Patriot Week - Would losing this week be the most disappointing since McDermott took over?

[Royale with Cheese]

3 minutes ago, High Football IQ said:

 

I'm not even sure what you mean....but anybody that expected this team to go 16-0 even after the first month is smoking some good stuff and setting themselves up for a major let down given the events of recent weeks.

 

And to be fair I expected this team to be exactly where they were right now at 5-2 when I analyzed the schedule and tried to forecast how things would play out. The issue though is how we have arrived here and the context of the totality of the season....and the data and trends are showing that this team simply peaked after the first four games or was a complete fraud to begin with similar to 2008/2011 (possibly more on the path of the 2002 season given Allen's Bledsoe like season and numbers so far).

 

At the end of the day though I certainly could be wrong, but if I'm not a lot of fans are going to be in for a major disappoint of what lies ahead in the coming weeks because the cold hard reality is there are no more 0-7 teams left for us to win thrilling 18-10 games against. Even the worse teams left (Den/SD) look like vastly superior teams irregardless of their current W/L records compared to Buffalo.

 

If the Bills had given up 28 to the Jets like the Broncos did, you would be criticizing the Bills but the Broncos are "vastly superior".

If the Bills had given up 29 to the Jags like the Chargers did, you would be criticizing the Bills but the Chargers are "vastly superior".

[ColoradoBills]

1 hour ago, jimmy10 said:

Why does everything need to be superlative all the time? “Most ever” “worst ever” “signature win” “best dressed”... Just let it happen, man. Not like anyone here has a lick of influence on the outcome anyway. 

 

I agree but most people are influenced a lot more than they think by the internet and all the "click bait" sites.  It's rewiring everyone's brains.

I have to "check" myself from the over reactions all the time.

 

As to Bills football, I'm trying to just enjoy the games for what they are.  I seem to enjoy them more this way.

FWIW.

[MJS]

15 minutes ago, High Football IQ said:

 

Because realistic fans who don't slobber over the Bills social media feeds and look beyond the lucky playoff circumstances the last 3 years realize this GM and HC simply aren't good enough to take this team even close to where they were in the 90's.

 

I want a wartime coach and GM that is thinking about playing and wining games into late January/early Feb, not just happen to squeak out 9 or 10 wins against mostly mediorce and terrible NFL teams week after week and playing the 'it's tough to win games in this league' card as justification why they can never comfortably win an NFL game against bottom feeding teams.

And yet McDermott and Beane are universally respected around the league. Imagine that.

[Captain Caveman]

I would say the most disappointing loss was the playoff game last year.  It didn't hurt that we blew a huge lead and I flew to Houston for it.

[MJS]

8 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

That's because some folks are looking beyond the record at more critical indicators of team quality, looking at the schedule, comparing it to the very easy one we had to start the season, and realizing we have a very tough row to hoe.

 

 

No, actually some fans are just miserable wretches.

[Motorin']

1 hour ago, Gene1973 said:

I think an embarrassing loss to a weaker opponent here will damage many Bills fans' opinion of McDermott. Doubt might even creep into the minds of even his most ardent supporters.

 

I read that in Gollom's voice, as if hoping  everything about your team sucks is to Bills' fans with BBPD what 'my precious' is to Gollom... One could only hope doubt creeps into the minds of McD's most ardent supporters! Muhahahha!

[teef]

15 minutes ago, High Football IQ said:

 

I'm not even sure what you mean....but anybody that expected this team to go 16-0 even after the first month is smoking some good stuff and setting themselves up for a major let down given the events of recent weeks.

 

And to be fair I expected this team to be exactly where they were right now at 5-2 when I analyzed the schedule and tried to forecast how things would play out. The issue though is how we have arrived here and the context of the totality of the season....and the data and trends are showing that this team simply peaked after the first four games or was a complete fraud to begin with similar to 2008/2011 (possibly more on the path of the 2002 season given Allen's Bledsoe like season and numbers so far).

 

At the end of the day though I certainly could be wrong, but if I'm not a lot of fans are going to be in for a major disappoint of what lies ahead in the coming weeks because the cold hard reality is there are no more 0-7 teams left for us to win thrilling 18-10 games against. Even the worse teams left (Den/SD) look like vastly superior teams irregardless of their current W/L records compared to Buffalo.

oh stop it.  this is your thing.  the bills have a lull into the season, and you suddenly show up.  you predict failure and a collapse of the season.  when it doesn't happen, you disappear, never having to own up for your nonsense.

 

are the bills playing mediocre football now?  yes.  teams have highs and low during seasons.  it's a 16 game marathon.  the bills aren't elite, but they're a good football team.  if you feel this is the way the bills will be  for the rest of the season, so be it.   but by looking at the "data" from your posts, this is all part of the act.

