a few thoughts about the cardinals game, in no particular order

[Coach Tuesday]

13 minutes ago, DCbillsfan said:

Singletarys best play today was negated by Knox's penalty.  Knox had a terrible game.

Knox is a terrible football player.  He seems to be one of those million dollar body, ten cent head type of dudes.  Just lacks the right amount of focus and instincts for the sport.  It’s why he did nothing in college and why he continues to squander his opportunities here.  Also seems like he may be a knucklehead.

 

Let’s be honest, if you got to place a bet before the season on the two players most likely to get themselves onto the COVID list, wouldn’t Knox and Norman have been the frontrunners?  Knuckleheads.

Edited November 16, 2020 by Coach Tuesday

[klos63]

Just now, Freddie's Dead said:

3 Misc. - It was clear that CBS created a lot of graphics to ball-wash Murray as the MVP.  Why CBS would pimp an NFC team is beyond me, but they did it. 

 

In hindsight, McD should not have called the TO before the last play, he should have let the pressure settle in on the Cards instead of relieving it by calling the TO.  He took all the pressure off the Cards to get the play run on time. 

i think there were 2 seconds on the play clock when we called timeout.

[Freddie's Dead]

28 minutes ago, BuffaloBillies said:

 I could call it a "bad beat"... but they made the play. Wasn't all luck. Go bills. 

 

They definitely hit a one-outer...

Just now, klos63 said:

i think there were 2 seconds on the play clock when we called timeout.

 

Oh man, even worse.

[Virgil]

1 minute ago, klos63 said:

i think there were 2 seconds on the play clock when we called timeout.

True, but we also didn’t have any players lined up deep. All 11 were within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage 

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

46 minutes ago, thebandit27 said:

I’ll disagree with 2 bad INTs. Some might disagree with me, but Davis ran a brutal route on that 2nd pick. He got loose and sloppy and let Kirkpatrick beat him to the inside.

 

Other than that, great stuff as per usual.

 

Poor throw. Why not loft that up towards the sideline?

[leh-nerd skin-erd]

15 minutes ago, Virgil said:

Don’t get me started. I’ll get banned 

This is ominous.  I miss so much along the way.  Is any comment re: the C word as it relates to player availability a ban-worthy offense?  I’ll try and make my point but will steer clear just in case. 
 

I thought the D played pretty well for most of the game, given the players that were missing due to pulled groins.  It’s tough to lose important players due to pulled groins, and it sucks that other guys with with unpulled groins have to sit.  
 

It’s impossible to know if the players we were missing might have made an impact if their groins were not pulled— but when all was said and done, the game was exciting right to the end.  It is the NFL—as usual we left too many points off the board and this time, it cost us. 
 

Great write up Virgil. Thank you. 
 

 

[1st Ammendment NoMas]

49 minutes ago, thebandit27 said:

Some might disagree with me, but Davis ran a brutal route on that 2nd pick. He got loose and sloppy and let Kirkpatrick beat him to the inside.

Davis p^ssy footed it and was not aggressive at all. He watch Kirkpatrick aggressively take the angle and the ball away from him. He needs to be more aggressive and fight for the ball in these situations.

 

Good write up. Agreed on most points. They should have never let Murray get into that situation where Hopkins could make that play. As bad as the Bills played, they should have walked out with a W. 

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

1  I'd imagine it wouldn't have been completed 49 out of 50 times.  Do wonder how much Norman, Wallace, and then Jackson being out affected that play.  May have been one of them would have been over there too, Seemed they were hurt by lack of height on that play.  Often the defense will put there tallest guy out there, but with 11 seconds, it was still kind of too much time for that as may not have been the last play.

 

2  Agree Allen did struggle, could have had a couple more int's.   Very lucky on that pass to Singletary too.  2 weeks in a row defense blitzed the hell out of us and Allen was running around like crazy.

 

3  I thought I was imagining things with the missing down and distance that I just wasn't looking in the right spot and it was really there.  Maybe the best camera operators and producers were all in Augusta?

 

5  They have to figure out how to better run the ball.  Maybe if Morse and Ford are both back, will get better there.

[TheCockSportif]

3 minutes ago, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said:

1  I'd imagine it wouldn't have been completed 49 out of 50 times.  Do wonder how much Norman, Wallace, and then Jackson being out affected that play.  May have been one of them would have been over there too, Seemed they were hurt by lack of height on that play.  Often the defense will put there tallest guy out there, but with 11 seconds, it was still kind of too much time for that as may not have been the last play.

 

2  Agree Allen did struggle, could have had a couple more int's.   Very lucky on that pass to Singletary too.  2 weeks in a row defense blitzed the hell out of us and Allen was running around like crazy.

