After rewatch , the Run Game was by far the biggest difference

[JerseyBills]

The Pats established a solid run game all day . Routinely ripping off 5-7 yards , getting first downs and most importantly , used the run to set up the pass and a very effective Play Action for Tommy.  They took it to us in the run game , the defenses worse performance since Philly in that regard. 

 

Buffalo couldn't do anything on the ground but 26 is a dog , just wasn't enough holes and extremely inconsistent. I swear it feels like Dabol throws away 3 drives a game with super predictable play calling on 1st and 2nd down and puts us in terrible position to keep driving.  

 

It was clear on 2nd watch that this game came down to running and stopping the run , which is essential to make a serious playoff run.

 

My silver lining is no moral victory, we're too good for moral victories, but maybe it was a blessing in disguise with playoffs 2 weeks away , and the O and D being forced to make adjustments in the run department after a brutal showing last night. This isn't a talent or coaching gap , we can play with anyone but we gotta be able to establish and stop the run to make some noise and I think we're capable of doing so.

 

 

Dec/Jan football hasn't changed. Run and stop the run and u have a tremendous chance at victory

Edited December 22, 2019 by JerseyBills

[EasternOHBillsFan]

1 hour ago, JerseyBills said:

The Pats established a solid run game all day . Routinely ripping off 5-7 yards , getting first downs and most importantly , used the run to set up the pass and a very effective Play Action for Tommy.  They took it to us in the run game , the defenses worse performance since Philly in that regard. 

 

Buffalo couldn't do anything on the ground but 26 is a dog , just wasn't enough holes and extremely inconsistent. I swear it feels like Dabol throws away 3 drives a game with super predictable play calling on 1st and 2nd down and puts us in terrible position to keep driving.  

 

It was clear on 2nd watch that this game came down to running and stopping the run , which is essential to make a serious playoff run.

 

My silver lining is no moral victory, we're too good for moral victories, but maybe it was a blessing in disguise with playoffs 2 weeks away , and the O and D being forced to make adjustments in the run department after a brutal showing last night. This isn't a talent or coaching gap , we can play with anyone but we gotta be able to establish and stop the run to make some noise and I think we're capable of doing so.

 

 

 

 

It didn't help that Josh was overthrowing receivers a lot again in the first half... He's just not dropping it in the bucket when the play is there and that is concerning. He called it "jitters", but you never want to hear your franchise QB say they have "the jitters"... they are supposed to be in the zone and have ice water in their veins. 

 

We can't get the running game going consistently if the passing game is out of sync. The Cheatriots teed off and we got out of balance. Josh needs to be more consistent and the holes will be there.

[Niagara Dude]

1 hour ago, JerseyBills said:

The Pats established a solid run game all day . Routinely ripping off 5-7 yards , getting first downs and most importantly , used the run to set up the pass and a very effective Play Action for Tommy.  They took it to us in the run game , the defenses worse performance since Philly in that regard. 

 

Buffalo couldn't do anything on the ground but 26 is a dog , just wasn't enough holes and extremely inconsistent. I swear it feels like Dabol throws away 3 drives a game with super predictable play calling on 1st and 2nd down and puts us in terrible position to keep driving.  

 

It was clear on 2nd watch that this game came down to running and stopping the run , which is essential to make a serious playoff run.

 

My silver lining is no moral victory, we're too good for moral victories, but maybe it was a blessing in disguise with playoffs 2 weeks away , and the O and D being forced to make adjustments in the run department after a brutal showing last night. This isn't a talent or coaching gap , we can play with anyone but we gotta be able to establish and stop the run to make some noise and I think we're capable of doing so.

 

 

 

The Bills need to get a starting level RB this offseason,  Singeltary is not good enough IMO.   Small and slow who relies on making people miss is not going to get you results you need for a team that runs first & second down.  The fact is someone compared him to JOE CRIBBS which is fake if they saw JOE CRIBBS play,  Cribbs had break away speed which Singletary does not.

