We're on to Cincinnati(Bengals coming to OP). Sunday 1/22 at 3pm. Opening Line Bills -5

[zow2]

15 minutes ago, FrenchConnection said:

The Bengals have scored over 30 points three times this year. It was against the Falcons, Steelers and Panthers. Looking at their roster, it seems like they should score 35 points at will, but for some reason they don’t.

 

I haven't watched more than a couple Bengals games but i get the impression they try to establish the run game, and stick with it.  That will run the clock and keep the scores lower, and theoretically the games closer.  I know they can go off and throw a bunch when they want to as well, but maybe they try to stick to the run first formula.

[Low Positive]

Just now, zow2 said:

 

I haven't watched more than a couple Bengals games but i get the impression they try to establish the run game, and stick with it.  That will run the clock and keep the scores lower, and theoretically the games closer.  I know they can go off and throw a bunch when they want to as well, but maybe they try to stick to the run first formula.

I’ve watched every game, but I’ll let the numbers tell the story. The Bengals have the 4th fewest rushing attempts in the NFL. 

[CincyBillsFan]

27 minutes ago, buffalobillswin said:

Yes never his fault. All 30 ints and fumbles this year were on the receivers and o-line. 
 

 

That's not what people are saying.  In several games Allen has been reckless and made poor throws that resulted in INT's. The Jets & Vikings games come to mind.  But yesterday neither of the INT's were poor throws. 

 

The first INT was a play that EVERY Bill's receiver should know how to execute - when the pocket breaks down and Allen is on the move head for the end zone.  Brown seemed lost on that play.  But I don't fault him as the bigger problem is why are the Bills using WR's who two months ago was out of the game?  The 2nd INT was a good throw that bounced off Beasley's hand/chest into the hands of a Dolphin player.  On top of that there should have been a flag for interference on that play.  Now we all know that stuff like this happens in the NFL and it's just a bad break.  But in NO WAY was that pass reckless or poorly thrown.

 

 

 

 

[BananaB]

31 minutes ago, buffalobillswin said:

In your opinion is Allen the only one who deals with dropped passes and wrong routes? I get it he’s our guy but he isn’t playing well right now. 
 

And the Diggs play was a clear incompletion. We didn’t get jobbed on anything that play. 

You do understand it’s a unit right? It’s not just Allen on the field. If a WR breaks off a route, that’s not Allen. If a pass hits a guy in the chest and get picks off, that’s not Allen. The fumble, that was Allen. A couple off target passes thrown to WRs, that was Allen. I’m sure if you broke down the sacks, some could be on Allen and some could be on the oline.  All year this offense has been inconsistent with the exception of Diggs. We can go through player after player picking apart their play, Allen  is the only guy whose play is really effected by everybody though. 

Edited January 16, 2023 by BananaB

[Pokebball]

27 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

The Bengals are scary. However, their performance last night makes me fear them a bit less. 

Bengal fans are saying the same thing about the Bills. This is playoff football. Every team still standing is dang good.

[Billz4ever]

3 minutes ago, zow2 said:

 

I haven't watched more than a couple Bengals games but i get the impression they try to establish the run game, and stick with it.  That will run the clock and keep the scores lower, and theoretically the games closer.  I know they can go off and throw a bunch when they want to as well, but maybe they try to stick to the run first formula.

They came out pretty aggressively throwing the ball in the Monday night game against us, so we'll have to see if they stay with that or try to establish the run.

[LABILLBACKER]

28 minutes ago, Buffalo Boy said:

Was it the multiple TDs, the deep balls that were dropped, the TD to Diggs we got jobbed on…..????

A little more specificity please.

You can make an argument that both interceptions were not his fault. The Diggs reversal was the right call. His left foot didn't stay on the ground long enough for securing possession. Shakir has gotta make that long catch but he did redeem himself later.  The JA fumble and td was all on Josh. He saw the blitz but couldn't secure the ball properly. The Bills have been winning sloppy games all year. Maybe that's our destiny. I don't think we're ever having that perfect game in all 3 phases. We're going to need to grind out sloppy performances into a W. As simple as that.

[ColoradoBills]

First off, I'm taking Van Miller's advice and installing a seat belt on my recliner for Sunday's game!

 

Secondly, I'm not going to think that Ken Dorsey and Josh Allen are going to change the way they game plan.

It's all about big plays down the field.  Josh loves his sugar and Ken is giving it to him like undiluted Queen-O syrup.

