A Few Thoughts about the Cheatriots Game, in no particular order

[Virgil]

You know you have a problem when a Bills game becomes a memorable highlight of your Christmas weekend.  That's not to say that Christmas weekend with the weekend wasn't fun, because it was.  There's just something about a revenge game against the Hoodie that hits the right kind of way.  Also, I have gotten sick the past few days, which is why this was late and this will probably be a little short.  My apologies.

 

1 - Allen - Before we ever drafted Allen and he was a twinkle in Beane's eye, one of the biggest things I didn't know I needed in a quarterback was a guy who just found a way to elevate his game in Foxboro.  Josh had a swagger and determination in him for this game that had to make any fan feel confident.  He wasn't perfect in this game, but he was pretty darn close.  I still believe his toe is bothering him when he steps into a throw, but he pulled off so many trick passes that it was rarely a factor.  Not only did Allen get a Patriot hurdle in, he was side-arming throws, shuffle-passing, and juking defenders out of their cleats.  Josh was an absolute baller in this game and you could see how much it meant to him.  It was truly a MVP Performance in the one stadium you really want him to shine.

 

2 - Blocking - I wanted to talk about Knox here, but Spencer Williams and Dawkins also played great games for me.  There were multiple runs to the outside where our guys released their blocks at the perfect time as to not draw the holding penalty.  This is something we haven't seen often and I really believe it made a difference.  Knox was left on an island on quite a few plays and held his own, minus one holding penalty.  Judon could only get a hit in by being an ####### with his tripping, because he was a non-factor in the game itself.  Whatever scheme adjustments Daboll made, Josh had all day to throw with a back-up line and it seems they are figuring it out at the right time.

 

3 - Haack -

 

4 - Alone, listless
Breakfast table in an otherwise empty room
Young girl, violence
Center of her own attention
The mother reads aloud, child tries to understand it
Tries to make her proud
The shades go down, it's in her head
Painted room, can't deny there's something wrong

 

5 - Run Defense - In hindsight, I should have noticed this sooner, but the biggest Achilles heal for our run defense are counters and cut backs  It seemed like every big run came from some form misdirection where our guys over-pursued and then couldn't cut back without running into a blocked.  Worse than that, Edmunds continues to find ways to get blocked.  If I didn't know any better, I would think he was instructed to run into the first blocker he sees in order to free up a defender behind him.  I'm not only picking on Edmunds and Hyde and Poyer are also terrible at over-running plays.  I will say though, for a big guy, Harrison is moving fast and catching people on the edge.  I think he may have finally figured it out.

 

6 - Daboll - Welcome to the party!  The pre-snap motions, Allen runs, McKenzie sweeps, delayed-release blocks were all on display in this game and it led to the first ever zero punt game against the Hoodie in Foxboro.  This offense was clicking on all cylinders and should have put up 11 more points (thanks Sanders and penalties.  Daboll seems to have figured out his rushing attack as well as dialing up some good red zone plays.  The offense is gaining speed at the right time and doing it against cover 2 and 3.  Allen is taking the check downs, forcing the defense to creep up which........OPENED UP THE DEEP CROSSING ROUTES!.  Only took 15 games, but we got there.

 

7 - McKenzie - Does this guy love having late season success or what?  All I could think about in this game was him torching the Dolphins last season.  For those already calling for McKenzie to replace Beasley, I think it's worth noting that they play the slow position very differently.  Almost all of McKenzie's catches were outside the hash marks while Beasley typically lives between them.  It was almost comical to see how easily Josh made those throws versus watching Mac.  I'm torn on the usage of McKenzie in this game and concerned with all the post game comments made by all the players.  I almost wonder if his benching and under-utilization didn't sit right with some of the players.  I could also be reading into too much.  Regardless, McKenzie was a monster out there and gave upcoming opposing coaches something else to worry about going forward.  He even showed Sanders how to catch a touchdown pass (Can you tell that I'm over Sanders yet?)

 

8 - Holding - Jerry Hughes had a holding called in his favor.  That's all I think I need to say here.  In other news, Unicorns are real and wearing socks with sandals is cool again.

