic, but I didn't know where else to post this (somewhat obvious) thought I just had. If you discount the final regular season game of 2024 (when our starters didn't play), the week 4 tilt in Baltimore last season was the only game that we have lost by more than 3 points since the beginning of last year. [And we were missing Milano, Bernard, and Taron Johnson in the Baltimore game, and then Oliver, Rapp, and Shakir all left the game with injuries. And Cutis Samuel was still working through a turf toe injury.] The Bills were literally 8 points away from being 21-1 over the last 22 games with a Super Bowl appearance (again, not counting week 17, and obviously, in reality we were 3 points away from the SB vs. K.C.). I mean, we are a VERY GOOD team right now (despite any flaws on the defense or perceived weaknesses at the WR position---not saying we can't discuss those things though---just stating the obvious, I guess). Go Bills!

Of course they had a scheme and plan going into the season, but you don't know what is or isn't working until you start playing actual games (especially if it is a new scheme and new players) and when you see how defenses are playing you and adapting to what you are doing. It is talked about all of the time that some teams find their way as the season progresses. Teams don't just set a new scheme and then say, come hell or high-water that is what we are sticking with. You go in with a plan, but then you alter things or tweak things as you see what works and what doesn't, what guys are executing well and what they aren't, etc. Having a scheme/plan going into the season and an offense finding its identity as a team are often two very separate things. Ok, maybe my memory was off with the "everyone eats" thing and that did start in the offseason, I'll give you that. But, your initial statement that I was reacting to was that you said defenses figured out our offense in 2024 and now again in 2025. And again, you are referencing week 4 (the loss to Baltimore---and then subsequent loss to Houston the following week). If that is when defenses figured us out, in week 4 last year, then why were they so successful against almost every other defense from week 6 on? If we were figured out, wouldn't the offense have struggled all year? They didn't. It seems much more logical to me that a team with a new scheme and new players were still finding themselves in week 4, rather than defenses having already figured them out in just 3 games. Plus, don't forget the injuries. In the weeks 4 and 5 losses to Balt and Houston, the following players were injured: Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, Matt Milano, Terrell Bernard, Taylor Rapp, Ed Oliver, and Taron Johnson. I'm sure that had nothing to do with anything, right? It was all just that our WRs sucked, even though two of the top three were injured at the time. Do you really think that the acquisition of Amari Cooper is what turned the offense around (despite him playing less than 22% of snaps on the year). Do you think they would have been bad without Cooper? We won two playoff games where Amari had 2 receptions for 8 yards on 4 targets (across two games). So, was it Cooper coming on board? Or was it the receivers getting healthy and the offense finally gelling and finding its identity (even if you don't believe that to be a thing). I mean how much do you think Mack Hollins was part of the off-season plan and how much of that developed out of need and necessity, and seeing what Mack was good at, and Mack and Josh finding a chemistry? As to #4 above, why Beane acquired Cooper...I already stated that in my last post: I mean, was it because the WRs were just "plain bad and incapable" as you seem to think? Or was it because two of his top 3 WRs were injured and the third was a rookie in his 6th game. Again, I think you can fault Beane for not having enough WR depth last year, but I do not think the acquisition of Amari Cooper was any sort of admission that the offensive philosophy wasn't going to work, that Beane screwed up by not getting a #1 WR. Obviously the offense did work and is still working (with or without Amari). Since the beginning of last year (22 games total---I'm not counting week 17 when our starters didn't play), the Bills are 18-5 and have averaged 31.72 points per game. I'm just having a hard time understanding why you think defenses have figured out our offense, or that you seem to think this offense isn't or can't be successful or whatever (not to put words in your mouth).

Yes, after losing to Baltimore and Houston, Beane went out and got Amari. I know that to the we need a stud #1 WR crowd, this was an admission of guilt by Beane, proving that he had botched the WR position. It obviously had nothing to do with Curtis Samuel dealing with a turf toe injury from training camp, and Shakir getting injured in the Baltimore game and being out for the next two games. We were basically down two receivers (2 of who were supposed to be our top 3 WRs---and our third top receiver was a rookie in his first handful of games) and it was still early in the season (and we weren't expecting Mack to do what he did). We were still transitioning the offense from running it through Diggs, and there were a lot of new pieces. That offense hadn't found themselves yet. Remember, before the season started, Shakir was the only WR to catch a pass from Josh...and then he was out for two games, with Samuel still not being healthy. I think you can maybe knock Beane for not having enough depth at the WR position last year (which he seems to have taken care of this year), rather than that we needed a true #1 stud X-receiver (as how the offense performed the rest of the year proved). Plus, you act as if Amari is what eventually made that offense go. Cooper played in 11 of 20 games for the Bills last year with a total snap count of 21.97%. He had 338 yards (30.7 yards per game average) and 4 TDs on the year. In the playoffs, over three games, he had 6 receptions for 41 yards, no TDs (13.66 yards per game average). Across the season (11 games), he had a total of 4 games over 50 yards (66, 55, 95, and 56). The Bills didn't pick up Amari because defenses had figured out our offense in week 4. The Bills hadn't even figured out their offense yet at that point. It was because the offense didn't yet have an identity and then we were basically down two receivers. Just after that is about the time that the "everyone eats" philosophy started to take off---and work. I don't think it was Amari that made the offense work, it was the new philosophy/the offense finding what worked for them.

