finn

One that can block, get open, catch the ball and not fumble or pop it high into the air. Imagine.

That's what I would want my team to do against someone like Allen. Make him work down the field slowly and hit his receivers hard each time for now gain. If possible, keep him from rolling out to extend plays. He'll still score, but not on every drive and not always touchdowns and not via soul-crushing long bombs. That and work hard to give the Bills bad field position, as the Colts did. Then at least you have a chance, especially with a good offense like the Chiefs have. Incidentally, I expect this will be exactly the Bills' plan against KC. The fact is, Allen is terrific. He's smart, savvy, mobile, tough, big and can throw anywhere from any platform against any coverage. He's wired to his receivers and OC, prepares well and is an excellent leader. He's the whole package. And he's 24. ☺️

I associate the word with criminal enterprise so I don't really see its appeal. I get the undertone of "us vs them," but other in-group monikers are available, so why choose this one? What, are we supposed to mutter stuff like, "Mahomes sleeps with the fishes" or "Either Allen's signature will be on the long-term contract or his brains"? It's a little cringe-inducing.

Well, speaking of myself, I find confirmation bias at work. I love the pro-Bills media talk, but I tend to underrate it compared to any negative chatter about the Bills. I'm happy with the good but really react at the bad. Trying to be objective, I would say that most media figures are saying the Bills are for real. Try this experiment: Pretend you despise the Bills and think the media drools over them. If you're like me, you'll quickly see how much positive commentary is out there.

The Chiefs also need to think long-term. If he's rushed back and gets another concussion, his career may be over. The more concussions you have, the more easy it is to suffer another one. The big hit he took in college might explain why it seemed to take less to concuss him this time around. If I'm the Chiefs, I keep him on the bench. He's 25, with a lot more football in him.

What is Baker known for? Really. I've only seen highlights (and lowlights) of Browns games. What is he known for? A Rivers-like quick release? Long balls? Is he a check-down artist? Clutch? His highlights all seem to be throws to wide-open receivers.

Yes, a good point. Maybe fewer shot plays then. It seemed the Bills could have put this one away in the first half, and the long bombs on most every drive cut short most drives. Hey, I'm just glad they won.

Deserves its own thread. To me, McDermott is hands down the Coach of the Year. No one else is close when you look at what he's accomplished the past three years and this year in particular. To build a team on values of hard work, resilience and mutual trust, I mean, that's brilliant.

I had the opposite reaction. The wind is blowing down long passes, yet Daboll keeps calling them for the entire first half. Based on McDermott's post-game comments, I suspect he told Daboll at halftime to knock it off. If the Bills had lost, Daboll would be excoriated on this board--for good reason. The ten-yard passes appeared to be there all game, and what success the Bills did have passing was due mostly to them. It seems to me Daboll's all-pass plan was stupid under the wind conditions, and, worse, he didn't change it when it failed, at least not until half time. My sense was that a more balanced attack of runs--even very short ones--and short passes might have led the Bills to a lopsided lead by halftime. Frazier and McDermott are the heroes here. We don't need a goat, but let's just say it's lucky for Daboll the Bills won. That first half was bone headed on his part.

There is something child like, almost sweet, about Josh Allen. Maybe the word is guileless. There's nothing phony or pretentious about him. That, combined with a ferocious will to win and real humbleness, would win over any teammate.

I was impressed by Trevarious White's speed on that play. He looked like he could have run right past Taron if he wanted.

What did he say?

Right? I keep waiting to be disappointed, but then....I'm not. Love it!

This isn't over yet.

That's his second pick 6!

Wouldn't it be nice if he admits he was wrong after all? That'll be the day.

Where was this guy when Allen was kicking butt in the Colts game? He's like a troll that comes out when things go bad. Must be a heck of a family man.

Ironic. Allen was drafted in large part to deal with the "swirling winds" of Buffalo. But he's actually below average in wind. He's much better in a dome.

It seems obvious that Allen shouldn't be passing way down the field in such high winds. If you don't want to run it, fine, but what's up with all the 20+ yard throws? Bring in Yeldon and ride him in the short passing game. I would say Knox, too, but that's suicide. Yeldon, Diggs and Brown for 6-12 yards a pop.

The Ravens defense seems intimidated to me, even though the Bills aren't doing much. It's like they realize they (the Ravens) aren't playing well and are waiting for the hammer to drop.

Man, the announcers. The wind is THE factor, and they're barely mentioning it. Collingsworth even trots out the "Allen accuracy" chestnut.

It's not the snow that worries me, it's the wind. The best running team in the league vs. the best passing team (I think). The Bills win, unless there's, oh, I don't know, 20 mph winds gusting to 30. I'm still optimistic, though, because the Bills have more heart than the Ravens.

Right. And if they lose, it wasn't Lamar's fault since he had never played in snow before.

What he said about making Diggs pay for every catch reminds me of the first Super Bowl, where the Giants hit Reed hard every he caught the ball on crossing routes. Sure enough, he started short-arming the ball and lost effectiveness. Diggs is a far better receiver, though, and he runs more routes, or so it seems to me.

No small part of why I want the Bills to win is so we don't have to endure seven months of "The Bills struggled in the playoffs when it really counted." That and the Jackson/Mahomes deification would be enough to drive me to drink.