Bills chasm between Regular Season Success and Playoff Failure-Are there Football Strategy Problems?

[Chaos]

I am hopeful this thread avoids discussions of specific coaching or players.  

Here are some facts that are not in dispute:
 

1. The Bills have had more regular season success than virtually any other NFL team in the last 5 years.
2. The Bills have not translated the regular season succes into deep playoff runs

 

Here is a commonly held opinions:

1. Playoff football is different than regular season football.  (I am personally on the fence on whether or not this is true)

 

For purposes of this thread discussion I would like to stipulate that Playoff Football IS different than regular season football.  Here is the question:

 

Are their any significant football strategic changes that could be made, that would result in playing better "Playoff Football"? If so what are those changes?
 

Alternatively, its fine to respond "flawed premise, the gap between playoff success and regular season success is because the Bills are less talented, or unluckier than the teams that win the Super Bowl"

 

 

[MJS]

More regular season success than virtually every team EXCEPT Kansas City... And they are the ones that keep knocking the Bills out of the playoffs.

 

It's as simple as that. We are in the middle of a Chiefs dynasty and the Bills are really good, but not quite as good as them.

 

But they are close. The games are always close. They've shown they can hang with them. So, keep trying and one of these years they will.

[Andy1]

Kelce and Andy Reid decide to retire after a Super Bowl win tonight.

[Einstein]

2 minutes ago, MJS said:

It's as simple as that. We are in the middle of a Chiefs dynasty and the Bills are really good, but not quite as good as them.

 

 

But we ARE as good as them (talent wise). That’s the part that kills me. We have beaten them two seasons in a row.

 

Poor coaching killed us in 13 seconds. And injuries decimated us this year.

 

Last year we didn’t even get bounced by the Chiefs - we got beaten (badly) by the Bengals.

 

The only year KC was truly better than us was 2020.

[BringBackFergy]

[DrBob806]

8 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

 

But we ARE as good as them (talent wise). That’s the part that kills me. We have beaten them two seasons in a row.

 

Poor coaching killed us in 13 seconds. And injuries decimated us this year.

 

Last year we didn’t even get bounced by the Chiefs - we got beaten (badly) by the Bengals.

 

The only year KC was truly better than us was 2020.

Yes, it's a factor. However, virtually every team has to battle the injury bug. The Ratbirds were probably the healthiest team of the 7 AFC teams, they couldn't get it done either.  

 

I just think the Bills are a step behind KC even when healthy. Funny thing is, I do think the Bills would beat the over rated 49ers today, that's what is so frustrating. 

 

 

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

The difference might literally be as simple as Steve Spagnuolo. The guy is really good. Shut down the 2007 Patriots offense when he was with the Giants.

 

The Bills will never get to the Super Bowl if they are giving up 27+ points in every single divisional/conference championship game. It's too much to ask of the offense in consecutive weeks against the top four teams in the conference. 

[MJS]

12 minutes ago, Einstein said:

But we ARE as good as them (talent wise). That’s the part that kills me. We have beaten them two seasons in a row.

 

Poor coaching killed us in 13 seconds. And injuries decimated us this year.

 

Last year we didn’t even get bounced by the Chiefs - we got beaten (badly) by the Bengals.

 

The only year KC was truly better than us was 2020.

How are we as good as them talent wise? They have a lot of really good, young players on defense. They've knocked it out of the park in the draft the last couple of years. They have three superstars (Mahomes, Kelce, Jones). The Bills have only one (Allen), because Diggs isn't even performing like a good #1 anymore, much less like a superstar.

 

I don't think the Bills are too far behind them, but the Chiefs are better. I think the Chiefs do have more talent, especially high end talent, and they have an excellent coaching staff as well.

 

I don't think it is hopeless. I think the Bills can beat them. They've shown they can. But the Chiefs have the upper hand.

[Einstein]

10 minutes ago, MJS said:

How are we as good as them talent wise? They have a lot of really good, young players on defense.

 

For one, we have beaten them two of the last three games.

 

We should have beaten them 3 of the last 4, if not for some very poor coaching decisions.

 

That doesn’t happen with a team (talent wise) that is better than you. 

 

If the argument is really that we are not their equal after 4 offseasons of trying, then Beane needs to go (I don’t agree with that argument). Those really good young players you talk about on their defense we’re all added in the last 2 offseasons.

