Week 3: Rams at Bills

[eball]

Just now, Greg S said:

Even if Ramsey does a good job against Diggs they still have to worry about Brown and Beasley. Josh has a lot of options at his disposal.

 

More encouraging is that he is using them.  Eight different receivers in each of the first two games.  Take away one, he'll go to another.

[Greg S]

Just now, eball said:

 

More encouraging is that he is using them.  Eight different receivers in each of the first two games.  Take away one, he'll go to another.

 

Yup. I know its only 2 games but you can see Josh is a lot more confident in the pocket. He didn't even run that much against Miami. The game appears to be slowing down for him.

[K-9]

6 minutes ago, Greg S said:

 

Yup. I know its only 2 games but you can see Josh is a lot more confident in the pocket. He didn't even run that much against Miami. The game appears to be slowing down for him.

The game has been steadily slowing down for him since he returned from his elbow injury in his rookie year. While his critics have been harping on his inaccuracy and turnovers, they’ve been missing this aspect of his development. Some people just don’t understand how green he was coming out. I’ve always been a proponent of the “thousand attempts” school of development and Josh is ahead of schedule, imo. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

41 minutes ago, AirAllenPower said:

You do realize Davis is a wr

You do realize Knox is a te

 

You do realize 4 wr sets are replacing knox 

I'll just leave the facts out here:

1) The Bills were not 100% 1-0 sets in either game.  They fielded 1-1 and a scattering of others

2) In 1-1 sets, the TE was Knox until he went out, then it was Kroft

3) Daboll will not be replacing Knox with Davis in those 1-1 sets because, as you astutely point out, Davis is a WR not a TE. 

Nor is he likely to eliminate the use of 1-1 sets because they have a purpose such as the TE functioning as an additional blocker or H-back, which is how I saw Knox lining up a lot these past 2 games.  Gilliam just doesn't have the blocking chops yet.  It'll be Kroft.

4) Therefore Davis will not be replacing Knox, Kroft will.

 

If the point is that the Bills ran more 1-0 and fewer 1-1 sets the last two games, that's correct, and yes DURR when it's a 1-0 set it means there's no TE on the field, but I expect Daboll to vary that game by game depending upon how he views the favorable matchups with each opponent. 

 

Now I think I'm outta here, because it's dripping out of your word choice that you aren't about football discussion, you're wanting to thump your chest and be right.

[GG]

39 minutes ago, K-9 said:

Should be a good matchup on Sunday because Diggs can match him trash talk for trash talk on the field. Diggs is one of the most self-confident, competitive players I’ve seen and I don’t know if Ramsey is used to that kind of opponent. Have they faced each other in the past?

 

EDIT: In ‘16, the Jags played the Vikings and Diggs had 3 for 55 yards while Ramsey had one tackle and an assist in a game the Vikings won. Doesn’t say much and that’s the only game I can find where their teams faced each other. 

 

29 minutes ago, Kelly the Dog said:

Yeah should be fun. Diggs is so much fun to watch. A quick search showed they likely played once, when Ramsey was a rook. The Vikings won. Diggs had 3-55 including a 45 yarder. Not sure about the coverages though.

 

Sam Bradford was QB, targeted Diggs on 5 plays, sailed most over Diggs head even though he was always open. Diggs stretched out for the long completion - if the ball was on target it's a 59 yd TD.  Had another 20 yd completion that was wiped out by a holding call, and got lit up by Ramsey because of another airmailed Bradford pass.  There's probably bad blood between the two because Ramsey got flagged for PF for slamming Diggs to the ground well after the whistle. 

[GoBills808]

I thought I saw Davis lined up at TE a couple times and stayed home to block but haven't rewatched the game in detail tbh

[K-9]

47 minutes ago, GG said:

 

 

Sam Bradford was QB, targeted Diggs on 5 plays, sailed most over Diggs head even though he was always open. Diggs stretched out for the long completion - if the ball was on target it's a 59 yd TD.  Had another 20 yd completion that was wiped out by a holding call, and got lit up by Ramsey because of another airmailed Bradford pass.  There's probably bad blood between the two because Ramsey got flagged for PF for slamming Diggs to the ground well after the whistle. 

Oh, this is nice to hear. It’s gonna be a great matchup, potentially epic.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, GG said:

Sam Bradford was QB, targeted Diggs on 5 plays, sailed most over Diggs head even though he was always open. Diggs stretched out for the long completion - if the ball was on target it's a 59 yd TD.  Had another 20 yd completion that was wiped out by a holding call, and got lit up by Ramsey because of another airmailed Bradford pass.  There's probably bad blood between the two because Ramsey got flagged for PF for slamming Diggs to the ground well after the whistle. 

