Big Turk Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Could the difference between the two games this season simply be a continuation of a troubling trend last year? That after the first Jets game exposed some weaknesses, the Bills get down quickly on the road on the way to blowout losses, but play prety well at home? In 4 of the games, the game has pretty much been over early in the second quarter...they went down 21-0 to Dallas, 28-3 to Miami, 17-0 to San Diego and 21-0 to the Jets last week. The crazy thing is, they also put together some pretty good road games against Cincinnati, New York Giants, New York Jets, and the Patriots(up 21-0 before allowing 49 straight points). In all of those games except the Patriot game, it could be argued the Bills should have won. For some reason, it appears that on the road when something bad happens early in the game, it just snowballs out of control and they find themselves out of the game quickly. Almost seems like panic sets in and they just don't handle it very well. If they start off well on the road, it seems like they play a pretty competetive game. One thing is certain, if they plan on making it to the playoffs this year, they need to reverse this trend, and do it quickly. If they can merely go 4-4 on the road and continue their strong play at home and go at least 6-2, they should make the playoffs. The issue is, the only games they should win on the road as of right now are Cleveland, Miami and Indy. Arizona is showing they are not a pushover by any means even though their QB position is in disarray, plus it is never easy to travel out west and play. San Francisco, New England and Houston will all be very tough games that any realistic person should expect them to lose. Home schedule looks pretty easy other than New England and Jets. They may realistically need to go 7-1 at home to make the playoffs because of their tough road schedule and their lack of success playing on the road lately... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optometric Insight Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 I don't know. I just don't. See what happens against Cleveland and that will probably give you your answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayman Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Loved the win today but I still think the smart money is on Bills simply being a lousy team. But we'll see...love for the smart money to be dumb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 Loved the win today but I still think the smart money is on Bills simply being a lousy team. But we'll see...love for the smart money to be dumb. I just don't see it. Bills have one of the best D Lines in the league, and I think you could say the same thing for the O Line as well. Jackson and Spiller are as good as any tandem in the NFL at RB. There are teams that make the playoffs with worse talent every year. Our schedule is also pretty easy, so I think that definitely helps us out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanInUticaTampa Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Didn't we kill KC last year on the road? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayman Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 I just don't see it. Bills have one of the best D Lines in the league, and I think you could say the same thing for the O Line as well. Jackson and Spiller are as good as any tandem in the NFL at RB. There are teams that make the playoffs with worse talent every year. Our schedule is also pretty easy, so I think that definitely helps us out... We'll see about the QB long term. Hope you are correct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 I just don't see it. Bills have one of the best D Lines in the league, and I think you could say the same thing for the O Line as well. Jackson and Spiller are as good as any tandem in the NFL at RB. There are teams that make the playoffs with worse talent every year. Our schedule is also pretty easy, so I think that definitely helps us out... Who are all these less talented teams rolling into the playoffs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 Didn't we kill KC last year on the road? Yeah, opening week, that was our last road win. We also played very well against Cincy and the Giants in our next two road games, but then the wheels started falling off from there... Who are all these less talented teams rolling into the playoffs? Denver for one last year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max997 Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 (edited) The Bills problems on the road are not new and until they change that there are no gimme road games. I didn't understand how people thought this was an easy schedule with 6 of the first 9 games on the road which can be tough on anyone but even moreso for a team that struggles on the road like the Bills do Bills only won one road game last year and that was week 1 vs KC They did win 2 in 2010 so in 2 full seasons plus opening game this year the Bills have won 3 road games under Gailey Edited September 17, 2012 by Max997 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Yeah, opening week, that was our last road win. We also played very well against Cincy and the Giants in our next two road games, but then the wheels started falling off from there... Denver for one last year... They had a really good defense, good wrs, a strong running game.... And were in a situation that winning their division took going .500 I wouldn't say they were a train wreck talent wise, and until we play in a division that weak I wouldn't call it an apples to apples comparison. The Bills problems on the road are not new and until they change that there are no gimme road games. I didn't understand how people thought this was an easy schedule with 6 of the first 9 games on the road which can be tough on anyone but even moreso for a team that struggles on the road like the Bills do Bills only won one road game last year and that was week 1 vs KC They did win 2 in 2010 so in 2 full seasons plus opening game this year the Bills have won 3 road games under Gailey I don't mean to sound flippant here but they haven't win many games period. The teams been wildly inconsistent. I wouldn't call them a bad road team until you can say they are a good home team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFunPolice Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 you know how much crappy hotel beds can bother sore ribs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAWNDO Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Yeah, opening week, that was our last road win. We also played very well against Cincy and the Giants in our next two road games, but then the wheels started falling off from there... Denver for one last year... Wow we need a win this week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malazan Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Who are all these less talented teams rolling into the playoffs? Not that I agree with the sentiment, but the obvious one is Seattle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harveyj001 Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 They are not there yet but on the way to being a good team you have to win at home first and learn to win on the road. This upcoming week, at what should be a lesser team, will be a good example and a place to jump off and start that learning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7boogiewoogie Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 We've lost at home, we've lost on the road. Mainly we've just lossed. Let's hope that Jet's game was a wake up call to this team that they cannot rest on the fact that people see them possibly making the playoffs this year and that you actually have to perform CONSISTENTLY to make it happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Vader Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 They are not there yet but on the way to being a good team you have to win at home first and learn to win on the road. This upcoming week, at what should be a lesser team, will be a good example and a place to jump off and start that learning. By all means the Browns are a lesser team, however, they have put up a good fight in both of their losses. Next weeks game against them will not be easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virgil Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 While not meant to be a blanket statement, I do agree. But I think that what is being referred to is true with most teams. And next week's game... If it's tough for us, then we are who we thought we were. A good team would put them away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuncha Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Didn't we kill KC last year on the road? The ONLY road game we won the entire season........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatdrinks Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Yes. The Bills have been a terrible road team for some time. They've actually done pretty well against the spread at home during this decade plus long stretch of futility. Their struggles on the road can mostly be attributed to the lack of an elite level defense and turnover prone QB's. A good defense is very "portable", you can run it efficiently regardless of crowd noise, etc. Forcing home teams into being one dimensional usually leads to takeaways, a huge key for road wins. On the flip side, road QB's that turn it over predictably are rarely big winners. We still do not know about this years Bills D. They have more talent in their front four, but the LB's and particularly the secondary are major question marks. I still see soft play on the corners, and I thought Terrance McGee was pretty horrible yesterday. He was slow and very un-physical when trying to bring down KC receivers. I know McKelvin is pretty much a bust at this point, but TM is a MAJOR liability out there. Look for opposing offenses to target TM in coverage as he will not bring guys down with first contact. Gilmore will probably be OK, but is getting the rookie treatment and having his ups and downs. A. Williams is very suspect. The LB's don't move well in space; they are very stiff in coverage and can be beaten easily in the passing game. The run D looks pretty good, so lookl for more short quick passes from upcoming opponents to exploit the LB's weaknesses. This D can be much better than last year, but will be far from an elite unit such as the ravens or 49ers D. As for QB, the jury is still out, but Fitz was not good yesterday, and does not look confident right now. He missed some easy throws early and made questionable reads on others. A good thumping running game and limited pass attempts appear to be the recipe for wins for this Bills team right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Most teams are bad road teams. Only 2 road teams won yesterday league wide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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