Still just a game back

[JJGauna]

I know it’s pretty rough finding a silver lining after the last 3 games but the truth is we are still only one game back in the East. Any team can be beaten any week, and that includes us. 
 

This team still has hope, we have the pieces. Hopefully the younger guys on defense can mature as the season progresses. If we get hot at the right time later in the season, we can take the division back from Miami in Miami, and make a run into the playoffs.

 

Will it happen? Who knows? Nobody knows. That’s why they play the games. It takes a remarkable run and overcoming great adversity to win it all, why not us? The pieces are still there, just not the original pieces we all thought.

 

Josh must step up, Dorsey must change and adapt, and McD needs to focus on his ability to bring the best out of the defense. I still believe.

[SCBills]

If we get our act together and Miami struggles with NE next week, I’ll entertain the division again.  
 

As of right now, I don’t see them losing to the Jags, Jets and Pats of the world. 
 

Edited October 23, 2023 by SCBills

[Dr.Sack]

I like where we are at. A wounded team with a chip on their shoulders. Let the doubters doubt. The Bills should use all the shade that’s coming their way as fuel. Play angry, violent and with aggressiveness. 

[JJGauna]

Just now, SCBills said:

If Miami struggles with NE next week, I’ll entertain the division again.  
 

As of right now, I don’t see them losing to the Jags, Jets and Pats of the world. 

Jags can hang with anybody plus anything can happen in a divisional game. The Dolphins are not perfect.

[Boatdrinks]

It’s really on the coaches to get it right. They’ve got enough pieces to make it work. We’ll see if they can be innovative or if they’re stubborn. Allen is the meal ticket. 

[Billsfanatic8989]

We still have Eagles, Cowboys, Jets, KC, Miami, and Bengals upcoming. Philadelphia & KC are two of the toughest places to win at. Cincinnati, despite their issues, aren't inferior to us. 

 

If we win the division, we will have earned it. 

 

BTW, why do we keep playing @KC? Three years in a row. They have not played in Buffalo since 2020. 

Edited October 23, 2023 by Billsfanatic8989

[Success]

We tried the "hot team the 1st few months" thing last year.  

 

I liked when we were the hot team late in the season.

 

Like you said, who knows?  This might be how we are this year, and it could be 1 step forward, 2 back all season.  But why not believe we can get hot?

 

[HappyDays]

Mac Jones leading a 2 minute drill TD is the only thing standing in the way of us being #1 in the division right now. If the Pats offense was simply held to their season high before today we would be #1 in the division. I still can't get over it.

 

Edited October 23, 2023 by HappyDays

[Riverboat Ritchie]

I like the idea of playing with a chip on your shoulder but this team just doesn’t seem like they have the chemistry or mentality to do that like they did in 21. Something is off and players just don’t seem to respond much to McClappy. You watch other teams, whether it’s the Chiefs, Jags or eagles, and they seem to feed off of coach and generally want to do well for him.  The Bills just seem indifferent about Mc D.  

[Punch]

The current circumstances are certainly less than ideal but it isn't dire. The season isn't over, it's going to take more work than last year to win the East and that will help them in the long run.

[Ga boy]

Yes, I believe they have the pieces, but we’ll have to score 30 plus each week.  Instead of ball control, the game plan is to get the ball into the hands of Kincaid and Cook early and often.  We need to see Josh’s cannon again.  A screen now and then would slow down the rush.  

[Vertig0]

1 minute ago, Billsfanatic8989 said:

If we win the division, we will have earned it. 

 

Agree with his 100%.  But if we do pull it together and beat those teams - we will be hot at the right time and should have the attitude that there's no one in the league that can beat us.  We shall see...

[bouds]

Like I don't even care.  Bills are not playing  well, until that changes it's hard to care if they back into the division lead for a bit.  Still time left in the year, but if they're not clicking on O it won't matter in getting to where they want to get to which is a SB.

[Billsfanatic8989]

Just now, Vertig0 said:

 

Agree with his 100%.  But if we do pull it together and beat those teams - we will be hot at the right time and should have the attitude that there's no one in the league that can beat us.  We shall see...

