Steelers @ Bills. Monday, January 15th at 4:30pm.

[Bferra13]

7 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

It's been a while since I got info like this, but here's what I was just told about injuries:

 

Douglas - Moderate MCL knee sprain. Will almost certainly miss this week and possibly the divisional round too...

 

Dodson - Tore his left labrum and partially tore his rotator cuff (ouch). Same injury timeline as Douglas.

 

Rapp - Calf & achilles strain. Not a huge concern.

 

Almost certainly going to missing Douglas, Dodson, and Davis against the Steelers... Let's hope they can be back the following week.

 

 Wow, when I read that Dodson diagnosis I thought maybe there was a chance he'd be ready week 1 of next year... really, that's only a 2-3 week injury? I know pitchers (different sport and arm action of course) need major surgery for that...

Edited January 9 by Bferra13

[Governor]

8 minutes ago, Dan said:

I’m not sure this got a lot of talk… maybe it did and I missed it.   The week before, we had about 5mins left and ran out the clock on the Patsies.  This game, we had 6:20ish left.   Thats a lot of time to run off!

 

They almost did it, coming up about 6inches short.  But man.. that was actually a  very risky strategy to not even try and score with that much time left. I don’t totally disagree with it, but I do think they should have mixed in a few more safe passes and runs.  They got very predictable.  Hopefully they have some quick hitters and such in the playbook because the schnow plow ain’t gonna always get it done as we saw. 
 

i think being up by a full touchdown is what dictated it.  Worst case scenario, Dolphins get the ball back and tie the game.  I think if we’re leading by anything less than a full 7pts, they would have tried to score. 

There were multiple plays on that drive that were basically kneel downs. That’s “coaching scared” again late in games. 

[HappyDays]

2 minutes ago, Bferra13 said:

 Wow, when I read that Dodson diagnosis I thought maybe there was a chance he'd be ready week 1 of next year... really, that's only a 2-3 week injury? I know pitchers (different sport and arm action of course) need major surgery for that...

 

Same injury Jordan Phillips had last year FWIW. After a week or two of rest you can play with a sling/brace, and of course a pre-game visit from Dr. Needle.

6 minutes ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

Douglas moderate MCL strain - what?  On that leg whip he got all of that? 

 

Yeah the leg whip causes what's called a valgus force on the outside of the knee which puts pressure on the MCL and leads to the strain.

[No_Matter_What]

21 hours ago, Success said:

 

Wasn't the 2nd INT yesterday more of the back foot one?  Watching that replay, that one didn't bother me a bit.  If he throws it away there, Miami gets better field position.

 

The 1st INT was weird - seemed like more of a miscommunication w/ the WR, but that was more on JA (imo).

 

Problem with 2nd int was that he could've easily* get the first down himself, or at least that is how I remember it.

 

*I am not saying easily for any other QB, but we are talking Josh "I am bigger and stronger than any of you" Allen

[Low Positive]

24 minutes ago, ngbills said:

Look at this teams record this year in games it was a big favorite. This is the playoffs so my hope is its different. But based on this season, heck even last year vs MIA (Bills were favored by 13.5). So weather and Bills recent and not so recent play in games its a huge favorite are reasons to be nervous. 

OK. But what team that is in the AFC playoff field would you rather be playing on Sunday? Would you rather be going back to Miami again? Would you rather be playing in Arrowhead? Imagine the panic this week if the Bills were playing the Browns defense. Imagine if the Jags and Colts had won and this board was facing the prospect of playing Jonathan Taylor in a snow game. This is the best possible situation that the Bills could be in, and most Bills fans have already lost the game in their minds. Yes, the Bills could lose this game. Any team can lose to any other team in this league, especially in the playoffs. I just can't believe that there is not a single poster on TBD that is confident in their team beating a team that just backed into the playoffs after barely beating the Ravens' backups. Remember, that game was tied going into the fourth when Harbaugh decided to remove everyone and rollover. I just checked the snap counts. We all know the offensive inactive for the Ravens, but Roquon Smith didn't play, Madubuike didn't play, and even guys that did play like C Linderbaum, OT Stanley and TE LIkely only played for the first quarter. The Ravens decided to allow the Steelers into the playoffs and it still took them until the 4th to get that done. I choose to be confident. 