(That reference is for all you fellow "old timers" on the board.)  LOL.

I'm all in on that because that's the way it is and if there was ever a QB in NFL history that can do that, it's Josh Allen.

 

Finally, knowing now the way it is, I can pace my cocktails accordingly to prevent my liver from further damage for the duration

of this Superbowl run.

 

Go Bills.

 

 

Edited January 16, 2023 by ColoradoBills

[Warriorspikes51]

1 minute ago, ColoradoBills said:

First off, I'm taking Van Miller's advice and installing a seat belt on my recliner for Sunday's game!

 

Secondly, I'm not going to think that Ken Dorsey and Josh Allen are going to change the way they game plan.

It's all about big plays down the field.  Josh loves his sugar and Ken is giving it to him like undiluted Queen-O syrup.

(That reference is for all you fellow "old timers" on the board.)  LOL.

I'm all in on that because that's the way it is and if there was ever a QB in NFL history that can do that, it's Josh Allen.

 

Finally, knowing now the way it is, I can pace my cocktails accordingly to prevent my liver from further damage for the duration

of this Superbowl run.

 

Go Bill.

 

 

 

Miami played a ton of Cover 1 and Cover 0....so the excessive deep throws make sense

[Bills!Win!]

I can’t wait for all the mad people on here when we win 41-38

[Warriorspikes51]

1 minute ago, Bills!Win! said:

I can’t wait for all the mad people on here when we win 41-38

 

Can it be 41-21 please?  I can't take the stress haha! 

[Pokebball]

Just now, BananaB said:

You do understand it’s a unit right? It’s not just Allen on the field. If a WR breaks off a route, that’s not Allen. If a pass hits a guy in the chest and get Pisces off, that’s not Allen. The fumble, that was Allen. A couple off target passes thrown to WRs, that was Allen. I’m sure if you broke down the sacks, some could be on Allen and some could be on the oline.  All year this offense has been inconsistent with the exception of Diggs. We can go through player after player picking apart their play, Allen  is the only guy whose play is really effected by everybody though. 

Exactly. Every member of this team, on both sides, contributes. What's pretty special about Allen is that he's got the mental and emotional skill to handle the pressure that falls on a QB. He's a tremendous leader.

 

The going is getting tougher and everyone on this team needs to improve a bit, just a bit, for us to win next Sunday.

[BillzFreak]

4 minutes ago, Bills!Win! said:

I can’t wait for all the mad people on here when we win 41-38

41-38 in a win the defense stinks and we won't be able to beat KC. If we win say 24-21 the offense stinks and we won't be able to beat KC lol. That's what I'm expecting on this board if we win either way tbh

Edited January 16, 2023 by BillzFreak

[UKBillFan]

3 minutes ago, Bills!Win! said:

I can’t wait for all the mad people on here when we win 41-38

 

Against the Bengals? I'll take it!

[rayray808]

Brutal day for Bills and Bengals... but they both survived.

 

Home field is crucial in this one.

 

Both teams can win. Only one will, and I hope it's us but man... it's gonna be tough.

[Airseven]

35 minutes ago, Coffeesforclosers said:

 

And it's not like Cincy won on a 99 yard fumble return off a backup Ravens QB. 

Ravens were physical on both lines of scrimmage, ran the ball effectively, controlled clock, and were able to stack multiple stops defensively in the second half. They match up well with the Bengals to at least be competitive even without a QB. The fact that game was close does not reflect on how the Bills match up with the Bengals.

[ColoradoBills]

2 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

 

Miami played a ton of Cover 1 and Cover 0....so the excessive deep throws make sense

 

It's not about yesterday's game.  Josh looks for the deep pass first regardless of what the D is playing.  It's just their style.

[Pokebball]

1 minute ago, Airseven said:

Ravens were physical on both lines of scrimmage, ran the ball effectively, controlled clock, and were able to stack multiple stops defensively in the second half. They match up well with the Bengals to at least be competitive even without a QB. The fact that game was close does not reflect on how the Bills match up with the Bengals.

I struggle to say the Ravens did much of anything effectively. Same with the Bengals, outside of that first quarter. I do agree with your last point though.

[Warriorspikes51]

Start Elam. 

[zow2]

I'm still bitter about the January 1989 AFC Championship loss at Cincinnati.  That one hurt.  Final was 21-10.  The Bills need to avenge that L.