Absolutely.

 

This team has a tendency to beat great teams and play down to the competition. Maybe it will be a blessing in disguise. 

 

No excuses. 

[Riverboat Ritchie]

1 minute ago, HappyDays said:

Mac Jones leading a 2 minute drill TD is the only thing standing in the way of us being the #1 seed right now. If the Pats offense was simply held to their season high before today we would be the #1 seed. I still can't get over it.

Chiefs and Jags would still be over us for #1 seed even if we did win but allowing Mac drive at end was awful 

[Dr.Sack]

1 minute ago, HappyDays said:

Mac Jones leading a 2 minute drill TD is the only thing standing in the way of us being the #1 seed right now. If the Pats offense was simply held to their season high before today we would be the #1 seed. I still can't get over it.

Flush it. Von will get stronger, Floyd’s foot will heal, Oliver will be back. Heck maybe Jones or Milano come back in January. At this point we are in a for a wild ride. This is what makes it a week by week league. Don’t be scared. Strap up!

[BILLieve85]

4 minutes ago, Billsfanatic8989 said:

We still have Eagles, Cowboys, Jets, KC, Miami, and Bengals upcoming. Philadelphia & KC are two of the toughest places to win at. Cincinnati, despite their issues, aren't inferior to us. 

 

If we win the division, we will have earned it. 

 

BTW, why do we keep playing @KC? Three years in a row. They have not played in Buffalo since 2020. 

With playing at KC it’s the way the schedule is. Those game will be at Buffalo 24-27

[buffblue]

The Jets are as likely to win the East as Buffalo right now. If the Bills pull it off, it will require winning week 18 in Miami. Possible, but not optimistic. We are facing a long slog of an uphill battle and the odds of even a playoff appearance aren't great at the moment

[HappyDays]

1 minute ago, Riverboat Ritchie said:

Chiefs and Jags would still be over us for #1 seed even if we did win but allowing Mac drive at end was awful 

 

My bad that was a typo, I edited it to say #1 in the division.

[Franco_92]

Yeah. The Bengals weren't looking too hot at this point last year (3-4) and they wiped the floor with us in the playoffs, they were a completely different team. Whether or not we need big changes, they aren't going to come right now, so just hope that these guys can get back to doing things they've done before. Things felt shitter when we were 7-6 in 2021 and it took just 5 weeks to be on the moon

[buffblue]

1 minute ago, Franco_92 said:

Yeah. The Bengals weren't looking too hot at this point last year (3-4) and they wiped the floor with us in the playoffs, they were a completely different team. Whether or not we need big changes, they aren't going to come right now, so just hope that these guys can get back to doing things they've done before. Things felt shitter when we were 7-6 in 2021 and it took just 5 weeks to be on the moon

The Bengals have elite offensive weapons and Lou Anarumo calling their defense. We have a roster of major defensive injuries, Stefon Diggs, and a bad offensive coordinator 

[Billsfanatic8989]

8 minutes ago, BILLieve85 said:

With playing at KC it’s the way the schedule is. Those game will be at Buffalo 24-27

Yeah I just did research on that. 

 

Denver played in NE from 2012-2014. Then, NE played in Denver between 2015-2017. Seems to go on a three year rotation.

[BILLieve85]

1 minute ago, Billsfanatic8989 said:

Yeah I just did research on that. 

 

Denver played in NE from 2012-2014. Then, NE played in Denver between 2015-2017. Seems to go on a three year rotation.

Yeah it’s weird. Go figure

[Bangarang]

This team is only going as far as Allen and the offense takes us. Right now it’s not looking very promising. 

[Straight Hucklebuck]

1 minute ago, Bangarang said:

This team is only going as far as Allen and the offense takes us. Right now it’s not looking very promising. 

Where do they have to go for answers? 
 

Who is going to emerge from their role in the first 7 games and play a bigger part? 
 

Target Diggs 20 times a game? 
 