 

9 - Hoodie - I'm going to do my best to not throw up while saying this, but I think the Hoodie might actually respect and appreciate Josh.  I try to avoid looking at his face as much as possible, but the way he sought out Josh after the game and attention he gave him really stood out to me.  While the Hoodie has had *some* some success in the NFL, I think he was actually humble enough to pay respect to the man who just humiliated his defense on the field.  It was a rare site.

 

10 - McD - If any other Bills team over the past 20 years played this game, the drops would have been too much to overcome.  When Sanders dropped that touchdown and the holding penalty made us settle for field goal, I could feel that pit in my stomach creep in.  On the last drive where we had to convert multiple 3rd and longs, I was already picturing Mac Jones leading a game winning drive against us.  But not these Bills.  Not the McD led Bills.  They were relentless, focused, and would not be denied.  They've come out flat in weeks and seemed soft for many others.  In this game, they were the superior team who put their foot on the Patriots necks and pushed down until the final whistle.  While the team played good against the Chiefs and Titans, I would argue this was their most complete game of the season and the best Josh has looked.  I believe McD has them focused and ready for a playoff push.  And right now, I don't think there's many teams that would want to face us, home or away.

 

Go Bills!!!

[Iiiiiiiiive Got a Feeeelin]

16 minutes ago, Virgil said:

You know you have a problem when a Bills game becomes a memorable highlight of your Christmas weekend.  That's not to say that Christmas weekend with the weekend wasn't fun, because it was.

C'mon. Its fine. Youre in good company here.  That Bills win was the best thing that happened this weekend for like 98% of us here

[ChevyVanMiller]

#3 LOL. 
 

Hope you feel better soon, Virgil.

[jkeerie]

Nice summary as always.  Hope you're feeling better.

[Let's Go Buffalo]

Well said! Thanks for the post, and get well soon!

[HoofHearted]

47 minutes ago, Virgil said:

5 - Run Defense - In hindsight, I should have noticed this sooner, but the biggest Achilles heal for our run defense are counters and cut backs  It seemed like every big run came from some form misdirection where our guys over-pursued and then couldn't cut back without running into a blocked.  Worse than that, Edmunds continues to find ways to get blocked.  If I didn't know any better, I would think he was instructed to run into the first blocker he sees in order to free up a defender behind him.  I'm not only picking on Edmunds and Hyde and Poyer are also terrible at over-running plays.  I will say though, for a big guy, Harrison is moving fast and catching people on the edge.  I think he may have finally figured it out.

You’re not far off my friend. Any scheme that has any pull to the strong side will have Edmunds as a leverage player - meaning he will fit outside any puller to him and force the ball back inside. If you see this he’s doing his job and it’s okay!

[HoofHearted]

55 minutes ago, Virgil said:

6 - Daboll - Welcome to the party!  The pre-snap motions, Allen runs, McKenzie sweeps, delayed-release blocks were all on display in this game and it led to the first ever zero punt game against the Hoodie in Foxboro.

Don’t get too used to these - they played right into the man coverage looks they expected from the Patriots. You’ll see much different looks vs. this Tampa 2 defense we’ll see this week.

[Patrick Duffy]

Was cool Bills didn't punt at all against the highly spoke of BB defense. 

[HoofHearted]

1 hour ago, Virgil said:

2 - Blocking - I wanted to talk about Knox here, but Spencer Williams and Dawkins also played great games for me.  There were multiple runs to the outside where our guys released their blocks at the perfect time as to not draw the holding penalty.  This is something we haven't seen often and I really believe it made a difference.  Knox was left on an island on quite a few plays and held his own, minus one holding penalty.  Judon could only get a hit in by being an ####### with his tripping, because he was a non-factor in the game itself.  Whatever scheme adjustments Daboll made, Josh had all day to throw with a back-up line and it seems they are figuring it out at the right time.

Protection and Run Blocking was the best we’ve seen all season long - against the top defense in the league. Very encouraging going into the final weeks of the regular season!

[GETTOTHE50]

I haven’t seen the post game conferences so it was interesting to read how players were upset about the McKenzie benching.

 

One of McDs best attributes is his willingness to bench players. It reinforces his authority and keeps the players on their toes. 
 

otherwise, all the wideouts had a bad drop. 
 

Diggs did on the first drive by the sideline, McKenzie had one, Sanders had two I think, and Kumerow had the bad TD drop too. Sanders was the worst though, and I hope he turns it around this weekend.

