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FWIW, I was pretty impressed by the Titans' D. Casey is playing at a pro bowl level and dominated yesterday, the corners look pretty good, and Derrick Morgan and Orakpo can get after it in the pass rush. That's not a bad defense that we faced. The o-line was overmatched most of the game. The one thing the Bills had was the running QB wildcard, and they played it at the right times. Plus Taylor is just a sensational runner.

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The offseason was great and we got pumped by all the moves but this team is the same as it always has been; average.

 

We either have a great defense or a great offense and until we get them both we are going nowhere as todays victory proved that we could barely beat a marginal team.

 

until we get a QB that can pass better than he can run and greatly improve the offensive line we are going nowhere.

 

 

Well...

 

I think Tasker hit the nail on the head during the broadcast yesterday...This team was built around the Defense and some really, really good skill position players to help the young QB's...The problem is the #1 and #2 skill position players are injured and the result is not good...Not good at all...Having Sammy and Shady on the field completely and totally changes what a Defense can do vs the Bills...For all intents and purposes the Bills are not really running their Offense with those two out...They got super lucky drafting a talent like Karlos Williams where they did...And as Shady's back-up he actually added to the potential of this Offense...But when he went down things got really bad...

 

So anyway...The Bills are out there now with a first year starter at QB, an average O-Line, while missing their top 2 skill position players and three of their top seven or so... It's a lot to ask of TT...And the result is what it is... B-)

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The offseason was great and we got pumped by all the moves but this team is the same as it always has been; average.

 

We either have a great defense or a great offense and until we get them both we are going nowhere as todays victory proved that we could barely beat a marginal team.

 

until we get a QB that can pass better than he can run and greatly improve the offensive line we are going nowhere.

I agree with you; I just hope the team doesn't quit trying to find a real franchise QB if we finish between 8-10 wins this year. Taylor might be enough to get them to the play-offs but I can't imagine him ever being good enough to compete with the top QB's in the league.

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To be fair, BB has had a much more varied list of desired QBs over the years.

 

Colin Kaepernick

John Skelton

Tyler Wilson

Tyler Bray

Blake Bortles

Johnny Football

Well, there's a whole lotta something in that list. Not quite sure what, but it's something.

 

FWIW, I was pretty impressed by the Titans' D. Casey is playing at a pro bowl level and dominated yesterday, the corners look pretty good, and Derrick Morgan and Orakpo can get after it in the pass rush. That's not a bad defense that we faced. The o-line was overmatched most of the game. The one thing the Bills had was the running QB wildcard, and they played it at the right times. Plus Taylor is just a sensational runner.

He certainly is, and thank heaven for that and him.

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How many other teams can win a game when the following occur: (1) QB starting his 5th game; (2) top two RB's injured/out in a run-first offense; (3) top WR out; (4) facing a team coming off a bye week at their stadium.

 

The game yesterday was ugly, but a win is a win.

 

We should be underdogs against Cincy...they appear to be one of the best teams in the NFL. We can still win if K. Williams returns and has success running the ball. I like the Gillmore v. AJ Green matchup.

 

Saying we will be average might be a stretch. TT will improve through the year, esp. when the running game is back, Watkins returns, and if the O-line can block better. I think we finish 11-5 w/ the 6th seed in the wildcard.


 

 

Well...

 

I think Tasker hit the nail on the head during the broadcast yesterday...This team was built around the Defense and some really, really good skill position players to help the young QB's...The problem is the #1 and #2 skill position players are injured and the result is not good...Not good at all...Having Sammy and Shady on the field completely and totally changes what a Defense can do vs the Bills...For all intents and purposes the Bills are not really running their Offense with those two out...They got super lucky drafting a talent like Karlos Williams where they did...And as Shady's back-up he actually added to the potential of this Offense...But when he went down things got really bad...

 

So anyway...The Bills are out there now with a first year starter at QB, an average O-Line, while missing their top 2 skill position players and three of their top seven or so... It's a lot to ask of TT...And the result is what it is... B-)

 

exactly. We came away with a win against a very good D that has great players and is very well coached! Rawls lit up the Bengals D. If we can control the clock and keep the ball away from Dalton, and get to him with our D, we have a chance.

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I think if someone told me the bills would be 3-2 after 5 games and were without Watkins and McCoy for pretty much 3 games, I would sign up for that

 

Sure. I don't think anyone is really upset about our record. I think its more about the fact that yet again the Bills have made fans billieve in the offseason, despite our better (historical) judgement. So we were riding high on our expectations and are being given plenty of reasons to doubt, which is obviously too much to take. I think there's more than a few Koolaid hang overs.