[JerseyBills]

1 hour ago, Niagara Dude said:

The Bills need to get a starting level RB this offseason,  Singeltary is not good enough IMO.   Small and slow who relies on making people miss is not going to get you results you need for a team that runs first & second down.  The fact is someone compared him to JOE CRIBBS which is fake if they saw JOE CRIBBS play,  Cribbs had break away speed which Singletary does not.

Really. ? I think Devin is a #1 or at least a 1a ,1b type of situation. His vision is ridiculous..

He has handled the workload well the last few weeks , we just had a piss poor showing by the OL in the run gm. I think with the right complement to him , he can be a star. I trust this FO to find that this off-season

[Boatdrinks]

Lack of running game is huge. The Bills need another effective RB. Singletary gets yards , but he doesn’t churn yards when creases aren’t there. They need a power back to compliment him, and Gore of 6-7 years ago would be that guy. Daboll puts his limited offense behind the sticks. They’re not good enough to overcome it consistently , and when the rush is in Allen’s face , he doesn’t set his feet right. That means short passes are low and others sail. Some first down passes will allow Allen to have an extra second and set his feet. 

[Virgil]

2 hours ago, EasternOHBillsFan said:

 

It didn't help that Josh was overthrowing receivers a lot again in the first half... He's just not dropping it in the bucket when the play is there and that is concerning. He called it "jitters", but you never want to hear your franchise QB say they have "the jitters"... they are supposed to be in the zone and have ice water in their veins. 

 

We can't get the running game going consistently if the passing game is out of sync. The Cheatriots teed off and we got out of balance. Josh needs to be more consistent and the holes will be there.

 

I disagree here.  He didn't miss a lot of throws in the second half and hit two deep balls.  If anything, there running game should've gotten better because of it.  My issue with the second half rushes were that they were too predictable and to the same spots.  There was no mis-direction

[ColoradoBills]

Gore and Yeldon will be gone next year and I expect Beane to sign a decent FA and draft a RB in the mid rounds.

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

The best way for this team to win multiple playoff games this year, is to develop a power running game this week. We have a free game to throw some stuff at the wall. We are not going to beat teams by throwing. Take this free week to experiment with some big physical packages. Things that can give you 3 and 4 yards on the ground even when the defense knows we are going to run. Singletary is great. We need a second guy. Maybe he’s on the roster right now, maybe he’s on a practice squad, maybe he’s on the street. Go find a physical back that’s can run inside. It’s not Gore. Use the jet game to work in some 3 TE, FB sets. See if you can’t get going what the Pats got going last night. Go sign Blount, go find a new guy that nobody knows that is on a practice squad. The Bills are great at finding Runningbacks. Go find a physical runner that can complement Singletary and let’s turn this offense into a powerful complement to a stingy defense. We are a team that needs to sustain long drives and shorten games. You need to run against big boxes to do that. Especially when your quarterback is very streaky.

Edited December 22, 2019 by Brianmoorman4jesus

[Dr.Sack]

We need a bigger back who has explosiveness & top end speed. Singletary can’t do it all by himself.

[Success]

I hated the way they were able to run on us.  It was definitely the difference.  Textbook for the Pats - establishing the run opened things up for those big passes that decided the game.

 

And on our side, I found myself missing Gore.    We had no change-up.

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

Just now, ScottLaw said:

No it's really not. 

It is. But I’m certainly not expecting it to happen. What the patriots did against us yesterday, is what we should be doing. A run game that can get you 4 yards on first down, (even when they know you are running it) will be deadly with Allen. Brady isn’t going to hurt you down field but the arm of Allen forces you to respect the deep ball. Even if he hasn’t been hitting them this season, teams still know this guy can kill you deep down field. We are a team trying to win 17-13 every week and shorten the game. You can’t do that consistently if you are going 3 and out every other drive. Need to get that inside run game going to go along with Singletary and Allen. Otherwise we are never going to score enough to be the truly elite teams in the AFC. Physical defenses are making us one dimensional.  Get an element of a power run Game going and we can win playoff games.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

5 minutes ago, Success said:

I hated the way they were able to run on us.  It was definitely the difference.  Textbook for the Pats - establishing the run opened things up for those big passes that decided the game.