[BillzFreak]

1 minute ago, Airseven said:

Ravens were physical on both lines of scrimmage, ran the ball effectively, controlled clock, and were able to stack multiple stops defensively in the second half. They match up well with the Bengals to at least be competitive even without a QB. The fact that game was close does not reflect on how the Bills match up with the Bengals.

So you're saying the ravens offense even without there Qb1 is better then our offense with our Qb1 strictly from a matchup standpoint?

[Lieutenant Aldo Raine]

Just now, ScottLaw said:

Nah. It will come down to not turning the ball over. 

I think you both are correct 

[YoloinOhio]

 

[Magox]

Cincinnati definitely has a good team but people are way overestimating who they are what they've done.  Also, it's kind of crazy that people are down on Josh.  It's absurd.  I'd like to make just a few points.

 

- Josh Allen's int's were not solely his fault.  The one to John Brown at the time of the interception seemed like a bonehead throw but it was clearly a miscommunication, John broke to the outside rather up the field and hence the int.   The other int. was a good defense play that led to a fortuitous bounce for the Dolphins.   Without doubt the fumble for TD was on Josh, but if he hadn't of had those dropped passes the game and those two int's that weren't his fault he would have had a juggernaut of a game.   He was actually very accurate on his passes and no one in the league compares to Josh at being able to push the ball down the field the way he does.   He is a UNICORN.

 

- The Bengals continuously seem to be playing one good half of football down the stretch.  This has been happening for quite some time now and doesn't seem to be rectifying.

 

- The Bengals were outplayed and outgained by the Ravens at home with Tyler Huntley and no receiving corps.   Huntley led them to over 360 yards and the Bengals didn't even reach 235 yards for the game.

 

- The reason why the Bills are favorites over the Bengals is because the Bills are a better team.   The Bills have Josh Allen and the oddsmakers believe Josh is the difference.  The Bengals have not been showing over the past few weeks that explosiveness and dominating the game in terms of outgaining their opponents, whereas the Bills consistently outgain who they play and they usually do it by a lot of yards. 

 

If the Bills can avoid what happened this week against the Dolphins with giving the opponent great field position throughout the game and not turn the ball over so much, the Bills should win every game they play from here on out.

2 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

Nah. It will come down to not turning the ball over. 

 

Yep, this is by far the biggest key for the Bills.   Yes, getting pressure is important but turning it over is an even bigger one.

[Best Williams Available]

I haven’t seen a lot of Bengals games but they like to throw into the middle of the field then use that to open up go routes down the sidelines to Chase. Our LBs and Safeties will need to have a solid game, along with DL getting pressure. The Bengals changed their whole plan once the Ravens got sacks, and that stalled their O. With Elam and Tre playing better than even 3 weeks ago, I think we can minimize the huge plays.

 

Bengals OL and DBs are weaknesses I hope we plan to exploit. It doesn’t need to be a shootout if we take away their strengths and prey on their weaknesses. Let’s try dominating for a change (sarcasm).

[Airseven]

1 minute ago, BillzFreak said:

So you're saying the ravens offense even without their Qb1 is better then our offense with our Qb1 strictly from a matchup standpoint?

As far as QB, the Bills are too player dependent on an inconsistent player.
Ravens have personnel, scheme, and physicality to overcome a lack of playmaking and keep that game close. Bengals aren’t ripe for defeat because the Ravens, in particular, beat them up.

[Bermuda Triangle]

9 minutes ago, zow2 said:

I'm still bitter about the January 1989 AFC Championship loss at Cincinnati.  That one hurt.  Final was 21-10.  The Bills need to avenge that L.

My hatred of Collinsworth started that day.  He kicked Derrick Burrough's injured ankle, resulting in a retaliatory personal foul on Burroughs.  Bruce was called for one of the worst facemasks I've ever seen, wiping out a sack.

[SCBills]

Hard to say I come away from the Dolphins game encourage by the passing weapons after all the drops/miscues, but...

 

-Diggs is Diggs

 

-Davis looks like "Playoff Gabe" is a thing

 

-Allen & Beasley finally looked to be getting their rhythm back

 

-Shakir, while the drop was really bad, is going to be very good 

 

Have to imagine those 4 are up moving forward and we'll see how things shake out with McKenzie and Brown, perhaps Crowder.

 

----

 

In regards to the OL.  The Bengals are a better overall defense than the Dolphins, but the Dolphins know us very well and are built specifically to rush the passer.  Talent-wise, Miami has a top tier DL. 

