THE ROCKPILE REVIEW - Bills Take Care of Falcons

[Shaw66]

Fans have a mental-image of what an NFL win looks like. A prototype win. It’s what they want to see from their team, week after week.  Take control of the game from the start, score on almost every possession, have a comfortable half-time lead, and cruise through the second half to a stress-free win.

 

Problem is, every NFL game is unique.  It’s different from every other game, and very, very few wins fit the prototype.  In every game, as Sean McDermott is fond of saying, each team will face adversity.  How the team responds to adversity is the measure of how good a team is.

 

Yes, it’s a cliché.  The reason it’s a cliché is because it’s true.  Things go wrong in games.  They always do. 

 

The cliché was on display Sunday as the Bills beat the Falcons 29-15, clinching a playoff berth and now needing a win over the Jets in Orchard Park to win a second-straight AFC East title.  Things went wrong in the middle of the game for Josh Allen and the Bills, but the Bills responded.  The defense held, the running game clicked into gear, the Bills regained the lead.  The Falcons threatened to make it close, and then something went wrong for them.  They couldn’t recover.

 

For a game with plenty of uncomfortable moments for the Bills, it all ended oh, so comfortably:  Run the clock down to the two-minute warning and take three knees. 

 

The story of the game begins as it almost always does for the Bills, with Josh Allen.   Commentators for the past few weeks have been saying that no team relies on one player more than the Buffalo Bills, and it’s hard to deny it.  Allen can wreck a game with his arm and with his legs, and no quarterback in the league is as good as an over-all offensive player.  A few QBs run better, and a few QBs pass better, but no other QB is like Allen, a high-level threat both ways. 

 

Against the Falcons, Allen had some typically amazing throws, some near misses, and some drops, but he certainly did not have a good passing game.  Allen threw fastballs most of the day, probably because of the wind and snow, and the fastballs weren’t connecting. 

 

With the Bills driving for their third TD of the first half, a score that would go a long way to ending the game, Allen saw Diggs in the endzone, fired another bullet that was tipped and intercepted.  The Falcons then scored so quickly that the Bills still had time to attack again.  Allen immediately threw another interception, and the Falcons drove for a field goal to take the lead at halftime, 15-14.  On the third play of the third quarter, Allen threw his third pick.  Did someone say adversity?

 

The Bills responded.  The defense forced a three-and-out and also pushed the Falcons out of field-goal range.  The offense drove 80 yards in six-and-a-half minutes, an 11-play drive featuring 10 runs by Singletary and Allen.  The offensive line took charge.  The touchdown and two-point conversion put the Bills up 7.  The Falcons punted after five plays, and here came the Bills offense, again.  Twelve plays, seven and a half minutes, 65 yards for the touchdown to make it 29-15.  Another 10 running plays, shared by Allen, Singletary, and Moss.  29-15, and the game was in hand.

 

But the Falcons marched back, insisting the game was not over.  Matt Ryan scrambled for a touchdown and picked up a taunting penalty that became incredibly damaging when it was ruled Ryan had given himself up short of the goal line. That took six points off the board and left the Falcons with third and goal from the 16.  The Bills held for two plays to take the ball back.

 

And now, as if to show that Ryan’s drama was irrelevant, the offense took over again. They went on an 11-play, 5+ minute drive, that included all runs and three kneel downs.   If the Bills had needed a TD, Allen would have gotten it. 

 

The Falcons were not going to beat this team at this point in the season.  These Bills are doing a lot of things right, not always flashy, but right.  These Bills are mentally tough.  It’s evident everywhere:  Singletary’s emergence as a real threat; the offensive line’s sudden development as a pass protection unit, the line’s equally sudden ability to create the running room for Singletary, Allen, and Moss throughout the second half; a strip sack from Rousseau; a shoe-string tackle by Epenesa.  Guys at every position were making plays.

 

Sure, on pure style-points, this game was far from awesome:  Stevenson’s fumble. Allen’s INTs, of course, the defense’s failure to get a stop on the Ryan non-TD.

 

But, style points no longer matter.  Scratching and clawing and competing in every way you possibly can is what matters.  The style isn’t always pretty, but this style is showing that it can be pretty tough to beat. 