The Dolphins were on the 21 yard line with 3:06 left in the game, down 7 points. The Bills had two timeouts left, plus the two minute warning. How much clock could the Dolphins run? Even if they took six plays from there and scored, the clock would have stopped at least three times (plus any incomplete passes). There still would have been time for Josh to just get in field goal range. So, IF Bernard does not make the pick and IF the Dolphins can run clock AND still score a TD and IF they go for a two-point conversion and make it and IF they can stop Josh from getting in field goal range with at least say 1-1/2 minutes left Then yes, they were on the verge of winning...but it takes a lot of ifs to make that statement.

You were responding to Kirby in regards to him saying "When everything happens within 10 yards of the LOS the defenses will adjust." But, can you please show me where defenses adjusted last year? From week 7 on last season (discounting week 17 when all of our starters rested), our offensive point totals were: 34, 31, 30, 30, 30, 35, 42, 48, 24, 40...and in the playoffs: 31, 27, and 29. Our record in those games was 11-3. Can you guys please point out to me when defenses caught up to our offense last season and started to shut us down last year? And to start this season we have scored 41, 30, and 31. And people are complaining about this offense? I honestly do not understand.

It's week 3. The defense has a lot of new parts. Give them a little time to come together. Plus, we are 3-0 and the Bills defense held the Jets to 150 total yards and they held the Dolphins to 276 total yards. And Baltimore has one of the best offenses in the league. It hasn't been as bad as some of you guys are making it out to be. I'm not saying this defense will be "awesome" but they will get better. btw, our horrible, horrible defense from last year was 11th in points allowed, not that bad...and the defense should be much better this year (as the season wears on). And how was Miami on the verge of winning? They never regained the lead after Buffalo tied it up with 4-1/2 minutes left in the first quarter. And if Bernard does not intercept that pass and Miami scores a TD there, the game is tied (Miami wouldn't have had the lead). So, the game would have been tied and Josh Allen would have had 3-4 minutes to go and close out the game. I wouldn't call tying the score with almost 4 minutes left in the game as "on the verge of winning." Maybe if it was a go-ahead TD you could say that, but then Josh still would have had 3-4 minutes to win the game. Oh and btw, they didn't actually tie up the game, because our defense came through with a turnover. But I guess that was just luck (not TB doing prep with his coach), and the defense gets no credit for closing out the game. I just don't know what you guys are expecting. It's like you expect every game to be 31- 3 or 31-7 and anything worse than that means our team sucks.

I'll start with the last bolded statement first. Yes, I totally agree, when the Miami CB went out, the guy replacing him was out on an island to the left. I thought for sure that Brady and Allen would attack that corner with a pass, rather than run Jimbo for like 2 yards. Agreed...missed opportunity there. That whole sequence from the refs giving Hill the first down (and the Bills not challenging it), to the two really bad Bills red zone plays and then missed kick by Prater, and then the Dolphins next TD where it looked like Tre just conceded the TD, was all very strange and changed the game from a total blowout to a tight-ish game. Just weird. But again, I agree, the Bills should have put this game away in the second quarter. It was just a really strange series of events. To the other bolded statement, yes, the Miami receivers are fast, and Tyreek is still a great player, so I wouldn't be surprised if their separation is better on a more consistent basis. But I don't think you can make the inference you did above regarding our D-line (sacks) or receivers (separation) tonight. Tua was getting the ball out of his hands in 3 seconds or less. The majority of his passes (it was 11 passes at one point, not sure if that was the final tally) were behind the line of scrimmage tonight (screens, etc). So, they had very few longer developing plays that would involve a pass rush or even needing to get separation. And I think there are a few things going on with the vertical game. One, we are a much more overall efficient offense than we used to be, with a HC and OC that want a balanced attack. So, we run the ball a lot more than we used to (and throw to the backs out of the backfield). Our TEs have become a big part of our game, and though we have seen Kincaid get vertical (and Hawes too now), generally the TE game will not be that far downfield. And the league has changed since 2020-2021. Defenses learned to slow down pass-happy offenses like the Bills and Chiefs with cover zero, etc. Keep everything in front of you. That is how teams play the Bills now. So, we started taking the underneath stuff and just methodically marching down the field (kind of like the old New England offense---game plan to your opponent and take what the defense gives you without making any mistakes). Not as sexy, but effective. So, being opponent-specific, why would we want to throw a lot of deep balls against the Jets or the Dolphins? They are lower percentage plays with a higher percentage for a turnover. Our coaches knew we could out-muscle these teams and let them make the mistakes (which they did). We are a different team than we were in 2020-2022. We aren't pass first, pass often. We are balanced and disciplined. I just think we need to be patient at this point. When they need to pass or if a defense say focuses on the run and leaves things open downfield, I'm sure the Bills will attack that. I just don't think we have run that many routes downfield yet because we haven't really needed to in these last two games. If we had been attempting a downfield game and we weren't being successful, then I might worry, we just haven't needed to do it much yet. Doesn't mean we can't, we just haven't needed to. I mean we all love seeing bombs down the field, but if they aren't really needed in a particular game, why chance them. I don't feel like I've seen Josh really trying to push the ball downfield a lot but not being able to (a few plays maybe). He's usually hitting something over the middle, at the sticks, or underneath. Plus, we have seen Shakir and Coleman catch deep balls before. We know Coleman is good at 50/50 balls and high-pointing the ball. We have some speed: Samuel 4.31, Moore 4.35, Shakir 4.43. So, it basically comes down to some worry that we don't have speed on the outside (Coleman and Palmer), that true #1 X receiver once again. Maybe, but let's worry about that when we see it not working, not when we are choosing not to do it for obvious reasons. Coleman had that one drop tonight, but has anyone really been upset at how Coleman and Palmer have played thus far? In the Baltimore game, they combined for 13 receptions for 173 yards and a TD. Josh threw 7 passes in that game over 20 yards (26, 22, 51, 21, 29, 32, 25, plus the deep ball to Palmer that drew the pass interference call). And Josh has a ton of other weapons as well...he's hitting 9 different guys per game. I really don't think we have anything to worry about.

