Burrow NOT playing Sunday - per Burrow

[Chicken Boo]

1 minute ago, colin said:

facing indy, then tenn, then kc, then GB in the chip would be the most insane gauntlet.  

 

2011 Dallas Mavericks stuff.

[HamptonBillsfan]

3 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

I've been supporting a New England round 1 matchup, but if we could land Raiders, I'd take that in a heart beat.

 

It will be a fun final week, keeping an eye on all the out-of-town scores!
 

And we won't be so distracted in the 1pm slot, as we don't play until later.

 

 

 

 

I just think the Bengals have done a cost benefit analysis, and concluded a rested Burrow with a solid knee heading into the playoffs is worth more than a shot at a higher seed.

 

It probably is! 

 

 

Agreed, but they should be careful what they wish for. Patriots strength is their dbs and front getting pressure. This could neutralize Joe's vertical attack. Also NE will run against Cincinnati at will. 

[RoyBatty is alive]

1 minute ago, No Place To Hyde said:

Neither were good this year.

 

But Cleveland is just ready to end a miserable letdown of a season. Pretty sure they will just be going through the motions.

Dont under-estimate the Cinci-Cleveland rivalry for Ohio.

[ngbills]

3 minutes ago, No Place To Hyde said:

My opinion: If you have to hem and haw about what teams we face where and when...we aren't as good as we think.

 

Set em up and knock em down. Not a team in the playoffs to fear. 

Some truth to this but there is also the match up thing. We may be able to beat every team in the playoffs except IND due to the bad match up. So say we avoid IND in round 1 and they lose to CIN. We then beat NE, TEN and KC/CIN to go to the super bowl. But if we play IND round 1 we are one and out. That is not unrealistic. 

[beebe]

Browns have reopened as 4.5-point favorites. 

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

26 minutes ago, Big Blitz said:

 

 

Who said anything about wanting to play in a dome?

 

The weather in Buffalo has almost one constant thing and it's the biggest thing and it's not like it almost anywhere else - WIND

 

Of ALL the playoffs teams that impacts us negatively the most.  

 

 

Josh plays in the bad weather and has for years 
 

weather in Buffalo is not much different than KC or Denver or GB. Well the latter is pretty f’n cold. 

That’s why I spoke to a Dome. 

Edited January 5, 2022 by SlimShady'sSpaceForce

[Big Blitz]

2 minutes ago, ngbills said:

Some truth to this but there is also the match up thing. We may be able to beat every team in the playoffs except IND due to the bad match up. So say we avoid IND in round 1 and they lose to CIN. We then beat NE, TEN and KC/CIN to go to the super bowl. But if we play IND round 1 we are one and out. That is not unrealistic. 

 

 

That Indy team just lost to the Raiders.

 

Why can't we beat them again?  Are we expecting more 20 mph winds and rain?  

 

That's advantage them sure.  But I'm fine getting them again more then I am NE.  

[Pete]

go browns!!

[Motorin']

2 minutes ago, Big Blitz said:

 

 

That Indy team just lost to the Raiders.

 

Why can't we beat them again?  Are we expecting more 20 mph winds and rain?  

 

That's advantage them sure.  But I'm fine getting them again more then I am NE.  

 

I'm not worried about any team... But if I got to pick give me the Raiders. 

[msw2112]

For those who are talking about a dome, I would agree that a dome would be beneficial to THIS YEAR'S TEAM.  But a new stadium (dome or not) will take several years to build.  By that time, it is very possible that the Bills will have overhauled their OL, acquired a top-tier RB, and become a dominant running team.  Sanders, Beasley and even Diggs may be well past their primes by then, Daboll could be long gone, and our passing offense may look completely different.  Moving into a dome could actually result in the Bills to GIVING UP the advantage they have playing outdoors in Buffalo in the later parts of the season and playoffs.  Also, after it is built, that stadium will be around for several decades, so it will be around long after Josh Allen is retired, so who knows what type of team the Bills will have down the road.