[JohnNord]

1 hour ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Very simply, the Bills lose Sunday and I will annoint it as bad a loss as any since McD became coach.  Forget the blowouts & playoff losses, the Bills can not afford to lose to the Patriots this week.

 

I can't think of a game that will bother me more then if they get beaten by Belichek again.

 

So this isn’t too much of an exaggeration.  McDermott is 0-6 versus Belichick.  He’s come close to winning the past few times.  
 

Hollywood stuff here.  The champion is a shell of what they used to be. They are tired and on the ropes.  The Bills have the perfect chance to land the knockout punch.  Or will the champ use their cunning, intelligence, and whatever heart is left to get out of a situation where they are overmatched?  We’ll find out.

 

But this is the perfect chance for the Bills to finally beat NE.

[Motorin']

1 hour ago, The Frankish Reich said:

Because that's how spectator sports have us wired. Why would anyone post anything on this board if we weren't interested in all those superlatives and perceived rankings? We'd just watch the game and have threads about magnificent young athletes doing remarkable things. Oh, there's a few of those ... maybe 2 percent of all threads?

I mean, you'd almost think the board was here to talk about football. About the strategy and execution, about how to beat the upcoming team on the schedule. But alas, it's Buffalo, so the board is a giant group therapy session for grown men who don't know how to handle their own emotions. 

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

7 minutes ago, High Football IQ said:

 

I'm not even sure what you mean....but anybody that expected this team to go 16-0 even after the first month is smoking some good stuff and setting themselves up for a major let down given the events of recent weeks.

 

And to be fair I expected this team to be exactly where they were right now at 5-2 when I analyzed the schedule and tried to forecast how things would play out. The issue though is how we have arrived here and the context of the totality of the season....and the data and trends are showing that this team simply peaked after the first four games or was a complete fraud to begin with similar to 2008/2011 (possibly more on the path of the 2002 season given Allen's Bledsoe like season and numbers so far).

 

At the end of the day though I certainly could be wrong, but if I'm not a lot of fans are going to be in for a major disappoint of what lies ahead in the coming weeks because the cold hard reality is there are no more 0-7 teams left for us to win thrilling 18-10 games against. Even the worse teams left (Den/SD) look like vastly superior teams irregardless of their current W/L records compared to Buffalo.

 

Vastly superior?  

[Virgil]

A regular season loss, when we play them twice?  No.

 

How can any regular season loss be more disappointing than playoff losses?  Unless the regular season loss eliminates you from the playoffs

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

Just now, JohnNord said:

So this isn’t too much of an exaggeration.  McDermott is 0-6 versus Belichick.  He’s come close to winning the past few times.  
 

Hollywood stuff here.  The champion is a shell of what they used to be. They are tired and on the ropes.  The Bills have the perfect chance to land the knockout punch.  Or will the champ use their cunning, intelligence, and whatever heart is left to get out of a situation where they are overmatched?  We’ll find out.

 

But this is the perfect chance for the Bills to finally beat NE.

 

Gotta play a 3 phase game.  

 

Special teams cost us the first meeting last year - that and allen getting hurt.  Make the kicks, and execute the punts.  

 

Defense, they're going to run early and often.  Gotta step up here.  Stops are going to be about winning the LOS on early downs, and containing cam on 3rds.  

 

Offense, i think they'll go back to blitz heavy on 3rd downs so we have to have solutions for that.  They'll look at what KC did and try and emulate some of that.  Buffalo needs to be able to run the ball. They're a man heavy team, so if they start getting more zone heavy - look for a mistake or big play.  I'd love to see smoke out there too.

[eball]

59 minutes ago, jimmy10 said:

Why does everything need to be superlative all the time? “Most ever” “worst ever” “signature win” “best dressed”... Just let it happen, man. Not like anyone here has a lick of influence on the outcome anyway. 

 

I hear ya, James, and I'm typically on board with that sentiment.  That said, not taking advantage of the opportunity this week presents would, for multiple reasons, be extremely disappointing and remove much (if not most) of the optimism surrounding McD/Beane and what we thought the Bills were becoming.  Yes, it's only one game, but it's an awful big one for the Bills' fan base.

[DaBillsFanSince1973]

1 hour ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Very simply, the Bills lose Sunday and I will annoint it as bad a loss as any since McD became coach.  Forget the blowouts & playoff losses, the Bills can not afford to lose to the Patriots this week.

 

I can't think of a game that will bother me more then if they get beaten by Belichek again.

but will you still root for the team?

 

oh wait, you don't root for the team, never mind.

[WideNine]

Not really.

 

Belichick is a better coach than McD and I like McDermott. He is a good young coach, but is not at the goat's level yet.

 

Ol Bill is coming off a slide that is unprecedented for NE and this is a division game against a familiar opponent whose OC is also very familiar.