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While the D hasn't looked as good as advertised, I agree with NG. We're 3-2 and it's just too early to judge. It's certainly too early to give up. If the playoffs started this upcoming weekend, we'd be in as a wildcard. The sky isn't falling.

 

No NFL team is truly horrible. So it's really a binary thing. We won. We get to celebrate. Titan fans get to mourn. Life in the Bills Mafia is good today.

Exactly. And let's not overlook the likelihood for improvement. We have all new coaches and schemes, and a QB that has started 4-5 games. It takes time to get this all down. Next year you'll see quotes about "how much farther along we are now with the system than a year ago-- night and day." So while the team that played yesterday does not look like a contender, if they can hang in and get to the bye at 4-3, given the weak state of the AFC and likely improvement as players get more comfortable, a playoff spot seems plausible, and maybe likely.

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With the exception of Cincinnati and New England,* who I'm convinced is just always going to win 14+ games regardless of age, personnel, or anything else, the AFC is not that impressive.

 

Denver has a great D but as much as I love Manning he just looks done. Every time I see him play (which has been every week so far) I dream of the day when Brady actually looks old. Manning is 39, Brady is 38. When Manning was 37 he had the best season of his career, and started off last season at age 38 looking great as well. Then he fell right off a cliff in the last 1/3 of last season and has looked horrible since. We can only hope something similar happens to Brady.

 

It happened to Favre as well. The old man had one of his best seasons when he was 38/39 then looked awful his last year until he was finally injured.

 

So there is hope that Brady will start to fade some day. Manning literally went from his record setting SB season form to looking like he was 60 in 2 months.

 

In any event, who are the Wild Cards?

 

Pittsburgh

San Diego

Buffalo

Jets

 

I think that's your group. The Bills are surviving right now. There are a TON of key injuries on this team and the OL coach has been out with the suspension. What you want to do is ride this out, get people comfortable with the scheme, get Shady back 100%, get Watkins back 100%, get your OL coach back, and make a nice run later in the season with a young QB who has more experience and confidence.

 

It wasn't pretty but it's a W. KC lost to the Bears, Ravens lost to CLE, and Broncos beat the Raiders. All good for the Bills Wild Card hopes.

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I'm convinced Brady will play till he's 50, and look good the whole damned time. He doesn't take a ton of hits, and why not? We obviously haven't been punished enough.

 

I know, right?

 

Manning doesn't take a lot of hits either though and he looked as good as ever this time last season. Then it's like the clock struck midnight or something. It often happens that way for older players. They look great then their play takes a nosedive.

 

I mentioned Favre. He still had the same arm strength at 41 that he had at 30. So it wasn't that he couldn't make the throws. But his body just couldn't take the abuse and heal up on time anymore. As the season goes on those dings and bumps and bruises add up on an older body and it affects play.

 

Dallas hit Brady a lot yesterday. 5 sacks in the 1st half. Didn't matter in the end, but hopefully other teams can copy what they did and start getting hits on him.

 

To be clear: I don't want Brady injured. I want him out there looking like Manning does now. Old, slow, timid. I want to hear non-stop speculation that Brady is done. I want Boston sports radio and New England* fans to be saying "thanks for all the memories but it's time to hang it up... you're hurting your legacy and the team"

 

We WILL see this. Probably not this year though.

Best of all, New England has their bye already. May the fatigue and nagging injuries pile up for them.

Edited by TheFunPolice
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I agree with the sentiment of this post.

 

I already have concern over Rex's coaching ability. We all love him as the PR guy but I'm even beginning to wonder about his defense. Schwartz had the right scheme for these players and what he did made sense.

 

I can't help but see a lot of incompetence and lack of just common sense out of some of the defensive decisions. I mean, this is just one example but I've been seeing things like this every game all over the place. The Titans and Mariota like to get rid of the ball quickly. We know this going in. How was it that Mariota's first read on a lot of plays was wide open with room to run. This is EXACTLY what you should be taking away every play. It's just frustrating as a fan and has me concerned about Rex long term.

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Where do people get the impression that good teams blow out, or even beat, every bad team on their schedule? Last year the Pats lost to the Phins and the Chiefs (the latter in a blowout) early in the year. They barely beat the Jets twice. Seattle lost to those same Chiefs as well as the Rams. They barely beat the Panthers and only scored 13 points in doing so. Both ended up in the Super Bowl.

 

If Super Bowl bound teams find ways to lose to inferior teams and find ways to beat those same types of teams on days they struggled why do people think the Bills have to blow every one of them out of the water to be "contenders."