 

BTW, every Steeler fan that I know wants the great Mike Tomlin fired yesterday. They hate him for being too conservative on offense and for focusing too much mental energy and draft capital on his vaunted defense. Sound familiar?

[Logic]

6 minutes ago, Governor said:

There were multiple plays on that drive that were basically kneel downs. That’s “coaching scared” again late in games. 

Are you honestly insinuating that the Bills -- who went for it on 4th down from their own 35 yard line and then went for it again on 4th down later in the same drive -- were "coaching scared"?

[Success]

If Douglas can't play, I kind of hope they can get Elam back into the mix a little bit. Though, Jackson played great last week too.

 

[dma0034]

The only game I thought McD coached scared was the AFC Championship against the Chiefs. He became more aggressive after that. 

[RiotAct]

43 minutes ago, Simon said:

 

 

Sun, Jan 14 in Orchard Park

 

 

:: Squints ::

[JaCrispy]

42 minutes ago, Low Positive said:

Why are Bills fans desperately searching for every possible way that their team can lose a home playoff game in which they are favored?

Was Sunday your first game? 😉

[Straight Hucklebuck]

52 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

Same injury Jordan Phillips had last year FWIW. After a week or two of rest you can play with a sling/brace, and of course a pre-game visit from Dr. Needle.

 

Yeah the leg whip causes what's called a valgus force on the outside of the knee which puts pressure on the MCL and leads to the strain.

How ironclad is this source because this is horrific news if true.

 

None of these guys are going to be right the rest of the year, so I guess get used to Dane Jackson, Baylon Spector and Trent Sherfield out there.

 

You’re not fixing strain ligaments in a week or two. Gabe trips over his own feet and hurts himself. 

 

And no you can’t play with the same injury that Phillips had. He tried last year and his arm was in this shape — L — the rest of the year, passing rushing with one arm. 
 

So healthy going into that stupid final game too.

 

This ain’t like oh we had a couple

of little injuries out here.

 

Edited January 9 by Straight Hucklebuck

[No_Matter_What]

16 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

This is one of those weather games vs a weak opponent that we need Josh to control himself.

 

I saw a crazy stat yesterday. Since 2020 the Bills are 16-0 when Allen doesn’t turn the ball

over. Thats an unbelievable stat.

I would love to see a complete breakdown. Our record when he has 0, 1, 2 etc. turnovers.

[zow2]

The injuries suck but you have to play through them obviously.  I trust McD to get the D prepared no matter who is starting and on O we're good.

[Matt_In_NH]

16 minutes ago, Bferra13 said:

 Wow, when I read that Dodson diagnosis I thought maybe there was a chance he'd be ready week 1 of next year... really, that's only a 2-3 week injury? I know pitchers (different sport and arm action of course) need major surgery for that...

Dodson will likely need surgery for the labrum in the offseason, it wont repair itself but you can kind of play through it and deal with the pain when the shoulder comes out of the joint and moves around.  I know from first hand experience.  It is likely he will be limited if he does play. 

[HappyDays]

2 minutes ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

How ironclad is this source because this is horrific news if true.

 

This particular source has never given me bad info. They were regularly giving me injury updates earlier in the season all of which turned out to be true.

[Rockinon]

I predicted the Bills would pretty much blow out Miami and if it wasn't for the turnovers, could very have turned out that way. So again, I'm predicting another blowout victory against Pittsburgh. Eventually, I'll get it right😆

[Simon]

4 minutes ago, RiotAct said:

:: Squints ::

 

That may look different on a phone than it does on a 27" monitor. 