 

3  I thought I was imagining things with the missing down and distance that I just wasn't looking in the right spot and it was really there.  Maybe the best camera operators and producers were all in Augusta?

 

5  They have to figure out how to better run the ball.  Maybe if Morse and Ford are both back, will get better there.

I agree with a lot of this, but what happened to point #4?

[hemma]

I had to miss a few chunks of the game.... what happened to Morse?  

[LABILLBACKER]

58 minutes ago, BillsFan130 said:

Still a big concern to me is the 3rd quarters.

 

Once again we got out scored 17-7, and that’s even getting a turnover on defence and starting off with the ball in the 2nd half.

 

 

I'm waiting for the "Why do we always suck in the 3rd Quarter" thread. McDermott needs to address this because it is weekly. Both sides of the ball let down and lose focus. 

[cale]

This team responds better when something sticks in their collective craw. I wish we won the game. Especially given what Josh & Diggs did at the end. But maybe now McD and Frazier will fix what ails this D. Two weeks of stewing over this loss might give them extra incentive to do that. Instead of sitting pretty after a win and thinking they'll be OK. Right now they should be thinking they're going to be a one playoff win team again. We need to find a way to bring more pressure, as well as, not get killed over the middle.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

5 minutes ago, Groin said:

I agree with a lot of this, but what happened to point #4?

 

No idea what song those words were from.  Think there's only been about one week I actually knew what song the words were from that he posted.  That was 2 weeks ago when he posted Revolution! 

 

Actually based on your post I Googled the words to see what it was from.   I will say I'm not a Dead Head and it's one group I really never followed at all.

 

LOL!

[BillsFan130]

2 minutes ago, LABILLBACKER said:

I'm waiting for the "Why do we always suck in the 3rd Quarter" thread. McDermott needs to address this because it is weekly. Both sides of the ball let down and lose focus. 

It really is a huge concern. It’s not like this is like a one type thing or it’s only happened a few times.

 

From My memory, I believe it’s happened every single week maybe minus the jets game in week 7?

[cale]

Oh and that run D and our lack of a running attack against a half way decent or bad defense.

[npeartisgod]

Virgil, I try not to read anything on this board til I see your posts. Please keep it up. After a loss like this, you always find kernels of “good” to keep me looking forward to the rest of the season. Thanks for your effort.

[Jerome007]

Quote

Arizona had some of the best open field tackling I've seen from an opposing team in quite some time

Yeah I was amazed by that too. It's not like the Bills receivers didn't try or were bad at it. These guys were tackling technicians.

20 minutes ago, hemma said:

I had to miss a few chunks of the game.... what happened to Morse?  

He never played. I though he would. Am I wrong?

[LB48]

1 hour ago, thebandit27 said:

I’ll disagree with 2 bad INTs. Some might disagree with me, but Davis ran a brutal route on that 2nd pick. He got loose and sloppy and let Kirkpatrick beat him to the inside.

 

Other than that, great stuff as per usual.

I agree with the Davis comment.  He ran flat instead of coming back.  The look on Allen's face told the story!

[thebandit27]

5 minutes ago, LB48 said:

I agree with the Davis comment.  He ran flat instead of coming back.  The look on Allen's face told the story!

Yup. It was a sloppy route plain and simple. Bad route + late throw = INT

[Big Turk]

Another thought...

 

Why is Dane Jackson not the starter opposite White? All this kid does is make plays when he is in the game. Better than watching Wallace give up uncontested 15 yard completions so he can come up and make the tackle.

 

Also, most people expected us to go 1-1 against the Seahawks and Cards but expected the win and loss to be reversed.

Edited November 16, 2020 by matter2003

[BillsFan619]

2 hours ago, Virgil said:

Let's just get right to it....

 

1 - The Miracle - If I told you we were up by 4 in a game with less than a minute left and that a throw was going to be heaved into the endzone with 3 of our best defenders in coverage, would you take those odds?  Yes, any normal person would.  Hopkins made an amazing catch that doesn't happen 9 times out of 10.  Is it okay to be pissed off, dumbfounded, worried about that feeling of dread watching highlights for the next two weeks...yes.  Football happens.  Big plays happen.  Fluke plays happen.  It sucks, yes.  But we are still 7-3 going into the bye and Josh walked off the field a winner.  Have some perspective before you call for the heads of coaches and players.

 

2 - Allen - It's not about how you hard you get knocked down, it's about how you get back up.  Josh didn't have a great game today and really struggled again the mid-blitz, which he's had previous success against.  The Cardinals were ready for the Bills screen and completely shut down the rushing attack.  Allen made two really bad throws that resulted in interceptions.  But when the game was on the line, Allen threw an amazing pass to Diggs who made an equally amazing catch.  Like most of the team, it was a tale of two halves, where Josh looked really good in the first half but lost in the second half.  Like I said before, at the end of the day, Allen walked off the field in a situation where he should have won 99% of the time.  We know Allen can go off in games, so it's good to see him be able to shake off some bad throws and finish when he had to.