 

There are other benefits to a dome - use as a convention center, a more comfortable environment for the fans, etc., and I'm OK with those arguments, but enough about how a dome will be an advantage on the field.

 

 

Edited January 5, 2022 by msw2112

[mushypeaches]

All of this is good news for the Bills - you always want the higher seed and the chance to have more home games in later rounds

 

And it's also true that you shouldn't care who you play in the first round - we need to be the bullies and have the mindset that teams have to come to our house and truly beat us

 

I also don't discount that the Browns will come in fired up to beat the Bengals and it's good that the Bengals are already mailing it in.  Don't discount the locker room discord that Faker Mayfield has sown and that his teammates will want to put up a good show and be more inspired now that he's gone

[BuffaloBillyG]

24 minutes ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

Dont under-estimate the Cinci-Cleveland rivalry for Ohio.

Yes, big deal...for the fans. You really think that for the most part players care about "rivalry games"? After the game there will be jersey swaps, photos take, players catching up with opponents. This isn't college anymore. 

 

Never would have seen Thurman and Bryan Cox swapping jerseys. Times change.

18 minutes ago, ngbills said:

Some truth to this but there is also the match up thing. We may be able to beat every team in the playoffs except IND due to the bad match up. So say we avoid IND in round 1 and they lose to CIN. We then beat NE, TEN and KC/CIN to go to the super bowl. But if we play IND round 1 we are one and out. That is not unrealistic. 

No, I agree...a matchup thing. Some may be better than others, for sure. But if you are a team that will rely on matchups to win in the post season....you don't deserve the Super Bowl...JMO

[Big Blitz]

One other thing about the weather....

 

I definitely would feel better getting Burrow HERE in Buffalo then in Cincinnati (I know they could have a challenge there to), but if it's a 20 mph wind day in Buffalo and we play Cincy in an AFCG - with how bad the Bengals line is, I'll take it.  

 

Burrow to my knowledge and research at QBs in weather the last few days, hasn't played in any games below 40 degrees.   

 

Home field against Cincy is definitely an advantage....and I'd actually root for garbage weather that day.  

Edited January 5, 2022 by Big Blitz

[billsherd]

Mayfield is probably not playing not that it matters. I'm sure Bengals can still pull off a win.

Edited January 5, 2022 by billsherd

[Giuseppe Tognarelli]

Oof. You can never predict this, but a Bengals loss likely means the Bills have to do IND + KC rather than NE + TEN to get to the Championship Game. I think I prefer the 4 spot for sure...

[RoyBatty is alive]

15 minutes ago, Big Blitz said:

One other thing about the weather....

 

I definitely would feel better getting Burrow HERE in Buffalo then in Cincinnati (I know they could have a challenge there to), but if it's a 20 mph wind day in Buffalo and we play Cincy in an AFCG - with how bad the Bengals line is, I'll take it.  

 

Burrow to my knowledge and research at QBs in weather the last few days, hasn't played in any games below 40 degrees.   

 

Home field against Cincy is definitely an advantage....and I'd actually root for garbage weather that day.  

 

Burrow is from Ohio and spent two years at OSU so I would be shocked if he has no cold weather experience.

[ColoradoBills]

13 minutes ago, FFadpecr said:

This is the worst possible news for the Bills.

 

They will go 1 and Done if they get the #3 seed and go up against the #6 seed Colts. Bills are not beating the Colts this year.

 

You do realize that it's a 50/50 shot the Colts end up with the #6 seed even with a win Sunday.

If the Chargers win they are #6, if the Raiders win they are #7.

[ColoradoBills]

1 minute ago, FFadpecr said:

 

Yeah, the Chargers will beat the Raiders. Derek Carr in a must-win game? Yeah, no chance of the Raiders winning that game. Colts will be the #6 seed.