Well, we did score the most points in the league last year (including playoffs) and are averaging 34 points per game this season thus far (over the last 4 seasons, the top scoring teams averaged 33.2, 29.9, 29.2, and 31.2 points per game, so I'd say 34 is pretty good). In fact, the Bills have scored the most points of any team since 2020 (5 seasons and 3 games---so that's more than half a decade so far). So... I'm just not quite sure what you guys are expecting. Does Josh need to go for 300 passing yards and 3 passing TDs every week regardless of if it is necessary or not? If Josh has gaudy stats, then he's doing it all on his own, he has no help, there is no talent around Josh. If Josh has a quiet day, because we are playing ball control against an inferior opponent, then Josh has no weapons who can get open, our talent sucks. And yet we are winning games and consistently scoring over 30 points. Something doesn't add up. I'd say the passing game is fine and they will use it when necessary (like the Detroit and Rams games last year or Baltimore week one this year). And I think Josh has plenty of weapons, a good offense around him. Our O-line is top 5, our RB room is top 5, our TE room is top 10 (inching up to top 5), and we have a solid receiving corps with a number of vets. And if separation was a serious problem, wouldn't we be seeing more coverage sacks? There was one coverage sack today, maybe one last week (can't remember if it was coverage, or just a good defensive play). Yes, Josh avoids some of them by escaping the pocket, but he had pretty clean pockets last week and this week (didn't need to escape much). He had 85 combined rushing yards the last two weeks (most of that in the 2 bigs runs---one last week, one tonight). So, he's obviously hitting a lot of his targets on script. It would be interesting for someone who looks at the All-22 film to truly assess whether the receivers are getting open or not. Sometimes I feel like it is just some talking point that has hung around for two years without being really accurate. It sure hasn't felt like the WRs have been stymied a lot this season. I've seen a lot of wide open Bills receivers running all over the field (does it matter if it is great scheming or great get off? if they are open, they are open). This is definitely more game-plan- and opponent-related than anything wrong with the receivers or passing game, imo.

Worked for Tom Brady and the Patriots for what, about 20 years.

This defense is going to get better as the season wears on. Anyone expecting a giant step forward from last year in just the first few weeks probably had some unrealistic expectations. First, it was a short week. Also, Milano and Oliver were out (as were Jackson, Ingram, and Hancock). We'll eventually get Hairston and the suspended guys back. The rookies (and Bishop) are getting valuable playing time and should get better as the season goes on (Walker played well today after one poster last week had already written him off after just two games). A lot of new guys on the D-line (7 new players), the more they play together, work the rotations, the better they will get/more in sync they will be. And there are probably some new wrinkles from the new coaches that they will integrate better and rep more often, etc. Gotta give it all a little bit of time to gel. And it's not like Miami had some crazy offensive numbers/night. They had 9 possessions: 3 TDs (one that should have been a punt or a 4th and 5 try instead, Hill was out of bounds on that 3rd---why was there no replay assist on that, like there was on the Miami first down late in the game?), 4 punts, 1 TO, end-of-game. So, we stopped them on 6 of 9 (should have been 7 of 9) possessions. Tua threw for 146 yards 2 TDs 1 INT Achane led the backfield with 62 yards 0 TDs Hill led the receivers with 49 yards and 1 TD Waddle added 39 yards and 1 TD Total offense: 276 yards Points: 21 Vs. NE in week 2 Tua threw for 315 yards 2 TDs and 1 INT Achane ran for 30 yards 0 TDs Hill had 109 rec yards Achane had 92 rec yards and 1 TD Waddle had 68 yards and 1 TD Total offense: 376 yards Points: 27 Somehow our defensive stats vs. Miami look closer to the Colts blowout from week 1 (except in points because the Colts had 3 turnovers as opposed to just 1 by the Bills tonight): Tua threw for 133 1 TD and 2 INT Achane had 55 yards 0 TDs Hill had 40 yards Waddle had 30 yards Total offense: 224 yards Points: 8