What the Ravens loss (and many other bad losses) should teach us

[GoBills808]

15 minutes ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:

but was I hearing it wrong?

 

how do the announcers say it?

 

 

They pronounce it fine imo but I'm not listening to them real closely

14 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

People in your country have weird names.

He's Samoan

[Gugny]

1 minute ago, GoBills808 said:

They pronounce it fine imo but I'm not listening to them real closely

He's Samoan

 

He was born in Ewa Beach.  Mahalo.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

19 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

He was born in Ewa Beach.  Mahalo.

Both my grandparents came over from  Sicilian 

 

I was born in Rochester 

I’m still Sicilian right  😆 

Edited November 12, 2021 by SlimShady'sSpaceForce

[Georgia Bill]

Funny take on the situation...

https://deadspin.com/the-afc-is-terrible-and-they-re-leading-us-to-doom-1848045747

 

Edited November 12, 2021 by Georgia Bill

[Reks Ryan]

17 hours ago, What a Tuel said:

 

h

 

Bad things that happened this time last year :

 

Got blown out by Titans and Chiefs

Almost lost to the Fitzpatrick led Dolphins

Beat the 2-14 Jets 18-10

Almost lost a 25 point lead to the Rams

Almost lost to the Cam Newton led Patriots if it weren't for a last minute fumble

 

 

I am expecting the Bills to turn it around.  But I don't think the comp to mid-November 2020 proves this point.    The 2020 Bills only lost 1 game after the Oct 19th week 6 loss to KC, and that was the last second hail mary.

 

In 2020 the team started rolling in November.   Nov 1st Beat NE, first for McD over Belichick and for me one the best victories for the Bills in the last 20 years.  Nov 8th put up 44 on the Seahawks.  At that point last year they  were already well on their way to becoming an AFC powerhouse. 

 

The Fitz game you site, was 2019.  The Bills put up 56 with their backups against the Fish in the home game last year. 

[Putin]

18 hours ago, Process said:

The Ravens are not a great team, despite what you hear on ESPN. 

Exactly it took a 66 yard FG for them to beat the lions  , and the Colts had a huge lead and blew it , so yah I agree with you 100 % 

[Protocal69]

It just reiterated what I already knew.

 

When you are a favorite and especially a big favorite you have to put your foot on the opponent throat early in the game to take away all belief that they can play on the same field as you.

 

The longer you allow the opponent to hang around the more confident they will become, that they can beat you and in my opinion thats how most upsets happen.

 

[Bruce Smith]

18 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 

We have had 2 actual TD drives in the last 8 quarters of play, against statistically bad defenses. As it is we were struggling in the red zone early in the season even when we were moving the ball. The Ravens losing a bad game doesn't mean our flaws are less pronounced. We scored six freaking points against a terrible defense.

 

I'm worried that we are stuck with a bottom 5 offensive line and running game and it's just so hard to win in the playoffs with those handicaps. It wasn't just a bad day at the office on Sunday. These are real issues that have come up a few times this year.

 

I will agree that the AFC is so muddled right now we have as good a chance as any other AFC team to make it to the Super Bowl. I still don't buy the Titans offense without Henry. It is as wide open as it gets in the AFC. I tend to think the NFC winner will end up being a significant favorite over whichever AFC team makes it out.

 

But I'm past the point of rooting for other teams to have bad losses so that I feel better about our bad losses. During the drought years, sure. Now we are supposed to be a real Super Bowl contender. Scoring six points against an almost winless team... I don't know man.

This thread has a lot of hopium in it.  Bills opponents to date is .377.  TN has played the hardest scheduled up til now.  And they are 7-2.  The remainder of their schedule looks pretty doable without Henry.  And they have a buy week 13.  Henry could be back as early as Dec 12 or as late as week 17.  That puts him ten weeks from surgery.  If they win the # 1 seed they will have Henry back with 12 weeks of rest.  Every other team in the AFC has brutal schedules.  Go look at them.  NE has us twice in Dec.  If they play well they could win this division and it is not out of the realm of probability that the Bills do not make the playoffs.  They have to play better.  The Bills are very unbalanced on offense.  If Allen keeps having to run he is going to get hurt and then it is all over.  