 

Bills are going 1 and Done this year. They are not beating the Colts. They were lucky to squeak by the Colts last year in the playoffs, then got steamrolled this year. The Colts are the worst matchup in the AFC for the Bills. I would rather face the Chiefs in Round 1 than the Colts.

 

LOL the Raiders just beat your "unbeatable" Colts last week, but please continue with your doomsday scenario.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

37 minutes ago, billsherd said:

Mayfield is probably not playing not that it matters. I'm sure Bengals can still pull off a win.

 

He's looked terrible in that sling so its probably an upgrade tbh.

9 minutes ago, FFadpecr said:

 

Yeah, the Chargers will beat the Raiders. Derek Carr in a must-win game? Yeah, no chance of the Raiders winning that game. Colts will be the #6 seed.

 

Bills are going 1 and Done this year. They are not beating the Colts. They were lucky to squeak by the Colts last year in the playoffs, then got steamrolled this year. The Colts are the worst matchup in the AFC for the Bills. I would rather face the Chiefs in Round 1 than the Colts.

 

Chargers can absolutely lose to vegas.  And Buffalo can beat the colts.  

[aristocrat]

5 minutes ago, FFadpecr said:

 

The NFL is a Matchup league. You clearly do not understand this concept. The transitive property does not work in the NFL.

 

Colts are the worst possible matchup for the BILLS in particular.

 

How the Colts fared against the Raiders, is irrelevant to the BILLS.

 

Bills gave that game away with turnovers. We moved the ball that first quarter but allen throwing the pick and mckenzie fumbling deep and were down 24-7.  Score with them early and we make a game out of that.  

[Alphadawg7]

1 hour ago, Hebert19 said:

That's interesting.  Opens up cheifs and colts part of the playoffs which I'm not crazy about.  

 

We would be rooting for phins hard then I think 

 

Bengals are a confusing team.  One week they look like they are among the AFC Elite.  Then next week they struggle against bad or mediocre teams.  

 

I mean they have losses to the Bears, Jets, Browns, as well as some other teams they should have beat.  They also barely beat the Jags, Broncos, etc.  

 

They are more Jeckyl and Hyde than we have been this year.  Then they go out and play a game like they did against the Chiefs.  Jamar Chase had averaged less than 50 yards a game for like 5 weeks then explodes into prime Randy Moss against the Chiefs.  Had him on my fantasy team...his previous 5 weeks he totaled 55 fantasy points over 5 games.  In week 17 (when I was already eliminated thanks a lot to his poor performances in prior weeks) he totaled 53 points that week alone.  

 

They are a hard team to read, Chase can look uncoverable at times, then in other games seem to be easily taken out of the game.  But they have a lot of weapons on offense, so if they get hot they will be a tough out.  

[Alphadawg7]

10 minutes ago, FFadpecr said:

 

The NFL is a Matchup league. You clearly do not understand this concept. The transitive property does not work in the NFL.

 

Colts are the worst possible matchup for the BILLS in particular.

 

How the Colts fared against the Raiders, is irrelevant to the BILLS.

 

1 minute ago, aristocrat said:

 

Bills gave that game away with turnovers. We moved the ball that first quarter but allen throwing the pick and mckenzie fumbling deep and were down 24-7.  Score with them early and we make a game out of that.  

 

I agree with Aristorcrat here.  If you really dissect the Bills Colts first half, almost all the damage was done thanks to self inflicting wounds we committed against ourselves.

 

First drive...is what it is, good drive by Colts to open game 7-0.  But the ensuing Bills drive, we moved the ball with ease into scoring territory on our opening drive.  Then on 3rd and 3, there was a called run to Allen who was winding the outside for a big gain with blockers in front of him until the play got blown dead on a false start.  Now 3rd and 8, holding call making it now 3rd and 18 and no longer in field goal position.  Josh tries to get the first down and our WR was CLEARLY held for PI allowing another defender to get back to the ball instead for an easy pick.  For me, it was clear pass interference that prevented our receiver from making a play on the ball or at the very least prevent the interception.  Doesn't matter though, we were in 3rd and 18 instead of having a first down in the Redzone because of our own dumb penalties...not once, but twice in back to back plays.  

