Let's overreact to Week 3 in the NFL: Are the Bills for real? - ESPN

[row_33]

2 hours ago, May Day 10 said:

This reminds me a bit of the 87-88 Bills.  They are getting decent..  Showing signs of joining the NFL, strong defense, offense beginning to figure it out. 

 

Not sure they have completely arrived yet the way the 88 Bills did.   

 

the Bills were horrible the first 2 years under Kelly, then got to the AFC title game in 1988, they had no chance that day against Ickey's World

 

no sure how getting to the AFC title game is "showing signs"

 

the problem was being on the road at Cleveland the next year in the playoffs, i forget what happened to make them drop off like that.

 

 

[Chicharito]

I’m not so much looking ahead but if we do lose to NE, next weeks game is probably going to be our biggest game of the year @ Tennessee. The titans game is a must win it sets us up for tie breaker scenarios in the AFC to make the playoffs. So no matter what happens this Sunday, next week in Nashville will be make or break IMO!

[apuszczalowski]

1 hour ago, TFBillsfan said:

Understand your point but you do realize this will be the first true test this season for the Patriots. They are 3-0 with victories over opponents who are 0-9. Bills have won without playing a complete game yet. This would be a great game to be strong in all four quarters. Love they direction this team is going!

The difference is the Bills struggled to put those teams away and needed comebacks to win 2 of them, meanwhile the Patriots have cruised through their 3 games winning easily by double digits. Was there a time so far this season where the Pats have trailed a game? The Bills W/L record might be the same as others, but they have made their supposed easy schedule look much tougher then it should have been while others have made theirs look easy.....

[Captain Hindsight]

1 hour ago, Mark Vader said:

You're not worried about Dallas?

Well now I am

 

I missed that on the schedule earlier 

[GottaRun]

The AFC has so many train wreck teams this year it's gotta be the year for the Bills to march into the playoffs.  

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

1 minute ago, driddles said:

The AFC has so many train wreck teams this year it's gotta be the year for the Bills to march into the playoffs.  

Zero Win Teams  - AFC 
JETS, MIA, BENGALS, STEELERS, DENVER

 

 

Zero Win Teams  - NFC 

CARDS

[row_33]

media will sell this as the stone cold lock AFC Championship Game matchup, try to build the audience outside the fanbases, right?

 

 

[formerlyofCtown]

3 hours ago, Billsatlastin2018 said:

 

It’s a sign of development.

And, in this NFL, it’s essential!

 

Without looking at them all, you just know that those QBs who did so frequently are in the star echelon of the NFL! 

 

I won’t give you Brees, who is in his own HOF- 124 x 300 yards in his career- almost NINE Seasons of 300+ yard games, with records for most 400 yarders.

 

In 2018...Take Mahomes. He had 10/16. Old Man Rivers had 5/16.

 

Allen must get better.

Duh of coarse he needs to get better.  Hes in his second season as a very raw passer coming into the league.

[The Firebaugh Kid]

4 hours ago, atlbillsfan1975 said:

When you couple the 3-0 start with the fact they have 3 more games against Jets and Miami, I get hopeful for a playoff run. I looked over the schedule and there is probably 4 games right now that the Bills would be underdogs in. Not saying we win 12 games but 10 is achievable.

Barring a major injury itll be 10 or 11. 

[apuszczalowski]

13 minutes ago, SlimShady'sGhost said:

Zero Win Teams  - AFC 
JETS, MIA, BENGALS, STEELERS, DENVER

 

 

Zero Win Teams  - NFC 

CARDS

The NFC has 0 3-loss teams  right now then because the Cards atleast have a tie to go with 2 losses

[Nextmanup]

Glancing down the schedule and marking off what appears to be  a solid win candidate is easy.

 

Actually winning all of those games with no exceptions is the hard part.

 

There isn't much margin for error on this year's schedule.

 

 

 

[Nester]

i would feel much better about being 3--0 if we had beat actual non horrible teams or if we had beat them badly.

All 3 wins vs baddies where way too close for comfort.

[BillsFanSD]

42 minutes ago, Chicharito said:

I’m not so much looking ahead but if we do lose to NE, next weeks game is probably going to be our biggest game of the year @ Tennessee. The titans game is a must win it sets us up for tie breaker scenarios in the AFC to make the playoffs. So no matter what happens this Sunday, next week in Nashville will be make or break IMO!

I've been thinking the exact same thing for the past couple of weeks.  Tennessee is a team that we should probably beat, but it's going to be a tough road test.  In some ways, it's a bigger game than this week's.  

[RoyBatty is alive]

4 hours ago, Bills2ref said:

Im hopeful. But week 4 is the first true test. To date our victories are against opponents with a combined record of 1-8. Technically 0-8 because the 1 victory was not the Giants team we faced as Daniel Jones was at the helm. 