 

And Josh Allen is the Chief-Executive-Scratcher-and-Clawer.  The team feeds off his determination.  We see his physical toughness in his runs, of course, and we also see his mental toughness in his presence in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage.  He isn’t confused; he understands what he sees.  We aches to win.  He’s mentally tough.

 

The Bills have played with that toughness, led by Allen’s toughness, for two games now, and I would be surprised if they lose that attitude against the Jets next week. 

 

GO BILLS!!!

Edited January 3, 2022 by Shaw66

[Let's Go Buffalo]

Great job as always! They found a way to win, and things are finally starting to click in the running game!

[hemma]

Whatever it takes, including a bit of luck.  Results oriented, selfless.

 

ot - but compare our players’ attitudes to that of Antonio Brown.  Opposite end of an unsustainable spectrum.

[Big Turk]

18 minutes ago, RunJoshRun said:

Was Bates injured badly?

Dig Higgs suffer a concussion late in the game?

Where was Sanders?

 

Just wondering??!!

 

Bates not sure...

 

Diggs, no...he was back on the field.

Sanders was inactive with a knee injury.

[ControllerOfPlanetX]

1st and ten at the 12 and the Bills dial up some reverse pass by Diggs...idiotic...they were systematically driving down the field and Daboll goes high school...

[LeGOATski]

Gabe Davis needs to be out there at all times. The kid is a beast and there is no better sideline catcher in the game right now. That is an art form.

[TFBillsfan]

The last 3:30 of the 2nd qtr can’t happen against good teams. Bills were in complete control then they get cute with attempting a WR pass and a horrible decision by Josh on 3rd and long that results in an interception. At the minimum you get no less than a short FG to go up 17-5. Plus you get the ball to start the 2nd half. Josh has to be mentally stronger in that situation. Points equal extending your lead and maintaining your momentum. Instead it pumped life into the Falcons.

 

On Josh’s 3rd interception all the credit to ATL’s Walker who made a great play. 

 

Strong games by Devin, Oliver and the OLine showing improvement in the running game. Bills didn’t play great but still won by 14 on a meh day by Josh in the passing game.

 

Now lets take care of business against NYJ and go into the playoffs with strong momentum!

 

 

[ControllerOfPlanetX]

13 minutes ago, RunJoshRun said:

please - relax.  We won and I would bet you've never been an offensive co-ordinator.  Some people just need to complain and bring down others who succeed.  It 's called a "sad" personality!

Sequence ended in a pick when the game could have been put away. I am relaxed and glad we won but get perplexed when  coaches try to outsmart themselves.  Not upset at third pick..ball was tipped and Diggs was open..

[Maine-iac]

Scratching and clawing against the Falcons would equal being down by multiple scores against a good team.  The Colts showed us that.  The emergence of a running game is great and the emergence of sorts of the Dline is great also.  That said our special teams woes and double digit picks since the beginning of Nov are concerning.  Not concerning like we can't win but certainly an area we should clean up.  We have a scrappy opportunistic defense but i wouldn't call it a shut down defense.  The defense you read about on paper does not seem like what you are watching on the field.  I feel like we are just as capable of winning any game we play (like last year) yet I don't feel as confident.  Like I'm waiting to see which team shows up on Sunday.

[Thurman#1]

Good stuff, Shaw. 

 

Thanks.

[Punching Bag]

Great review Shaw. 

 

One thing though - Bills adjusted - Allen's intercepted balls were tipped and Bills adjusted the game plan to try to take those factors out of game.  They would not have done that before.

[ChicagoRic]

1 hour ago, RunJoshRun said:

why are we discussing all this in a thread that just re-caps a game we all saw with flowery words.  With so many game re-play options on the Internet this has all become a bit stale and boring.  You can read the Buffalo News reporters after a game and get the same drival.  

Because it's a discussion forum, perhaps?

[Aussie Joe]

Nice review as always Shaw…

 

An added bonus this week is that it seems to have upset one of the forum peanut gallery members …

[Inigo Montoya]

15 minutes ago, RunJoshRun said:

"Review" - can't we all remember what we saw just a few hours ago???  It really doesn't need an interpretation or explanation.  It's written like a historical paper about a silly football game.  

 

I look forward to this write up and Virgil’s every week.  It’s a TBD cornerstone.  If it’s not your thing, that’s ok, just don’t read it and move along.