 

Not going to write a synapsis of everything in the first half, but we would go on to hold the Colts on 3rd down (and I believe multiple times) and then give them a free first down to extend drives on dumb penalties that allowed them to gain more points versus getting off the field and the offense back on the field.  Additionally, McKenzie gave them a free 7 points on him tripping on his own and fumbling on his own, untouched.  And then there were the multiple dropped passes on 3rd downs that killed drives too and left points on the field.   And of course, more dumb offensive penalties that killed drives.  

 

Colts didn't beat us...we beat ourselves.  Had we not had so many compounding mistakes, come half time, could have been us with a lead or at least a close game.  Then we open the second half with ending our opening drive with of course another dropped easy pass for the first down (If memory serves me it was Knox again).  

 

Additional notes:  We were missing Edmunds and Star, with Star being a really important figure for the matchup of a good interior rushing team.  Love him or hate him, there is no denying our run defense is better with Star on the field.  

 

We have beaten this Colts team in the playoffs already.  Honestly, I think the Rivers led Colts team was the more dangerous offense to face than this one, and we beat them already when we didnt spend the whole game hurting ourselves.  We can, and will, do it again if we meet in the playoffs as long as we don't give away points or give them free points on stupid mental errors.    

[billybrew1]

2 hours ago, Big Blitz said:

 

 

And I suspect this is why the Bills struggle with lesser teams at times. We are trying to get that W as easily as possible...Sometimes it just doesn't work out. Teams can't play, "all-out" week to week and that's why that Bye is so darn important.

[T master]

Isn't that what normally happens when you win the number 1 seed in the play offs ? 

[zow2]

2 hours ago, Big Blitz said:

 

 

I'm torn here to.  

 

I want the higher seed because of ability to play more home games.  

 

But I hate our weather and our overall performance at home.  I don't really care who we play.  

 

 

I agree.  Not afraid of road games.  The Bills are an excellent road team.  They play with that extra chip on their shoulders in enemy territory..and the less windy conditions in pretty much every other stadium is a benefit to our offense.  It's not debatable. 

 

On the flip side, good running teams like Indy and NE feel good coming to Orchard Park.  They also get some extra juice playing in front of our lunatic fans.  Opposing players have said they enjoy the atmosphere.

[Hebert19]

2 hours ago, LeviF said:

 

What exactly about the Cleveland Browns makes you so confident they can beat the Bengals backups?

Case keenum > baker

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

Sorry if duplicated

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32999186/cincinnati-bengals-joe-mixon-tests-positive-covid-19-play-nfl-regular-season-finale-sources-say

 

No Joe 

The Bengals also will be without starting quarterback Joe Burrow, who will sit out to rest his "sore" right knee and injured right pinkie for the playoffs, coach Zac Taylor said. Backup Brandon Allen is expected to get the start.

[Bob in STL]

2 hours ago, Process said:

So Bills will be the 3 seed

...  only if they beat the Jets and Cincy losses. Lets play the games first.  

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

2 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Joe Burrow has never broken a story before.

He's not referring to himself in the third person, like Costanza did?

 

[Bob in STL]

2 hours ago, Big Blitz said:

 

 

Who said anything about wanting to play in a dome?

 

The weather in Buffalo has almost one constant thing and it's the biggest thing and it's not like it almost anywhere else - WIND

 

Of ALL the playoffs teams that impacts us negatively the most.  

 

Allen throws into the wind better than anyone in the league.   The Pats* threw three passes in our stadium all game, would they qualify as more impacted by wind than us?     We need establish a run game to keep the oponent honest, then we can pass.   

