Postgame Thread: Bills at Titans

[Teddy KGB]

8 hours ago, SydneyBillsFan said:

Was Tannys jersey covered in tarantulas?

 

Did he have a tattoo on his forehead reading "STOP - I HAVE COVID"?

 

Why did we not lay a glove on him?

Worst front 4 in the league ? 

[vincec]

I actually though the offense moved the ball pretty well. They just shot themselves in the foot with penalties, turnovers, drops, etc.I have confidence that they will rebound. The defense however, looks to be getting worse by the game so that’s much more of a concern.

[BuffaloHokie13]

Too many self-inflicted wounds and the Titans took advantage of every single one. Gotta learn from it and move on to KC.

[Green Lightning]

1 hour ago, shoshin said:

Shaq had good edge control. Last night no one did. 

100% the Tannehill running TD was pathetic. This D is soft and poorly coached. 

[jkirchofer]

What if this is a case of teams adjusting to the Bills offense? There weren't enough injuries on our offense to have made a difference last night. McDermott has proven he is unable to make adjustments on the fly and his defense has not been good enough to keep things competitive. My concern is that Tennessee just gave the rest of the league the blueprint for beating  the Bills.

[Royale with Cheese]

2 minutes ago, jkirchofer said:

What if this is a case of teams adjusting to the Bills offense? There weren't enough injuries on our offense to have made a difference last night. McDermott has proven he is unable to make adjustments on the fly and his defense has not been good enough to keep things competitive. My concern is that Tennessee just gave the rest of the league the blueprint for beating  the Bills.

 

We didn't have any problem moving the ball.  We just shot ourselves in the foot too many times.  

[thebandit27]

Too many mistakes to win.

 

Can’t drop passes (one of which results in an early INT that leads to a TD)

Can’t miss blocks

Can’t turn the ball over on a critical comeback-staging drive

Can’t extend drives with penalties 

Can’t give the QB 9 seconds to throw

 

Gotta clean it up.

[Maine-iac]

McDermott plays a coverage defense that without the starting CB's and probably our best coverage LB is going to be suspect.  WR's catch TD's on DB's every Sunday but with that said Norman looked to be totally in position to knock the ball away on that first TD.  It looked almost McKelvin like the way the ball just went by him.  As for the D-line people keep talking about space eaters or drafting a DT but really we miss Kyle and Phillips who were both incredibly disruptive with penetration.  Oliver doesn't look bad but he's not in the backfield on every play or even a good number of plays.  Add to that Murphy and Hughes who are basically OLB's in most 3-4 defenses and we are getting run on and having contain issues and not just this week, every week.

4 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

 

We didn't have any problem moving the ball.  We just shot ourselves in the foot too many times.  

By the end of the game I was actually thinking, go ahead get it all out of your system and come back and play mistake free football next week.

[jkirchofer]

10 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

 

We didn't have any problem moving the ball.  We just shot ourselves in the foot too many times.  

All I am saying is that aside from maybe two or three games, the Bills schedule does not get any easier with teams more talented and better coached than Tennessee. I worry about it being 2011 all over again. 

[Motor26]

9 minutes ago, thebandit27 said:

Too many mistakes to win.

 

Can’t drop passes (one of which results in an early INT that leads to a TD)

Can’t miss blocks

Can’t turn the ball over on a critical comeback-staging drive

Can’t extend drives with penalties 

Can’t give the QB 9 seconds to throw

 

Gotta clean it up.

Yupp. Not overly concerned as you can’t win them all, and it was a weird week having to game plan for two teams. Hope they come out better on Monday.

[MAJBobby]

Lost a game to a team that played a perfect football game. Happens. 
 

now if these self inflicted mistakes continue then I will start to get worried. 

[Chuck Wagon]

I think there was some "out of sight, out of mind" with some posters here on the Titans.  They manhandled the Ravens like that in the playoffs last year and the Ravens are a team that routinely manhandles opponents.  The Titans were in the AFC title game and it wasn't a fluke.  They somehow turned their own ignorance into a "us against the world" mentality and the Bills looked like they weren't sure they should even be on the field with them.  Not to mention with the Chiefs coming up, it was an easy to overlook game.