 

To his credit, he caught that big 3rd down pass that Josh threw across the field in traffic 

 

 

[fergie's ire]

1 hour ago, Virgil said:

 

 

5 - Run Defense - In hindsight, I should have noticed this sooner, but the biggest Achilles heal for our run defense are counters and cut backs  It seemed like every big run came from some form misdirection where our guys over-pursued and then couldn't cut back without running into a blocked.  Worse than that, Edmunds continues to find ways to get blocked.  If I didn't know any better, I would think he was instructed to run into the first blocker he sees in order to free up a defender behind him.  I'm not only picking on Edmunds and Hyde and Poyer are also terrible at over-running plays.  I will say though, for a big guy, Harrison is moving fast and catching people on the edge.  I think he may have finally figured it out.

 

 

I had been thinking the same thing.  I am not one of those Edmunds haters and think he does bring something to our pass defense...and those that praise him must see something I don't.  But I remember some middle linebacker talking about being like the running back but from the defense...that his job was to find the hole and run to it and meet the running back there.  Edmunds seems to run right by the hole into a blockers arms....It's weird.

[ganesh]

> Allen is taking the check downs, forcing the defense to creep up which........OPENED UP THE DEEP CROSSING ROUTES!.  Only took 15 games, but we got there.

 

I think Josh played a similar game against the Chiefs earlier in the season.  He took what they gave him and punished them.  The scores were very similar in both games. If Josh had been patient in the 1st game against NE, we. would have won. 

 

The Run defense and Pass Rush are still not there for us to have a championship caliber defense.  McDermott and Frasier need to figure this out. 

 

> And right now, I don't think there's many teams that would want to face us, home or away.

 

Any team that has the right balance like the Colts, Bucs or Packers will not have problems with us. When each team has weakness on one side of offense (Running or Throwing), Josh will always prevail because he is the best player on the field today in the NFL.

[HoofHearted]

11 minutes ago, fergie's ire said:

I had been thinking the same thing.  I am not one of those Edmunds haters and think he does bring something to our pass defense...and those that praise him must see something I don't.  But I remember some middle linebacker talking about being like the running back but from the defense...that his job was to find the hole and run to it and meet the running back there.  Edmunds seems to run right by the hole into a blockers arms....It's weird.

It’s just the scheme. In a base 4-2-5 defense he is a leverage player meaning he is going to take on a whatever blocker with outside leverage. If that player is a puller from the opposite side and Edmunds does his job then it will force a cutback. Our nickels need to be trained like outside backers (not saying they aren’t), because against heavy personnel(21, 22, 20 personnel) we will line up in a 4-3 “look” and they’ll be responsible for the cutback.

[billybrew1]

1 hour ago, Virgil said:

You know you have a problem when a Bills game becomes a memorable highlight of your Christmas weekend.  That's not to say that Christmas weekend with the weekend wasn't fun, because it was.  There's just something about a revenge game against the Hoodie that hits the right kind of way.  Also, I have gotten sick the past few days, which is why this was late and this will probably be a little short.  My apologies.

 

1 - Allen - Before we ever drafted Allen and he was a twinkle in Beane's eye, one of the biggest things I didn't know I needed in a quarterback was a guy who just found a way to elevate his game in Foxboro.  Josh had a swagger and determination in him for this game that had to make any fan feel confident.  He wasn't perfect in this game, but he was pretty darn close.  I still believe his toe is bothering him when he steps into a throw, but he pulled off so many trick passes that it was rarely a factor.  Not only did Allen get a Patriot hurdle in, he was side-arming throws, shuffle-passing, and juking defenders out of their cleats.  Josh was an absolute baller in this game and you could see how much it meant to him.  It was truly a MVP Performance in the one stadium you really want him to shine.

 

2 - Blocking - I wanted to talk about Knox here, but Spencer Williams and Dawkins also played great games for me.  There were multiple runs to the outside where our guys released their blocks at the perfect time as to not draw the holding penalty.  This is something we haven't seen often and I really believe it made a difference.  Knox was left on an island on quite a few plays and held his own, minus one holding penalty.  Judon could only get a hit in by being an ####### with his tripping, because he was a non-factor in the game itself.  Whatever scheme adjustments Daboll made, Josh had all day to throw with a back-up line and it seems they are figuring it out at the right time.