 

3 - Misc - For those watching at home, this was just a weird game in regards to penalties, camera work, even the down marker graphics.  There were countless plays where the camera missed the snap, the down to go screen was off on both yardage and down, and we even had some Cards fans celebrating wearing their masks like chin straps.  The penalties stole the show on quite a few drives and really seemed to go against the Bills.  The PF on Singletary was weak to me as well as some of the holds.  It was all part of a 3rd quarter that helped shift the momentum to the Cards.

 

4 - Well blow your whistle freight train carry me far on down the track

Well I'm going away, I'm leaving today

I'm goin', but I ain't comin' back.

 

5 - Rushing Attack - If I remember correctly, the Cards came into this game with only four healthy defensive lineman and then one went out early in the second half.  If that is true, our inability to run the ball today was embarrassing, especially once you can tell the passing game was not in sync.  Yes, the Cards were stacking the box to blitz, and the LB's first step was almost always towards the line, but that's where Daboll has to change it up and take advantage.  This wasn't a world beater rushing defense and we need to be better here.

 

6 - Defensive Backs - As hard as it is to ignore the final play, I'm going to do my best.  Until Jackson went down in the 3rd, I was very impressed with how well our defense held down the Arizona passing attack of Kirk, Hopkins, and Fitz.  Hyde had an amazing play on 3rd down towards the end of the game to contain Murray behind the line.  Poyer's interception was huge and he also had quite a few stops behind the line.  Jackson held his own on his side of the field to the point where I don't know if he hasn't earned a move up the depth chart.  This is the #1 offense in the league and they didn't take the league until Allen got interception happy and Bojo botched a punt.  This defense did an overall good job today.  We knew after the Seattle game that we were going to pick our moments, so I like to see the continued aggressive playcalling.

 

7 - Bass - As this point, you have to say Bass has found his groove.  While his first kick earned a few too many style points for my liking, he followed that with two longer kicks soon after.  His last kick, from 58 I think, was halfway up the posts and he did that from the painted logo.  Just huge leg and really deserves some kudos for how far he's come.  I don't hold my breath as much when he comes out on the field beyond 40.

 

8 - Beasley - I've said this before, but Beasley has the quietest 100 yard games of all receivers.  He doesn't do much to start, but finds ways to come up big when it matters.  He brought in a terrible high throw, got his feet down, and found the first down marker.  He put some moves on guys that left them without cleats.  At the beginning of the season, I was worried that Beasley was going to be the odd man out, but he's really stepped up in absence a hurting Brown and really becoming the security blanket for Josh.  I really can't say enough about the importance of his role in this offense. 

 

9 - Tackling - Talk about Pro's vs Con's.  Arizona had some of the best open field tackling I've seen from an opposing team in quite some time.  You always here that the goal of an offense is to get your guy open and let him make a play, but the Cards shut that down time and time again.  Many plays were shut down by one armed tackles and the Bills struggled to return the favor.  While our tackling got better in the 4th quarter, there were still plenty of missed tackles early that cost us first downs.  This is a theme week over week that I'm hoping get cleaned up.

 

10 - Bye week - If ever there were a season that we needed a bye week.  With Milano, Brown, and Morse slated to come back, and after 10 games into the season, the Bills need a rest.  Yes, we all wanted that 8-2 and a single great play took that away.  It happens.  This team has played very well this season and we are still in the drivers seat.  For those worried about the Dolphins, we still play them again and they get two easier games than us this season.  We are still in the drivers seat and that's all you can ask.  No one owes us anything.  If you don't want the Dolphins to win the division, beat them next time we play.  Handle it on the field.  I get the BBFS on this forum as I have it to most weeks.  I'm pissed about the loss, but I'm not pissed at the Bills. 

 

 

*Side note - I almost wasn't going to write this review this week.  There were a few things that happened this week on the forum that rubbed me the wrong way.  It wasn't anything regarding some of the negative comments from last week's thoughts, so don't read into that.  But when the game ended, and I thought about all the positive responses I've received after games, I knew that this is more than just my thoughts and opinions about certain members on the board.  So thank you for that.  I won't say anything more about it.

 

Go Bills!

Great thoughts, Virgil! Keep them coming.

 

And man, yes, some need perspective.

[CSBill]

2 hours ago, DCbillsfan said:

.......  Knox had a terrible game.

 

That's not news. He is having a bad season.

 

I hope the break gives him a reset.