 

Who knows if the Bills will end up in the playoffs but struggling on the road, early in the year and still pulling out a victory doesn't tell me they won't. Those are the types of games teams need to win to make the playoffs.

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Where do people get the impression that good teams blow out, or even beat, every bad team on their schedule? Last year the Pats lost to the Phins and the Chiefs (the latter in a blowout) early in the year. They barely beat the Jets twice. Seattle lost to those same Chiefs as well as the Rams. They barely beat the Panthers and only scored 13 points in doing so. Both ended up in the Super Bowl.

 

If Super Bowl bound teams find ways to lose to inferior teams and find ways to beat those same types of teams on days they struggled why do people think the Bills have to blow every one of them out of the water to be "contenders."

 

Who knows if the Bills will end up in the playoffs but struggling on the road, early in the year and still pulling out a victory doesn't tell me they won't. Those are the types of games teams need to win to make the playoffs.

 

Well said.

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Where do people get the impression that good teams blow out, or even beat, every bad team on their schedule? Last year the Pats lost to the Phins and the Chiefs (the latter in a blowout) early in the year. They barely beat the Jets twice. Seattle lost to those same Chiefs as well as the Rams. They barely beat the Panthers and only scored 13 points in doing so. Both ended up in the Super Bowl.

 

If Super Bowl bound teams find ways to lose to inferior teams and find ways to beat those same types of teams on days they struggled why do people think the Bills have to blow every one of them out of the water to be "contenders."

 

Who knows if the Bills will end up in the playoffs but struggling on the road, early in the year and still pulling out a victory doesn't tell me they won't. Those are the types of games teams need to win to make the playoffs.

Plus the Titans really aren't that bad. They have a very talented defense.

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In any event, who are the Wild Cards?

 

Pittsburgh

San Diego

Buffalo

Jets

 

I think that's your group. The Bills are surviving right now. There are a TON of key injuries on this team and the OL coach has been out with the suspension. What you want to do is ride this out, get people comfortable with the scheme, get Shady back 100%, get Watkins back 100%, get your OL coach back, and make a nice run later in the season with a young QB who has more experience and confidence.

 

It wasn't pretty but it's a W. KC lost to the Bears, Ravens lost to CLE, and Broncos beat the Raiders. All good for the Bills Wild Card hopes.

I think I would throw Oakland in there as well, but Miami (1-3), Baltimore (1-4) and KC (1-4) were all supposed to be contenders, but are really hurting. Things are shaping up our way, despite our performance. We should beat Jags, Dolfins, Texans and Redskins. If we split with the Jets, and pick up one of Cowboys/Eagles/Chiefs, we wind up at 9-7, and probably make the playoffs. I am writing off the Pats and Bengals...but a win over either would be HUGE.

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If you divide the league into quintiles (five equally sized groups, so 6 teams in each group plus one here or there), I think the Bills are solidly in the second quintile. There are six teams with much better records. The Broncos I don't believe in, they're winning ugly, but I think the Giants are better than their record. The top quintile gets into the playoffs, and the competition for WCs is in the second. Each division in the AFC has a top dog, and only the East has real contenders other than the lead team. Right now the best looking non-leaders in the AFC are the Bills and Jets. Both could make it.

 

The Bills have that status without Shady, Sammie, and Karlos. And Kromer. Can they crack the top quintile when they get those guys back? Let's see what happens if the top teams start getting key injuries too.

 

I've been considering their defense. Where are the sacks? Are they giving up too many yards per game? Statistically, Rex took a dominant Schwartz defense and made it average. Well, sacks are down but the opposing QBs are adjusting their games and if the Bills catch on to that like they've started doing, their pass defense will become much more effective. No sense playing for deep routes when the other team will be running quick outs and slants all the time. Gilmore's interception at the end of the Titans game came about just as much from Dareus forcing an early throw without stepping into the throw, as from Gilmore making a great play (both are true, no offense to Gilmore). The Titans were averaging something like 30 points a game. The Bills D held that good offense under control while the offense struggled for the first three quarters. I'm leaning now toward the view that what counts with a D isn't sacks, it's overall performance, and the Bills' D looks pretty darned good.

Edited by Utah John
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Does anybody get the sense that Rex has been over-thinking the defense? All the blitz packages that we are used to seeing from him seem to have disappeared. Opposing QBs are picking up the coverages far quicker and there is seemingly no pressure flying in from the backfield whereas that has been a staple of the Ryan defenses for years. I know that he has called it the players defense, but sometimes you have to go with what you know.

