Maybe it was just a bad day

[Success]

I mean, that happens in football, right?  

 

Teams come out flat.  They do get emotionally drained after emotional situations.  I think Hines may have covered for some of that in the season finale, but you could see it in the Miami playoff game, too.  They were kind of running on fumes at the end.

 

You can say these are pros, and that's not an excuse, and I can't really argue that.  But it simply is what it is, and some of the players have come out & stated it. I don't think that makes them a "softer" team than most.  Just human.

 

Based on the discussions here, we went from feeling like we were on top of the league most of the season, to feeling like we're all of a sudden miles behind Cincy.  I don't buy that.  Cincy was better that day - more prepared, more motivated, more fresh mentally.  But it was just a bad day.  They're not 27-10 better than the Bills.  And maybe that hype will die down a bit if they lose next week or in the SB.  We're still an elite team in the NFL, with an elite QB, and can get right back at it in September.

 

[Aussie Joe]

The only thing I’ll say is that they have not played to their best over the second half of the season …. 
 

That loss was coming for some time … even before the Damar incident…

 

Maybe in hindsight it might have been better for them to get that beat down in Week 17…

[zow2]

The coaches, players, GM,…everyone in that organization waited an entire year to right the wrong of 13 seconds.,,,and that’s the game they came out with?!? it’s remarkable really.  Just zero intensity and completely dominated from the very first snap until the end. No wonder Diggs was so pissed.  They aren’t allowed a bad day in that game. 

Just glad they didn’t make the Super Bowl only to lay that egg.  That would’ve been way worse.

[LOVEMESOMEBILLS]

Just now, Success said:

I mean, that happens in football, right?  

 

Teams come out flat.  They do get emotionally drained after emotional situations.  I think Hines may have covered for some of that in the season finale, but you could see it in the Miami playoff game, too.  They were kind of running on fumes at the end.

 

You can say these are pros, and that's not an excuse, and I can't really argue that.  But it simply is what it is, and some of the players have come out & stated it. I don't think that makes them a "softer" team than most.  Just human.

 

Based on the discussions here, we went from feeling like we were on top of the league most of the season, to feeling like we're all of a sudden miles behind Cincy.  I don't buy that.  Cincy was better that day - more prepared, more motivated, more fresh mentally.  But it was just a bad day.  They're not 27-10 better than the Bills.  And maybe that hype will die down a bit if they lose next week or in the SB.  We're still an elite team in the NFL, with an elite QB, and can get right back at it in September.

 

 

 If you stop and really think how much talent on defense that was out injured or playing one legged or one armed, I don't think it mattered. How that game only ended up 27-10 I have no clue, it didn't feel that close. 4 former All-Pros either out, playing injured or still coming back from injury on defense. Plus Jones out and Phillips playing with 1 arm. A super human effort by Josh would've been the only way we could've won that game.

 

 

 

 

[Samwell Tarly]

The Bengals came in loaded for bear with a great game plan and nearly flawless execution.  The Bills picked a bad day to have a bad day.  There were some bad mismatches from the start and once they fell behind it was apparent they were in for a long day.  Survived some close calls late in the season,  Went to the  well one too many times and came up empty.

[DuckyBoys]

12 minutes ago, LOVEMESOMEBILLS said:

 

 If you stop and really think how much talent on defense that was out injured or playing one legged or one armed, I don't think it mattered. How that game only ended up 27-10 I have no clue, it didn't feel that close. 4 former All-Pros either out, playing injured or still coming back from injury on defense. Plus Jones out and Phillips playing with 1 arm. A super human effort by Josh would've been the only way we could've won that game.

 

 

 

 

they werent winning even if Josh played his best game  That is the problem we go as far as #17 carries the Bills and that is on McDermott/Beane  They suck at roster building and McDermott in game coaching leave a lot to be desired

[Gunsgoodtime]

20 minutes ago, zow2 said:

The coaches, players, GM,…everyone in that organization waited an entire year to right the wrong of 13 seconds.,,,and that’s the game they came out with?!? it’s remarkable really.  Just zero intensity and completely dominated from the very first snap until the end. No wonder Diggs was so pissed.  They aren’t allowed a bad day in that game. 

