At this point last season, Bills were 7-6

[Captain Hindsight]

13 hours ago, Pine Barrens Mafia said:

Patriots defense doesn't scare me. 

[Nextmanup]

It's not about records for us this year.

 

It's about the way we are playing in our playoffs games, and the matchups we end up with.

 

The entire season goes in the trash can for Playoff Game 1.

 

If we can find a way to play our best football for a few games in January, we'll get to the Super Bowl.

 

 

[EasternOHBillsFan]

1 hour ago, Bleeding Bills Blue said:

 

The nice thing is I think we can counter their explosive pass game with our zone, and they don't run the ball well.  The pass rush needs to have a good game, all of the bengals losses seemed to coincide with offensive line struggles.  

 

Defensively, their strength is traditionally in stopping the run with a big d-line lead by reader and Hendrickson.  Hendrickson broke his wrist recently, but it sounds like hes going to play anyway - likely means hes playing with a club which hurts your effectiveness.  Their secondary isn't anything to write home about.   

 

Our defensive line will probably be as healthy as it has been for a long time when we play them hopefully.

 

Eli Apple is by far the weak link in their secondary... easily exploitable so that's probably why they aren't as impressive.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

20 minutes ago, EasternOHBillsFan said:

 

Our defensive line will probably be as healthy as it has been for a long time when we play them hopefully.

 

Eli Apple is by far the weak link in their secondary... easily exploitable so that's probably why they aren't as impressive.

 

Have to make teams pay when they double diggs, and figure out as quickly as possible when they don't.  

[FilthyBeast]

Being 10-3 right now vs. 7-6 last year is only going to matter if this team finished the job so to speak and secures the #1 seed.

 

Last year this team was better offensively, albeit extremely inconsistent until they found themselves late in the season and up put everything together heading into the playoffs.

 

This year this team is not nearly as good offensively but has found a way to grind out wins in close games which may or may not serve them better in the playoffs where every game is likely going to be close.

[ProcessTruster]

15 hours ago, Kaenon said:

Bills are now 10-3 this year, whereby those 3 losses were by a combined 8 points.

 

By contrast, when we were 7-6, 5 combined losses by a total of only 23 points and the 6th loss to Indy where we were blown out by 26. 

Bills went on to win 4 straight and march into the Playoffs as the AFCs hottest team.

 

This season, we've faced so much adversity between OC changes, riddled with injuries and season ending injuries and Josh's elbow that was clearly holding him back. 

 

Somehow despite all of that, we're sitting in a better spot this year to have the road through the Playoffs run through Buffalo - and to be that vaunted #1 seed and to get the coveted first-round bye.

 

4 games left. 🐬, 🐻, 🐯 and 📸.

 

The Bengals game will be telling.

 

I'm excited.

 

This is our year.

 

Hard to say.  Might be next year.   Might be the year after that.   McBeanes will draft well, keep the roster strong and the team will be right there for several more years it would seem.   In a league with a single elimination tournament and the current level of hyper competitiveness/parity, where key injuries and/or turnover margin determine teams fates, who knows what year it will be "our year".   

 

I mean ,really, who knows?   Last year was "the year" IMHO and what happens?  Some non-descript jack-ss ST coach poops the bed with 13 seconds left and that's that, game over, season over.   This year, all but the Bills could have key guys go down or be ineffective just b4 the tournament and a relatively healthy Bills team rolls to the title.    H-ll, watch out if the Lions somehow get in.

 

The NFL is great.  No idea what's going to happen.  

 

 

[Marvin]

Let me know if I am doing this right.

 

So what if they are 3 games better?  We have not clinched 1st overall in the conference.  The offence isn't putting up 40 points a game.  We are no longer #1 in Vegas to win the Super Bowl.  We have injuries.  We still have losses.

 

How did I do?

[hondo in seattle]

Fingers crossed.  We started the year winning pretty and lately we've been winning ugly.  Good preparation for postseason.  

 

If we get reasonably healthy for the playoffs, especially Josh's elbow, we can make a run!

[Billsfan1972]

1 hour ago, Marvin said:

Let me know if I am doing this right.

 

So what if they are 3 games better?  We have not clinched 1st overall in the conference.  The offence isn't putting up 40 points a game.  We are no longer #1 in Vegas to win the Super Bowl.  We have injuries.  We still have losses.