 

We are the walking wounded and I suspect we have a good chance of losing this game.

 

I would be disappointed, but not crushed. I have never counted our NE games as wins and I wont till this team can actually prove they can beat them on the field and not just look better on paper.

 

I am hopeful, but skeptical.

 

 

 

[BillsFan692]

This may be the most billsy thread I've ever seen.

[Freddie's Dead]

I said it in another thread, and I'll say it again.  This game is WWII for the Bills.  A loss is simply unacceptable.  It's time for the Bills to slay the Cheats Dragon once and for all.

[ImpactCorey]

Umm, no.  The Wildcard game against the Texans last year is the most disappointing and its not even close.  They were up 13-0 at half time.  You could throw the Jags Wildcard loss above it as well.  Heck a loss this weekend probably wouldn't even be top 5.

[Billsfan1972]

16 minutes ago, Virgil said:

A regular season loss, when we play them twice?  No.

 

How can any regular season loss be more disappointing than playoff losses?  Unless the regular season loss eliminates you from the playoffs

Because the playoff result was not unexpected.  Even up 13-0 (16-0), the Bills refused to put the Texans away as was McD's coaching style.  And then come OT they aloowed an underneath pass to convert a 3rd & 18 (So Bills).  

 

This is NE that has looked terrible the past 3 weeks and have toyed with the Bills for years.  It would be a terrible loss imo.

[BuffaloMatt]

Question posed to all- Do the Chiefs (7th), Broncos (11th) and Niners (6th) have a better defense than the Bills (15th)? Answer - yes.  I think BB sees our run D deficiencies and will attempt to win they way he beat the Rams in the SB. Power run to left, middle and to the right. I hope we get our shi! together.

[ColoradoBills]

14 minutes ago, WideNine said:

Not really.

 

Belichick is a better coach than McD and I like McDermott. He is a good young coach, but is not at the goat's level yet.

 

Ol Bill is coming off a slide that is unprecedented for NE and this is a division game against a familiar opponent whose OC is also very familiar.

 

We are the walking wounded and I suspect we have a good chance of losing this game.

 

I would be disappointed, but not crushed. I have never counted our NE games as wins and I wont till this team can actually prove they can beat them on the field and not just look better on paper.

 

I am hopeful, but skeptical.

 

 

 

 

He probably will never reach the level that BB has and that's alright too.  BB is the GOAT and probably the likes of which I will never see again

in my lifetime.  It shouldn't worry Bills fans.

 

I agree with you it's a very important and emotional game.  I'm looking forward to see how it plays out.

I'm hopeful too.

[McBean]

Would be the first time McDermott ever beat BB.

 

Still wouldn’t go down as a signature win.

 

The Pats suck. We should win by DD’s.

[BuffaloMatt]

12 minutes ago, McBean said:

Would be the first time McDermott ever beat BB.

 

Still wouldn’t go down as a signature win.

 

The Pats suck. We should win by DD’s.

That's what the by-line was for the jets. 

[muppy]

OH THE DRAMA.......lol Ive been a fan of this team for close to 50 years and Im supposed to slot losses as bad good worse worst? THEY ALL SUCK.

[gordong]

this game is not even in the top ten if we lose...(we won't)   So many other that mean/ meant much more.

 

Edited October 26, 2020 by gordong

[Einstein's Dog]

It would be a disappointing loss, but could happen. 

 

I'm with others who would like to see more threads on the positive side, like how high this team ranks compared to other 5-2 Bills teams.  I think the only Bills teams I was more excited about were probably in the 90s when the Superbowl was there.  The last few 5-2's Bills teams I was concerned with. 

This time at 5-2, I'm very excited, not expecting Superbowl but do believe Division winner and has the feel of just around the corner from the elite teams and on the right trajectory.

 

[Billsfan1972]

We're Bills fans.  I look forward to every game.

 

The point of the thread is that the last meaningful game the Bills won vs. NE was 2011 (2 other wins included last game of the year and Brady sat & other he was injured).

 

Prior to that opening day 2003 and the 31-0 shellacking.....

 

 https://www.footballdb.com/teams/nfl/new-england-patriots/teamvsteam?opp=4

 

Some lousy losses, so excuse me if I think this is a game for the Bills not to lose (for their psyche and ours😜).

[teef]

 

1 minute ago, Billsfan1972 said:

We're Bills fans.  I look forward to every game.

 

The point of the thread is that the last meaningful game the Bills won vs. NE was 2011 (2 other wins included last game of the year and Brady sat & other he was injured).

 

Prior to that opening day 2003 and the 31-0 shellacking.....

 

 https://www.footballdb.com/teams/nfl/new-england-patriots/teamvsteam?opp=4

 

Some lousy losses, so excuse me if I think this is a game for the Bills not to lose (for their psyche and ours😜).

does anyone think otherwise?