Just glad they didn’t make the Super Bowl only to lay that egg.  That would’ve been way worse.

Like Cowhert said, you had all week to plan and you go 3 and out the 1st drive.  It was over in the 1st quarter.  They have failed to put together an offensive line for 6 years, while other coaches fix theirs in 1

5 minutes ago, DuckyBoys said:

they werent winning even if Josh played his best game  That is the problem we go as far as #17 carries the Bills and that is on McDermott/Beane  They suck at roster building and McDermott in game coaching leave a lot to be desired

Their roster building and drafting has be atrocious.  The roster talent seems to get worse year after year, and its not looking good for them on fixing it this offseson.  They have had 6 years to address the line, and quite a few years neglecting WR.  But we got that vaunted Dline right?  Yeah they screwed those picks up too.  Too many bad draft years and proper FA acquisition to fix it this offseason imo.  I think they have dug their grave after next year

Edited January 25, 2023 by Gunsgoodtime

[billsfan89]

This game requires some nuance to breakdown. Yes teams come out flat even in playoff games and the reason this game was a blowout was because the Bills came out flat. Had the Bills come out sharper it would have been at worst for the Bills more competitive.
 

And this season was a lot for the Bills to take in even before the Hamlin situation. This team is human and they likely got mentally worn out. 
 

BUT the Bills still had roster issues that could have exposed this team to a loss at some point in the deeper playoffs. And this season showed that the Bills need to invest more on offense and adjust their defensive scheme esp in the playoffs.

 

There is no reason to overreact but also the team can’t chalk things up to a bad day either.

[JakeFrommStateFarm]

 

[Best Williams Available]

This team peaked the first 6 weeks of the season. After they beat the Chiefs, it was like they thought their jobs were finished.

 

Then after the bye, they were unmotivated and unprepared every game thereafter (despite winning a lot toward the end). They were in cruise control with no identity. It would have been exposed had Damar not gone down that night. That a** whooping maybe would have lit a fire. But instead, their laze festered, until the inevitable happened Sunday.

[LOVEMESOMEBILLS]

26 minutes ago, DuckyBoys said:

they werent winning even if Josh played his best game  That is the problem we go as far as #17 carries the Bills and that is on McDermott/Beane  They suck at roster building and McDermott in game coaching leave a lot to be desired

 

 OooooK. Well on the brightside...now at least I know you exist.🤷‍♂️

 

 

 

[Eastport bills]

The weather actually hurt us but we were a step slow in coverage and timid against their backups on O-line. Defenders can’t get pushed oback 5 yds on running plays.Our receivers weren’t getting open and our O-line got bum rushed and pressured Josh all game. If you write this off as an aberration you run the risk of not addressing glaring weaknesses.

[Mrbojanglezs]

Bills peaked in September 

[78thealltimegreat]

Oh I agree that team is 8 points from literally being undefeated. The Bengals are good but not some juggernaut they got run out of the building by the Cleveland Browns before their winning streak.

I guarantee that game would be closer if they played again.

But there are some problems this team has that all came to the surface at the same time and it was at the worst time. 

We don’t have any dynamic players on offense not named 14 or 17. The offense line couldn’t push a pack of stuffed animals off the ball to run it.

 

We’ve  invested heavily in an an archaic Tampa 2 system on D that can’t get pressure on backup offensive linemen. 

Edited January 25, 2023 by 78thealltimegreat

[Bills!Win!]

Here is a thought that nobody has brought up. The Bills were facing the team they played when Damar collapsed. Anyone think that may have messed with their heads? 

[LABILLBACKER]

Here's some things that might benefit us next season.

1. We can't possibly experience all the stressful and emotional events that crashed down on this team.  And yes they were clearly physically and emotionally exhausted. 