Less Knox, more 3 Wide?

 

More Harty? 

 

Just never miss a block, drop a pass, or run a bad route again? 

[The Frankish Reich]

I still feel fine about our prospects about winning the division or at least getting a wild card. 
I don’t feel fine about making (much less winning) the Super Bowl. 

[Boatdrinks]

15 minutes ago, BILLieve85 said:

With playing at KC it’s the way the schedule is. Those game will be at Buffalo 24-27

It could be , but not guaranteed. One game is guaranteed where they play the entire division. Have to finish in same place within your division to get the others. The team is not specified - just the X place finisher. It’s just played out that way the last few years with Bills and KC.  

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

22 minutes ago, Success said:

We tried the "hot team the 1st few months" thing last year.  

 

I liked when we were the hot team late in the season.

 

Like you said, who knows?  This might be how we are this year, and it could be 1 step forward, 2 back all season.  But why not believe we can get hot?

 

Absolutely. One thing I have learned is you have to peak At the right time. These struggles will make us better. 

[chongli]

24 minutes ago, BILLieve85 said:

With playing at KC it’s the way the schedule is. Those game will be at Buffalo 24-27

 

Assuming both KC and Buffalo finish in the same place in their respective divisions this year and in 2024. If not, we still get to host another AFC West team in 2024 and 2025.

Edited October 23, 2023 by chongli

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

37 minutes ago, SCBills said:

If we get our act together and Miami struggles with NE next week, I’ll entertain the division again.  
 

As of right now, I don’t see them losing to the Jags, Jets and Pats of the world. 
 

I’m actually pretty excited for their jets game…has tua ever started for the dolphins against the jets?

[Franco_92]

11 minutes ago, Billsfanatic8989 said:

Yeah I just did research on that. 

 

Denver played in NE from 2012-2014. Then, NE played in Denver between 2015-2017. Seems to go on a three year rotation.

 

9 minutes ago, BILLieve85 said:

Yeah it’s weird. Go figure

The Bills rotate playing one different full AFC division each year - last year the North, this year the West, next year the South etc. 

Each time they go through that cycle they play 2 of the teams at home and 2 on the road and it alternates each time, so in 2020 bills were at home, 2023 they are at KC, will host KC in 2026 etc. or last year they hosted Pittsburgh, in 2019 they were at Pittsburgh, in 2016 they hosted Pittsburgh etc.

They also play one team from each of the other 2 AFC divisions every year, that finished in the same spot as them the previous year. So that's why we will see KC every season we finish in the same spot as them. But the trick is, those don't alternate. If they did a lot of scheduling issues would crop up, I've tried it. So each of the two years between the AFC west seasons (2021, 2022) we have to play AT the AFC west team we match. Then the next two sandwiched AFC west seasons (2024, 2025) we play at home vs. them. Same thing with the other divisions. This is the only way to make it work that you play 8 home and 8 road games every year. but it allows you to play 1 team in the same building a maximum of 3x in a row. 

That being said, if we lose the division this year, we will not get to host KC in the first year of our three consecutive years, we won't play KC at all next year if we can't win the division. we would host LAC or one of VEG/DEN if we don't win the division. 

[chongli]

52 minutes ago, SCBills said:

If we get our act together and Miami struggles with NE next week, I’ll entertain the division again.  
 

As of right now, I don’t see them losing to the Jags, Jets and Pats of the world. 
 

 

They play KC the week after New England. That's a loss for them.

 

14 minutes ago, Franco_92 said:

That being said, if we lose the division this year, we will not get to host KC in the first year of our three consecutive years, we won't play KC at all next year if we can't win the division. we would host LAC or one of VEG/DEN if we don't win the division. 

 

Or if KC doesn't win its division (however unlikely that is).

Edited October 23, 2023 by chongli

[Gugny]

31 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

Mac Jones leading a 2 minute drill TD is the only thing standing in the way of us being #1 in the division right now. If the Pats offense was simply held to their season high before today we would be #1 in the division. I still can't get over it.