 

And we are talking about a Chiefs offense that was so bad at times this season that Chiefs fans didn’t think they would make it out of wild card round.

[CincyBillsFan]

From 30,000 feet the "chasm" between the regular season Bills and the playoff Bills comes down to two general factors:

 

1) Inferior coaching

 

2) The wrong roster structure with the defense being prioritized over the offense. 

[drummernut74]

Andy Reid and the Chiefs as a whole organization, are just a more mentally nimble operation. The Bills look at everything from a reactionary passive aggressive approach, while the Chiefs are always looking at creative ways to stay 1 step ahead of everyone else.  It’s why we’re “so close” but always a day late and a dollar short. It’s a glitch in the operating philosophy of the Bills 

Edited February 11 by drummernut74

[Einstein]

17 minutes ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

The difference might literally be as simple as Steve Spagnuolo. The guy is really good. Shut down the 2007 Patriots offense when he was with the Giants.

 

Coaching is DEFINITELY a limiting factor in the Bills-Chiefs equation.

 

Swap the Chiefs and Bills coaching staff in 2021 and the Bills are in the Super Bowl. 

 

The sad part is you could make the same argument for the early 90’s Bills teams. Swap Levy’s staff with our Super Bowl opponents and we have at least 2 Lombardi’s.

[Trekking]

Reid outcoaches every time. That’s it

[dma0034]

I've said coaching for a while but they've gotten great players with their 1st and 2nd round picks the last 3 years which have morphed their defense. Rice, McDuffie, Karlaftis, Bolton, Humphrey over the last three years (amongst others). They've effectively transformed their team into a cost controlled team while keeping their superstars (though we will see about Sneed). 

 

But it's coaching. 

[BarleyNY]

Two big differences between regular season and playoff games are coaching and management of pressure.

 

1) The best coaches plan for the playoffs. They save plays and wrinkles in their schemes to take advantage of other teams’ weaknesses. One example from the last Chiefs-Bills playoff game. Reid put 10 men on the field for the Bills punt that got faked. He knew from it happening previously in the regular season that the Bills had the fake baked into their system and were likely to run it if they faced 10 or less men. They knew exactly what was coming and got a huge turnover on downs. It is very unlikely that KC wins that game without that play. 

 

2) Pressure increases throughout the playoffs, ramping up each and every round and in close games. Coaches have to instill confidence in their players that they are up to the task and putting them in the best position to succeed. We’ve certainly seen pressure get to this coaching staff (13 sec) and team (2022 playoffs). The expectations have to be that the coaches and players will prevail, not that someone will find a way to lose. Problems here manifest themselves as blunders, unnecessary risks lack of focus. Hero ball and overly aggressive play calling are examples. 

[SoonerBillsFan]

3 hours ago, Chaos said:

I am hopeful this thread avoids discussions of specific coaching or players.  

Here are some facts that are not in dispute:
 

1. The Bills have had more regular season success than virtually any other NFL team in the last 5 years.
2. The Bills have not translated the regular season succes into deep playoff runs

 

Here is a commonly held opinions:

1. Playoff football is different than regular season football.  (I am personally on the fence on whether or not this is true)

 

For purposes of this thread discussion I would like to stipulate that Playoff Football IS different than regular season football.  Here is the question:

 

Are their any significant football strategic changes that could be made, that would result in playing better "Playoff Football"? If so what are those changes?
 

Alternatively, its fine to respond "flawed premise, the gap between playoff success and regular season success is because the Bills are less talented, or unluckier than the teams that win the Super Bowl"

 

 

It's part not enough quality weapons for Josh and part being too predictable. 

 

[st pete gogolak]

It’s been pointed out numerous times here that playoff failures over the last five years are invariably defensive failures (giving up an average of 33 PPG over the last four losses).  So really the mystery comes down to why a defense that is typically a top performing regular season defense poops the bed in the postseason.  I’m a believer that the bend but don’t break, soft zone defense needs to be revamped.  Look to the Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf” defenses.  Super aggressive, built to play with a lead and cause turnovers.  Not particularly a good defense.  WE NEED TO CHANGE DEFENSIVE PHILOSOPHY!  It’s been said many times, what is the definition of insanity?  Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

[julian]

Spags maintains or even elevates his Defense in the playoffs while McDermott Defense is a no show, even with that, Allen walked off the field twice in the final 2 mins with a lead but when your Defensive genius coach doesn’t know how to handle 13 seconds then it’s a wrap.