 

I don’t run into a fondue restaurant berating the diners there about how bad fondue restaurants are.  People do their thing and I do mine.

 

Comity.

[Bad Things]

Great review, Shaw.  That was Playoff Caliber.

😀

[Ayjent]

Each game is different but I sometimes wonder if they are making things a bit more adverse for themselves than necessary.  
 

Beasley has been baffling all year and after McKenzie’s performance last week I think he gets the nod in the slot as a starter.  Not bc of one game but bc of things like Beasley’s lack of effort after illegal contact that could’ve been the difference between a called penalty and an Interception.  I’ve noticed his bad body language all season and i really liked his play every year before this. Hard not to like a tough guy at that size, but it’s like he carries the weight of his social media battles on to the field and is only sometimes that same guy we’ve seen in prior years.  McKenzie is faster and seemed to bring more explosiveness and honestly was a major piece of their most important and impressive offensive performance this season.  
 

The Stevenson experiment needs to end. He is taking a punishing and looks like what he is - a return man without vision or ability to avoid a big hit. Big hits cause turnovers.  He’s a liability and I’ve thought so from the first game he took over the return duties.  I see the speed but that is such a small part of being an effective return man.  
 

The Bills screen game is just not good and it looks like the designed screens are never there.  The one screen that was called fooled no one and was really too slow to develop.  Rarely do the Bills utilize WR screens, but the Falcons put on a clinic on how to do it (well at least with that officiating crew).
 

Other than the pass to Pitts Ryan’s passing yards were in large part due to screens or broken plays.  I think one post in a different thread captured what I saw too: illegal men downfield and not just a little bit past the LOS.  But they had a plan of how to attack a quick defense in those conditions and it was a solid plan. The Falcons have some weapons and know how to use them.

 

On the positive side the running game is encouraging from Singletary.  He ran very well and with determination. I love Josh and how he carries this team whatever way he can. But I don’t like how many hits he takes.  Still what a player - there is no one that wants it more on the field.  If you don’t like him then you might not like football.

 

The offensive line is playing a little better and I like seeing that bc I’ve thought that has been the teams weakness all year and why this team is not as good as everyone was hoping.  They need to utilize a quicker passing game but I’m not sure that it’s there to be had, although we’ve seen it in a few games - the offense’s best games tbh.  The play action game should be more effective with the run game going and where this offense has been it’s most successful.

[Beast]

7 hours ago, RunJoshRun said:

why are we discussing all this in a thread that just re-caps a game we all saw with flowery words.  With so many game re-play options on the Internet this has all become a bit stale and boring.  You can read the Buffalo News reporters after a game and get the same drival.  

OK, Bluto.

[Patrick Duffy]

1 hour ago, Beast said:

OK, Bluto.

[Niagara Bill]

Been to this game a number of times in the 90s.

A snowy day for tailgate, numb fingers, cardboard under your feet, 

Jim K had games like this and Thurman, Davis etc carried the load, and the D took over the game. That why teams are teams. Thanks Mark Pike, Tasker, and Siran Neal and Big M. Thanks Kent and Mitch, thanks House and Dion.

Bad wins can be the best wins. 

An A+ Day. 

[Shaw66]

2 hours ago, Niagara Bill said:

Been to this game a number of times in the 90s.

A snowy day for tailgate, numb fingers, cardboard under your feet, 

Jim K had games like this and Thurman, Davis etc carried the load, and the D took over the game. That why teams are teams. Thanks Mark Pike, Tasker, and Siran Neal and Big M. Thanks Kent and Mitch, thanks House and Dion.

Bad wins can be the best wins. 

An A+ Day. 

Thanks for saying this.   It's maybe a better way to capture what I was feeling about this game. 

 

I have memories of the 1064 and 1965, and of the Super Bowl years, and whenever I happen to see a game-by-game run down of any of those seasons, I'm amazed that I don't remember how ugly some of the wins and some of the losses were.  There are a lot of wins that are not what I called prototype wins.   They're a mess.  

 

Every once in a while someone posts a link to the video of those 117 seconds against the Broncos when the Bills blocked a field goal for a TD and got two turnovers that they converted into TDs.   Runs like that happen in football games.   They just do.   You can praise some players if you're on the right side of the run, and you can criticize players if you're on the wrong side of the run, but the real question is what did the team do for the other 57 minutes of the game.   That's a team question, not an individual question. 