 

And on our side, I found myself missing Gore.    We had no change-up.

it really was the game. They were in 2nd and 4s all game. Tough to make 3rd down stops when it is 3rd and 2. Anytime we got patriots in 3rd and long, they were done. 

[billsfan_34]

2 hours ago, Niagara Dude said:

The Bills need to get a starting level RB this offseason,  Singeltary is not good enough IMO.   Small and slow who relies on making people miss is not going to get you results you need for a team that runs first & second down.  The fact is someone compared him to JOE CRIBBS which is fake if they saw JOE CRIBBS play,  Cribbs had break away speed which Singletary does not.

I have been saying it all year- Devin is good, number 2 good but doesn’t have that second gear or pure power. Look at Chubbs, Henry, etc and you realize quickly he isn’t a 1.

[ColoradoBills]

9 minutes ago, Dr.Sack said:

We need a bigger back who has explosiveness & top end speed. Singletary can’t do it all by himself.

 

I know he's not a speedster but I would like to see if Beane considers Jordan Howard as an option.

I'm sure he could be pulled away from the Eagles in FA for moderate money.

He could fill the 1st down back need.

 

Then draft an all around back with a 4th or 5th.

[JMF2006]

Did Cory Luiget play yesterday

[Big Gun]

You guys are funny that think Singletary isn't good enough to be a 1 RB.

 

Devin is 19th in the league in total yards rushing, 15th in yards per game, 19th in 1st downs and 5th in yards/attempt despite being 26th in carries, throw in 29 receptions and he has only started 8 games, a rookie to boot. You haters are nuts, this kid is dynamite! 

[Dr.Sack]

1 minute ago, pop gun said:

You guys are funny that think Singletary isn't good enough to be a 1 RB.

 

Devin is 19th in the league in total yards rushing, 15th in yards per game, 19th in 1st downs and 5th in yards/attempt despite being 26th in carries, throw in 29 receptions and he has only started 8 games, a rookie to boot. You haters are nuts, this kid is dynamite! 

He’s good but IF he goes down Gore is no longer a viable #2 back. We need another back who can come in & grind out tough yards. 

[JerseyBills]

9 minutes ago, JMF2006 said:

Did Cory Luiget play yesterday

Yes. Saw him in there quite a bit actually

[Big Gun]

Just now, Dr.Sack said:

He’s good but IF he goes down Gore is no longer a viable #2 back. We need another back who can come in & grind out tough yards. 

Absolutely, I agree that Gore is done, but that is more a reflection on Gore than Devin not being a 1. 

[CEN-CAL17]

Yes the Bills need an actual threat at RB2..... I’m hoping for a guy like Jordan Howard in FA. Man if this team could get the identity of smash mouth run first offense, Josh would skyrocket!!!!

[JerseyBills]

1 hour ago, ColoradoBills said:

Gore and Yeldon will be gone next year and I expect Beane to sign a decent FA and draft a RB in the mid rounds.

Agree. 

What are your thoughts on Dimarco though?

Another game with minimal impact.

He was heavily involved early and it equated to a FG after a Hyde return in Pats territory which should have been 7. 

[Mr. WEO]

41 minutes ago, pop gun said:

You guys are funny that think Singletary isn't good enough to be a 1 RB.

 

Devin is 19th in the league in total yards rushing, 15th in yards per game, 19th in 1st downs and 5th in yards/attempt despite being 26th in carries, throw in 29 receptions and he has only started 8 games, a rookie to boot. You haters are nuts, this kid is dynamite! 