[LeGOATski]

The Bills seem to drop 2 or 3 of these types of games a year. Where they're just not mentally in it. It's gonna be another one of those little slumps, I think. I expect a tough game vs KC and probably 4-2 going into week 7. They'll bounce back, though.

[thebandit27]

12 minutes ago, Motor26 said:

Yupp. Not overly concerned as you can’t win them all, and it was a weird week having to game plan for two teams. Hope they come out better on Monday.

Indeed. Teams lose games. No need to make any more of it until it becomes a chronic issue.

[shoshin]

38 minutes ago, jkirchofer said:

What if this is a case of teams adjusting to the Bills offense? There weren't enough injuries on our offense to have made a difference last night. McDermott has proven he is unable to make adjustments on the fly and his defense has not been good enough to keep things competitive. My concern is that Tennessee just gave the rest of the league the blueprint for beating  the Bills.

 

Bills offensive execution was not the issue last night, though the run O could be more effective. They had 5 drops, one for an INT, and how many pre-snap penalties? 6-7? 4 on wide receivers?!?! 

 

Josh did an excellent job taking what they were giving, and that was a lot of 7 yard passes. 

Edited October 14, 2020 by shoshin

[thebandit27]

7 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

Agreed, but defense is a "chronic issue". 

It’s an issue league-wide. Teams are allowing a ton of points and yards. Buffalo ranks 24th in points allowed and 18th in yards, but remember that there are a half-dozen teams that have played one fewer game.

 

Don't get me wrong: it’s not good, but it’s not crazy bad either.

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

28 minutes ago, thebandit27 said:

Too many mistakes to win.

 

Can’t drop passes (one of which results in an early INT that leads to a TD)

Can’t miss blocks

Can’t turn the ball over on a critical comeback-staging drive

Can’t extend drives with penalties 

Can’t give the QB 9 seconds to throw

 

Gotta clean it up.

Agree with all of this, it can be backed up with stats as well as the eye test. 

 

I asked myself last night after 5 games what we do well and what we don't and checked my eyes vs Stats and it's not complicated. Our QB is excellent and by far our best player, the receivers have had some drops but have been pretty good, the Oline pass blocks well, Run Blocking is not so good. On defense we've Blitzed at a Top 10 rate and yet are at the bottom in hurries, pressures, sacks etc. We can't cover in Man right now, and our zone is getting picked apart. I'm wondering if some of the problems aren't more complicated though after a 5 game sample.

[shoshin]

25 minutes ago, jkirchofer said:

All I am saying is that aside from maybe two or three games, the Bills schedule does not get any easier with teams more talented and better coached than Tennessee. I worry about it being 2011 all over again. 

 

The Titans are one of the best coached teams in football and were in the AFC Championship game last year. It's not like the Bills lost to the Jets. 

Edited October 14, 2020 by shoshin

[PatsFanNH]

Guys it’s ONE game and the Titans are a lot better than people think.  I also wouldn’t over react if you lose to KC on Monday. Why? Well right now IMO they have the best WR core in the NFL and the second best QB right now in the NFL. (Wilson is carrying the Hawks they be 0-5 without him at QB)

 

The Bills will be in the hunt for the AFCE to the end with the Patriots. 
 

Edited October 14, 2020 by PatsFanNH

[Royale with Cheese]

 

[DrDawkinstein]

 

[DQW87]

If it weren't for penalties, I don't think Jerry Hughes's name woiuld ever be mentioned on TV.

[Royale with Cheese]

3 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

 

[SCBills]

2 hours ago, jkirchofer said:

What if this is a case of teams adjusting to the Bills offense? There weren't enough injuries on our offense to have made a difference last night. McDermott has proven he is unable to make adjustments on the fly and his defense has not been good enough to keep things competitive. My concern is that Tennessee just gave the rest of the league the blueprint for beating  the Bills.

 

John Brown is a top 20 WR... How is that not a big deal?

 

Also, without Brown, they just got the lead early and forced Josh to methodically move the ball down the field (which he hates doing). 

 

I'm not too worried about teams implementing that type of game plan...  While the defense being horrible has been a constant issue, the offense committing penalty after penalty with seven dropped passes is an anomaly.   I don't expect that to happen again.

[dave mcbride]

2 hours ago, thebandit27 said:

It’s an issue league-wide. Teams are allowing a ton of points and yards. Buffalo ranks 24th in points allowed and 18th in yards, but remember that there are a half-dozen teams that have played one fewer game.