[BADOLBILZ]

21 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 

We have had 2 actual TD drives in the last 8 quarters of play, against statistically bad defenses. As it is we were struggling in the red zone early in the season even when we were moving the ball. The Ravens losing a bad game doesn't mean our flaws are less pronounced. We scored six freaking points against a terrible defense.

 

I'm worried that we are stuck with a bottom 5 offensive line and running game and it's just so hard to win in the playoffs with those handicaps. It wasn't just a bad day at the office on Sunday. These are real issues that have come up a few times this year.

 

I will agree that the AFC is so muddled right now we have as good a chance as any other AFC team to make it to the Super Bowl. I still don't buy the Titans offense without Henry. It is as wide open as it gets in the AFC. I tend to think the NFC winner will end up being a significant favorite over whichever AFC team makes it out.

 

But I'm past the point of rooting for other teams to have bad losses so that I feel better about our bad losses. During the drought years, sure. Now we are supposed to be a real Super Bowl contender. Scoring six points against an almost winless team... I don't know man.

 

 

 

I'm concerned with the offensive line not playing well.     Also don't like the lack of speed in the WR corps.

 

But 3-4 game stretches of mostly inexplicably poor play in the middle of the schedule have characterized EVERY SINGLE season under McDermott.

 

They've always rebounded and finished strong.........which is why people like you tend to forget the depths of how bad they looked in those stretches.

 

I think it's the reason for most of the upsets in the last week.

 

The players are starting to get beat up...........they look at the schedule and they weren't even half way thru it in some cases...........and it gets a little demoralizing........and that's all it takes to lay an egg in an NFL game.

 

This happens to any business that is characterized by one seasonal rush of intense work..........be it harvesting crops in agriculture or tax season if you are an accountant etc..  

 

You just reach a point where you feel like you wish you could fast forward a few weeks........then as the end comes in sight there is a second wind and and a realization that you have a chance to finish the job strong.

 

I think the 17 game schedule has exacerbated the issue league-wide..........but once again, the NFL comes out smelling like a rose because they got a whole lotta' attention for the drama that emerged from all of the upsets.    

 

 

 

 

   

 

[BillsFan619]

12 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

 

I'm concerned with the offensive line not playing well.     Also don't like the lack of speed in the WR corps.

 

But 3-4 game stretches of mostly inexplicably poor play in the middle of the schedule have characterized EVERY SINGLE season under McDermott.

 

They've always rebounded and finished strong.........which is why people like you tend to forget the depths of how bad they looked in those stretches.

 

I think it's the reason for most of the upsets in the last week.

 

The players are starting to get beat up...........they look at the schedule and they weren't even half way thru it in some cases...........and it gets a little demoralizing........and that's all it takes to lay an egg in an NFL game.

 

This happens to any business that is characterized by one seasonal rush of intense work..........be it harvesting crops in agriculture or tax season if you are an accountant etc..  

 

You just reach a point where you feel like you wish you could fast forward a few weeks........then as the end comes in sight there is a second wind and and a realization that you have a chance to finish the job strong.

 

I think the 17 game schedule has exacerbated the issue league-wide..........but once again, the NFL comes out smelling like a rose because they got a whole lotta' attention for the drama that emerged from all of the upsets.    

 

 

 

 

   

 

Thanks for sharing your perspective. Great thoughts, bro!

[starrymessenger]

21 hours ago, Buffalo Bills Fan said:

Ravens  really struggled with the  blitz 0 d. 

Yep. And when the fish didn’t blitz the pocket just kept collapsing around LJ all day. Never seen that before. Can’t believe Miami is that good. Ravens need some adjustments on O too. 

[BillsFan619]

11 hours ago, starrymessenger said:

Yep. And when the fish didn’t blitz the pocket just kept collapsing around LJ all day. Never seen that before. Can’t believe Miami is that good. Ravens need some adjustments on O too. 

Even though they’ve struggled this year, their defense was their strength last year. That is, until the last bills game in Buffalo. 😀

[Thurman#1]

On 11/13/2021 at 1:15 PM, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

 

I'm concerned with the offensive line not playing well.     Also don't like the lack of speed in the WR corps.

 

But 3-4 game stretches of mostly inexplicably poor play in the middle of the schedule have characterized EVERY SINGLE season under McDermott.