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Does anybody get the sense that Rex has been over-thinking the defense? All the blitz packages that we are used to seeing from him seem to have disappeared. Opposing QBs are picking up the coverages far quicker and there is seemingly no pressure flying in from the backfield whereas that has been a staple of the Ryan defenses for years. I know that he has called it the players defense, but sometimes you have to go with what you know.

I personally think it falls on the offense shoulders......

 

If our O can get a lead we will force opposing defenses to abandon the 1.5 second offense and hold the ball longer to push the ball upfield.......which will give the D line that extra second to do their jobs.

 

Need to put points on the board.....early

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Look up the 1990 season, the best Bills team ever. Got blown out at Miami week two. Were pushed around all over the field weeks 4 and 5 against Denver and Oakland but somehow won those games. But then started thinking they were as good as their record and started playing up to their record. Wining games you may have deserved to lose are the best wins you can have.

 

can Jim still play?

Guess you should just let Rex and the fellas know that there's no need to show up then. Just call the game off, THE CINCINNATI BENGALS are now unstoppable and Andy Dalton = Brady . Sorry, not buying it.

 

Any given Sunday people. And our team has YET to find it's true self...yesterday was a step in that direction.

 

What are you talking about, going in the right direction!? TT is steadily regressing as a passer, we barely beat a team we should have smacked around.

AFC teams with 3 AFC wins:

NE

Bengals

Broncos

Colts

Jets

Bills

 

Why aren't we contenders? We didn't even have 3 of our best offensive starters.

 

because our QB and line sux

also - some credit for their defense which is very underrated especially the front 4. I don't know why people try to diminish wins because they think the other team isn't as good. The Titans are a decent team. They have a very good D, good QB and good playmakers. Anyone else watch the Broncos struggle against the Raiders all day and needed a pick 6 to win? It's the NFL, all wins count the same especially road wins in the AFC!!

 

The raiders are a good team with a passing QB

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Where do people get the impression that good teams blow out, or even beat, every bad team on their schedule? Last year the Pats lost to the Phins and the Chiefs (the latter in a blowout) early in the year. They barely beat the Jets twice. Seattle lost to those same Chiefs as well as the Rams. They barely beat the Panthers and only scored 13 points in doing so. Both ended up in the Super Bowl.

 

If Super Bowl bound teams find ways to lose to inferior teams and find ways to beat those same types of teams on days they struggled why do people think the Bills have to blow every one of them out of the water to be "contenders."

 

Who knows if the Bills will end up in the playoffs but struggling on the road, early in the year and still pulling out a victory doesn't tell me they won't. Those are the types of games teams need to win to make the playoffs.

Because those teams have established themselves and winners and earn the benefit of the doubt.

 

We've proven nothing but futility and an inability to close a season out. So when we have these kinds of games, we honestly don't know what the real product is.

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I gotta respectfully disagree.

 

The defense is elite. We have a QB who has taken care of the ball and has a penchant for big plays. We have a great running game, when healthy.

 

To me, this team is still a 11, 12-win team.

 

 

is it? we played a lot better under Schwartz and Pettine, I Rex think is trying force the Dline into his system hampering their pass rushing abilities.

And who is this new franchise QB the Saints could get with the first pick next year?

 

 

Connor Cook

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because our QB and line sux

 

Offensive line rankings going into yesterday, per ProFootballFocus:

 

9. Buffalo Bills (30th)

Pass blocking rank: 13th

Run blocking rank: 8th

Penalties rank: 9th

Stud: Who doesn’t love a good comeback story? Richie Incognito (+9.4) is an interesting study—not because of “Bullygate”—but because a year away from the game has allowed him to recharge and come back better than ever.

Dud: Rookies do tend to struggle, and John Miller (-10.6) is no exception.

Summary: A big improvement here, and it’s not hard to figure out why, with Incognito the catalyst for a much-improved run blocking effort. Cordy Glenn has been his usual self, but it’s worth pointing out that Eric Wood has really elevated his game.

 

and as has been discussed ad nauseam TT is the middle of the pack right now....so yep, they sux.... :doh::wallbash:

 

 

 

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I agree with the overall topic, but not about Tyrod. He has shown me that he is more than capable of leading this team both passing and running. I firmly believe that we have an offensive scheme problem where we only send out 2 WR's, telegraph run or pass, and just don't set our guys up to win.

 

I've yet to see a throw that TT can't make

 

He can make the throws but it's about actually making the throws instead of being a running QB

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is it? we played a lot better under Schwartz and Pettine, I Rex think is trying force the Dline into his system hampering their pass rushing abilities.

