finn

Well, if they do plan to ground and pound, who relieves Singletary, who's not built to carry the load for an entire game? Cook and Hines are more third-down backs. I wonder if McDermott took the opportunity of Allen's injury to tell Dorsey (and Allen), "Look, he can play, but I want to REAL balance this time." If so, I'm Dorsey probably looked at his running backs and thought, "Uh..." A bonus: Duke can catch the ball, too. That's a lot of pass-catching options out the backfield if the Vikes continue the two-deep safety look.

Brown would probably have been beat, too. Huff's speed is crazy. Quessenberry needed help, and so would have Brown, whose pass protection is not a strong suit, at least not yet.

Regression to the mean.

It's possible that the elbow is better than we think, and Allen could play, but it's marginal. Even in that case, McDermott's conservative history with injuries, on top of this being an NFC game, would suggest Allen will sit. But if he's on the healthy side of marginal, Dorsey might be putting together a plan that relies heavily on runs--including by Allen, the best runner on the team--and short passes: dump offs, screen, slants, etc., minimizing passes that stress the elbow, such as outs and flies. The Vikings will adjust, of course, but it still might be a better plan than starting Keenum with all his limitations, especially his mobility. The threat of Allen running and maybe uncorking a bomb--who knows?--could flummox a Vikings team that prepared for a statue with just an ok arm.

Well, no, Bass is fine. But he does seem to miss kicks and boot kickoffs out of bounds when the team needs him the most. To be fair, he has also made some clutch kicks. I'm fine with his percentage, but there is no reason he needs to give the other team a start at the 40-yard line. Again.

I've been saying that the Bills have only two blue-chip players on offense: Allen and Diggs. If one of them plays poorly, especially Allen, the offense sinks. They need at least one more elite player. The narrative is that the Bills are "stacked" on offense, but that's just not true. Knox, Singletary, and Davis are good but not great, and who else is there? MacKenzie? Kumerow? On the other hand, the defense IS stacked, and I still maintain they did ok today, if only because they held the Jets to 20 points, despite Allen turning the ball over twice. The team can still go all the way, but if they do, it will because Allen is a superstar and the defense (and coaching, imho) is excellent, not because it's anything more than an adequate offense apart from Allen.

Everyone has down games, even Josh Allen. They could still pull it out, though.

I think at this point I would just have Allen run most plays. For whatever reason, his head doesn't seem to be in the game. The defense is actually playing well enough to win, but Allen keeps turning the ball over.

Von, Allen, Diggs. Our key players.

Not when he can also throw it accurately and at high velocity.

That int was like the last two he threw, all in the red zone. It's like he's a different QB on those throws. Odd.

I gave up starting threads after being flamed for choosing subjects others deemed not worthy. The flamers could have been right, and maybe I just need to have a thicker skin, but I suspect the potential (or likelihood) of a harsh reception discourages others, too. That said, this board is far more civil, informed, and well-moderated than any other fan board I've seen.

Especially if teams continue to take away the deep ball. The Bills seem to realize that they're good deep, but the short game depends on Singletary, who's reliable but not explosive, McKenzie, who is adequate at best, and two rookies. That's ok but not great, and Allen would have needed to continue running more than the team wants. Picking up a reliable, explosive veteran to upgrade a key part of the short game for a sixth-round pick and a player on the inactive list sounds like a good plan.

What did he say about his practice habits?

Right. This allows Cook to watch and learn from a veteran playing the role he will play next year. A shame he isn't ready. But that's how it breaks sometimes.

I think he's going to put on a clinic today. Still think the Bills will win, though. They're just that much better than the team around him.

He also meandered about on the final play in Miami instead of sprinting to get out of bounds and stop the clock. The game ended right there. I'm not a fan.

How about a sick, weak left tackle?

His portrait is getting younger.

Agree. The muffed kickoff return against Indy last year, the ball taken away from him in the Rams game, the fumble and two critical drops in the KC game... Those aren't just random plays; they're key moments when the team needed him and he choked. Yes, he had a clutch game against NE last year, and he has been reliable in the slot, but he's small, light, and not much of a runner after the catch, despite his speed. He's just another guy. I suspect Shakir is better.

Buffalo Rumblings described him running around "like a squirrel." Made me laugh. Perfect description!

If anything, Allen's play is being under-rated. There is only one other blue-chip player on offense: Diggs. The rest of the team is good but not elite, and some players, including two-third of the offensive line, are below average. With a Tannehill or Goff at QB, this would be a mediocre offense, although the good coaching might kick it up to average. Allen makes everyone else look better than they would be.

Can anyone now say Mahomes is better than Allen with a straight face?

This is a good game, folks. Frustrating, but both QBs are playing well and both defenses, too. High quality football.

Some perspective: This is the first or second best offense in the league, and the Bills have held them to less than 20 points so far. That's pretty good shooting.