[Nextmanup]

3 hours ago, thebandit27 said:

I’ll disagree with 2 bad INTs. Some might disagree with me, but Davis ran a brutal route on that 2nd pick. He got loose and sloppy and let Kirkpatrick beat him to the inside.

 

Other than that, great stuff as per usual.

You're right, should have been 4 bad INTs.

 

 

[Dr. K]

Thanks, Virgil, for this very sane reaction.

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

3 hours ago, thebandit27 said:

I’ll disagree with 2 bad INTs. Some might disagree with me, but Davis ran a brutal route on that 2nd pick. He got loose and sloppy and let Kirkpatrick beat him to the inside.

 

Other than that, great stuff as per usual.

Yea I didn't hate the decision making on the second pick hes just gotta miss further out in front of Davis and incomplete at worst...first pick I have no idea what even happened which is not a good sign 🤣

28 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

You're right, should have been 4 bad INTs.

 

 

Yea you can do that with most qbs on any given week though...Tua had one literally go straight through a defenders hands today 

[BobbyC81]

5 hours ago, wvbillsfan said:

That Singletary penalty was terrible. I get calling the crack back. No argument there. But to say it was dead ball which makes it 3rd and a mile. I don’t get that. 
At least if it was second down we can pick up a chunk and maybe have a shot. 
Terrible call

 

 

Overall tho penalties killed anything we had going in that third quarter. 

Yes, and it was a flop by the Arizona player.  As Ian Eagle said, Singletary is 5-9 and around 200# while the D-Lineman he bumped was about 300#.  They should’ve considered that.  Bad call.

[PaoloBillsFanFromItaly]

Arizona deserved the win, in the second half their defense had an answer for all the Bills were throwing to them. We were in the game for two lucky plays, the fumble and the Poyer int.  Still a very tough way to lose, it was 1.30 am in Italy when game ended and still I had problems to fall asleep. 

[Figster]

I just want to say this was one of my more favorite reads from Virgils thoughts in no particular order.

 

I'm glad the ones that take an interest in your thought process are the ones that matter most.

 

Thanks for sharing them...

[GunnerBill]

7 hours ago, thebandit27 said:

I’ll disagree with 2 bad INTs. Some might disagree with me, but Davis ran a brutal route on that 2nd pick. He got loose and sloppy and let Kirkpatrick beat him to the inside.

 

Other than that, great stuff as per usual.

 

I think they both got sloppy. Josh kinda arm threw it too. I know he gets away with that often with his arm but it was a bad route and a bad pick. 

[machine gun kelly]

8 hours ago, Virgil said:

Let's just get right to it....

 

1 - The Miracle - If I told you we were up by 4 in a game with less than a minute left and that a throw was going to be heaved into the endzone with 3 of our best defenders in coverage, would you take those odds?  Yes, any normal person would.  Hopkins made an amazing catch that doesn't happen 9 times out of 10.  Is it okay to be pissed off, dumbfounded, worried about that feeling of dread watching highlights for the next two weeks...yes.  Football happens.  Big plays happen.  Fluke plays happen.  It sucks, yes.  But we are still 7-3 going into the bye and Josh walked off the field a winner.  Have some perspective before you call for the heads of coaches and players.

 

2 - Allen - It's not about how you hard you get knocked down, it's about how you get back up.  Josh didn't have a great game today and really struggled again the mid-blitz, which he's had previous success against.  The Cardinals were ready for the Bills screen and completely shut down the rushing attack.  Allen made two really bad throws that resulted in interceptions.  But when the game was on the line, Allen threw an amazing pass to Diggs who made an equally amazing catch.  Like most of the team, it was a tale of two halves, where Josh looked really good in the first half but lost in the second half.  Like I said before, at the end of the day, Allen walked off the field in a situation where he should have won 99% of the time.  We know Allen can go off in games, so it's good to see him be able to shake off some bad throws and finish when he had to.

 

3 - Misc - For those watching at home, this was just a weird game in regards to penalties, camera work, even the down marker graphics.  There were countless plays where the camera missed the snap, the down to go screen was off on both yardage and down, and we even had some Cards fans celebrating wearing their masks like chin straps.  The penalties stole the show on quite a few drives and really seemed to go against the Bills.  The PF on Singletary was weak to me as well as some of the holds.  It was all part of a 3rd quarter that helped shift the momentum to the Cards.

 

4 - Well blow your whistle freight train carry me far on down the track

Well I'm going away, I'm leaving today

I'm goin', but I ain't comin' back.

 

5 - Rushing Attack - If I remember correctly, the Cards came into this game with only four healthy defensive lineman and then one went out early in the second half.  If that is true, our inability to run the ball today was embarrassing, especially once you can tell the passing game was not in sync.  Yes, the Cards were stacking the box to blitz, and the LB's first step was almost always towards the line, but that's where Daboll has to change it up and take advantage.  This wasn't a world beater rushing defense and we need to be better here.