 

 

He's played in 12 games.  He has 4 games over 75 yards.  One over 100.  Can't really build your run offense around that.  He can be the change of pace back for a solid power back. 

[ColoradoBills]

1 hour ago, JerseyBills said:

Agree. 

What are your thoughts on Dimarco though?

Another game with minimal impact.

He was heavily involved early and it equated to a FG after a Hyde return in Pats territory which should have been 7. 

 

If the Bills want to stick with a FB I think they should attempt to upgrade from Dimarco.

[JMF2006]

1 hour ago, JerseyBills said:

Yes. Saw him in there quite a bit actually

 

His knee must be still sore  he made zero tackles.

[Scott7975]

1 hour ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

 

He's played in 12 games.  He has 4 games over 75 yards.  One over 100.  Can't really build your run offense around that.  He can be the change of pace back for a solid power back. 

 

He only has significant attempts in 7 of those 12 games.  In the other five he has a combined total of 28 attempts which averages out to less than 6 attempts per.  You aren't going to get yardage with 6 attempts.  Yet he somehow did still get good yardage.  Yesterday was only the second game that he was held under 4 ypc.

[Dr.Sack]

2 hours ago, pop gun said:

Absolutely, I agree that Gore is done, but that is more a reflection on Gore than Devin not being a 1. 

But Singletary hasn’t proven he can get yards when the D knows it’s a run. He looks to be wearing down. 

[Prickly Pete]

The Bills need more horses. I feel they are squeezing as much as possible out of what they have.

[Mr. WEO]

27 minutes ago, Scott7975 said:

 

He only has significant attempts in 7 of those 12 games.  In the other five he has a combined total of 28 attempts which averages out to less than 6 attempts per.  You aren't going to get yardage with 6 attempts.  Yet he somehow did still get good yardage.  Yesterday was only the second game that he was held under 4 ypc.

 

 

He was healthy and available for those games.  In the past 8 games, he has 16 per game.  He's not really used in scoring situations.  He no-showed in a big game last night.

 

He's a good back, but he needs help.

[Scott7975]

Just now, Mr. WEO said:

 

 

He was healthy and available for those games.  In the past 8 games, he has 16 per game.  He's not really used in scoring situations.  He no-showed in a big game last night.

 

He's a good back, but he needs help.

Yeah he needs a complimentary back but if they only used him in a game for 6 carriers and the dude rips off almost 60 yards... that's on Daboll usage not him.

[John from Riverside]

5 hours ago, Niagara Dude said:

The Bills need to get a starting level RB this offseason,  Singeltary is not good enough IMO.   Small and slow who relies on making people miss is not going to get you results you need for a team that runs first & second down.  The fact is someone compared him to JOE CRIBBS which is fake if they saw JOE CRIBBS play,  Cribbs had break away speed which Singletary does not.

As usual a very strange take like you dont even watch the games.

 

But

 

I do agree that Devin needs to be platooned with a big fast back that breaks big plays....and he took every snap yesterday which I would rather not see

[KD in CA]

The lesson here is, you can't have one RB on your roster and just hope that works against every opponent.  NE adjusted at halftime to stop #26 and the Bills had no answer.  If we had a Gore type player who wasn't 73 years old, that would have been a good option in the second half (it might have been a good option to try him anyway).

 

NE has 3 RBs, and as any fantasy guy knows, Belichick deploys them week to week based on the game plan for that specific opponent.  There's a reason we didn't see James White yesterday but saw plenty of Burkhead.  Next week against Miami will probably be the opposite.

 

Bills absolutely need to draft another RB in April.

[Lieutenant Aldo Raine]

I’m wondering if Singletary is more in the mode of an Austin Ekeler - Darren Sproles type.  Which is not a bad thing, but I agree we need another RB with power and speed.

[london_bills]

8 hours ago, EasternOHBillsFan said:

 

It didn't help that Josh was overthrowing receivers a lot again in the first half...

