Will lack of Tough Games hurt the Bills?

[wjag]

I think @KC, @TN @ NE, @NO, @TB and Indy in Buffalo all qualify as tough games.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

54-13 over the Jets,

And visions of sugar plums danced in their head. 
*
🤨

[TheFunPolice]

When you're on of the best teams, there won't be many great games on the schedule. 

 

 

Also, I did the unthinkable and pulled for you guys to defeat Brady and the Bucs, mostly because I've heard enough of how it was "all Brady" and he's god among men, etc. 

 

So not only did Brady win, but I also had to take 3 showers after actually pulling for New England. 

[FilthyBeast]

4 minutes ago, TheFunPolice said:

When you're on of the best teams, there won't be many great games on the schedule. 

 

 

Also, I did the unthinkable and pulled for you guys to defeat Brady and the Bucs, mostly because I've heard enough of how it was "all Brady" and he's god among men, etc. 

 

So not only did Brady win, but I also had to take 3 showers after actually pulling for New England. 

 

While this is true to a certain degree, you are still going to get every other teams best shot.

 

That's why Brady's run in NE was so remarkable because not only did they consistently beat up on the rest of the division and bad teams on their schedule, they routinely destroyed the other main competition at the time in the AFC (i.e. Colts with Manning, Steelers with Big Ben when those QB's were in their prime).

 

So with what few quality teams left on the schedule this season, it would serve this team well to make a statement like the Cardinals have already done against teams like the Titans, Rams, etc.

[TheFunPolice]

The Mannings were about the only QBs who were consistently up to the task of taking on Brady and didn't just wither up and vanish after losing to him.

 

Yes, Brady has the overall W/L over Peyton, but in the playoffs it's 3-2 for Peyton, including 3/4 AFC Title Games where they faced each other. 

 

It seems like every other team/QB is good for a challenge or two then their spirit is crushed, never to recover. 

 

Makes you appreciate Peyton even more!

 

9 minutes ago, FilthyBeast said:

 

While this is true to a certain degree, you are still going to get every other teams best shot.

 

That's why Brady's run in NE was so remarkable because not only did they consistently beat up on the rest of the division and bad teams on their schedule, they routinely destroyed the other main competition at the time in the AFC (i.e. Colts with Manning, Steelers with Big Ben when those QB's were in their prime).

 

So with what few quality teams left on the schedule this season, it would serve this team well to make a statement like the Cardinals have already done against teams like the Titans, Rams, etc.

 

Totally get it, but statements are made in January/February.

 

The Bears beat Tampa last season with Brady standing there confused, thinking it was only 3rd down. Didn't mean a thing. 

 

If the Bills and Titans meet again and the Bills win then last week is like it never happened. 

Edited October 25, 2021 by TheFunPolice

[Mr. WEO]

They still have to win all those "steamroller" games.....

[billybrew1]

No, they are experienced enough to get ready for the playoffs.

[TBBills]

6 hours ago, PatsFanNH said:

Honest question for football fans.  Do you think the fact the Bills may only face 3 quality teams all year,(Yes I am considering my Pats a non quality team)  something that could hurt them come playoff time? 
 

What I mean is since they are facing teams they should steamroll will they be ready to win a dog fight in the playoffs against teams like Baltimore, Cinci, TN. Etc.  Yes we all expected the KC game be a statement game but in all honesty they are not playing well at all and probably fail make the playoffs.

This is the type of thread I would expect of a Pats fan.

 

[Mat68]

This is the NFL not college.  Dont need to worry about strength of schedule so the playoff committee votes Buffalo in.  Kc and Tenn will carry Buffalo to Tampa and that will carry you the rest of the way.  

[Big Turk]

No.

[NewEra]

40 minutes ago, TBBills said:

This is the type of thread I would expect of a Pats fan.

 

Amen.

[billsfan89]

The Bills schedule is not as "soft" as many think. Yes the next three games the Bills should be heavily favored. The Dolphins, Jets and Jags are all not good teams. But after that the Bills schedule gets tough. Breaking down the schedule after the next three games I don't see any game the Bills will be heavily favored in for a long time. 

 

Week 11- Colts - The Colts are playing a lot better. They are getting back healthy and Wentz is playing well. Right now not a soft team. 