 

Don't get me wrong: it’s not good, but it’s not crazy bad either.

This. It is terrible across the league. 

[Dr. K]

At the very least this loss should focus the Bills attention on their weaknesses. 

 

I don't know if they will beat the Chiefs, but they will be more focused and play a better game. I think it's a good thing to have the talk of MVPs and Super Bowls quieted for a while. Too much hoopla. They need to concentrate on playing better and beating the team that they are playing each week. 

[MAJBobby]

My really only complaint is the Bills very uncharacteristically looked completely unprepared and uninterested to play this game. Given the circumstances I will give them a pass 4-1 

[Lieutenant Aldo Raine]

1 minute ago, MAJBobby said:

My really only complaint is the Bills very uncharacteristically looked completely unprepared and uninterested to play this game. Given the circumstances I will give them a pass 4-1 

 

This^^

 

They looked uninspired to me and seemed to be playing with "weighted shoes" if you know what I mean.  

[MAJBobby]

3 minutes ago, Lieutenant Aldo Raine said:

 

This^^

 

They looked uninspired to me and seemed to be playing with "weighted shoes" if you know what I mean.  

Yep everything just looked off.  Cannot frag them for that it happens.  One team (Titans played a flawless game) and the other looked like they didnt want to be there.  OOO Well they were never going to go undefeated and maybe a little early season reality check to them that the Offense will not always bail them out.

[pigpen65]

Anybody notice Gabe Davis standing and watching after the INT? With minimal effort he could have helped Beasley finish off the tackle and had the Titans starting from their 40. Instead he stopped and watched and the Titans took it down to the Bills 10. It took Allen chasing down the interceptor or it would have been a pick 6. Wtf was that? And injuries or not, how was he not benched immediately?

Edited October 14, 2020 by pigpen65

[Jrb1979]

Just maybe the defense isn't as good as they are made out to be. Last year they played a lot teams with bad QBs. This year they are playing better ones and it's showing. Allen is coming back down to where he should be. He's going to throw INTs and make bad plays when you keep making him throw 40 times. They really need to get the running game going if they want to have success. 

[CaliBills]

6 minutes ago, pigpen65 said:

Anybody notice Gabe Davis standing and watching after the INT? With minimal effort he could have helped Beasley finish off the tackle and had the Titans starting from their 40. Instead he stopped and watched and the Titans took it down to the Bills 10. It took Allen chasing down the interceptor or it would have been a pick 6. Wtf was that? And injuries or not, how was he not benched immediately?

 

I honestly believe the players did not want to be playing in that game and only went to fulfill obligations from their employment so they can get paid.

 

If my job made me go to another company building where they had a covid outbreak and could not wear a mask the whole time I was there due to the type of work I did.  I would not be inspired to do good work and would do my best to just get in and get out regardless of how well I did my job.

Edited October 14, 2020 by CaliBills

[TheFunPolice]

No matter how much you lose by, it's just one game. Only counts as 1 loss. 

 

Could be what this team needed to get refocused. 

[Dr. K]

44 minutes ago, Gene1973 said:

Hmm, not sure why one would assume this. The defense has been pretty consistently bad all season so far. The Rams game should have made them more focused and play better, it didn't...

Yes, the defense has  been weak. But the the team as a whole never looked as unfocused this season and never made as many unforced errors as they did last night. 

 

Though I don't expect the defense to have some kind of complete reversal, I do think that the offense and special teams will look better. If Milano and White are healthy, the defense will be better. If Brown can play, the receivers will play better. I think Allen is mentally tough and will also bounce back. 

 

I still think it will be hard to beat the Chiefs, but the Bills are not as bad as they looked in Nashville. 

[BillsVet]

2 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

This. It is terrible across the league. 

 

Seattle is last in pass yards allowed.  And 5-0.  Defense is bad around the league and I suspect will continue to be the entire season. 

 

Buffalo's run defense isn't bad, but the pass defense has regressed.  Some of that may be injuries, and perhaps age (Hyde, Poyer). 

 

I'd like to see more impact plays to cut these opposing possessions short.  Tennessee got that INT as Buffalo was only down 21-10.  That's something the Bills need to get more of it, and perhaps that's where the pass rush has not helped.  They're not forcing QB's to make bad throws. 