[Dick_Cheney]

Damn I was really hoping after Douglas saying he was good to go that would indeed be the case.

[No_Matter_What]

8 hours ago, CSBill said:

 

I bet Joseph is activated again for this game. Sit Von. He isn't good against the run and makes little difference in the pass rush these days.

 

8 hours ago, WhitewalkerInPhilly said:

Honestly yes. I am not as critical of Von's play as some others (and the numbers make it highly likely he gets a full offseason to rehab to play for his contract) but yes, I firmly believe that the Bills are going to focus on shutting down the run. The highest yard total the Steelers had this year was 290 against the Bengals a few weeks ago. I believe in the ability to get coverage sacks. If we make the Steelers have to put their faith is Mason Rudolph chucking it, I feel good about our chances.

This is such a sad discussion. Imagine entering this (these?) playoffs with Von in form he had prior to his injury 😥

Edited January 9 by No_Matter_What

[MikePJ76]

this is a terrible time to have these injuries.  

 

What a bummer

[Matt_In_NH]

49 minutes ago, Simon said:

 

It's a lake effect issue so its unpredictable until you get closer to Sunday.

Right now the potential is there for it it set up right for heavy snows south of Buffalo, but it depends on timing and specific wind direction.

Even if the snow isn't coming in heavy, the wind looks like it might still be a factor.

 

Sun, Jan 14 in Orchard Park

 

 

I was trying to arrange a group to drive in from New Hampshire but the wind is what is stopping me.

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

4 minutes ago, No_Matter_What said:

 

This is such a sad discussion. Imagine entering this (these?) playoffs with Von in form he had prior to his injury 😥

Yeah no matter how to slice it, it's sad that a likely Hall of Fame player is getting healthy scratched.

That said, I think we all saw that Tre White was nowhere near full speed in the middle of last season when he came back and it took until training camp this year to get the burst back. So I think it's possible that Von is back at full speed September and plays up to his contact. I'm hoping for it, because the other options are...grim.

[eball]

5 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

I was trying to arrange a group to drive in from New Hampshire but the wind is what is stopping me.

 

Most vehicles can drive through wind.

 

[PBF81]

8 minutes ago, Dick_Cheney said:

Damn I was really hoping after Douglas saying he was good to go that would indeed be the case.

 

Our rushing defense may very well be the key to winning on Sunday.  

 

 

[Gman10]

57 minutes ago, WhitewalkerInPhilly said:

Wait...are you telling me that whoever has the most points wins the game?

 

Analytics is amazing these days! 😁

 

(Not trying to give you grief man, just making a joke)

No what I meant was. They said without watt the Steelers are 1 and 10. But that stat actually means nothing 

[Einstein]

1 minute ago, PBF81 said:

 

Our rushing defense may very well be the key to winning on Sunday.  

 

I wish the forecast wasn't calling for so much wind. Allen is ready to go on a tear passing. After the game on Sunday he said "On those final 2 drives the ball was coming out of my hands the best all year".

[Governor]

1 hour ago, Logic said:

Are you honestly insinuating that the Bills -- who went for it on 4th down from their own 35 yard line and then went for it again on 4th down later in the same drive -- were "coaching scared"?

3:04 left on the clock.

 

1. run up the middle for nothing

2. designed run to left. Josh falls inbounds. No gain. (Kneel-down play) Just an absurd play call right there. As bad as it gets.

3. Pass to shakir short of the marker

4. silly hut hut tactic

5. Time out. LMAO

6. Josh run up the middle for nothing.

7. Turnover on downs

 

That's a guy that’s terrified to run his normal offense at the most crucial point of the game.

 

Edited January 9 by Governor

[Low Positive]

2 minutes ago, Governor said:

3:04 left on the clock.

 

1. run up the middle for nothing

2. designed run to left. Josh falls inbounds. No gain.