 

6 - Defensive Backs - As hard as it is to ignore the final play, I'm going to do my best.  Until Jackson went down in the 3rd, I was very impressed with how well our defense held down the Arizona passing attack of Kirk, Hopkins, and Fitz.  Hyde had an amazing play on 3rd down towards the end of the game to contain Murray behind the line.  Poyer's interception was huge and he also had quite a few stops behind the line.  Jackson held his own on his side of the field to the point where I don't know if he hasn't earned a move up the depth chart.  This is the #1 offense in the league and they didn't take the league until Allen got interception happy and Bojo botched a punt.  This defense did an overall good job today.  We knew after the Seattle game that we were going to pick our moments, so I like to see the continued aggressive playcalling.

 

7 - Bass - As this point, you have to say Bass has found his groove.  While his first kick earned a few too many style points for my liking, he followed that with two longer kicks soon after.  His last kick, from 58 I think, was halfway up the posts and he did that from the painted logo.  Just huge leg and really deserves some kudos for how far he's come.  I don't hold my breath as much when he comes out on the field beyond 40.

 

8 - Beasley - I've said this before, but Beasley has the quietest 100 yard games of all receivers.  He doesn't do much to start, but finds ways to come up big when it matters.  He brought in a terrible high throw, got his feet down, and found the first down marker.  He put some moves on guys that left them without cleats.  At the beginning of the season, I was worried that Beasley was going to be the odd man out, but he's really stepped up in absence a hurting Brown and really becoming the security blanket for Josh.  I really can't say enough about the importance of his role in this offense. 

 

9 - Tackling - Talk about Pro's vs Con's.  Arizona had some of the best open field tackling I've seen from an opposing team in quite some time.  You always here that the goal of an offense is to get your guy open and let him make a play, but the Cards shut that down time and time again.  Many plays were shut down by one armed tackles and the Bills struggled to return the favor.  While our tackling got better in the 4th quarter, there were still plenty of missed tackles early that cost us first downs.  This is a theme week over week that I'm hoping get cleaned up.

 

10 - Bye week - If ever there were a season that we needed a bye week.  With Milano, Brown, and Morse slated to come back, and after 10 games into the season, the Bills need a rest.  Yes, we all wanted that 8-2 and a single great play took that away.  It happens.  This team has played very well this season and we are still in the drivers seat.  For those worried about the Dolphins, we still play them again and they get two easier games than us this season.  We are still in the drivers seat and that's all you can ask.  No one owes us anything.  If you don't want the Dolphins to win the division, beat them next time we play.  Handle it on the field.  I get the BBFS on this forum as I have it to most weeks.  I'm pissed about the loss, but I'm not pissed at the Bills. 

 

 

*Side note - I almost wasn't going to write this review this week.  There were a few things that happened this week on the forum that rubbed me the wrong way.  It wasn't anything regarding some of the negative comments from last week's thoughts, so don't read into that.  But when the game ended, and I thought about all the positive responses I've received after games, I knew that this is more than just my thoughts and opinions about certain members on the board.  So thank you for that.  I won't say anything more about it.

 

Go Bills!

Virg, don’t let the trolls bother you.  That is their goal to do anything to be a pain on the bills and their fans.  We love you’re recap as well as Shaw’s.  This game was heartbreaking, but it was one game and we have a bye to get healthy.  There was a lot of positives from this game.  So many players showed up, and the Hail Mary although painful especially as it is being shown non stop on NFLN as expected, was a heck of a catch by Hopkins.  He really did have the highest hands on the play.

[Xwnyer]

9 hours ago, Virgil said:

Let's just get right to it....

 

1 - The Miracle - If I told you we were up by 4 in a game with less than a minute left and that a throw was going to be heaved into the endzone with 3 of our best defenders in coverage, would you take those odds?  Yes, any normal person would.  Hopkins made an amazing catch that doesn't happen 9 times out of 10.  Is it okay to be pissed off, dumbfounded, worried about that feeling of dread watching highlights for the next two weeks...yes.  Football happens.  Big plays happen.  Fluke plays happen.  It sucks, yes.  But we are still 7-3 going into the bye and Josh walked off the field a winner.  Have some perspective before you call for the heads of coaches and players.

 

2 - Allen - It's not about how you hard you get knocked down, it's about how you get back up.  Josh didn't have a great game today and really struggled again the mid-blitz, which he's had previous success against.  The Cardinals were ready for the Bills screen and completely shut down the rushing attack.  Allen made two really bad throws that resulted in interceptions.  But when the game was on the line, Allen threw an amazing pass to Diggs who made an equally amazing catch.  Like most of the team, it was a tale of two halves, where Josh looked really good in the first half but lost in the second half.  Like I said before, at the end of the day, Allen walked off the field in a situation where he should have won 99% of the time.  We know Allen can go off in games, so it's good to see him be able to shake off some bad throws and finish when he had to.