 

2. Hopefully Von, Micah and Tre come back 100%

 

3. If Dorsey & Frazier are allowed to "run it back", they better be prepared to make major tweaks to their respective responsibilities. 

 

4. McB's primary job will be to focus 80% or more of the draft/ fa on offensive help for Josh. Anything less would only expedite their dismissal if a 5th early playoff exit happens. That warm seat becomes scalding. 

 

5. And now that the majority of the sports world consider us the 3rd or 4th best team in the AFC, maybe we can stay off the "SB favorite hype train" and catch some teams by surprise?

 

[Augie]

19 minutes ago, Mrbojanglezs said:

Bills peaked in September 

 

Rex peaked in the preseason pressers. I see improvement.     😋

 

 

 

.

Edited January 25, 2023 by Augie

[WotAGuy]

The Bills had bad days in 3 of the 4 Super Bowls.  It’s in their DNA. 

[Best Williams Available]

26 minutes ago, Mrbojanglezs said:

Bills peaked in September 

Week 6 at Chiefs. They won that game and exorcised their demon, then played uninspired the rest of the way.  

18 minutes ago, LABILLBACKER said:

Here's some things that might benefit us next season.

1. We can't possibly experience all the stressful and emotional events that crashed down on this team.  And yes they were clearly physically and emotionally exhausted. 

 

2. Hopefully Von, Micah and Tre come back 100%

 

3. If Dorsey & Frazier are allowed to "run it back", they better be prepared to make major tweaks to their respective responsibilities. 

 

4. McB's primary job will be to focus 80% or more of the draft/ fa on offensive help for Josh. Anything less would only expedite their dismissal if a 5th early playoff exit happens. That warm seat becomes scalding. 

 

5. And now that the majority of the sports world consider us the 3rd or 4th best team in the AFC, maybe we can stay off the "SB favorite hype train" and catch some teams by surprise?

 

My worry is McD looks at that tape and says the D failed us and we need to use the draft on that. Maybe he sees OL too but I worry that he has “faith” in the existing offensive playmakers.

[TFBillsfan]

The overreactions are off the charts right now based upon one game. Yes the Bengals beat the Bills in every category. They were better prepared and successfully executed their game plan. Our overall game plan was brutal on both sides of the ball and it happened at the worst possible time.

 

However Cinncy isn’t some invincible juggernaut. They needed a17 point comeback against TB, a fluke fumble to beat NE and a goalline fumble by a third string QB. 
 

Tip of the hat to them for playing a great game against us and out scheming us. The Bills failing to score before halftime and the drop by Davis were two very big plays in the game. Not saying they would have won but it’s certainly game on at that point after taking two big shots from Cinncy to start the game.

 

 

[JerseyBills]

Bro I don't agree or disagree with you . Its definitely a possibility 

 

Personally I think we need more Dogs on this roster 

[SinceThe70s]

1 hour ago, zow2 said:

The coaches, players, GM,…everyone in that organization waited an entire year to right the wrong of 13 seconds.,,,and that’s the game they came out with?!? it’s remarkable really.  Just zero intensity and completely dominated from the very first snap until the end. No wonder Diggs was so pissed.  They aren’t allowed a bad day in that game. 

Just glad they didn’t make the Super Bowl only to lay that egg.  That would’ve been way worse.

 

Just curious, what does the bolded mean to you? If 'they aren't allowed' what's the consequence?  Will you stop watching? Hold your breath until your blue in the face? Or is it less personal and 'they' will all be shown the door or face imprisonment or a firing squad? If 'they aren't allowed' there must be some inherent consequence in your mind. What is it?

 

We're all upset with how the season ended - it effen sucked! - but some of the hyperbole here is a cross between comical and childish.

 

[Bangarang]

It's a talent issue. We don't have as much as people want to believe. 

[Artful Dodger]

Perhaps it was a bad day, but at present, the Bengals are better than the Bills.  That Bengals are also better than Kansas City, as they'll remind the Chiefs on Sunday. 