 

Bradford killed his WR, I tell ya

[Coach Tuesday]

Football Outsiders analysis of the Rams

 

Jared Goff is -- to steal a Ben Muth quote we posted in Audibles in Week 1 -- a JUGS machine playing quarterback. You point him the right way and hope nobody hits him before the throw goes off. There's nothing entertaining about him. He crumples whenever what has been pre-diagnosed falls apart.

 

So it brings me no great pleasure to report that the Rams are at it again behind a more complex McVay offense and a running attack that is working without Todd Gurley. 

[Penfield45]

rams are a top 5 team in the league 

 

this will be a massive test. just hope Allen has another strong day but without Edwards and Milano I can't see us winning this one. defense looks lost without them. 

[whatdrought]

7 minutes ago, Penfield45 said:

rams are a top 5 team in the league 

 

I'm not sure that's true at all... 

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

3 hours ago, eball said:

 

BBFS is a powerful force.  Do not succumb to the dark side.

But it is curable (slowly)

 

Just look at Scott Law. 

🥰

[Jauronimo]

3 hours ago, eball said:

 

BBFS is a powerful force.  Do not succumb to the dark side.

We squeaked by the Dolphins and needed to come from behind in the 4th.  The next 4 weeks we will be facing stronger opponents.  In fact, we will be playing stronger opponents until we see Miami and the Jets again.  

[HappyDays]

1 hour ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Jared Goff is -- to steal a Ben Muth quote we posted in Audibles in Week 1 -- a JUGS machine playing quarterback. You point him the right way and hope nobody hits him before the throw goes off. There's nothing entertaining about him. He crumples whenever what has been pre-diagnosed falls apart.

 

If this is true, our outlook for Sunday is good. We excel at disguising coverages. 

[thenorthremembers]

55 minutes ago, whatdrought said:

 

I'm not sure that's true at all... 

I'd agree, but they arent far off.   A top ten team for sure but so are the Bills.  Should be a good game.

[whatdrought]

5 minutes ago, thenorthremembers said:

I'd agree, but they arent far off.   A top ten team for sure but so are the Bills.  Should be a good game.

 

They were barely top 15 last year, and while they look much better now, they haven't really been tested any more than us. We'll see. 

[John from Riverside]

1 hour ago, Penfield45 said:

rams are a top 5 team in the league 

 

this will be a massive test. just hope Allen has another strong day but without Edwards and Milano I can't see us winning this one. defense looks lost without them. 

Top 5.....WTF dude

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, Penfield45 said:

rams are a top 5 team in the league 

 

Based on 2 games?  Not hardly enough to pronounce IMO.

 

Even then, depends on your metric. 

Rams:

Defense: points allowed 5.  yards allowed 18.

Offense: points scored 8.  yards gained 5.

 

Bills:

Defense: points allowed 13.  yards allowed 5.

Offense: points scored 6.  yards gained 3.

 

1 hour ago, Penfield45 said:

this will be a massive test. just hope Allen has another strong day but without Edwards and Milano I can't see us winning this one. defense looks lost without them. 

 

You must be a blast at a party

 

For values of "lost" equal to 5th in yards allowed and 13th in points allowed, Sure. 

Bills: #3 in rush yards allowed (Rams #20)

Bills: #20 in pass yards allowed (Rams #17)

 

We scored more points than the other team at the end of the day, that's what matters.  The Rams have some great players. 

But I sure as heck hope the players aren't taking your pre-petrified attitude into the game with them because I see no reason.

[Stank_Nasty]

12 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Based on 2 games?  Not hardly enough to pronounce IMO.

 

Even then, depends on your metric. 

Rams:

Defense: points allowed 5.  yards allowed 18.

Offense: points scored 8.  yards gained 5.

 

Bills:

Defense: points allowed 13.  yards allowed 5.

Offense: points scored 6.  yards gained 3.

 

 

You must be a blast at a party

 

For values of "lost" equal to 5th in yards allowed and 13th in points allowed, Sure. 

Bills: #3 in rush yards allowed (Rams #20)

Bills: #20 in pass yards allowed (Rams #17)

 

We scored more points than the other team at the end of the day, that's what matters.  The Rams have some great players. 

But I sure as heck hope the players aren't taking your pre-petrified attitude into the game with them because I see no reason.