 

How did I do?

Still  the favourites, just the odds have shrunk.  They were the clear one at the beginning of the year and seems the consensus is they still are (as the #1 seed), but whereas only KC was close at the beginning of the season, more in the mix now.

 

https://www.legalsportsreport.com/odds/super-bowl/

[blacklabel]

17 hours ago, Southern_Bills said:

 

Very true, but also very promising performances by Allen when it mattered. If he can match that this year, we will not be denied.

 

As much as 13 seconds sucked, that was my takeaway from that game. I just remember thinking, "The dude is too good, he's just too good not to bring it home one of these years." I truly believe that. JA just has that "it" factor about him and he's a gamer. He's just gonna find a way.

[Billsfan1972]

34 minutes ago, blacklabel said:

 

As much as 13 seconds sucked, that was my takeaway from that game. I just remember thinking, "The dude is too good, he's just too good not to bring it home one of these years." I truly believe that. JA just has that "it" factor about him and he's a gamer. He's just gonna find a way.

So do I, but the last 6.5 weeks (second half vs. GB) have been just off.

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

3 hours ago, FilthyBeast said:

Being 10-3 right now vs. 7-6 last year is only going to matter if this team finished the job so to speak and secures the #1 seed.

 

 

 

#2 seed is critical as well. Bills made it further in 2020 due in large part to having the 2 seed rather than the #3 seed which they had last year.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

4 hours ago, FilthyBeast said:

Being 10-3 right now vs. 7-6 last year is only going to matter if this team finished the job so to speak and secures the #1 seed.

 

Last year this team was better offensively, albeit extremely inconsistent until they found themselves late in the season and up put everything together heading into the playoffs.

 

This year this team is not nearly as good offensively but has found a way to grind out wins in close games which may or may not serve them better in the playoffs where every game is likely going to be close.

 

 

I dunno about that though.  While Buffalo is coming off an offensive performance about on par with the wind game in 2021, they have recorded over 400 yards 7 times this year vs 6 through the same number of games last year.  20 turnovers to 18 in 2021.  Stats in many games sort of line up as well. 

 

 

They've scored 20 or more 11 times, last year they did 9 times.  They are 0-6 when they don't score 20 in the last 2 seasons.   

 

46.4% on 3rd downs in 2021, 48.7% in 2022.  62.3% RZ 2021 vs 57.4% 2022 (Works out to an additional 2 TDs this year).  

 

 

 

[Pokebball]

19 hours ago, EasternOHBillsFan said:

 

Imagine the Patriots defense and the Chiefs offense... that's what we will be facing on MNF. I wish I could share in your optimism...

Isn't that basically what the Bengals will also be facing? Probably a better defense than NE's.

[Billsfan1972]

14 minutes ago, Bleeding Bills Blue said:

 

 

I dunno about that though.  While Buffalo is coming off an offensive performance about on par with the wind game in 2021, they have recorded over 400 yards 7 times this year vs 6 through the same number of games last year.  20 turnovers to 18 in 2021.  Stats in many games sort of line up as well. 

 

 

They've scored 20 or more 11 times, last year they did 9 times.  They are 0-6 when they don't score 20 in the last 2 seasons.   

 

46.4% on 3rd downs in 2021, 48.7% in 2022.  62.3% RZ 2021 vs 57.4% 2022 (Works out to an additional 2 TDs this year).  

 

 

 

The eye test sorry is what counts.  I don't care about stats (remember the wind game, Jax and Indy were awful).  The Bills offence has been off/stagnant since the second half of the GB game.

[BullBuchanan]

20 hours ago, Kaenon said:

Bills are now 10-3 this year, whereby those 3 losses were by a combined 8 points.

 

By contrast, when we were 7-6, 5 combined losses by a total of only 23 points and the 6th loss to Indy where we were blown out by 26. 

Bills went on to win 4 straight and march into the Playoffs as the AFCs hottest team.

 

This season, we've faced so much adversity between OC changes, riddled with injuries and season ending injuries and Josh's elbow that was clearly holding him back. 

 

Somehow despite all of that, we're sitting in a better spot this year to have the road through the Playoffs run through Buffalo - and to be that vaunted #1 seed and to get the coveted first-round bye.

 

4 games left. 🐬, 🐻, 🐯 and 📸.