 

McDermott has to go.

[Kirby Jackson]

4 hours ago, Chaos said:

I am hopeful this thread avoids discussions of specific coaching or players.  

Here are some facts that are not in dispute:
 

1. The Bills have had more regular season success than virtually any other NFL team in the last 5 years.
2. The Bills have not translated the regular season succes into deep playoff runs

 

Here is a commonly held opinions:

1. Playoff football is different than regular season football.  (I am personally on the fence on whether or not this is true)

 

For purposes of this thread discussion I would like to stipulate that Playoff Football IS different than regular season football.  Here is the question:

 

Are their any significant football strategic changes that could be made, that would result in playing better "Playoff Football"? If so what are those changes?
 

Alternatively, its fine to respond "flawed premise, the gap between playoff success and regular season success is because the Bills are less talented, or unluckier than the teams that win the Super Bowl"

 

 

I believe that there may be. In the regular season they worry about execution and can be a little more cautious because they generally have more talent. Over the course of the year, that will lead to a good record.
 

In the playoffs you need to score more. It isn’t about keeping games close. Surround Josh Allen with weapons and try to score 35+. You’ll only need a few stops then. You can’t play in the playoffs to win 20-17. You negate the advantage of Josh Allen when you do that. KC has figured that out over the last 6 years. Forget about “ball control” or “time of possession” or “balance” or “field position” in the playoffs!! Put the ball in Josh Allen’s hands and get out of the way. Pedal to the floor

Edited February 11 by Kirby Jackson

[The 9 Isles]

Bad bounces, a hand full of bad play calls, bad penalties at the worst times from the officials, remove just some of those and the Bills are in a couple of Super Bowls. 

 

Sometimes it's the Bills coaching making some bad decisions at the worst times, but they have also been incredibly unlucky.

 

Look at every statistic since McDermott and Beane took over, the Bills are near the top for everything.

 

The worst decision in franchise history was to trade the pick to KC that allowed them to draft Mahomes. If he goes to any other team in the league other than KC with Andy Reid I'm convinced the Bills already have at least one championship. 

 

The Bills have this inexplicable "curse" and someday it's going to to get exorcised. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

Edited February 11 by The 9 Isles

[Bermuda Triangle]

40 minutes ago, BarleyNY said:

Two big differences between regular season and playoff games are coaching and management of pressure.

 

1) The best coaches plan for the playoffs. They save plays and wrinkles in their schemes to take advantage of other teams’ weaknesses. One example from the last Chiefs-Bills playoff game. Reid put 10 men on the field for the Bills punt that got faked. He knew from it happening previously in the regular season that the Bills had the fake baked into their system and were likely to run it if they faced 10 or less men. They knew exactly what was coming and got a huge turnover on downs. It is very unlikely that KC wins that game without that play. 

 

2) Pressure increases throughout the playoffs, ramping up each and every round and in close games. Coaches have to instill confidence in their players that they are up to the task and putting them in the best position to succeed. We’ve certainly seen pressure get to this coaching staff (13 sec) and team (2022 playoffs). The expectations have to be that the coaches and players will prevail, not that someone will find a way to lose. Problems here manifest themselves as blunders, unnecessary risks lack of focus. Hero ball and overly aggressive play calling are examples. 

I agree in general, but regarding the fake punt, didn't the Chiefs fumble through the end zone on the ensuing possession?

[Boatdrinks]

1 hour ago, MJS said:

More regular season success than virtually every team EXCEPT Kansas City... And they are the ones that keep knocking the Bills out of the playoffs.

 

It's as simple as that. We are in the middle of a Chiefs dynasty and the Bills are really good, but not quite as good as them.

 

But they are close. The games are always close. They've shown they can hang with them. So, keep trying and one of these years they will.

Bingo. 

[philholbroo]

You have to play to win during playoff vs just surviving in regular season. This seems to be a philosophy that holds them back.