[billsfan89]

Yes it would be, right now the Bills need to put NE away and get some confidence. Also schedule wise they need to get fat and go to 6-2 going into a tough Seattle and Cardinals stretch. If the Bills lose to NE and can't beat either Seattle or Arizona they are looking at 5-5. Whereas if they can go into those 2 games at 6-2 even if they drop both they are still at 6-4 with a very winnable Chargers game. 

 

Ideally the Bills take care of the Pats and split the next two games to get to 7-3 and then get fat against the Chargers and 49ers and get to 9-3 and then a tough game against the Steelers before finishing up a stretch against the Broncos, Fins and Pats where they should be able to at worst win 2 out of 3.

 

That's a successful path to 11 or 12 wins. This team honestly needs to go 5-1 in the division and get this early game against the Pats before they hit a harder stretch in the schedule. 

[Utah John]

The Bills are 5-2.  They can go 5-4 the rest of the way and get the 10 wins they need to be almost sure of a playoff slot. 

 

If they can't go 5-4 the rest of the way, they won't be competitive in the playoffs anyway. 

 

A win against the beat-up Pats would make it 6-2, and the need to go only 4-4 the rest of the way. 

[Billsfan1972]

46 minutes ago, Utah John said:

The Bills are 5-2.  They can go 5-4 the rest of the way and get the 10 wins they need to be almost sure of a playoff slot. 

 

If they can't go 5-4 the rest of the way, they won't be competitive in the playoffs anyway. 

 

A win against the beat-up Pats would make it 6-2, and the need to go only 4-4 the rest of the way. 

Thanks for the math lesson.😋

 

However this is the Pats and a game they need to win to get the monkey off their back.

[Big Turk]

4 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Very simply, the Bills lose Sunday and I will annoint it as bad a loss as any since McD became coach.  Forget the blowouts & playoff losses, the Bills can not afford to lose to the Patriots this week.

 

I can't think of a game that will bother me more then if they get beaten by Belichek again.

 

 

Honestly yes. This is the chance for the Bills to show the NFL they are the new leaders of this division and a loss to an honestly just bad Patriot team would be extremely disappointing.

[Don Otreply]

Losing this week would be very bad on so many fronts. 
 

this monkey needs to be removed  at the nearest opportunity....

 

Go Bills!!!

[Pokebball]

Stack the box, contain Newton and make him beat us with his arm.

[Gen2]

I think this is a much bigger game for the Pats, if they lose to the Bills their hopes to win the division gets pretty dim, if the Bills lose they are still a game ahead of the Pats and in control of their own destiny. 

[Billsfan1972]

8 minutes ago, Gen2 said:

I think this is a much bigger game for the Pats, if they lose to the Bills their hopes to win the division gets pretty dim, if the Bills lose they are still a game ahead of the Pats and in control of their own destiny. 

And lose and again we go to being BB's whipping boy and Monday will be insufferable from the media.

 

Sorry don't need that.....

[mjd1001]

5 hours ago, Buffalo Bills Fan said:

Allen must use short passes this week. The Pats secondary is too talented. But not at good pressure or run d.  How the Bill's have to attack there D.

I would have agreed with your statement last year, not this year.

 

The pats secondary is not 'too talented', they are 'kinda talented', with most of that attributed to Gimour (who by the way isn't having his greatest year).  That secondary is good, but getting old and showing signs of it.

[Gen2]

1 hour ago, Billsfan1972 said:

And lose and again we go to being BB's whipping boy and Monday will be insufferable from the media.

 

Sorry don't need that.....

 

 

I quit caring what the media says many many years ago, they are just people who get paid for espousing their opinions on TV and radio, and their opinions for the most part are just as invalid as the opinions of us fuzz brained fans who post them in forums. The only difference is we fans are blinded by our loyalty to "our team" and the media "experts" are blinded by their ratings. Buffalo won't sell to the national audience whereas NY, NE, LA will. If you'll remember back in the 90s, the media wanted anyone but the Bills in the Super Bowl.

 

I was listening to some sports show this afternoon that was saying that New England was STILL the favorites to win the division. Their reasoning was of the two teams they are chasing, one is going to be starting a rookie QB so they're not going to be a factor, and the Bills haven't looked too good the last three games so they are crashing and burning.  No mention that the Pats also looked like a pile of steaming fecal material these last three weeks, and the small fact that the Bills have a two game cushion to right their ship. 

[Ethan in Cleveland]

Worst loss to date was Houston collapse.

There have been other embarrassments like New Orleans and LA Chargers.  

 

The issue at hand is even with the Bills injuries, they are the better team.  A loss means BB outcoached McD and company again. 

[HOUSE]

Losing is not an option soooooooo

I'm not talking about it