 

We can't get the running game going consistently if the passing game is out of sync. The Cheatriots teed off and we got out of balance. Josh needs to be more consistent and the holes will be there.

 

He's just not dropping it in the bucket when the play is there and that is concerning. He called it "jitters", but you never want to hear your franchise QB say they have "the jitters"... they are supposed to be in the zone and have ice water in their veins. 

 

Although I love him for it, this is what I thought. Sometimes he plays like he's got ice in his veins, normally the more the game goes on but I've got the same concerns 

[Shaw66]

When it's the Patriots, it's never about one thing.   It's everything.   They do everything well, and they don't let themselves get beat at anything.  If you're going to beat them, you have to beat them all over the field, every minute.  

[TigerJ]

I do think the Bills need to rethink the notion of having only two true running backs on the game day roster.  Gore does not do enough to serve as real relief for Singletary.   Personally, I'd think about doing what Baltimore does.  Find a guy who can serve a s a rotational defensive end, and fullback.  That would save a roster spot and let McDermott field three true running backs.  Singletary, despite his lack of height is kind of a general purpose back.  He's got enough weight to not have a lot of concern about his ability to take punishment, and he's probably as effective as Gore running inside.  He's not a true bulldozer like a Derrick Henry, and he doesn't have breakaway speed to break of really long runs if he gets in the clear.  I'd be comfortable going forward with him getting 15 -20 runs per game, but I'd like to see The Bills add a guy who can carry 220 -230 lbs.  You'd want him to be at least a possible threat to catch a pass, and run better than a 4.6 40 as well as having some toughness.  I'd also like to see them find a back who can run a sub 4.5 40 with some elusiveness and the ability to line up as a receiver. 

 

New England will have Sony Michelle, Rex Burkhead, James White and Brandon Bolden all active on the same day, and all four will get reps at running back.  That might be a factor in their ability to pound the ball.   Of course, Buffalo didn't tackle real well either.

[zow2]

6 hours ago, ColoradoBills said:

Gore and Yeldon will be gone next year and I expect Beane to sign a decent FA and draft a RB in the mid rounds.

he should sign Chris Thompson of the Skins.  Shifty back and great hands out of the backfield.

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

Anyone think we will bring in another RB this week before the playoffs? Give a guy the Jet game to prove he can help out?

[HomeTeam]

Hopefully we get Ty Nseke back for the playoffs. That will be huge if he is healthy and able to go.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

9 hours ago, EasternOHBillsFan said:

 

It didn't help that Josh was overthrowing receivers a lot again in the first half... He's just not dropping it in the bucket when the play is there and that is concerning. He called it "jitters", but you never want to hear your franchise QB say they have "the jitters"... they are supposed to be in the zone and have ice water in their veins. 

 

We can't get the running game going consistently if the passing game is out of sync. The Cheatriots teed off and we got out of balance. Josh needs to be more consistent and the holes will be there.

 

I’d just like to point out that we had a total of, I believe, 15 pass plays in the first half (one run, one sack, 13 passes).  Allen was 6 for 13, which is not good, but when we talk about “overthrowing receivers a lot in the first half”, we’re talking about something like 3 overthrown passes.

 

I’m not saying that isn’t a problem - clearly it was - but the bigger problem was lack of playing time for the Bills offense.  People like to talk about Daboll not helping Allen get into a rhythm, but if the defense is on the field something like 3x as long as the offense, and it’s not a matter of bonehead offensive moves well.....

 

Frankly I think Josh should learn to STFU and be less nice in his pressers.  Just say “I didn’t play well enough, on to the Jets.”

[BuffaloRebound]

Count me in the camp that says Allen needs to be paired with a power runner.  Allen is not a precision passer.  We need a power running game that consistently gets us 4-5 yards on 1st down when they know we’re running the ball and can also convert on 3rd and short.  Singletary is a decent RB but Allen needs something more because he’s not a dink and dunk QB.