 

Against the Falcons, the Bills were on the wrong side of a series of events.  However, the Bills dominated most of the rest of the game, and thus they survived the bad stretch, and they coasted to the win.   That's the kind of team McDermott has always said he wants to build, a team that is good and that handles adversity.  

 

It was a good win.  

[jlgarsh]

I love aggressive McDermott 2+ games in a row. Going for it on offense to keep the other team off the field, and going for TDs instead of goalie FGs. Plus sticking with it even if they failed to convert one. The defense gets fired up from it too.

[Shaw66]

4 minutes ago, jlgarsh said:

I love aggressive McDermott 2+ games in a row. Going for it on offense to keep the other team off the field, and going for TDs instead of goalie FGs. Plus sticking with it even if they failed to convert one. The defense gets fired up from it too.

The great thing about McDermott is his dedication to all of the stuff he spouts, the growth mindset, continuous improvement, etc., etc.   He doesn't just spout it, he lives it.  He demands it of himself, and that's what we're seeing.  I'm personally not a fan of going for it - I often thing that taking the points is the way to go, but McDermott is the one studying this, watching other teams, listening to his players, all of it.  

 

Even his demeanor on the field has been evolving.  He used to be mocked here because of his hand-clapping rah-rah stuff, but I think there's less of that now.  The spirit, the tenacity, that he was encouraging with the rah-rah stuff is now part of the character of the team.  Everyone plays with that spirit now, and McDermott just as to remind them occasionally to stay with it.  

 

He's growing, just like the team has, and it's a good thing. 

[Einstein's Dog]

23 hours ago, ControllerOfPlanetX said:

1st and ten at the 12 and the Bills dial up some reverse pass by Diggs...idiotic...they were systematically driving down the field and Daboll goes high school...

But if Diggs had just tossed it to J Allen there would have been a nice gain on 1st down and changed the whole dynamic of the series.

 

IMO, It wasn't a bad play call as much as a poor decision by Diggs.  Diggs went for the TD instead of taking the easy 5-6 yards with Allen.

[Shaw66]

44 minutes ago, Einstein's Dog said:

But if Diggs had just tossed it to J Allen there would have been a nice gain on 1st down and changed the whole dynamic of the series.

 

IMO, It wasn't a bad play call as much as a poor decision by Diggs.  Diggs went for the TD instead of taking the easy 5-6 yards with Allen.

That's a coaching failure.  In my opinion, you do not run gadgets unless your guys are prepared.  It was an easy read for Diggs, and he should have been prepared to check down to Josh.   

[HappyDays]

12 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

Even his demeanor on the field has been evolving.  He used to be mocked here because of his hand-clapping rah-rah stuff, but I think there's less of that now.  The spirit, the tenacity, that he was encouraging with the rah-rah stuff is now part of the character of the team.  Everyone plays with that spirit now, and McDermott just as to remind them occasionally to stay with it.  

 

Thank you for saying this. I feel like everyone forgets the enormity of the the task that McDermott had when he took over. A hapless franchise that hadn't been relevant since the 90s that had just hit rock bottom with two years of the Rex Ryan clown show. The steady culture guys like Kyle Williams and Eric Wood were on the cusp of retirement and no young blood was there to step up and take their place. Rex Ryan pathetically walked into Terry Pegula's office and told him he didn't want to coach in a week 17 game after finding out it would be his last, two years after Doug Marrone opted out of his contract. Another decade-plus of failure seemed inevitable.

 

Then comes in McDermott and his clapping. I remember going to a training camp practice that offseason, as I always do, and the DBs were doing some kind of exercise where they were tossing tennis balls around and catching them one handed. I had never seen that before. I don't know why but it felt different in a good way, like somehow from that tiny detail I knew that McDermott knew what he was doing.

 

And then there is he on the sidelines of every game clapping like a madman. Good play, clap. Bad play, clap. Score a TD, clap harder. Give up a TD, clap even harder. As silly as it looked on TV that energy slowly permeated through the team over the next few years. Here we are almost 5 years later and that energy has become the identity of the team. Like all great leaders he's done such a good job that the team no longer needs his leadership because the players have adopted it for themselves. No matter how the rest of his tenure here goes I hope no one ever forgets the incredible job he did flipping our culture upside down.