Week 12- At Saints - A Thursday night game away against a solid team. NOLA sports a strong defense and a creative offense that might have Michael Thomas back.

Week 13- Patriots - The Pats have 3 wins and they took the Bucs and Cowboys down to the wire. They are a well coached team playing hard not a gimmie. 

Week 14 - At Bucs - Tampa is the Super Bowl favorite in my opinion. Away this is a game no one will doubt is difficult. 

Week 15- Panthers - Panthers have faded after a hot start. This one is TBD as the Panthers are hard to read at the moment. 

Week 16- At Patriots - Away game against a tough division rival. Not an easy game. 

Week 17 - Falcons - Falcons stand at 3-3 right now but have piled up wins against both NYC teams and a pathetic Fins team. Right now this could be a heavily favored game but we will see. 

Week 18- Jets - This one will likely favor the Bills heavily to end the season unless it is meaningless for the Bills. 

 

That's a really difficult Week 11-14 stretch in my opinion and another not so easy game week 16. And the Panthers in week 15 might not be so easy.

[jethro_tull]

possibly.  players and coaches do improve by playing tougher teams.  

i think that the tenessee game was an excellent learrning experience as will be the bucs game.  

playoff game experience also helps.  

i see this team getting better and good enough to win it all regardless.  

[Rockinon]

You are what your record says you are.

[ColoradoBills]

7 hours ago, PatsFanNH said:

Honest question for football fans.  Do you think the fact the Bills may only face 3 quality teams all year,(Yes I am considering my Pats a non quality team)  something that could hurt them come playoff time? 

 

You tell me.  Do you think if the Pats* squeeze into the playoffs the same applies?

 

Bills and Pats* play 14 of the same teams.

Bills variable games this year for an AFC East team:  Chiefs, Steelers, WFT

Pats* variable games this year for an AFC East team:  Chargers, Browns, Cowboys

 

Does it help or hurt the Pats*?

[Bobby Hooks]

Bills Defense goes against one of the best offenses in the league every day outside of game day. 
 

The same can be said of the offense (even if it was an off game last Monday), so no, we’re not overly worried about it. 
 

Thanks for the concern, but we’re just fine over here. 

[billsbackto81]

3 hours ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

54-13 over the Jets,

And visions of sugar plums danced in their head. 
*
🤨

Jets beat Tennessee this season and though they were only a 2 win team last year they did hold us to 0 TDs in Week 7 of 2020. 

 

Yes, they are a dumpster fire but I try not to overlook them.

 

Same with NE. They play tough one week and like trash the next.

[Paup 1995MVP]

9 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

We were boatracing teams at the end of last year in the regular season. Then were still able to grind out two real tough games in the playoffs against the Colts and Ravens. I'm not concerned. The number of games in the 5 years of McDermott where this team has just not been ready to compete for 60 minutes is less than 1 a year. 

Good point.  The Saints and Eagles games at home in maybe 2018 and 2019 come to mind. 

 

Its a long season.  The bye week after 6 games allows for way too much analysis.  We lost a tough game to the Titans.  We should have won that game.  Josh Allen gets a better spot on his 3rd down run late, and/or he doesn't slip on 4th down or we call a better play on 4th and short, and everyone is talking Super Bowl.  We have 11 games left in the regular season.  A long way to go.  The cream rises to the top.  We will be in the conversation come January.  Lets enjoy the ride and watching Josh Allen and our receivers every week.  They are awesome.  If we play at our best every week, noone is beating us.  But that's unlikely.  A 13-4 or 14-3 finish is definitely a possibility.  But even if we lose a few and finish the regular season say 12-5, we will be blazing come the playoffs. 

[Mr. K]

They've lost twice. Are they really playing the easy of a schedule? I dont know, something about playing against 16 different clubs full of guys who are ultra competitive, trying to win a title, survive the year, or earn another contract screams difficult. You can't play for the championship every week.

[JMF2006]

If you don't bring your "A" game your not going to win.

 

The biggest problem is keeping the players focused on one game at a time.