 

3 - Misc - For those watching at home, this was just a weird game in regards to penalties, camera work, even the down marker graphics.  There were countless plays where the camera missed the snap, the down to go screen was off on both yardage and down, and we even had some Cards fans celebrating wearing their masks like chin straps.  The penalties stole the show on quite a few drives and really seemed to go against the Bills.  The PF on Singletary was weak to me as well as some of the holds.  It was all part of a 3rd quarter that helped shift the momentum to the Cards.

 

4 - Well blow your whistle freight train carry me far on down the track

Well I'm going away, I'm leaving today

I'm goin', but I ain't comin' back.

 

5 - Rushing Attack - If I remember correctly, the Cards came into this game with only four healthy defensive lineman and then one went out early in the second half.  If that is true, our inability to run the ball today was embarrassing, especially once you can tell the passing game was not in sync.  Yes, the Cards were stacking the box to blitz, and the LB's first step was almost always towards the line, but that's where Daboll has to change it up and take advantage.  This wasn't a world beater rushing defense and we need to be better here.

 

6 - Defensive Backs - As hard as it is to ignore the final play, I'm going to do my best.  Until Jackson went down in the 3rd, I was very impressed with how well our defense held down the Arizona passing attack of Kirk, Hopkins, and Fitz.  Hyde had an amazing play on 3rd down towards the end of the game to contain Murray behind the line.  Poyer's interception was huge and he also had quite a few stops behind the line.  Jackson held his own on his side of the field to the point where I don't know if he hasn't earned a move up the depth chart.  This is the #1 offense in the league and they didn't take the league until Allen got interception happy and Bojo botched a punt.  This defense did an overall good job today.  We knew after the Seattle game that we were going to pick our moments, so I like to see the continued aggressive playcalling.

 

7 - Bass - As this point, you have to say Bass has found his groove.  While his first kick earned a few too many style points for my liking, he followed that with two longer kicks soon after.  His last kick, from 58 I think, was halfway up the posts and he did that from the painted logo.  Just huge leg and really deserves some kudos for how far he's come.  I don't hold my breath as much when he comes out on the field beyond 40.

 

8 - Beasley - I've said this before, but Beasley has the quietest 100 yard games of all receivers.  He doesn't do much to start, but finds ways to come up big when it matters.  He brought in a terrible high throw, got his feet down, and found the first down marker.  He put some moves on guys that left them without cleats.  At the beginning of the season, I was worried that Beasley was going to be the odd man out, but he's really stepped up in absence a hurting Brown and really becoming the security blanket for Josh.  I really can't say enough about the importance of his role in this offense. 

 

9 - Tackling - Talk about Pro's vs Con's.  Arizona had some of the best open field tackling I've seen from an opposing team in quite some time.  You always here that the goal of an offense is to get your guy open and let him make a play, but the Cards shut that down time and time again.  Many plays were shut down by one armed tackles and the Bills struggled to return the favor.  While our tackling got better in the 4th quarter, there were still plenty of missed tackles early that cost us first downs.  This is a theme week over week that I'm hoping get cleaned up.

 

10 - Bye week - If ever there were a season that we needed a bye week.  With Milano, Brown, and Morse slated to come back, and after 10 games into the season, the Bills need a rest.  Yes, we all wanted that 8-2 and a single great play took that away.  It happens.  This team has played very well this season and we are still in the drivers seat.  For those worried about the Dolphins, we still play them again and they get two easier games than us this season.  We are still in the drivers seat and that's all you can ask.  No one owes us anything.  If you don't want the Dolphins to win the division, beat them next time we play.  Handle it on the field.  I get the BBFS on this forum as I have it to most weeks.  I'm pissed about the loss, but I'm not pissed at the Bills. 

 

 

*Side note - I almost wasn't going to write this review this week.  There were a few things that happened this week on the forum that rubbed me the wrong way.  It wasn't anything regarding some of the negative comments from last week's thoughts, so don't read into that.  But when the game ended, and I thought about all the positive responses I've received after games, I knew that this is more than just my thoughts and opinions about certain members on the board.  So thank you for that.  I won't say anything more about it.

 

Go Bills!

On your side note just ignore many on the forum.  The  hater crowd is strong

[fansince88]

9 hours ago, Virgil said:

Let's just get right to it....