[DCofNC]

The difference is this; the Bills defense is an opportunistic bunch and that’s great, WHEN teams screw up, but they don’t FORCE screw ups because they have missed in virtually every single effort to make the DL anything beyond ordinary.  Ed Oliver is good, but there’s 3 other guys drafted the same year that are elite and one of them keeps wrecking  our *****.   That’s the only guy on the DL worth mentioning.   McClappy wants to rotate 8 mediocre guys to keep them fresh, which would be fine if any of them were above average when they are fresh, but they aren’t. They have to rely on people messing up, works over the course of the season, usually over the course of the game, but in crunch time, the greats come through and we go home. 

[zow2]

I don't think there's a huge chasm.  KC was better the year they beat Buffalo in the AFC Championship.  Cincinnati was better last season, we had no answers.

The other two KC losses were very close...some clutch plays by them and good luck, some unclutch plays by us and some bad luck.

[Arkady Renko]

4 minutes ago, philholbroo said:

You have to play to win during playoff vs just surviving in regular season. This seems to be a philosophy that holds them back.

McDermott has been playing increasingly aggressive in the playoffs.  There is more luck than people think.  Close games are decided by a call here or a bounce there. You don’t play 7 game series in football. Best approach is have a competitive team every year, don’t dig a big salary cap hole and eventually luck will go your way.  My biggest concern is the salary cap and the win now move that have failed like Von Miller. 

[Thrivefourfive]

The finale this season was the most heart burning. The Chiefs just played perfectly and overcame bad breaks, while the Bills did not take advantage of the breaks they got — fumble touchback/last drive.
 

Stragtically, the Bills need to call a cleaner offensive game. Too many wasted plays behind the line of scrimmage — screens and rushes for lost yardage. I know we’re not supposed to call out players and coaches, but all those plays are someone’s responsibility, and for some reason a lot of members here think this guy is head coach material right now 🤭

[Don Otreply]

Imo, it is a matter of timely aggression, and not giving up the five yard passes that lead to YAC first downs, especially in crunch time. So yes a different version of our defensive strategy is in order during the playoffs.  As to offense, the mix of take what they give you, the run game, and pushing the passing down field needs a better plan and application, I’m talking fine tuning adjustments, not wholesale changes, again jmo. 

Edited February 11 by Don Otreply

[Beast]

2022 and 2024 will be remembered as “we had them and let them off the hook”.

 

Game plans and general play of the players was good enough…until the very end when they choked two winnable games away.

[Boatdrinks]

40 minutes ago, Bermuda Triangle said:

I agree in general, but regarding the fake punt, didn't the Chiefs fumble through the end zone on the ensuing possession?

Yep. It was a silly call by McD to be sure, but led to only a little time off the clock and the Bills ultimately getting the ball at the 20. Not really a factor in the game, as there was plenty of time left for the Bills offense at the end. They just failed to execute drives/ score a couple times in the game and that was the difference. 

[BADOLBILZ]

 

I'd break up the difference between the Chiefs and Bills into 2 subsets:

 

Roster.........the difference is that the Chiefs have a true game changer(Chris Jones) on defense and the Bills do not.   Von Miller might have finally been that guy in 2022.   They need a WR2 to do it the right way.........but if they are willing to use Allen like a battering ram they could have reached a SB without that this year.   

 

Leadership.......Yes Reid and his staff are better than McDermott and his........but even more importantly,IMO is that Josh Allen is significantly behind Patrick Mahomes in terms of knowing what it takes to win and prioritizing winning over everything else.   Mahomes has gotten there.   Josh has not.

 

Josh f#cked off last offseason......came out the gate with a dreadful performance in NY and did his part with sloppy mechanics and decision making to get his OC fired on their way to a 6-6 start.    He booted and rallied under Brady from there on out running the ball 10 times per game to get them within a couple minutes of beating the Chiefs in the playoffs.   But on that 2nd and 9 play Mahomes takes the short throw to Diggs..........Allen instead took the glory shot to Shakir and failed.   This is the biggest difference between these 2 players now and it's enough to decide their playoff games.    

 

The Bills would be nowhere without Allen but they are also hamstrung some by where he is at as a leader/winner.   Allen is close enough to get there in one offseason........but he has to level up.   He needs to get back in the lab(as he says) like it's 2020 again and the Bills need to roster-prioritize making him look good like that again even when he is being asked to stay in the pocket for 3/4 of the regular season.   Hopefully Beane can re-tool the roster enough to not take a step back and these teams can meet again but that's not a given.