 

 

Connor Cook

 

Yeah it's pretty freaking good. You've been spoiled by high sack counts the past two years. Before the Titans game, the D was statistically better in many categories compared to a year ago. I doubt Sunday's game did anything to drop us down the "comparison" rankings.

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AFC teams with 3 AFC wins:

NE

Bengals

Broncos

Colts

Jets

Bills

 

Why aren't we contenders? We didn't even have 3 of our best offensive starters.

 

While it's a shame we are down a couple of guys, we need to drop this excuse IMHO.

 

Just looking over the list I see that the Jets are without their starting QB and the Suck for Lucks are down the greatest QB in the history of the NFL and have a 40 year old dude playing QB for them. Every team has injuries. Deal with it and win anyway. We did yesterday, we just gotta do it again this week.

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To be fair, BB has had a much more varied list of desired QBs over the years.

 

Colin Kaepernick- Was good

John Skelton

Tyler Wilson- wrong, never liked Wilson

Tyler Bray - Disowned before that seasoned ended

Blake Bortles- is good will be great

Johnny Football - has potential

 

Luck - knew he would be great when he was a sophomore

Tanneyhill - is good and would be great if he wasn't on bad team

I agree with you; I just hope the team doesn't quit trying to find a real franchise QB if we finish between 8-10 wins this year. Taylor might be enough to get them to the play-offs but I can't imagine him ever being good enough to compete with the top QB's in the league.

 

 

:thumbsup:

You are wrong, right now Buffalo and the Jets would be wild card teams. Baltimore, Miami and Kansas City are 1-4, Pittsburgh has no QB and Cleveland is Cleveland. So who exactly is going challenge Buffalo and the Jets for a wild card spot???

 

getting to the playoffs doesn't make one a contender

Edited by Buffalo Barbarian
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That's right, today's a "holiday" and all the kids are home from school. Maybe go do some homework instead of posting pessimistic drivel. Or jump on someone else's bandwagon. The team has a lot of new guys, a new coach, a new system. And a LOT of hype. Everyone needs to settle down and plan to grind through the season.

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Contenders is a relative term. Are the Bills Super Bowl Contenders? I would say unlikely. But can this team make the playoffs? For sure this team can contend for a wildcard spot. Tyrod is a young progressing QB and the jury is still out on him. The defense is legit and if healthy the offense has play makers at the skill positions.

Edited by billsfan89
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I agree with the sentiment of this post.

 

I already have concern over Rex's coaching ability. We all love him as the PR guy but I'm even beginning to wonder about his defense. Schwartz had the right scheme for these players and what he did made sense.

 

I can't help but see a lot of incompetence and lack of just common sense out of some of the defensive decisions. I mean, this is just one example but I've been seeing things like this every game all over the place. The Titans and Mariota like to get rid of the ball quickly. We know this going in. How was it that Mariota's first read on a lot of plays was wide open with room to run. This is EXACTLY what you should be taking away every play. It's just frustrating as a fan and has me concerned about Rex long term.

 

Couldn't agree more

Does anybody get the sense that Rex has been over-thinking the defense? All the blitz packages that we are used to seeing from him seem to have disappeared. Opposing QBs are picking up the coverages far quicker and there is seemingly no pressure flying in from the backfield whereas that has been a staple of the Ryan defenses for years. I know that he has called it the players defense, but sometimes you have to go with what you know.

 

:thumbsup:

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I'm kind of suprised after watching NFL football for how long some people still think one week has something to do with the next. We are 3-2 that makes us contenders like a lot of teams. Pick a team not named New England and they all have games like the one Buffalo played yesterday - the good teams win them. Next week we play the Bengals and it will have nothing to do with the last game. 3-0 back up inside our 10 with a great d what you don't do is start taking risks they played to their strength waiting for an opportunity later- got it

 

Just won a game on the road with Boobie Dixon and Boom Herron as our runningbacks

Edited by CardinalScotts
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Title is confusing. Contenders for what exactly? The Super Bowl? Newsflash we never were this year and if you think they were that's on you.

 

Didn't the Bills win yesterday? There's complaints now on style points? I'm sure there's many on this board with no living memory of the Bills in the playoffs and we got some complaining they don't look impressive in a win?

 

Bottom line is the Bills offense this year wasn't built around their QB or even their line. Their success is dependent upon the skill positions and when the top 2 skill guys are out its no surprise the offense has struggled.

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:lol::lol: :lol: are you Serious !? the chances of the QB running for a first down on 3rd and a mile are just about Zero, or that the Titans punting a million times or how we couldn't move the ball at all except for a few moments

It has been the same week, to week. Taylor can not get it done without his legs.
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