I’m not on the same page with, Penfield. I believe we can win without them but they just gave up 28 pts and 400+ yds in the full game they were missing both for the duration so citing their cumulative yardage ranking through both games is sort of misleading, correct? 
 

it doesn’t take a pro to see the D looked very vulnerable without those 2 key cogs. 

[AmishRifle]

14 minutes ago, Stank_Nasty said:

I’m not on the same page with, Penfield. I believe we can win without them but they just gave up 28 pts and 400+ yds in the full game they were missing both for the duration so citing their cumulative yardage ranking through both games is sort of misleading, correct? 
 

it doesn’t take a pro to see the D looked very vulnerable without those 2 key cogs. 

Agree with you as I just rewatched the Dolphin’s game.  Fitz picked on Wallace the whole game and targeted the hash marks with his throws.  Question for the board:  What are the responsibilities of our MLB and OLB Schematically for our defense?  It seemed like the Dolphins were using play action to draw the linebackers up and then Fitz would throw behind them.  Additionally, I’d like to point out that they successfully targeted White too on a few plays.  Maybe Fitz was just on but it seemed like they were attacking our defensive scheme with the gameplan.  

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

The Los Angeles Rams didn't feel the full wrath of the injury-filled weekend in Week 2, but they didn't come out of it completely unscathed either, particularly in the backfield. Both Malcolm Brown and rookie Cam Akers suffered injuries in this contest, with Brown fracturing his left pinky in the win over Philadelphia while Akers has a rib cartilage injury. 
 

On Monday, head coach Sean McVay spoke with reporters and relayed that both of his running backs have a chance to play this week against the Bills. Brown is the most likely to suit up while Akers is in a much more painful situation, but the head coach did say that there is a chance he'll be able to play in Week 3 as well. 
 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/sean-mcvay-gives-injury-updates-on-cam-akers-and-malcolm-brown-praises-darrell-hendersons-week-2-performance/

 

[whatdrought]

58 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

Bills:

Defense: points allowed 13.  yards allowed 5.

Offense: points scored 6.  yards gained 3.

 

This is sexy. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

54 minutes ago, Stank_Nasty said:

I’m not on the same page with, Penfield. I believe we can win without them but they just gave up 28 pts and 400+ yds in the full game they were missing both for the duration so citing their cumulative yardage ranking through both games is sort of misleading, correct? 
 

it doesn’t take a pro to see the D looked very vulnerable without those 2 key cogs. 

 

The D did look vulnerable. 

 

But bear in mind, this is a division rival who has faced our D 2x a year for the last 3 years, featuring one of our star starters who was in an ideal position to "dole them the gouge" on any points they were missing about our D,  and about how it might be vulnerable without Milano.

 

I don't think that means our D is a doormat labeled "welcome" for every offense everywhere in the league, and I believe Frazier and McDermott are excellent coaches who will be working overtime to fix the vulnerabilities we laid down on film.

 

And the key take away is...whatever number of points our D gave up, our offense had more on the scoreboard at the end of the game.

 

10 minutes ago, whatdrought said:

This is sexy. 

 

I think citing NFL rankings is highly misleading after 2-3 games for any team. 

Example: It can make us look "top 5" too, even when our D just played a sucky game.

 

[CowgirlsFan]

Bills will be just fine as long as they DON'T use the same game plan and decision making as the Cowboys. 

[FireChans]

2 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Based on 2 games?  Not hardly enough to pronounce IMO.

 

Even then, depends on your metric. 

Rams:

Defense: points allowed 5.  yards allowed 18.

Offense: points scored 8.  yards gained 5.

 

Bills:

Defense: points allowed 13.  yards allowed 5.

Offense: points scored 6.  yards gained 3.

 

 

You must be a blast at a party

 

For values of "lost" equal to 5th in yards allowed and 13th in points allowed, Sure. 

Bills: #3 in rush yards allowed (Rams #20)

Bills: #20 in pass yards allowed (Rams #17)

 

We scored more points than the other team at the end of the day, that's what matters.  The Rams have some great players. 

But I sure as heck hope the players aren't taking your pre-petrified attitude into the game with them because I see no reason.

13th in points allowed playing the Jets and Dolphins doesn’t inspire the most confidence.

[Franco_92]

1 hour ago, FireChans said:

13th in points allowed playing the Jets and Dolphins doesn’t inspire the most confidence.

15 of those points were garbage time points 

[K-9]

47 minutes ago, arcane said:

15 of those points were garbage time points 

Context is important. 