[Coach Tuesday]

9 minutes ago, BillsVet said:

 

Seattle is last in pass yards allowed.  And 5-0.  Defense is bad around the league and I suspect will continue to be the entire season. 

 

Buffalo's run defense isn't bad, but the pass defense has regressed.  Some of that may be injuries, and perhaps age (Hyde, Poyer). 

 

I'd like to see more impact plays to cut these opposing possessions short.  Tennessee got that INT as Buffalo was only down 21-10.  That's something the Bills need to get more of it, and perhaps that's where the pass rush has not helped.  They're not forcing QB's to make bad throws. 

Lack of pass rush is by far the biggest problem right now.  You can correct mistakes in execution.  But it’s hard to fix a lack of talented pass rushers.  Jerry Hughes may have lost a step.  Not sure the Eric Washington hype was warranted.

Edited October 14, 2020 by Coach Tuesday

[dave mcbride]

19 minutes ago, BillsVet said:

 

Seattle is last in pass yards allowed.  And 5-0.  Defense is bad around the league and I suspect will continue to be the entire season. 

 

Buffalo's run defense isn't bad, but the pass defense has regressed.  Some of that may be injuries, and perhaps age (Hyde, Poyer). 

 

I'd like to see more impact plays to cut these opposing possessions short.  Tennessee got that INT as Buffalo was only down 21-10.  That's something the Bills need to get more of it, and perhaps that's where the pass rush has not helped.  They're not forcing QB's to make bad throws. 

The key problem to me with regard to the Bills' pass D is that they simply can't generate consistent pressure with their front four, and none of their LBs coming are difference makers as pass rushers either. LorAx was a good pass rusher, but none of they guys they have now at LB can get to the passer with any regularity. Milano is the best, and he's been banged up all season. People praise Harrison Phillips as a good run stopper, but the guy he replaced from last year -- Jordan Phillips - could actually bring the QB down. Sure, he'd blow some running plays, but sacks destroy drives.

The Bills have 8 sacks through 5 games, which works out to 25 and a half sacks over the course of the season. That is TERRIBLE, and in line with their worst ever since they started keeping the stat (they had 26 in 1984 and 25 in 1985, and they were 2-14 both times). Relatedly, opposing offenses have a collective QB rating of 103.6 (a team stat that factors in lost sack yardage), which is the worst in team history by 10.1 points (1984 was the previous worst). Even factoring in the crazy passing stats now, that is truly abysmal.    

 

One other note: the corners they rolled out last night are not good. Josh Norman is feisty but he's not good anymore. He had that one unicorn season in 2015, but he's been sub-average ever since. Note that he got burned on press coverage last night: https://www.pff.com/news/pro-the-redskins-are-looking-for-more-from-josh-norman-in-2019.  

Edited October 14, 2020 by dave mcbride

[dubs]

This game had every marker of being a disaster before KO.  I was even shocked to hear the Bills were favored, by 8 at one point then down to 3.5.

 

Tennessee had every weird variable in their favor to be amped up for this and the Bills have every reason to be off.  Can you really blame the Bills for just not being mentally into this game when they had to go on the road to play a team that has Covid running through them, on a TUESDAY no less, and not even sure the game will happen until the morning of.

 

Meanwhile, Tennessee is just resting and sitting around their homes and pissed because the entire NFL criticized them for breaking rules and putting multiple games and possibly more in jeopardy.  

 

I don't know, just seemed to set up like one of those games to me.  Doesn't worry me in the slightest for this team over the rest of the season.

 

 

[Coach Tuesday]

Damn just remembered someone bet $15k on the cover...

[dave mcbride]

Since this is a postgame thread ... https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/10/13/2020-titans-match-a-feat-last-accomplished-by-the-2007-patriots/

 

According to NFL Research, the Titans became the first team to score a touchdown on every red-zone possession (with a minimum of six), commit no turnovers, and allow zero sacks since Week 11 of the 2007 season, when the Patriots did it to the Bills during a 56-10 blowout.

There’s another link, beyond the fact that the Bills were on the wrong side of each game: Mike Vrabel coaches the Tennessee team that pulled it off, and he played for the 2007 Patriots.