 

[bmur66]

Second year QB who is a leader of men. Whole new team on offense.  Solid D. Arrow is pointing up. I like their chances

[row_33]

1 hour ago, Nester said:

i would feel much better about being 3--0 if we had beat actual non horrible teams or if we had beat them badly.

All 3 wins vs baddies where way too close for comfort.

 

or if they hadn't squeaked out two of those wins by the skin of their teeth.

 

it won't be a clown show opponent this time, first time this year

 

edit:  apparently the Jets and Bengals CHOKED!!!! both those games away to gift the BIlls wins...

Edited September 23, 2019 by row_33

[eball]

4 hours ago, skibum said:

I think reality sets in this Sunday. The Bills D should be able to keep it from becoming a jailbreak, but I don't see a win happening unless the D also puts up some points. 

 

I predict a close, low scoring first half, followed by the Pats rolling in the second. 33-13 final score.

 

The Bills have so far shown an inability to "make adjustments" at halftime, as they say, coming out very tepid in the 3rd quarter. The Pats are the best in the business at making those adjustments. 

 

Yeah, the only problem with your prediction is that this is exactly what has happened in the first four McD/Belichick matchups.  McD doesn't have a problem scheming the Bills' D to limit the Pats*** effectiveness, he just hasn't had a competent offense until (hopefully) now.

 

If Josh shows he has learned from his first Belichick exposure and the Bills' offense plays the way it has for the first three weeks of the season, this should be a ball game into the 4th quarter.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

3 hours ago, apuszczalowski said:

The NFC has 0 3-loss teams  right now then because the Cards atleast have a tie to go with 2 losses

 

I discount ties as a win.   

The only problems they cause is when factoring in WC tie breakers.  

[GottaRun]

Winning at the end of a game is a bad thing now?

 

Top 2 QBs with the most 4th quarter comebacks:

 

1.  Peyton Manning

2.  Tom Brady & Johnny Unitas

 

They turned out fine. I'm not sure those comebacks were all against top notch competition in 'big' games.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

3 minutes ago, driddles said:

Winning at the end of a game is a bad thing now?

 

Are you winning by nursing a lead

 

or playing from behind to win?

 

Or down by 17 and pass happy and still can’t score points.  

[reddogblitz]

8 hours ago, Mango said:

 

I always kind of laugh when people get hyped about being 10th in the NFL at something. Like dude, it’s a 1/3 of the league. That’s not impressive. 10th puts you right in the middle of the bell curve. 

 

To 1/3 of the league gets in the playoffs. 

[row_33]

11 minutes ago, reddogblitz said:

 

To 1/3 of the league gets in the playoffs. 

 

4 division winners and 2 WC in each conference get in

 

a team well out of the top 3rd can and has won their division

 

Bills have been in trouble the whole Brady Era with no hope but a WC for almost two decades

 

 

[reddogblitz]

2 minutes ago, row_33 said:

 

4 division winners and 2 WC in each conference get in

 

a team well out of the top 3rd can and has won their division

 

Bills have been in trouble the whole Brady Era with no hope but a WC for almost two decades

 

 

 

I get what you're saying, but the rules put in by the league to play off the top the 10 in each conference is what I go by.  That's all that really counts. 

 

And yes, the 7-9 Seahawks did beat the Drew Brees led Saints in the infamous "Beast Quake" game.

[GottaRun]

54 minutes ago, SlimShady'sGhost said:

Are you winning by nursing a lead

 

or playing from behind to win?

 

Or down by 17 and pass happy and still can’t score points.  

 

We'd need a comparison chart for where the great teams/QBs were when they came back.  This team could easily be 1-2, but they're not.  This team is 3-0, learning as they go and still getting the job done, despite a horrific mistake/interception by Josh that never should have happened.  They still got it done.

[reddogblitz]

You are what you're record says you are.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

5 hours ago, bmur66 said:

Second year QB who is a leader of men. Whole new team on offense.  Solid D. Arrow is pointing up. I like their chances

 

So do I.   

 

But then reality more more often than not bites your ass

[JerseyBills]

11 hours ago, Bills2ref said:

Im hopeful. But week 4 is the first true test. To date our victories are against opponents with a combined record of 1-8. Technically 0-8 because the 1 victory was not the Giants team we faced as Daniel Jones was at the helm. 

I don't think the coaches would have put Jones in against our D regardless, and ruin his confidence. 

I also don't put much stock into the combined records. I think all 3 teams are solid at least. Maybe not the Jets with no Darnold but look for Cincy, Giants to be tough outings for the league

[whatdrought]

It’s week 3 and nobody really knows anything. This time last year the Blake Bortles led Jags had just stomped the Patriots. 