3. Pass to shakir short of the marker

4. silly hut hut tactic

5. Time out. LMAO

6. Josh run up the middle for nothing.

7. Turnover on downs

 

Coaching scared would have been 

 

7. Punt

[wppete]

No injury report yet?

[Low Positive]

Just now, wppete said:

No injury report yet?

We don't get one until Wednesday for a Sunday game.

[SWATeam]

Just now, wppete said:

No injury report yet?

Tomorrow

[Fan in Chicago]

2 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

I wish the forecast wasn't calling for so much wind. Allen is ready to go on a tear passing. After the game on Sunday he said "On those final 2 drives the ball was coming out of my hands the best all year".

With Rudolph throwing and 30-50 mph winds, there is no need to defend the perimeters or the medium to deep zones. Just stack the box and bring up a safety. 

I am having visions of Rudolph attempting a medium depth pass and the wind taking it for a ride. The trajectory of that ball will be quite amusing

[Patrick Duffy]

37 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

It's been a while since I got info like this, but here's what I was just told about injuries:

 

Douglas - Moderate MCL knee sprain. Will almost certainly miss this week and possibly the divisional round too...

 

Dodson - Tore his left labrum and partially tore his rotator cuff (ouch). Same injury timeline as Douglas.

 

Rapp - Calf & achilles strain. Not a huge concern.

 

Almost certainly going to missing Douglas, Dodson, and Davis against the Steelers... Let's hope they can be back the following week.

 

 

I understand you're just relaying secondhand info.....but I'd be surprised if Douglas is out considering he remained in pads and could go back in if needed. I guess you never know though, 

[Dick_Cheney]

7 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

I wish the forecast wasn't calling for so much wind. Allen is ready to go on a tear passing. After the game on Sunday he said "On those final 2 drives the ball was coming out of my hands the best all year".

He's pretty much the best QB in the league when it comes to throwing with strong wind. Of course I'd prefer the wind to not be that big of a factor, but the silver lining is that Rudolph will be throwing in it as well.

[Matt_In_NH]

12 minutes ago, eball said:

 

Most vehicles can drive through wind.

 

might get blown off the road

[Governor]

7 minutes ago, Low Positive said:

Coaching scared would have been 

 

7. Punt

You can’t punt there. You’re on the 35.

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

14 minutes ago, Gman10 said:

No what I meant was. They said without watt the Steelers are 1 and 10. But that stat actually means nothing 

It means a defense first team is worse without it's best defensive player. It's a "no duh" thing and is in no way an assurance of victory, but it is relevant. 

Edited January 9 by WhitewalkerInPhilly

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

43 minutes ago, Bferra13 said:

 Wow, when I read that Dodson diagnosis I thought maybe there was a chance he'd be ready week 1 of next year... really, that's only a 2-3 week injury? I know pitchers (different sport and arm action of course) need major surgery for that...

yeah, I would think he is done. 

[stevewin]

24 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

Dodson will likely need surgery for the labrum in the offseason, it wont repair itself but you can kind of play through it and deal with the pain when the shoulder comes out of the joint and moves around.  I know from first hand experience.  It is likely he will be limited if he does play. 

I remember Taron's rookie season he hurt his shoulder the first game - and kept playing througout the year and flying around like a missle until he would inevitably have to come out of a game with his arm hanging by his side - then unbelievably show back up again.  Eventually they shut him down for surgery with 4 games left - he was playing the whole time with a torn labrum.  Not sure I've ever been more impressed by a player playing through injury.

[GottaRun]

Still way too early for accurate weather forecasts, but for conversations sake... would the game be played if this turns into a blizzard? 

 

A while back I read that the NFL has been using data from the Tomorrow weather app (they apparently pay for the high level of data access from Tomorrow).  I downloaded the free version and it has fluctuated on the weekend forecast but right now they have it as 19.55 inches of snow and 24mph wind... hopefully that changes back to yesterday's forecast of about 2 inches of snow.