[Mango]

1 hour ago, Aussie Joe said:

The only thing I’ll say is that they have not played to their best over the second half of the season …. 
 

That loss was coming for some time … even before the Damar incident…

 

Maybe in hindsight it might have been better for them to get that beat down in Week 17…

 

I agree. I feel like I’ve been yelling at the clouds that we haven’t been playing quality football despite their wins.
 

I didn’t love the Miller signing because I thought it best to just sign your own for the next year or two. We invested enough in the DL. At some point you have to live with that and make the rest of the team better too. 
 

I also said I wouldn’t blame the team for cashing it in post Damar. And I also stand by that. 
 

It’s very confusing because we didn’t just lose, we lost in spectacular fashion because of issues we saw coming since the 2022 offseason. 

[AlCowlingsTaxiService]

How many of our current players would you fear if they were on another roster and we were facing them?  Realistically, there’s not much to fear outside of 17/14

[muppy]

59 minutes ago, Best Williams Available said:

This team peaked the first 6 weeks of the season. After they beat the Chiefs, it was like they thought their jobs were finished.

 

Then after the bye, they were unmotivated and unprepared every game thereafter (despite winning a lot toward the end). They were in cruise control with no identity. It would have been exposed had Damar not gone down that night. That a** whooping maybe would have lit a fire. But instead, their laze festered, until the inevitable happened Sunday.

injuries Injuries INJURIES. The Bills had key ones with all the rest of the drama and hassle the team has had to deal with in 2022...in retrospect Im sad they didnt play better and up to the task of winning against Cincinatti at home. But no more disappointed than the team themselves.

 

we dont have any choice but to take our lumps and look forward to 2023 draft/free agency. It is what we diehard Bills fans do!  Deal with disappointment. And look to the future

 

YEP

 

*sigh*

[zow2]

10 minutes ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

Just curious, what does the bolded mean to you? If 'they aren't allowed' what's the consequence?  Will you stop watching? Hold your breath until your blue in the face? Or is it less personal and 'they' will all be shown the door or face imprisonment or a firing squad? If 'they aren't allowed' there must be some inherent consequence in your mind. What is it?

 

We're all upset with how the season ended - it effen sucked! - but some of the hyperbole here is a cross between comical and childish.

 

 

Simply put, the team had a 3 hour block of time to play at a high level, win and continue to fulfill their goals. They failed miserably. An NFL playoff team, the Super Bowl favorite for much of the season can’t have a “bad day” in their home stadium.

No consequence for me… but pretty bad consequences for the players and coaches involved. 

[ProcessTruster]

In a single elimination tournament, all you need is one bad day and you are out.   The NFL is the only pro league in the world that does it this way.  

[nucci]

you don't come out flat for a home playoff game. 

[Professor Worthington]

11 hours ago, Best Williams Available said:

This team peaked the first 6 weeks of the season. After they beat the Chiefs, it was like they thought their jobs were finished.

 

Then after the bye, they were unmotivated and unprepared every game thereafter (despite winning a lot toward the end). They were in cruise control with no identity. It would have been exposed had Damar not gone down that night. That a** whooping maybe would have lit a fire. But instead, their laze festered, until the inevitable happened Sunday.

This.  I don’t know what happened after the bye but this was a different team starting with the 2nd half vs Green Bay.  That’s when Josh started throwing head-scratching picks, which continued into the Jets’ game.  Before the elbow injury.

 

In the second half of the season, obviously the injury didn’t help things but something else was going on:  mental, game plan, who knows?

[CEN-CAL17]

Fans, analysts, sports talk shows were saying WTF multiple times a game in regards to play calling, lack of this or that, what is going on…. Etc since after the bye Week.

 

Its just that a team with much better coaching and ability to game plan exposed us at another level.

 

And we have fans saying…. Could have just been a bad day.