 

Titans vs Jets is a good example of a team not being focused and thinking they can mail it in and get a W

 

[Lane Meyer K12]

There is no such thing as an easy game. While the opposition may not all be playoff caliber they will be bringing their A game to the table to try and beat the teams that are playoff caliber. While this applies in college ball where there is a large discrepancy in talent the talent gap in the NFL is much smaller. This team overall has a great head coach and the team takes on his demeanor. This team knows where they are and where they want to be.   

[teef]

just rack up the wins.  

[DCbillsfan]

23 hours ago, PatsFanNH said:

Yes we all expected the KC game be a statement game but in all honesty they are not playing well at all and probably fail make the playoffs.

True, the Chiefs are not playing well but winning a night game in KC is no small feat.  I lived in KC in the mid 90s and attended a bunch of games.  That place rocks and is incredibly loud.  Opposing teams usually don't fare well there.

[DQW87]

Bills definitely have a few easy ones coming up, but there are more tough ones than people think. As much as we hate to say it, the Patriots twice are going to be tough.  They almost beat Dallas and Tampa Bay and are playing much better.  Games at Tampa Bay and New Orleans are both going to be very tough. Indy is now playing way better and are always in games right down to the end.(Remember last years playoff game?) We could easily win a lot of those games, but they are no walk in the park.

[r00tabaga]

I don't know if it was mentioned already but we went 13-3 last year w/ one of the toughest schedules & won 2 playoff games so I think these guys are battle tested.

 

Will definitely help us get the one seed.

😌

[Greg S]

4 hours ago, DQW87 said:

Bills definitely have a few easy ones coming up, but there are more tough ones than people think. As much as we hate to say it, the Patriots twice are going to be tough.  They almost beat Dallas and Tampa Bay and are playing much better.  Games at Tampa Bay and New Orleans are both going to be very tough. Indy is now playing way better and are always in games right down to the end.(Remember last years playoff game?) We could easily win a lot of those games, but they are no walk in the park.

 

Worst case I think we split with NE but still have a decent shot at sweeping them. NO could be tough but if Winston does "Winston things" then it will be an easy win as their QB situation took a big hit with no Brees. TB will be tough no doubt about that. My guess is the Bills floor/ceiling in wins  is between 11-13.

[galept]

We have enough problems to worry about with consistency no matter what teams we face.

[DCofNC]

End of the day, the W-L record determines seeds in the playoffs, I’ll take 17 soft games and a top seed vs being “tested” and having to face those teams that tested us again in the first round of the playoffs.  As it stands right now, it looks like the Bills and the Titans will be fighting for the #1 seed, who’s schedule would you rather have to get that seed??

[Greg S]

12 minutes ago, DCofNC said:

End of the day, the W-L record determines seeds in the playoffs, I’ll take 17 soft games and a top seed vs being “tested” and having to face those teams that tested us again in the first round of the playoffs.  As it stands right now, it looks like the Bills and the Titans will be fighting for the #1 seed, who’s schedule would you rather have to get that seed??

 

You can add the Bengals and Ravens into the mix for #1 seed as well.

[DCofNC]

10 minutes ago, Greg S said:

 

You can add the Bengals and Ravens into the mix for #1 seed as well.

I didn’t because they have to beat on each other and have a much more difficult schedule ahead, but yes, they could be in the race.

[Greg S]

4 minutes ago, DCofNC said:

I didn’t because they have to beat on each other and have a much more difficult schedule ahead, but yes, they could be in the race.

 

Titans have a tough one this week at Indy. I wouldn't be shocked if the Colts win. Lets hope so.

[DCofNC]

4 minutes ago, Greg S said:

 

Titans have a tough one this week at Indy. I wouldn't be shocked if the Colts win. Lets hope so.

I’ll be rooting hard for them

[TH3]

On 10/25/2021 at 9:53 AM, PatsFanNH said:

Honest question for football fans.  Do you think the fact the Bills may only face 3 quality teams all year,(Yes I am considering my Pats a non quality team)  something that could hurt them come playoff time? 
 

What I mean is since they are facing teams they should steamroll will they be ready to win a dog fight in the playoffs against teams like Baltimore, Cinci, TN. Etc.  Yes we all expected the KC game be a statement game but in all honesty they are not playing well at all and probably fail make the playoffs.

I mean….normally the Pats might be tough…but they blow without Brady to make Bellicheck look good so….