[DrBob806]

38 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

  Mahomes has gotten there.   Josh has not.

 

Josh f#cked off last offseason......came out the gate with a dreadful performance in NY and did his part with sloppy mechanics and decision making to get his OC fired on their way to a 6-6 start.    He booted and rallied under Brady from there on out running the ball 10 times per game to get them within a couple minutes of beating the Chiefs in the playoffs.   But on that 2nd and 9 play Mahomes takes the short throw to Diggs..........Allen instead took the glory shot to Shakir and failed.   This is the biggest difference between these 2 players now and it's enough to decide their playoff games.    

 

The Bills would be nowhere without Allen but they are also hamstrung some by where he is at as a leader/winner.   Allen is close enough to get there in one offseason........but he has to level up.   He needs to get back in the lab(as he says) like it's 2020 again and the Bills need to roster-prioritize making him look good like that again even when he is being asked to stay in the pocket for 3/4 of the regular season.   Hopefully Beane can re-tool the roster enough to not take a step back and these teams can meet again but that's not a given.

Prepare to get destroyed here lol....JA is above criticism here. I'd logg off for a month😀

[LABILLBACKER]

2 hours ago, MJS said:

How are we as good as them talent wise? They have a lot of really good, young players on defense. They've knocked it out of the park in the draft the last couple of years. They have three superstars (Mahomes, Kelce, Jones). The Bills have only one (Allen), because Diggs isn't even performing like a good #1 anymore, much less like a superstar.

 

I don't think the Bills are too far behind them, but the Chiefs are better. I think the Chiefs do have more talent, especially high end talent, and they have an excellent coaching staff as well.

 

I don't think it is hopeless. I think the Bills can beat them. They've shown they can. But the Chiefs have the upper hand.

This response is as close to the correct answer as your going to get. Alot of things factor in to going to a SB and winning one. Minimizing injuries is at the top of the list. We lost Tre, Von and Milano in consecutive years. Not to mention several additional supplemental players. The 2nd most important factor is luck. All it takes is one or two plays to go your way to make a difference.  The 3rd is a combination of talent and strategic coaching.  We had the talent to play in 4 straight SB's but Marv definitely got out coached by more elite guys. The exact same thing is now happening with McDermott.

 

We ask so very much from Josh and he leaves his heart on the field every time, but he needs the "collective support" from his teammates and coaches. They can't expect 17 to just fly around like Superman while everyone else watches.  Our team was good enough to beat the Rams, Eagles and Niners these last 3 years. But the greatest hurdle will always be Mahomes followed by Burrow. 

[BADOLBILZ]

5 minutes ago, DrBob806 said:

Prepare to get destroyed here lol....JA is above criticism here. I'd logg off for a month😀

 

Josh is a tremendous QB and the most fun player in the league to watch, IMO.    He got ever-so-close to Mahomes level for that brief moment in the 13 seconds game.   But Allen went into the offseason thinking he'd made it because he left the field winning against Mahomes and the defending champs.

 

But as it turns out,  that wasn't actually a great version of Mahomes or the Chiefs.   They choked and he played careless, gunslinging football in defeat to Cinci the following week.  Mahomes went into that offseason knowing that he needed to change and be a better situational QB/leader.

 

That's where he regained his separation on JA.

 

We hate Mahomes but the guy has had his professional priorities and personal life more in order than JA.    

[Shaw66]

6 hours ago, Chaos said:

I am hopeful this thread avoids discussions of specific coaching or players.  

Here are some facts that are not in dispute:
 

1. The Bills have had more regular season success than virtually any other NFL team in the last 5 years.
2. The Bills have not translated the regular season succes into deep playoff runs

 

Here is a commonly held opinions:

1. Playoff football is different than regular season football.  (I am personally on the fence on whether or not this is true)

 

For purposes of this thread discussion I would like to stipulate that Playoff Football IS different than regular season football.  Here is the question:

 

Are their any significant football strategic changes that could be made, that would result in playing better "Playoff Football"? If so what are those changes?
 

Alternatively, its fine to respond "flawed premise, the gap between playoff success and regular season success is because the Bills are less talented, or unluckier than the teams that win the Super Bowl"

 

 

This is all strictly my opinion, but I think there unquestionably are strategy changes necessary for the team to be as successful in the playoffs as they have been in the regular season.   Absolutely.