 

Bengals are built more like us... Solid to above average DL that typically don't collapse the pocket quickly with only 4, a top notch linebacker duo, stud slot corner and question mark secondary, led by a great Safety.

 

I do think home field matters here, and our Defense (while similar) has a slightly better DL and a secondary with more potential IF, big if, Tre White and Kaiir Elam build off their play from yesterday. 

[BillzFreak]

2 minutes ago, Airseven said:

As far as QB, the Bills are too player dependent on an inconsistent player.
Ravens have personnel, scheme, and physicality to overcome a lack of playmaking and keep that game close. Bengals aren’t ripe for defeat because the Ravens, in particular, beat them up.

So in you're opinion the Bills are ripe for defeat for having Josh Allen as there Qb? Or am I reading this wrong?

[Boatdrinks]

14 minutes ago, zow2 said:

I'm still bitter about the January 1989 AFC Championship loss at Cincinnati.  That one hurt.  Final was 21-10.  The Bills need to avenge that L.

Was so disappointed after that game. That was my first experience as a Bills fan seeing the team play in an AFC title game. That loss was so much worse than just losing a playoff game. The Bills and Bengals haven’t met in the playoffs since. 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

15 minutes ago, zow2 said:

I'm still bitter about the January 1989 AFC Championship loss at Cincinnati.  That one hurt.  Final was 21-10.  The Bills need to avenge that L.

Agree. I remember where I was (11 years old at the time), and the feeling after that one. 

[Bookie Man]

I said all week as long as Buffalo takes care of the football, they will make the SB. And if they can effectively run the ball. The two kind of go hand in hand. 

[Solomon Grundy]

21 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

Nah. It will come down to not turning the ball over. 

Agree totally!! I just hope that Taiwan Jones isn't the cause of one on punt returns. IMO, he comes incredibly to close to Hines every time he catches the ball. Hopefully this is addressed in meetings this week

[Boatdrinks]

2 minutes ago, BillzFreak said:

So in you're opinion the Bills are ripe for defeat for having Josh Allen as there Qb? Or am I reading this wrong?

Right? The Bengals are not some perfect team and neither are the Bills. The Bills are favored in this game and that seems about right. The Bengals are somewhat mythicized now , and their QB hasn’t earned his stolen nickname of “ Joe Cool “ ( sorry that’s only for one Joe - Montana) This will probably be a close game and I believe the Bills will emerge victorious. The closest thing I see to a perfect team right now is the 49ers ; maybe just maybe the Bills will finally meet that franchise in the Super Bowl. 

[Juice_32]

1 hour ago, buffalobillswin said:

Really hard to trust Allen right now. 

 

You know we'd be a bottom 10 team without him right? Sheesh, some of you guys are unreal. You're right, we should probably dust off Thad Lewis or Jeff Tuel. Maybe Tyrod, he never turned it over. How quickly we forget. Bills fans acting like a bunch of freaking babies. 

 

Allen is a top tier QB in the NFL and defenses are terrified of him. Is he perfect? Of course not, but we've got a shot to win it all with him and that's about all we can ask for. 

[The Jokeman]

I want to see Devin and Cook get more involved this weekend. As want to keep Hendrickson and Hubbard from pinning their ears back and rushing Allen. Running the ball can only help our offense. 

[Process]

We won't be facing single high coverage all game again this week. I expect a very different offense. Josh might have 100 rushing yards. 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

2 minutes ago, The Jokeman said:

I want to see Devin and Cook get more involved this weekend. As want to keep Hendrickson and Hubbard from pinning their ears back and rushing Allen. Running the ball can only help our offense. 

I hear ya. But IMO no chance. They are going to spread them out and Chuck it down the field. Allen will be able to get whatever he wants to his receivers, as they will keep it away from the Bengals dline and LBs  Will be like a 42-38 shoot out. 
 

 

[Boatdrinks]

19 minutes ago, Bermuda Triangle said:

My hatred of Collinsworth started that day.  He kicked Derrick Burrough's injured ankle, resulting in a retaliatory personal foul on Burroughs.  Bruce was called for one of the worst facemasks I've ever seen, wiping out a sack.

Yep. Bruce clearly had Esiasons jersey, not the face mask and Merlin Olsen pointed this out on the replay. It felt like the Bills never recovered from those penalties in a close defensive game. 

[Solomon Grundy]

Bengals will blitz Mike Hilton a lot Sunday