[Warcodered]

 

[MJS]

The Bills were able to put a ton of pressure on Fitzpatrick. Fitz was throwing just before or as he was getting hit time after time, especially in the second half. He was fearless and made great throws in the face of pressure.

 

If we can get that kind of pressure on Goff, he will NOT be able to do the same thing. He has been atrocious in his career while under pressure. Like, night and day different. He also isn't go to hurt you by scrambling it, or at least not to the extent that Fitzpatrick can.

 

I think getting pressure on Goff is going to be the key and that's how we overcome one or both of our linebackers being out. But if not, Goff has the physical skills to put up yards and points.

[eball]

5 hours ago, CowgirlsFan said:

Bills will be just fine as long as they DON'T use the same game plan and decision making as the Cowboys. 

Mike McCarthy has made two HORRIBLE in-game decisions in successive weeks and only Atlanta’s ineptness on an onside kick has prevented the Cowboys from being 0-2. I’m starting to remember the Green Bay fans’ complaints about him...

[AmishRifle]

26 minutes ago, eball said:

Mike McCarthy has made two HORRIBLE in-game decisions in successive weeks and only Atlanta’s ineptness on an onside kick has prevented the Cowboys from being 0-2. I’m starting to remember the Green Bay fans’ complaints about him...

Never understood the hire.  But, Jerry is gonna Jerry.

 

Fun fact:  Jerry’s first name is actually Jerral.  

[billsbackto81]

8 hours ago, John from Riverside said:

Top 5.....WTF dude

I agree. Just looked at the highlights of that game and I'm just not overly impressed. Rams played a consistent and competent game with no WOW factor to speak of. They love rushing their WR's and have very good plays designed for that.  Donald and Ramsey were quiet.  Eagles D is horrible and Wentz has regressed big time and yet they were only down 5 with 11 minutes left in the 4th before they folded. Also Philly's O line is not very good and they still didn't allow a sack in the game. If Edmunds comes back I feel very good about this game. Sanders ran on them pretty well and Wentz as bad as he was still threw for almost 250.

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

10 hours ago, John from Riverside said:

Top 5.....WTF dude

I know. I think this is a very difficult game and I mean this with no disrespect of the Rams...but I think they are the 4th best team in their own division. The Bills will have their hands full and it would be a very nice win but it’s by no means an opponent that outclasses us. This Bills just need to get the defense back on track and get Singletary involved. Play smart, play hard and be a little sharper then last week. The mistakes they made against Miami, will sink us against this team.

[TPS]

Didn't see this elsewhere. Sorry if it was already posted..

Subtle and amazing. If his front leg is planted, he likely is injured.

 

 

[eball]

It’s really fun, and a bit surreal, to open up a column on the LA Rams website previewing this week’s game and read this:

 

The Rams' secondary will have to be sharp against the NFL's leading passer

[Greg S]

8 hours ago, FireChans said:

13th in points allowed playing the Jets and Dolphins doesn’t inspire the most confidence.

 

Both the Jets and Fins got garbage time points. Look at LA they beat two teams from the NFC Least. Philly is 0-2 with a loss to the Skins oops I mean Washington Football team who aren't that good. Dallas would be 0-2 if Atlanta knew what defense was. Also that onside kick Dallas recovered was a joke. The ball was rolling along nicely at 2MPH and not bouncing around like most onside kicks do. Why a Falcon didn't fall on it is a mystery.

[FireChans]

7 hours ago, arcane said:

15 of those points were garbage time points 

 

6 hours ago, K-9 said:

Context is important. 

Always fun to post the stats and then claim the stats don’t REALLY matter because ....

[eball]

4 minutes ago, FireChans said:

 

Always fun to post the stats and then claim the stats don’t REALLY matter because ....

 

So do you really believe those 15 points “mattered?”  Or are you just spewing nonsense?

[Greg S]

2 minutes ago, eball said:

 

So do you really believe those 15 points “mattered?”  Or are you just spewing nonsense?

 

What matters at this point is 2-0. Do the Bills have things to work on? Absolutely. Truth is the D had a bad game last week and needs to be better. I know we were missing two key starters on D but injuries happen. McDermott certainly wont use that as an excuse. Bottom line is just get the win.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

Does anyone know whether the rams play a lot of zone or man? Also will Jalen Ramsey be on Diggs all day, or does he play on one side only? 
 

it’s interesting— but Josh excels against zone coverage, and has been so-so against man. Last week was the first time I recall him really picking apart man coverage and I think that was partially due to the Bills running way More crossing routes that I have ever seen them run, and Josh being super accurate on those.