[Scott7975]

22 hours ago, RunJoshRun said:

"Review" - can't we all remember what we saw just a few hours ago???  It really doesn't need an interpretation or explanation.  It's written like a historical paper about a silly football game.  

 

Then don't read it.  Shaw has been writing these every week for as long as I can remember.  I enjoy reading them.  If you don't then simply don't click on the thread.  It's that simple.

[Shaw66]

8 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 

Thank you for saying this. I feel like everyone forgets the enormity of the the task that McDermott had when he took over. A hapless franchise that hadn't been relevant since the 90s that had just hit rock bottom with two years of the Rex Ryan clown show. The steady culture guys like Kyle Williams and Eric Wood were on the cusp of retirement and no young blood was there to step up and take their place. Rex Ryan pathetically walked into Terry Pegula's office and told him he didn't want to coach in a week 17 game after finding out it would be his last, two years after Doug Marrone opted out of his contract. Another decade-plus of failure seemed inevitable.

 

Then comes in McDermott and his clapping. I remember going to a training camp practice that offseason, as I always do, and the DBs were doing some kind of exercise where they were tossing tennis balls around and catching them one handed. I had never seen that before. I don't know why but it felt different in a good way, like somehow from that tiny detail I knew that McDermott knew what he was doing.

 

And then there is he on the sidelines of every game clapping like a madman. Good play, clap. Bad play, clap. Score a TD, clap harder. Give up a TD, clap even harder. As silly as it looked on TV that energy slowly permeated through the team over the next few years. Here we are almost 5 years later and that energy has become the identity of the team. Like all great leaders he's done such a good job that the team no longer needs his leadership because the players have adopted it for themselves. No matter how the rest of his tenure here goes I hope no one ever forgets the incredible job he did flipping our culture upside down.

This should be pinned somewhere. Outstanding capsule of what he has done.  

 

And Beane deserves his share of the credit, too.

[rockpile]

On 1/3/2022 at 2:44 AM, RunJoshRun said:

"Review" - can't we all remember what we saw just a few hours ago???  It really doesn't need an interpretation or explanation.  It's written like a historical paper about a silly football game.  

 

Not everyone saw the game.

Some of us were interrupted by our lives while trying to watch the game, so a thoughtful recap is worth reading.

I am not paying for other news media to read what I can read here for free in one forum, often written better.

I skip the threads I do not find interesting without criticizing the author, unless they really hit my funny bone. 

 

Nice read, "Shaw". I enjoy your threads.

[Shaw66]

On 1/2/2022 at 10:37 PM, RunJoshRun said:

why are we discussing all this in a thread that just re-caps a game we all saw with flowery words.  With so many game re-play options on the Internet this has all become a bit stale and boring.  You can read the Buffalo News reporters after a game and get the same drival.  

RJR -

 

I knew some folks would pile on when they saw this post, but I have to admit that I didn't have a problem with it.  I mean, I agree with others - what are you doing reading something that you don't like and then posting that you don't like it?  Just walk away.  

 

To tell the truth, I think some of my reviews this year have been "stale and boring," including this one.  So, I wasn't surprised to see your comment.  At the end of the day, all I do is watch the game and then write what I think about it.   It's just my thoughts, and if my thoughts were fresh and exciting every week, my hair would be on fire, or I'd be writing for SI, or something.   Instead, it's just one guy's thoughts.  

 

What I like best about writing the Review is not writing it, but the discussion that follows it.   I love it when Ayjent comes around, like he did this week, and adds his thoughts.   He usually has interesting things to say.  Plenty of other people, too.  And I like it when someone like you posts and says what I've written is boring or dumb or stale, because then other people come on and say nice things about me. 

 

All's good. 

 

Go Bills!!! 

[Shaw66]

I'm giving away one club seat for the Jets game.  It's listed in the Tickets and Gear forum.  

[Stank_Nasty]

On 1/2/2022 at 10:37 PM, RunJoshRun said:

why are we discussing all this in a thread that just re-caps a game we all saw with flowery words.  With so many game re-play options on the Internet this has all become a bit stale and boring.  You can read the Buffalo News reporters after a game and get the same drival.  

you seem like just...... the worst.