 

1 - The Miracle - If I told you we were up by 4 in a game with less than a minute left and that a throw was going to be heaved into the endzone with 3 of our best defenders in coverage, would you take those odds?  Yes, any normal person would.  Hopkins made an amazing catch that doesn't happen 9 times out of 10.  Is it okay to be pissed off, dumbfounded, worried about that feeling of dread watching highlights for the next two weeks...yes.  Football happens.  Big plays happen.  Fluke plays happen.  It sucks, yes.  But we are still 7-3 going into the bye and Josh walked off the field a winner.  Have some perspective before you call for the heads of coaches and players.

 

2 - Allen - It's not about how you hard you get knocked down, it's about how you get back up.  Josh didn't have a great game today and really struggled again the mid-blitz, which he's had previous success against.  The Cardinals were ready for the Bills screen and completely shut down the rushing attack.  Allen made two really bad throws that resulted in interceptions.  But when the game was on the line, Allen threw an amazing pass to Diggs who made an equally amazing catch.  Like most of the team, it was a tale of two halves, where Josh looked really good in the first half but lost in the second half.  Like I said before, at the end of the day, Allen walked off the field in a situation where he should have won 99% of the time.  We know Allen can go off in games, so it's good to see him be able to shake off some bad throws and finish when he had to.

 

3 - Misc - For those watching at home, this was just a weird game in regards to penalties, camera work, even the down marker graphics.  There were countless plays where the camera missed the snap, the down to go screen was off on both yardage and down, and we even had some Cards fans celebrating wearing their masks like chin straps.  The penalties stole the show on quite a few drives and really seemed to go against the Bills.  The PF on Singletary was weak to me as well as some of the holds.  It was all part of a 3rd quarter that helped shift the momentum to the Cards.

 

4 - Well blow your whistle freight train carry me far on down the track

Well I'm going away, I'm leaving today

I'm goin', but I ain't comin' back.

 

5 - Rushing Attack - If I remember correctly, the Cards came into this game with only four healthy defensive lineman and then one went out early in the second half.  If that is true, our inability to run the ball today was embarrassing, especially once you can tell the passing game was not in sync.  Yes, the Cards were stacking the box to blitz, and the LB's first step was almost always towards the line, but that's where Daboll has to change it up and take advantage.  This wasn't a world beater rushing defense and we need to be better here.

 

6 - Defensive Backs - As hard as it is to ignore the final play, I'm going to do my best.  Until Jackson went down in the 3rd, I was very impressed with how well our defense held down the Arizona passing attack of Kirk, Hopkins, and Fitz.  Hyde had an amazing play on 3rd down towards the end of the game to contain Murray behind the line.  Poyer's interception was huge and he also had quite a few stops behind the line.  Jackson held his own on his side of the field to the point where I don't know if he hasn't earned a move up the depth chart.  This is the #1 offense in the league and they didn't take the league until Allen got interception happy and Bojo botched a punt.  This defense did an overall good job today.  We knew after the Seattle game that we were going to pick our moments, so I like to see the continued aggressive playcalling.

 

7 - Bass - As this point, you have to say Bass has found his groove.  While his first kick earned a few too many style points for my liking, he followed that with two longer kicks soon after.  His last kick, from 58 I think, was halfway up the posts and he did that from the painted logo.  Just huge leg and really deserves some kudos for how far he's come.  I don't hold my breath as much when he comes out on the field beyond 40.

 

8 - Beasley - I've said this before, but Beasley has the quietest 100 yard games of all receivers.  He doesn't do much to start, but finds ways to come up big when it matters.  He brought in a terrible high throw, got his feet down, and found the first down marker.  He put some moves on guys that left them without cleats.  At the beginning of the season, I was worried that Beasley was going to be the odd man out, but he's really stepped up in absence a hurting Brown and really becoming the security blanket for Josh.  I really can't say enough about the importance of his role in this offense. 

 

9 - Tackling - Talk about Pro's vs Con's.  Arizona had some of the best open field tackling I've seen from an opposing team in quite some time.  You always here that the goal of an offense is to get your guy open and let him make a play, but the Cards shut that down time and time again.  Many plays were shut down by one armed tackles and the Bills struggled to return the favor.  While our tackling got better in the 4th quarter, there were still plenty of missed tackles early that cost us first downs.  This is a theme week over week that I'm hoping get cleaned up.

 

10 - Bye week - If ever there were a season that we needed a bye week.  With Milano, Brown, and Morse slated to come back, and after 10 games into the season, the Bills need a rest.  Yes, we all wanted that 8-2 and a single great play took that away.  It happens.  This team has played very well this season and we are still in the drivers seat.  For those worried about the Dolphins, we still play them again and they get two easier games than us this season.  We are still in the drivers seat and that's all you can ask.  No one owes us anything.  If you don't want the Dolphins to win the division, beat them next time we play.  Handle it on the field.  I get the BBFS on this forum as I have it to most weeks.  I'm pissed about the loss, but I'm not pissed at the Bills. 

