finn

Right, but any solution is going to be unfair to someone, and this one seems mild compared to the others we've heard. Wouldn't it be ironic if they earned the top seed after this long, long season but didn't receive what they most need, a week of rest?

No, but how can the Bills play again this year? Would you be able to go all out, hit someone and be hit after what happened? I may be wrong, but it seems to me something broke. Other teams will be able to play, but I don't see the Bills out there doing any more than going through the motions. But the very opposite could happen if Hamlin recovers enough to indicate he's ok. Then I can see the Bills players and coaches channeling all these powerful emotions into the game, and nothing would stop them from winning it all for Damar.

I'm affected, too, and I wonder why I feel more emotional about this event than the countless other tragedies I read about all the time. Why this one? It's not just me and us; the whole country seems to be in distress.

This sounds like the best solution, especially if Hamlin is upgraded to stable condition before then and looks to be out of the woods. If he's not, I don't care what happens, and I suspect most Bills players will feel the same way.

Or Pickens and Woolen.

From all I can gather and what I know about the Bills, I would say, objectively, the Bengals are a nightmare matchup for the Bills defense. Burrow's fast release negates our strong DL, and although I trust our LBs to take away the short game, their three excellent receivers will be a problem for the Bills weakened secondary. To be blunt, I don't see how the Bills can stop them. On offense, I admire their DC's ability to be creative and to adjust on the fly. You don't see those qualities as much as you'd expect. And I'm worried that he will expose the Bills weak line and reliance on Diggs. If I stopped there, I'd say the Bengals win this game pretty easily. But there's an X factor: We have a Hulk. The league has never seen a player like Josh Allen. I think he will will this team to victory no matter what the Bengals throw at him.

(I think you mean "sleight," from Middle English, meaning "cunning" or "skill.")

I don't think they will. Their defensive coordinator sounds like he fully appreciates what he's up against in Allen. I expect him to play Allen like the Bills played Fields: Keep him in the pocket, assign a spy, and take away the deep ball. Force him to be patient while giving him less time than he usually gets when he extends plays on the run. It's not a perfect plan, because Allen is perfectly capable of picking a team apart from the pocket. But, as we've all seen, he can also get impatient and start forcing balls into tight coverage, ignoring the check-down. What I wonder is how this plan (assuming they use it) impacts the Bills run game. Any thoughts?

That does seem to be the pattern. Early in the season, the Bills were so confident of scoring and stopping the other team from scoring that they would opt to take the ball first when they could. Now, the offense seems to stall early, and the defense, as you say, gets gashed before they figure things out. Still gets the job done, but it's not nearly as gratifying to watch.

I see truth in both views. The line is in fact below average, all units are sloppy with penalties, tackling and drops, and Allen doesn't have enough weapons, which has led him to hero ball, for better and worse. But they are also battle-tested against tough opponents and bad weather and have dealt with a lot of injuries (how many teams have lost two all-pro players?). The idea that the defense is a paper tiger that can't handle elite QBs ignores the facts. I see a flawed but formidable team. If Allen is on, it takes a meltdown on the part of the coaches or the other units to beat the Bills. Even if he's off, they can still win with defense and coaching. I'm just glad they're my team. If I'm a Chiefs fan, I'm secretly terrified.

Those who rank the Chiefs above the Bills and Bengals should be reminded that these two teams beat the Chiefs four out of the last five meetings (four of the five in Arrowhead), with the one Chiefs victory in overtime at home when they won the coin flip and the Bills weren't allowed to respond. The evidence is clear: The Chiefs are at best only the third-best team in the AFC. Monday's game is a preview of what should be (and should have been last year) the AFC Championship game.

I get it that we can't expect greatness at every position. My point is that the meh-ness of the Bills offense is disguised by Allen's brilliance, and that many of his mistakes are due to his trying to work with average or below average talent. I remember that Gabe Davis catch, but I also remember his many drops and general invisibility. Cincinnati, Philadelphia, San Francisco, maybe even Miami could thrive with a competent backup QB. The Bills could not.

But are those short bursts of success because of WR talent or Allen making things happen? I see a superstar surrounded by mediocrity players (except for Diggs) and making them look special. Put it this way: can you think of a WR besides Diggs bailing out Allen this season with a great catch? And how many drops can you remember from MacKenzie alone? No, this is a team with a bottom-tier offensive line and a truly mediocre set of WRs aside from Diggs. Allen by himself makes commentators gush that "this offense is loaded" and "Allen is surrounded by weapons."

I don't know about that--I'm no fan of McKenzie, and Beasley may be done--but whenever I think of Crowder, I remember that slightly high pass from Allen bouncing off his tiny hands for an interception. That might have been a chemistry problem on the part of Crowder, who may not have been accustomed to Allen's high velocity.

If I'm the Bengals, I take away the deep pass, keep Allen contained in the pocket, and give him short- and mid-range passes all day. That takes away the Bills' best weapons (Allen running and throwing deep) and invites Allen to be patient, which is not his long suit.

Yet when commentators point to Mahomes better percentages--completion, yards per game, etc.--to argue he's better than Allen, they rarely note that he sat on the bench is rookie year instead of learning on the job, which is what Allen was doing his rookie year. No, Allen's accomplishment is impressive. Funny it's not getting any attention.

How good is the rest of the line? I lost track after "Joe Burrow is getting hammered behind an inferior line."

It's funny, because he came into the year looking like he was ready for his new role. He had added ten pounds of muscle and was understandably pumped after his extraordinary playoff game against KC. But that game looks like an outlier event for a guy who is just pretty good. Give Allen a second receiver like Burrows and Tua have and look out.

It may be time to acknowledge that Davis is just not an very good WR. Patrick Peterson claims he runs just three routes, and, watching him, I think that's right. He also has a very high drop rate, mediocre speed, and doesn't seem to try very hard, like when he didn't try for the TD throw with the CB in front of him; if he had, he might have drawn a PI call. With his size and ability to make sideline catches and the occasional fly route, he's valuable as a third WR, but he's nothing better than that, leaving the Bills with only one WR that scares opponents. Not a good situation heading into the playoffs, especially with Mackenzie falling short as a slot receiver.

In that case, MacKenzie also gets a game ball.

Yes, definitely keep throwing to Mackenzie, that well-known game-breaking receiver with sure hands and amazing ability to get open. Keep Shakir on the bench by all means.

Are they really going to lose this game?

Some bad Allen throws today. High, in the dirt, in double coverage (twice), and now this one right to the defender.

Sigh. Sure would be nice to see a blowout one of these days. Seems like a long time.

No panic. Bills are moving the ball on offense and stopping them on defense. Special teams not doing well, again, but otherwise they look fine. Just can't let them hang around is all.