 

The biggest take away for us through 3 is that we're 3 wins closer to the 10 needed to guarantee us a spot in the playoffs. Once we’re there, it’s anybodies guess. I think the NFL is about due for a SB run from an overlooked WC. Maybe it’ll be us.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

42 minutes ago, whatdrought said:

It’s week 3 and nobody really knows anything. This time last year the Blake Bortles led Jags had just stomped the Patriots. 

 

The biggest take away for us through 3 is that we're 3 wins closer to the 10 needed to guarantee us a spot in the playoffs. Once we’re there, it’s anybodies guess. I think the NFL is about due for a SB run from an overlooked WC. Maybe it’ll be us.

Definitely not a time to overreact 

 

but

 

also a truly promising future 

 

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

The Time to overreact would be Sunday AFTER a Bills Win!!!

 

ESPN Power Rankings list the Bills @ 12

[Socal-805]

On 9/23/2019 at 4:57 AM, SlimShady'sGhost said:

Let's overreact to Week 3 in the NFL: Are the Bills for real?

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27679368/let-overreact-week-3-nfl-bills-real

 

Grab your best breakaway tailgate tables, Buffalo. Your Bills are 3-0, and the undefeated Patriots are coming to town next week. If you've been under the radar so far, that's all about to end.

 

You never know where the big games are going to pop up on the NFL schedule, but my goodness, there's a battle for first place in the AFC East in Week 4 in upstate New York.

 

The Patriots walloped the Jets in Foxborough on Sunday afternoon, while Buffalo held off Cincinnati. What better way to lead off an overreaction column than with a wild Week 3 assertion about the Bills?

 

The Buffalo Bills will make the playoffs

Buffalo has started the season 3-0 for the first time since 2011 and only the third time in the past 26 years. The Bills are allowing only about 15.6 points per game. Josh Allen is getting it done, somehow. The Bills had a strategic and quietly extensive offseason of improving their receiver corps and offensive line around Allen, and so far it appears to be paying off.

 

 

 

And they finished 6-10 under Gailey.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=BUFFALO BILLS 2011&cad=h

 

[row_33]

16 hours ago, reddogblitz said:

 

I get what you're saying, but the rules put in by the league to play off the top the 10 in each conference is what I go by.  That's all that really counts. 

 

And yes, the 7-9 Seahawks did beat the Drew Brees led Saints in the infamous "Beast Quake" game.

 

 

you can go by whatever you chose, probably cost you a lot in life being this pigheaded, i can somewhat understand 

 

 

but the reality of the world is that a division winner that isn't in the top 10 gets into the playoffs, and every few years so it's not a miracle

 

 

[reddogblitz]

50 minutes ago, row_33 said:

 

 

you can go by whatever you chose, probably cost you a lot in life being this pigheaded, i can somewhat understand 

 

 

but the reality of the world is that a division winner that isn't in the top 10 gets into the playoffs, and every few years so it's not a miracle

 

 

 

my life is going just fine thank you very much.

 

top 10 according to who and by what criteria?  

 

 

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

3 hours ago, Socal-805 said:

 

 

 

And they finished 6-10 under Gailey.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=BUFFALO BILLS 2011&cad=h

 

 

Was never a super fan of Chan Gailey as HC 

 

It terms of ranking and how to place the top 10   -  some added criteria to balance out some inequities. Higher score wins the spot 

 

Did they win but were expected to lose ?  +5 pts

Did they win?  +4 pts

 

Did they lose?  +2 pts

id they lose but were expected to win?  +1 pts

 

(I thinks thats a best to worse scenario) 

Edited September 24, 2019 by SlimShady'sGhost

[May Day 10]

On 9/23/2019 at 12:40 PM, row_33 said:

 

the Bills were horrible the first 2 years under Kelly, then got to the AFC title game in 1988, they had no chance that day against Ickey's World

 

no sure how getting to the AFC title game is "showing signs"

 

the problem was being on the road at Cleveland the next year in the playoffs, i forget what happened to make them drop off like that.

 

 

 

1987 was a huge departure from 1986 and previous.  Kelly seemed to begin to assert himself and the team was competitive.  

 

1988 was a nice surprise, and I guess they arrived... but the Bills were different than the 'run'.  They did it by defense.  They were good, but from what I recall, it didnt really feel like they could beat the Bengals, 49ers, or Bears that season.  However, we did know that it was a young team and we had some good seasons ahead.   

 

I guess it feels like 87-88 because they are showing signs, look good, but not quite polished and in the top 3-5 teams in the league territory.  They could potentially make a run like 1988.  If they can beat the Pats, I think we can legitimately talk about a playoff bye as a possibility as we look at the schedule.