 

3 - Haack -

 

4 - Alone, listless
Breakfast table in an otherwise empty room
Young girl, violence
Center of her own attention
The mother reads aloud, child tries to understand it
Tries to make her proud
The shades go down, it's in her head
Painted room, can't deny there's something wrong

 

5 - Run Defense - In hindsight, I should have noticed this sooner, but the biggest Achilles heal for our run defense are counters and cut backs  It seemed like every big run came from some form misdirection where our guys over-pursued and then couldn't cut back without running into a blocked.  Worse than that, Edmunds continues to find ways to get blocked.  If I didn't know any better, I would think he was instructed to run into the first blocker he sees in order to free up a defender behind him.  I'm not only picking on Edmunds and Hyde and Poyer are also terrible at over-running plays.  I will say though, for a big guy, Harrison is moving fast and catching people on the edge.  I think he may have finally figured it out.

 

6 - Daboll - Welcome to the party!  The pre-snap motions, Allen runs, McKenzie sweeps, delayed-release blocks were all on display in this game and it led to the first ever zero punt game against the Hoodie in Foxboro.  This offense was clicking on all cylinders and should have put up 11 more points (thanks Sanders and penalties.  Daboll seems to have figured out his rushing attack as well as dialing up some good red zone plays.  The offense is gaining speed at the right time and doing it against cover 2 and 3.  Allen is taking the check downs, forcing the defense to creep up which........OPENED UP THE DEEP CROSSING ROUTES!.  Only took 15 games, but we got there.

 

7 - McKenzie - Does this guy love having late season success or what?  All I could think about in this game was him torching the Dolphins last season.  For those already calling for McKenzie to replace Beasley, I think it's worth noting that they play the slow position very differently.  Almost all of McKenzie's catches were outside the hash marks while Beasley typically lives between them.  It was almost comical to see how easily Josh made those throws versus watching Mac.  I'm torn on the usage of McKenzie in this game and concerned with all the post game comments made by all the players.  I almost wonder if his benching and under-utilization didn't sit right with some of the players.  I could also be reading into too much.  Regardless, McKenzie was a monster out there and gave upcoming opposing coaches something else to worry about going forward.  He even showed Sanders how to catch a touchdown pass (Can you tell that I'm over Sanders yet?)

 

8 - Holding - Jerry Hughes had a holding called in his favor.  That's all I think I need to say here.  In other news, Unicorns are real and wearing socks with sandals is cool again.

 

9 - Hoodie - I'm going to do my best to not throw up while saying this, but I think the Hoodie might actually respect and appreciate Josh.  I try to avoid looking at his face as much as possible, but the way he sought out Josh after the game and attention he gave him really stood out to me.  While the Hoodie has had *some* some success in the NFL, I think he was actually humble enough to pay respect to the man who just humiliated his defense on the field.  It was a rare site.

 

10 - McD - If any other Bills team over the past 20 years played this game, the drops would have been too much to overcome.  When Sanders dropped that touchdown and the holding penalty made us settle for field goal, I could feel that pit in my stomach creep in.  On the last drive where we had to convert multiple 3rd and longs, I was already picturing Mac Jones leading a game winning drive against us.  But not these Bills.  Not the McD led Bills.  They were relentless, focused, and would not be denied.  They've come out flat in weeks and seemed soft for many others.  In this game, they were the superior team who put their foot on the Patriots necks and pushed down until the final whistle.  While the team played good against the Chiefs and Titans, I would argue this was their most complete game of the season and the best Josh has looked.  I believe McD has them focused and ready for a playoff push.  And right now, I don't think there's many teams that would want to face us, home or away.

 

Go Bills!!!

8. You give the hoodie too much credit. He sought Josh out to show everyone that it took a QB playing great to beat him. Everything is all about Belicheat to Belicheat, remember that and you've got him down.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

28 minutes ago, GETTOTHE50 said:

I haven’t seen the post game conferences so it was interesting to read how players were upset about the McKenzie benching.

 

I've seen them and I didn't take that tone at all from it.

 

I just thought they were happy to see he got his chance and made good.