 

We will be fine at home.   I want as many home games as we can get, it is a big advantage preparation wise, plus the crowd in Buffalo can help lot.   

[No_Matter_What]

1 hour ago, FFadpecr said:

This is the worst possible news for the Bills.

 

They will go 1 and Done if they get the #3 seed and go up against the #6 seed Colts. Bills are not beating the Colts this year.

 

Even if the Bills do miraculously beat the Colts, they get the #2 seed Chiefs in the Divisional round instead of the AFC title game.

 

Being the #4 seed in the AFC >>> being the #3 seed in the AFC this year. It's a double whammy 1) avoiding the Colts in Round 1 and 2) avoiding the Chiefs in Round 2

 

The Bengals are tanking this game on purpose to get that #4 seed. The Bengals would much rather face a Rookie QB in the 1st round, and then dodge the Chiefs in the 2nd round. 

 

No, this is the worst possible news; Bills will be 1 and Done in the playoffs.

 

As the #4 seed, Bills would have beat the Pats in Round 1 and then beat the Titans in Round 2, setting up AFC Title game rematch.

 

Now, as the #3 seed, Bills are going to lose to the Colts in Round 1. Colts are the single worst possible matchup in the entire AFC for the Bills.

 

How is this good news at all? You are not thinking straight.

Why don't you post more? Your endless optimism is sorely missed here.

[Dr.Mantis_Toboggan]

With the way Josh has fared at home, play Trubisky Sunday, and hope we go the Eli route to the Super Bowl?

 

Obviously this would never actually happen, there is such huge importance placed on home playoff games despite what the

Bucs did just last year, But I’m starting to think Josh simply performs better when faced with the “proving doubters wrong/chip on your shoulder” road environment than he does with all the expectations that come along with playing in front of the home crowd.  

[msw2112]

Every team in the AFC is a tough matchup.  That said, I agree that the Raiders coming to Buffalo would likely be the easiest first round matchup.  The Colts strengths match up with the Bills' weaknesses, so yes, I would prefer that the  Bills avoid the Colts, but if that's the draw, and the Bills play well, they can beat the Colts.  They are playing much better now than they were playing at that point in the season.  Star and Edmunds SHOULD be back and playing (they are back and playing now, so unless they get injured or Covid again, they're good to go), the Bills have improved their OL play and running game, and the Bills should be able to cut down on the turnovers.  Watching the last Colts film, plus last week's film should help.  The Colts won't be catching the Bills by surprise and the Bills will have to devise a solid game plan.  It's certainly doable.  We'll see.  Let's enjoy Sunday and see what happens.

[RichRiderBills]

Wait isn't Mayfield out too? 

 

If Brownies can pull that one out virtually assures we won't play NE.

 

I'm hoping for Raiders myself. 

[transplantbillsfan]

If the Chiefs lose on Saturday I really just can't imagine the Bengals forfeiting the #2 seed and a guaranteed 2 home games in the playoffs.  As far as I know the Bengals would have the tiebreaker over the Bills and Chiefs if we all ended 11-6

[Punching Bag]

5 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Joe Burrow has never broken a story before.

 

Hopefully he got front office's okay to break story.

[Beerball]

5 hours ago, Big Blitz said:

 

 

Bad move for an up & down team, IMO.

[Beast]

5 hours ago, LeviF said:

 

What exactly about the Cleveland Browns makes you so confident they can beat the Bengals backups?

 

They went to Lambeau two weeks ago and should have beat the Packers even with a 4 INT performance from Mayfield.

[Beerball]

4 hours ago, FFadpecr said:

 

The NFL is a Matchup league. You clearly do not understand this concept. The transitive property does not work in the NFL.

 

Colts are the worst possible matchup for the BILLS in particular.

 

How the Colts fared against the Raiders, is irrelevant to the BILLS.

@Gugny?

[Nitro]

Battle of the back ups.  Old school last game of the year.   Run for the buses versus resting your starters.