 

They've always rebounded and finished strong.........which is why people like you tend to forget the depths of how bad they looked in those stretches.

 

I think it's the reason for most of the upsets in the last week.

 

The players are starting to get beat up...........they look at the schedule and they weren't even half way thru it in some cases...........and it gets a little demoralizing........and that's all it takes to lay an egg in an NFL game.

 

This happens to any business that is characterized by one seasonal rush of intense work..........be it harvesting crops in agriculture or tax season if you are an accountant etc..  

 

You just reach a point where you feel like you wish you could fast forward a few weeks........then as the end comes in sight there is a second wind and and a realization that you have a chance to finish the job strong.

 

I think the 17 game schedule has exacerbated the issue league-wide..........but once again, the NFL comes out smelling like a rose because they got a whole lotta' attention for the drama that emerged from all of the upsets.    

 

 

 

As you say, that isn't McDermott teams or a McDermott phenomenon. It's pretty much every team there ever was. Teams have good stretches and they have bad stretches. It's just the way things go when human beings are involved. Even the '72 Dolphins had a bad game against the 4-9-1 Bills, falling behind and barely coming back to beat the Bills by a point. Ups and downs is how human enterprises work.

[ganesh]

On 11/12/2021 at 10:57 AM, GoBills808 said:

No easy games in the NFL

this

[BillsFan619]

On 11/12/2021 at 4:36 PM, Protocal69 said:

It just reiterated what I already knew.

 

When you are a favorite and especially a big favorite you have to put your foot on the opponent throat early in the game to take away all belief that they can play on the same field as you.

 

The longer you allow the opponent to hang around the more confident they will become, that they can beat you and in my opinion thats how most upsets happen.

 

Let’s hope for a quick start today. That’d make the rookie, Mike White, possibly press. Let’s get him uncomfortable.

[starrymessenger]

11 hours ago, BillsFan619 said:

Even though they’ve struggled this year, their defense was their strength last year. That is, until the last bills game in Buffalo. 😀

Absolutely they are, or can be, very good on that side of the ball. But the Ravens made them look better than they are. They have assets on O too, but with no QB they aren’t going anywhere imo.

[BillsFan619]

4 minutes ago, starrymessenger said:

Absolutely they are, or can be, very good on that side of the ball. But the Ravens made them look better than they are. They have assets on O too, but with no QB they aren’t going anywhere imo.

Oh, I agree. Tua isn’t taking this team anywhere. Their defense and Fitz was the reason they were better last year.

[Protocal69]

1 hour ago, BillsFan619 said:

Let’s hope for a quick start today. That’d make the rookie, Mike White, possibly press. Let’s get him uncomfortable.

Thats what I'm hoping for as well.

[Sweats]

It wasn't so much that the Bills lost to the Jags....it was the fact that they only scored 2 FG's.

If the Bills came to play and fought hard all day and lost, i can live with that, but when the O didn't even show up, i have issues with this. The Jags players were saying it was as if the Bills had zero interest in even being their, let alone play. They should be ashamed and embarrassed of themselves.

[Southern_Bills]

2 minutes ago, Sweats said:

It wasn't so much that the Bills lost to the Jags....it was the fact that they only scored 2 FG's.

If the Bills came to play and fought hard all day and lost, i can live with that, but when the O didn't even show up, i have issues with this. The Jags players were saying it was as if the Bills had zero interest in even being their, let alone play. They should be ashamed and embarrassed of themselves.

 

Well they showed up today, hopefully they learned a lesson if that was the case. TB lost to WFT, their season isn't over either. 

 

The Bills will be ok.

[Nextmanup]

3 minutes ago, Sweats said:

It wasn't so much that the Bills lost to the Jags....it was the fact that they only scored 2 FG's.

If the Bills came to play and fought hard all day and lost, i can live with that, but when the O didn't even show up, i have issues with this. The Jags players were saying it was as if the Bills had zero interest in even being their, let alone play. They should be ashamed and embarrassed of themselves.

Last week on the radio, Eric Wood directly addressed the theory that Bills players just didn't care about the game or whatever.  