 

 

*Side note - I almost wasn't going to write this review this week.  There were a few things that happened this week on the forum that rubbed me the wrong way.  It wasn't anything regarding some of the negative comments from last week's thoughts, so don't read into that.  But when the game ended, and I thought about all the positive responses I've received after games, I knew that this is more than just my thoughts and opinions about certain members on the board.  So thank you for that.  I won't say anything more about it.

 

Go Bills!

As always great read! On your side note. Things on this page rub me the wrong way all the time. We are a conglomeration of humans. We are going to rub each other. Its what we do. 

[Virgil]

4 hours ago, machine gun kelly said:

Virg, don’t let the trolls bother you.  That is their goal to do anything to be a pain on the bills and their fans.  We love you’re recap as well as Shaw’s.  This game was heartbreaking, but it was one game and we have a bye to get healthy.  There was a lot of positives from this game.  So many players showed up, and the Hail Mary although painful especially as it is being shown non stop on NFLN as expected, was a heck of a catch by Hopkins.  He really did have the highest hands on the play.

 

I wish it were trolls

[The Poojer]

I don't read any threads post game until i see your and Rockpile's game recaps.  I came away from the game happier for the final Josh Allen and the Offense drive than i was upset by that miraculous play...Keep up the good work Virgil!!!!

[NoHuddleKelly12]

Great job per usual OP! A must read for me along with Shaw post game. Echo the sentiment that this loss made me mad, but not at the Bills, and FWIW, Allen left the field a winner. This was just one of those games where the last O on the field would be the one to end it. 

[Haslett_Stomp]

6 hours ago, The Poojer said:

I don't read any threads post game until i see your and Rockpile's game recaps.  I came away from the game happier for the final Josh Allen and the Offense drive than i was upset by that miraculous play...Keep up the good work Virgil!!!!

 

^this.  Thanks for another great writeup, Virgil and for taking the torch from NYC Bill over the past few seasons.  I intentionally held off on reading "A Few Thoughts..." and the ROCKPILE Review until this afternoon and you captured my thoughts on the game perfectly.  Keep 'em coming!

[Virgil]

3 hours ago, Haslett_Stomp said:

 

^this.  Thanks for another great writeup, Virgil and for taking the torch from NYC Bill over the past few seasons.  I intentionally held off on reading "A Few Thoughts..." and the ROCKPILE Review until this afternoon and you captured my thoughts on the game perfectly.  Keep 'em coming!

 

Nothing wrong with needing some time away from the game and football talk after a loss like that.  I couldn't even get on Madden and look at the Bills logo.  Not that I was mad at the team, but just a fresh cut

[JerseyBills]

Great take and I'm surprisingly not as upset as I thought I'd be after re watching the game. 

 

The bottom line is , this Bills team is definitely one of the best in the game and are still 7-3 and 1.5 games ahead of Mia for 1st place in the East. 

I'm expecting us to rebound with a 10+ point victory vs LA .

 

Remember also, we got hit the DAY BEFORE the game with losing 4 players and at least 2 starters! 

 

We'll be just fine guys! Keep the faith.  Go Bills!

[97bills]

23 hours ago, ILBillsfan said:

Couple of additional thoughts on the game and this is form all of the years watching the Pats.  There was a few times that Arizona was caught lazy and the offense not just going with the play by quick snapping.  Think it was the punt was shanked, maybe not but prior Arizona didn't even have a guy back to field it that should of been punted ASAP

 

The singeltary drop on that screen was a huge play as I think that could of went for a TD.  He had three guys out in front of him.

 

For the most part the outside edges for Murray were contained but on some critical plays the DE crashed way to hard on the run play and is maddening to watch as the QB is the DE's responsibility amazing how many times this happens in the NFL that guys abandon their assignment.  thats the 1/11th coach preaches 

I thought the same thing Arizona had a guy running off late or not even on the field. It would of been nice to catch them slipping. I guess watching Brady and manning - rogers do it so often makes you really respect there game they make it look so easy. I guess we’re just not there yet 

[Agent 91]

On 11/15/2020 at 8:31 PM, Virgil said:

 

I thought the same thing.  If they are stacking the box and guarding the screen, something has to be open, right?

I honestly don't think they have a ton of confidence to get outside with these backs. I remember watching the all 22 of the Chiefs game and it just seemd like, especially Singletary, lacked the burst to hit creases outside the tackle. Moss was still very green but I remember a few down blocks by Diggs and maybe Kroft? But Singletary seemed to cut inside as opposed to stretching it wide. Will be interesting to see if they don't add speed to that grouping.