 

I also think he gets under his teammates skin sometimes with his "funny trash talk" but that he won admiration for how he handled getting benched - still being positive and energetic, and as McKenzie himself put it, looking at himself and what he could do differently:

Quote

“That was my first time sitting down in awhile, and I just had to take it (in and) think to myself, ‘What can I do better?’ And I’d just show up to practice every day and get my teammates better, and do whatever I’ve got to do to make myself better for my teammates, McKenzie said. “I just thought about things, just reevaluated myself, and then this opportunity came around … And I felt like I just had to step up for my team.”

 

 

[BillsfaninSB]

This win, along with the KC victory, felt like it was the 2020 Bills.

[Mynamemike]

Great write up Virgil. Edmunds drives me crazy man, the dude consistently over purses and he can’t shed a block to save his life.  Flys around in that 5-15 yard range  and does a good job in pass defense but he has been a liability in the run game from day one. It seems like every single big run he’s out of position or getting blown up.  
 

 

Overall though, this was a wonderful cap to great Christmas weekend.  Happy holidays all!  Go Bills!

[billybrew1]

I too thought the OL was the biggest story of the game. Yes, JA was clearly the best player by far.... But Josh has struggled a lot this year and it is because he hasn't had much time at all to throw.... Now we see what Allen can do with some pass blocking...

How the makeshift OL rose to the occasion against a good D on the road is beyond me....

 

 Go Bills!

[pennstate10]

1 minute ago, Mynamemike said:

Great write up Virgil. Edmunds drives me crazy man, the dude consistently over purses and he can’t shed a block to save his life.  Flys around in that 5-15 yard range  and does a good job in pass defense but he has been a liability in the run game from day one. It seems like every single big run he’s out of position or getting blown up.  
 

 

Overall though, this was a wonderful cap to great Christmas weekend.  Happy holidays all!  Go Bills!

Cmon guys, we’ve gone over this a billion times. 
on that play, 49 did his job. He filled his gap. 
 

The RB, seeing the gap filled, cut back and hit an open cutback gap, that one of the DBs. Either 24or 30 should have filed. 
 

49 didn’t overrun the play. He did his job, which then CAUSED the RB to cutback and hit the open gap. 

[billybrew1]

An interesting thing about the game was that Klein only played 30% and our DTs totaled 89% snaps (I think it was 89? Maybe even 81%) but we went with three ends some. That's why NE got so many yards running.  Yes, Tremaine overran again, but we played a small D a lot....

I find that fascinating.....We sort of conceded the run game.... LOL, IDK, I might have gone big, at least played a 4*3....

Was the whole idea to confuse Jones? Or did NE play mostly three-wide?  LOL, I wonder?

[HoofHearted]

29 minutes ago, Mynamemike said:

Great write up Virgil. Edmunds drives me crazy man, the dude consistently over purses and he can’t shed a block to save his life.  Flys around in that 5-15 yard range  and does a good job in pass defense but he has been a liability in the run game from day one. It seems like every single big run he’s out of position or getting blown up.  
 

 

Overall though, this was a wonderful cap to great Christmas weekend.  Happy holidays all!  Go Bills!

Leverage is his cryptonite for sure. At 6’5” it’s hard for him to win leverage battles against OL without great technique. He has to understand pad level going forward in order to win these matchups.

[stinky finger]

Made my xmas weekend as well my man!

 

Hope this victory was good medicine for what ails you. Feel better. 

[Success]

Hoodie did the same after the wind game too.  He gave McD a perfunctory handshake, then made a bee-line for Allen and spent a fair amount of time talking to him.  It was cool to see him do it again.  He's old school, and I think he loves how JA plays the game.

 

I can't help but think that he must also imagine what he could do w/ the team he has & Allen behind center instead of Jones.

 

Great write-up, as always.  

[Nihilarian]

Good stuff as usual Virgil.

 

My take is that something clicked during the halftime of that Bucs game and this team simply hasn't been the same since. Perhaps it was McD placing his foot repeatedly in certain spots. Perhaps it was the team knowing that they were better then they showed in that first half (embarrassed)and came out fighting and haven't stopped.

 

I'd like to think that Josh Allen took the pro bowl snub to heart...but then, he played lights out in the second half of that Bucs game too.  Allen is developing into a upper echelon superstar QB, like Montana, Rodgers. Took the check downs, throwaways, underneath routes. Took what the defense gave him...and gave that #1 Patriots defense all they could handle. 

 

Lil Dirty, what a game!