 

The Bengals game will be telling.

 

I'm excited.

 

This is our year.

And how did that end for us?

 

We went into the playoffs last year knowing that we couldn't stop anyone on defense when it actually mattered. The way we chose to address that was by bringing in Von Miller and Kaiir Elam - neither of whom are playing. We also took a step back on offense.

I don't understand how anyone is realistically expecting us to have a better result this year than we did last year, because on paper we haven't meaningfully improved, and Josh has been playing poorly. Hopeful? sure, why not.

I don't think it's impossible for us to win it all, but we're either going to have to start playing a lot better or our competition is going to have to underperform in one of those bleh-style playoff years where the games aren't very good. That part could realistically happen if sliding teams are able to beat hot teams, the hot teams peter out, or a big inury happens to Someone like Mahomes, Kelce, Burrow, Tua, Hurts, Jefferson, Pollard etc.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

8 minutes ago, Billsfan1972 said:

The eye test sorry is what counts.  I don't care about stats (remember the wind game, Jax and Indy were awful).  The Bills offence has been off/stagnant since the second half of the GB game.

 

They were off last year in a bunch of games too though.  Look at the TB first half and tell me that offense was working well.  Or the New Orleans game.  Or the Carolina Game.  Or Atlanta.  

3 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

And how did that end for us?

 

We went into the playoffs last year knowing that we couldn't stop anyone on defense when it actually mattered. The way we chose to address that was by bringing in Von Miller and Kaiir Elam - neither of whom are playing. We also took a step back on offense.

I don't understand how anyone is realistically expecting us to have a better result this year than we did last year, because on paper we haven't meaningfully improved, and Josh has been playing poorly. Hopeful? sure, why not.

I don't think it's impossible for us to win it all, but we're either going to have to start playing a lot better or our competition is going to have to underperform in one of those bleh-style playoff years where the games aren't very good. That part could realistically happen if sliding teams are able to beat hot teams, the hot teams peter out, or a big inury happens to Someone like Mahomes, Kelce, Burrow, Tua, Hurts, Jefferson, Pollard etc.

 

Our offense is capable of being a top offense in the league.  The defense is capable of dominating stretches as well.

 

The Bengals defense strung together 4 strong performances in the playoffs a year ago.  Buffalo is certainly capable of doing this as well as i personally believe the Bills unit is better.  

[Chaos]

16 hours ago, cba fan said:

because it is not true. In Reality Bills were not a better team than KC in 2020 but two times were the better team than KC in 2021. 

But lost due to coaches epically shatting the bed in the easiest win scenario in playoff history. Only loss harder to attain was the Nashville MCM.

Its a results oriented business. Making it to the championship game is ALWAYS greater success than not making it to the championship game. No matter how you twist is up in your head, the results are the results. 

[Billsfan1972]

9 minutes ago, Bleeding Bills Blue said:

 

They were off last year in a bunch of games too though.  Look at the TB first half and tell me that offense was working well.  Or the New Orleans game.  Or the Carolina Game.  Or Atlanta.  

 

Our offense is capable of being a top offense in the league.  The defense is capable of dominating stretches as well.

 

The Bengals defense strung together 4 strong performances in the playoffs a year ago.  Buffalo is certainly capable of doing this as well as i personally believe the Bills unit is better.  

Don't disagree, to me this year has gone on longer.  They haven't put together one complete game since the bye.  Redzone wasn't the same issue either.

 

Trust me I hope I am wrong.

[billsintaiwan]

21 hours ago, Kaenon said:

Bills are now 10-3 this year, whereby those 3 losses were by a combined 8 points.

 

By contrast, when we were 7-6, 5 combined losses by a total of only 23 points and the 6th loss to Indy where we were blown out by 26. 

Bills went on to win 4 straight and march into the Playoffs as the AFCs hottest team.

 

This season, we've faced so much adversity between OC changes, riddled with injuries and season ending injuries and Josh's elbow that was clearly holding him back. 

 

Somehow despite all of that, we're sitting in a better spot this year to have the road through the Playoffs run through Buffalo - and to be that vaunted #1 seed and to get the coveted first-round bye.

 

4 games left. 🐬, 🐻, 🐯 and 📸.

 

The Bengals game will be telling.

 

I'm excited.

 

This is our year.

Knock on bloody wood!