Edited October 27, 2021 by TH3

[corta765]

I don't judge quality of competition until the season is over. It is very possible KC/TEN/NOLA/TB/IND and even NE could be playoff teams and what the schedule feels like now changes drastically come week 18. Either way you have the schedule you have and there are no freebees in the NFL. If they lose in the playoffs its because of a failure to execute not because of the schedule they have.

[MJS]

They had a pretty tough schedule last year and were able to deal with it.

 

I think this team is pretty well battle tested by now. They've had multiple run-ins with fellow AFC powerhouses. They came just short of the Superbowl last year.

[Patrick Duffy]

5 hours ago, r00tabaga said:

I don't know if it was mentioned already but we went 13-3 last year w/ one of the toughest schedules & won 2 playoff games so I think these guys are battle tested.

 

Will definitely help us get the one seed.

😌

This 100%. Was my exact thoughts also....

[Alphadawg7]

On 10/25/2021 at 6:56 AM, JohnBonhamRocks said:

Yes, if this were college football and they needed votes. 
 

But really, no. They still face KC, TEN, TB, PIT, IND, NO, & CAR. Maybe not elite QBs, but enough of a measuring stick. 

 

Well one concerning thing on your list of who we face...we have only played 3 of those teams, and we lost 2 of them.  Pitt (loss), KC (win), Tenn (loss).  We still have TB to face too.  

 

I am as big of an optimist on the Bills this year as there is, I mean I truly believe we can make and win a SB this year.  However, it is a little concerning that of the 7 teams you listed, we have played 3 of them and are 1-2 in those games.  

 

 

[JohnBonhamRocks]

1 minute ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

Well one concerning thing on your list of who we face...we have only played 3 of those teams, and we lost 2 of them.  Pitt (loss), KC (win), Tenn (loss).  We still have TB to face too.  

 

I am as big of an optimist on the Bills this year as there is, I mean I truly believe we can make and win a SB this year.  However, it is a little concerning that of the 7 teams you listed, we have played 3 of them and are 1-2 in those games.  

 

 

Eh I mean we barely lost to TEN and it’s not like PIT blew us out or is considered a bottom of the barrel team by any means.

 

Regardless, I think we agree then that there is enough of a challenge in our collective opponents to determine whether the Bills are a true contender. 

[JGMcD2]

9 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

Well one concerning thing on your list of who we face...we have only played 3 of those teams, and we lost 2 of them.  Pitt (loss), KC (win), Tenn (loss).  We still have TB to face too.  

 

I am as big of an optimist on the Bills this year as there is, I mean I truly believe we can make and win a SB this year.  However, it is a little concerning that of the 7 teams you listed, we have played 3 of them and are 1-2 in those games.  

 

 

This team is really just a disappointment because they’re not undefeated. 
 

 

[Alphadawg7]

9 minutes ago, JGMcD2 said:

This team is really just a disappointment because they’re not undefeated. 
 

 

 

No offense, but thats an absurd response to my post.

 

I literally said in my post I still believe we can make and win a SB this year.  But in the post I responded to, he listed 7 games on our schedule that represent the most challenge on our season schedule this year, at least on paper.  And we have played 3 of them...we are 1-2 in those games.  

 

Granted we were an inch away from probably beating Tenn.  However, there were a lot of issues in that game still like our inefficiency in the Redzone, something that has plagued us this whole season, even in some of our big wins against inferior opponents.  Also our defense allowed the Titans to score on like their final 6 drives too.  

 

I am about as big of an optimist as there is on the Bills this year, however, our poor Redzone efficiency cost us both of our losses against Pitt and Tenn.  If that trend continues, its going to be tough to beat the Bucs.  We aren't beating them with FG's.  

 

And regardless to how close we were to winning the Tenn game, if thats a playoff game we go home.  There is no "next games" in the playoffs.  And with teams like the Bengals, Ravens, Titans, Chargers, and even still the Chiefs possibly in our path to the SB who an all score in bunches for the most part, continued red zone miscues could end our season on any given week come playoff time.  

 

I care a lot less about blow out wins against weak opponents than I do about close losses we should have have won but killed ourselves against the better teams on our schedule.  

Edited October 27, 2021 by Alphadawg7