 

Mac Jones?  You spelled Sean McDermott wrong. 
 

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

8 minutes ago, chongli said:

 

They play WC the week after New England. That's a loss for them.

Haha I thought you meant the commanders and was confused but it’s kc. 
 

I just don’t think Miami is very good.  They install some new wrinkles to make tuas life a little easier then they seem to get figured out at the midpoint of the season.  Tua might be the worst qb at improvising on off schedule plays in the league I don’t think the guy sees the field at all when he has to move in a collapsing pocket
 

if we can’t catch Miami it likely means we weren’t good enough to do diddly in the playoffs anyway 

 

McDaniel has definitely hit the ceiling on what they can cover up with great play design imo.  They’re also at a pretty big disadvantage on the road with all that presnap motion…that’s probably hard to pull off cleanly without penalties in a silent stadium let alone philly on a Sunday night 

Edited October 23, 2023 by Generic_Bills_Fan

[Dablitzkrieg]

Do you think KC, Philly and Dallas will score 50 or 60 on this defense?  That will be fun.  

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

8 minutes ago, Dablitzkrieg said:

Do you think KC, Philly and Dallas will score 50 or 60 on this defense?  That will be fun.  

Kc we are doomed I’m afraid…philly and Dallas I have no idea what to make of and we’ve got some time to right the ship before we see them.  Hopefully von shows up at some point before then 

[LeGOATski]

It's like people haven't watched the last 5 or so seasons. McD's teams always go through a lull.

[Alphadawg7]

1 hour ago, JJGauna said:

I know it’s pretty rough finding a silver lining after the last 3 games but the truth is we are still only one game back in the East. Any team can be beaten any week, and that includes us. 
 

This team still has hope, we have the pieces. Hopefully the younger guys on defense can mature as the season progresses. If we get hot at the right time later in the season, we can take the division back from Miami in Miami, and make a run into the playoffs.

 

Will it happen? Who knows? Nobody knows. That’s why they play the games. It takes a remarkable run and overcoming great adversity to win it all, why not us? The pieces are still there, just not the original pieces we all thought.

 

Josh must step up, Dorsey must change and adapt, and McD needs to focus on his ability to bring the best out of the defense. I still believe.

The issue is Dorsey and this offense have been exposed and figured out.  Dorsey seems in over his head to adapt.  
 

They have coached the hero out of Allen too, they need to let him be him and live with the good and the bad.  It’s made him less decisive and hesitant at times and this team needs the Josh that became elite, not the tamed Josh they are trying to create.  

[Koufax]

1 hour ago, JJGauna said:

I know it’s pretty rough finding a silver lining after the last 3 games but the truth is we are still only one game back in the East. Any team can be beaten any week, and that includes us. 
 

This team still has hope, we have the pieces. Hopefully the younger guys on defense can mature as the season progresses. If we get hot at the right time later in the season, we can take the division back from Miami in Miami, and make a run into the playoffs.

 

Will it happen? Who knows? Nobody knows. That’s why they play the games. It takes a remarkable run and overcoming great adversity to win it all, why not us? The pieces are still there, just not the original pieces we all thought.

 

Josh must step up, Dorsey must change and adapt, and McD needs to focus on his ability to bring the best out of the defense. I still believe.

 

October misstep by a team that squashed the Fish 48-20. October missteps can cost you home playoff games, but it is one of the best months to deal with some adversity and get past it. If you doubt this offense can do that, you haven't been paying attention (I said can, not will...they have to make it happen).

 

Our defensive injuries (if/when we really get Von back, losing Tre, Milano, etc...) remain a big question mark when stopping Mahomes and stopping the Dolphins are key stepping stones to anything we would consider a successful season.

 

Short week and manageable opponent at home, then mini-bye to right the ship.  Find a way to get to 5-3 against the Bucs...

[Skyline Chili]

10 minutes ago, LeGOATski said:

It's like people haven't watched the last 5 or so seasons. McD's teams always go through a lull.

That's what's keeping my hopes up