[Gugny]

On 1/2/2022 at 10:37 PM, RunJoshRun said:

why are we discussing all this in a thread that just re-caps a game we all saw with flowery words.  With so many game re-play options on the Internet this has all become a bit stale and boring.  You can read the Buffalo News reporters after a game and get the same drival.  

 

On 1/3/2022 at 2:44 AM, RunJoshRun said:

"Review" - can't we all remember what we saw just a few hours ago???  It really doesn't need an interpretation or explanation.  It's written like a historical paper about a silly football game.  

 

Bless your little heart.

 

[Figster]

Gugs has a way with words sometimes, lol

[Dr. Who]

9 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

 

Bless your little heart.

 

[Figster]

34 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

I'm giving away one club seat for the Jets game.  It's listed in the Tickets and Gear forum.  

 Heart of gold  ^^^ 

[WhoTom]

On 1/2/2022 at 9:37 PM, RunJoshRun said:

why are we discussing all this in a thread that just re-caps a game we all saw with flowery words.  With so many game re-play options on the Internet this has all become a bit stale and boring.  You can read the Buffalo News reporters after a game and get the same drival.  

 

1 hour ago, Shaw66 said:

I like it when someone like you posts and says what I've written is boring or dumb or stale, because then other people come on and say nice things about me.

 

25 minutes ago, Gugny said:

Bless your little heart.

 

I love how different people have different ways of saying "F*** off."

 

 

Edited January 4, 2022 by WhoTom

[jlgarsh]

On 1/3/2022 at 12:01 PM, Shaw66 said:

The great thing about McDermott is his dedication to all of the stuff he spouts, the growth mindset, continuous improvement, etc., etc.   He doesn't just spout it, he lives it.  He demands it of himself, and that's what we're seeing.  I'm personally not a fan of going for it - I often thing that taking the points is the way to go, but McDermott is the one studying this, watching other teams, listening to his players, all of it.  

 

Even his demeanor on the field has been evolving.  He used to be mocked here because of his hand-clapping rah-rah stuff, but I think there's less of that now.  The spirit, the tenacity, that he was encouraging with the rah-rah stuff is now part of the character of the team.  Everyone plays with that spirit now, and McDermott just as to remind them occasionally to stay with it.  

 

He's growing, just like the team has, and it's a good thing. 

I liked how he talked to Stevenson after the fumble but didn't freak out on him, then let him go back out there and have a couple decent returns. 

[Ayjent]

On 1/3/2022 at 12:01 PM, Shaw66 said:

The great thing about McDermott is his dedication to all of the stuff he spouts, the growth mindset, continuous improvement, etc., etc.   He doesn't just spout it, he lives it.  He demands it of himself, and that's what we're seeing.  I'm personally not a fan of going for it - I often thing that taking the points is the way to go, but McDermott is the one studying this, watching other teams, listening to his players, all of it.  

 

Even his demeanor on the field has been evolving.  He used to be mocked here because of his hand-clapping rah-rah stuff, but I think there's less of that now.  The spirit, the tenacity, that he was encouraging with the rah-rah stuff is now part of the character of the team.  Everyone plays with that spirit now, and McDermott just as to remind them occasionally to stay with it.  

 

He's growing, just like the team has, and it's a good thing. 

And that is a special trait of his.  Constant self reflection and self assessment while also having humility is a combination that many great leaders have - not necessarily present in modern politics but that’s a whole different conversation not suited for this forum. I want to follow people with those traits and model myself after them.  You can see that he takes criticism and failures as an opportunity for improvement, rather than taking a defensive posture and rationalizing his actions. We all want to see ourselves be like that, but walking the walk is tougher than it may appear.  It takes the right balance of so many things at once even though it seems simple.  McDermott is the right coach for this team and I have nothing but respect for him. 

[TheBrownBear]

You're the best, Shaw.  Thanks for the write up!

[Heathcliff]

Shaw I rarely post but always look forward to your and Virgil’s game recaps. Almost always you see something in the game I missed and it enlightens me 🤔. 
 

I also appreciate your patience to politely engage negative posters and explain to them so eloquently how the real world works. 
 

See you next week.
 

Be sure whom ever gets the free ticket that they are capable to assist with in game notes to earn that ticket.