 

Interesting that Frazier his changed out of his "nickle" scheme to replace the DBs with some run stuffers. 

 

WHAT? Nobody talking about how the Bills need to replace the RBs, O linemen this week?

 

This game made my year so far and on par with Hoodie throwing the phone in last years game.

 

[DCBongo]

Awesome job as usual Virgil.  I remember Bill from NYC doing these during the drought and it was must read for cathartic reasons.  You are must read on the same level and it is greatly appreciated.

 

The thing about Allen and the McD Bills is the return of swagger.  During this game I wasn't positive they would ultimately win, but I was fairly confident they wouldn't grab defeat from the hands of victory.  If this had been any one of our unmemorable QB's from the past 18 years, on the final 4th quarter drive, they would have gotten to the 20 of the Patsy, QB would throw a pick, and the Patsys would run it back for the winning TD.

 

Here is to the here and now, Go Bills!

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

Regarding #5... What is Trent Murphy up to these days. I'm half serious. Our defensive ends crashing down and not keeping contain on I think two consecutive running plays that broke for big yardage. Bring him in for the playoffs. You know we are going to play the Pats and/or Colts again in the playoffs at some point. 

[CSBill]

10 hours ago, Virgil said:

3 - Haack -

 

 

I see what you did there.

 

And, if we're reading this and taking the time to post something here, then of course it was the highlight of our weekend 🙂

 

[DD4Bills]

13 hours ago, Virgil said:

8 - Holding - Jerry Hughes had a holding called in his favor.  That's all I think I need to say here.  In other news, Unicorns are real and wearing socks with sandals is cool again.

 

wait...what?? When was this NOT cool?

 

Edited December 29, 2021 by DD4Bills

[BillnutinHouston]

Re: the hoodie - until proven otherwise I remain inclined to think the embrace was not a sign of respect but rather a premeditated attempt to transmit COVID.

 

 

 

[3rdnlng]

12 hours ago, Mynamemike said:

Great write up Virgil. Edmunds drives me crazy man, the dude consistently over purses and he can’t shed a block to save his life.  Flys around in that 5-15 yard range  and does a good job in pass defense but he has been a liability in the run game from day one. It seems like every single big run he’s out of position or getting blown up.  
 

 

Overall though, this was a wonderful cap to great Christmas weekend.  Happy holidays all!  Go Bills!

Carrying that oversized Gucci bag around with him when he's trying to make a tackle is quite a burden. If I was dressing him I think I'd go with a small clutch bag that matched his spikes. Just sayin'. 

[Just in Atlanta]

What a fabulous game. Allen was near perfect, the line gave him time, the d line got some nice push, no major errors, and McKenzie/Motor … wow.  

 

Edmunds is a strange situation.

 

When he wraps around a ball carrier, it’s noticeable. They also tend not to run plays his way. He’s a presence. My eye just gravitates to him, as it seems he’s given a lot of space to cover and then …

 

he just disappears into the fray, like Homer Simpson into the bushes. I was thinking exactly same thing, he looks like he’s running straight into the blockers. More often than not, he also runs the opposite way the play is going to go.
 

Good physical skills, bad football instincts?

 

Despite the whining by so many posters, this is an elite defense. I agree, the Achilles’ heel is the run defense over committing. This has lead to some of the biggest runs against us all year.

 

Watching Allen play compared to Lil Mac is a treat after all these years. 

 

This team’s a force.

 

 

 

 

[WhoTom]

14 hours ago, Virgil said:

3 - Haack

 

Perfect holds on FGs and XPs.

 

 

[Pete]

Let’s not forget that not only did refs pick up Hughes flag, but on same play they flagged NE with 15 yarder- holy ***** what are the odds for that parlay?  

[Jerome007]

8 minutes ago, Pete said:

Let’s not forget that not only did refs pick up Hughes flag, but on same play they flagged NE with 15 yarder- holy ***** what are the odds for that parlay?  

And THAT followed a holding call that Hughes created. It was really... weird ha ha

[Dr. Who]

4 minutes ago, Pete said:

Let’s not forget that not only did refs pick up Hughes flag, but on same play they flagged NE with 15 yarder- holy ***** what are the odds for that parlay?  

Clearly, it was a resonance from bizarro world. Around Christmas, the porosity between dimensions of the multiverse is greater . . .