[Gilberto]

I agree with the OP in general and wanted to add a few points. First, it’s a bit unrealistic to say that BUF has lacked talent on the roster for years. Making the playoffs 4/5 years? That’s not an easy feat! I believe there is a recency bias as to judging the team right now, and rightfully so, I am also disappointed. However some perspective is needed to see the consistent success this team has had.

 

I think the Cincinnati game exposed a schematic flaw in both our offense and defense. What was baffling to me was that the coaches didn’t appear to make any adjustments! They just basically moved the ball at will, as we made no apparent adjustments to their offense. I don’t understand this at all. It may have been a “bad day” as far as we didn’t get any lucky bounces, but I think the coaching was a bit flawed.

 

When the season began and the Bills were Super Bowl favorites, I was legit concerned. Winning a superbowl has a very low probability, as 31 NFL teams can confirm every year. And we as a fan base had this “Super Bowl or bust “ mentality, which I think the players fed into as well. We set ourselves up for the disappointment and heartbreak we experienced on Sunday. I don’t know how/when this team can get over the playoff hump, but I am confident that the management, coaches and players will do their best. I expect more off-season moves to try to reach this goal. Some people will criticize them, some people will love them, but the stadium will still be packed and we will have hope again in September, because we aren’t fair weather fans, we support our team no matter how terrible or great they are.

 

 

[HappyDays]

Our offense had the same issues against Cincinnati that it's had for weeks, Allen just wasn't able to pull off enough magic to hide the issues this time. Immediate jailbreaks on the OL, a refusal to get our pass catching RBs intentionally involved, a WR dropping a pass on a key 3rd down. You can get away with that stuff against an inferior opponent and rally at the end to win. Against a championship contender it sinks you early. In this era of football you have to be able to win a shootout occasionally, especially with a defense as injured as ours was. No excuses for the offense. It collapsed in the biggest moment of the season.

[The Firebaugh Kid]

I'll admit I listened to Tasker and Brown yesterday explaining this in more detail. The guys were very drained from the entire situation with Damar. 

However......what I can't rationalize in my head is how you work the entire season just to have a shot at the SB, and you lie down as soon as things don't go your way from jump. To me, that's coaching. Sean didn't have them ready to play.

 

PS: Life is hard, ***** happens, but I show up to work and bust my ass because other people are depending on me. 

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

Nah.

 

I get that people are searching for reasons to feel better about what happened and to understand it.

 

Unfortunately, I don't think people are overreacting if the goal is to win a Super Bowl.

 

We've been behind the curtain and seen the wizard 3 years in a row now.

 

Until I see McBeane step up and say things that motivate me to believe, unlike yesterday's PC, my opinion is the patient is sick and everything should be on the table with the team.

 

It all starts with accountability and admitting mistakes have been made.

 

Blaming bad luck, injuries and being emotionally drained won't cut it.

 

I hope it's just a matter of some time is needed and McBeane begins to get the Swag back. 

 

[nucci]

A bad day is dropping passes, committing penalties and turning the ball over. This was different. They didn't show up to play

Edited January 25, 2023 by nucci

[Bob Jones]

11 hours ago, Artful Dodger said:

Perhaps it was a bad day, but at present, the Bengals are better than the Bills.  That Bengals are also better than Kansas City, as they'll remind the Chiefs on Sunday. 

Yep, especially if Mahomes is not at 100%.

[zow2]

14 minutes ago, nucci said:

A bad day is dropping passes, committing penalties and turning the ball over. This was different. They didn't show up to play

 

I agree and that's why I posted in this thread.  This wasn't a "bad day".  This was completely unprepared and a lack of compete.  This goes right to McDermott...and over to Frazier/Dorsey as well.  I know Bean talks about disappointing, but privately he's likely fuming at what he witnessed.

[Food_Pyramid_Wrong]

Too much emotion was spent on this season. It's football. Lift weights, practice, enjoy working hard with your teammates behind the scenes. Minimize interviews and save your 'emotion' until just before kickoff each week. Media wants this to be a real time drama show. Don't let them set your tone.