 

He was personally contacting current players whom he is chummy with and getting the real feel of what was going on.  He said it's total rubbish to suggest the players were somehow tuned out of the game.

 

For some reasons fans always feel a need to generate psychologically oriented story lines to explain sports outcomes.

 

Sometimes 2 teams match up a certain way and a better team loses to the worse team.  ***** happens.

 

 

 

 

[Sweats]

1 minute ago, Nextmanup said:

Last week on the radio, Eric Wood directly addressed the theory that Bills players just didn't care about the game or whatever.  

 

He was personally contacting current players whom he is chummy with and getting the real feel of what was going on.  He said it's total rubbish to suggest the players were somehow tuned out of the game.

 

For some reasons fans always feel a need to generate psychologically oriented story lines to explain sports outcomes.

 

Sometimes 2 teams match up a certain way and a better team loses to the worse team.  ***** happens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah.....and sometimes teams just don't show up..........**** happens

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

2 minutes ago, Sweats said:

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah.....and sometimes teams just don't show up..........**** happens

 

I don't believe it is a case of the Bills not showing up. It's a case of the Bills offense having legitimate issues. The first half the week prior against the Dolphins was essentially the entire game against the Jags. I'm not confident this offense has fixed it's issues even after today's game but my concerns have nothing to do with effort. 

[billsfan1959]

Here's what the loss to the Jags taught us: If a team plays poorly, it can lose to any other team.

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

Unfortunately one of the teams that looks like it is getting better each week right now is the Patriots. But almost all of the other contending AFC teams has put up multiple ugly games where they were favorites. Despite their record and victory against us, the Titans actually don't concern me nearly as much as the Patriots do.

[Toyo321]

1 minute ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

 

I don't believe it is a case of the Bills not showing up. It's a case of the Bills offense having legitimate issues. The first half the week prior against the Dolphins was essentially the entire game against the Jags. I'm not confident this offense has fixed it's issues even after today's game but my concerns have nothing to do with effort. 

We will see against the Colts.  The colts have a decent D,  nothing great but not bad.   Frank Reich too, can't be overlooked.  I really think Wentz is a non factor, I want to see him have the worst game of his career next week vs our D..

2 minutes ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

Unfortunately one of the teams that looks like it is getting better each week right now is the Patriots. But almost all of the other contending AFC teams has put up multiple ugly games where they were favorites. Despite their record and victory against us, the Titans actually don't concern me nearly as much as the Patriots do.

The Patriots could be just a aberration, after they play Titans we will see how they truly stack up to real AFC competition.  

[ganesh]

12 hours ago, Sweats said:

It wasn't so much that the Bills lost to the Jags....it was the fact that they only scored 2 FG's.

If the Bills came to play and fought hard all day and lost, i can live with that, but when the O didn't even show up, i have issues with this. The Jags players were saying it was as if the Bills had zero interest in even being their, let alone play. They should be ashamed and embarrassed of themselves.

how do you know they did not fight hard.   We don't give credit to the opponent.  The other Josh Allen played fantastic and had the game of his career.  Our OL was terrible and was a jail break all the time.   Their defense has continued to play very well into this week.  

 

NFL teams such as the Bills fight really hard...some times too hard.

[What a Tuel]

On 11/12/2021 at 6:35 PM, Reks Ryan said:

I am expecting the Bills to turn it around.  But I don't think the comp to mid-November 2020 proves this point.    The 2020 Bills only lost 1 game after the Oct 19th week 6 loss to KC, and that was the last second hail mary.

 

In 2020 the team started rolling in November.   Nov 1st Beat NE, first for McD over Belichick and for me one the best victories for the Bills in the last 20 years.  Nov 8th put up 44 on the Seahawks.  At that point last year they  were already well on their way to becoming an AFC powerhouse. 

 

The Fitz game you site, was 2019.  The Bills put up 56 with their backups against the Fish in the home game last year. 

 

The point is that the 2nd half of 2021 is unwritten. Up until now though as compared to last year this time, the points are comparable and while record is not as good, i think the team is in better shape, but im not going to rehash that.

 

The fitz game was not 2019. It was 2020 (1st game @ Miami. Fitzpatrick took the lead in the 4th Quarter. Luckily we held on through Josh Allen's 2 TDs late in the 4th.