 

I think winning at this level is all about how the team functions, and very little about the talent.  Look at today's game.  49ers on offense are better than the Chiefs.   Yes, there's Mahomes vs. Purdy, but Kittle, McCaffrey, Samuel is a big talent differential over the Chiefs skill players.   In my mind, it doesn't matter.  Even with that differential, the Niners aren't and shouldn't be the prohibitive favorites.  It's all about how one team plays against the other team.  Although there are games where one player does something that flat out wins the game for his team, in most games talent doesn't determine the outcome.

 

I think that's true because the draft and the salary cap make it impossible to aggregate enough talent simply to overwhelm the opponent.  Total talent on teams is, more or less, evenly matched.   

 

That tells me that strategies are what it's all about.   Training strategies, so that players are able to implement varied game plans from week to week, in the playoffs as well as the regular season.  Offensive and defensive strategies - that is, the game plans.   Play designs, which also are strategies.   It's not that the players don't matter, but even with players, what drives the success of the team are strategies about the kind of players you want, how to get that kind of player, the proper mix of age and youth, all kinds of stuff like that.   

 

Teams succeed by having and implementing strategies at all levels of the operation, and the winners have (1) very good on-field strategies (who and how do we attack?) and (2) very good off-field strategies about how to accumulate and train players.  

 

So, what does tell me about the Bills?   They have to do some things differently.   Obviously true, because the things they've done haven't won a Super Bowl.  That's not just luck.  So, yes, strategy changes are necessary.   One could argue, I suppose that all that's necessary is better luck in the execution of strategies for acquiring players, so that the roster is better, but as I said, talent usually isn't determinative.  Sure, the Bills could have different players, but the players have been good enough to win more in the playoffs.  

 

Adjusting strategies is something that McDermott and most good coaches do.   This time of year they evaluate in depth how well strategies have worked, how successful coaches have been in adjusting strategies, etc., and they make changes based on that evaluation.  They change coaches, or they keep coaches and give them specific areas where they need to improve.  McDermott's performance gets evaluated too, so that he can change and improve his strategies.  And, of course, the Pegulas have to decide whether they think McDermott is capable of leading and implementing change.  If they think all McDermott is doing is the same thing every season and just trying harder, they believe that's the right strategy.  They have decide whether they need to make a change at that level in order to have someone who will install the strategies that will actually win in the playoffs.  

[Chaos]

1 hour ago, philholbroo said:

You have to play to win during playoff vs just surviving in regular season. This seems to be a philosophy that holds them back.

 

1 hour ago, Don Otreply said:

Imo, it is a matter of timely aggression

 

1 hour ago, Arkady Renko said:

McDermott has been playing increasingly aggressive in the playoffs

I think there may be a difference between "aggressiveness" and "imposing your will"/"playing your game".   

I am not sure there is specifically a problem with play calling aggressiveness.  But it seems like in the playoff games we lost to the Chiefs and Bengals, and Texans, the Bills are typically responding to the other teams rather than dictating the pace of place. And we seem to keep ending up one possession behind with that strategy.   I don't if that is because the Bengals , Chiefs and Texans had better talent than the Bills or if this is what the Bills are consiously trying to do. 

[Shaw66]

28 minutes ago, Chaos said:

 

 

I think there may be a difference between "aggressiveness" and "imposing your will"/"playing your game".   

I am not sure there is specifically a problem with play calling aggressiveness.  But it seems like in the playoff games we lost to the Chiefs and Bengals, and Texans, the Bills are typically responding to the other teams rather than dictating the pace of place. And we seem to keep ending up one possession behind with that strategy.   I don't if that is because the Bengals , Chiefs and Texans had better talent than the Bills or if this is what the Bills are consiously trying to do. 

I think yours is a pretty good description.  It's always a question of whether the Bills can match the opponent's offense, or be as stout as the opponent's defense.  Which means, in both cases, they're dictating to the Bills.  

 

And that probably derives from McDermott's philosophy of being good at all phases (which necessarily means you aren't great, or dominant, at one).  And that philosophy - being good at everything, is a good regular season philosophy.   In the playoffs, you need to be able to dictate.  

 

I keep coming back to one event - signing Miller - that signifies that the Bills understand this distinction.  They signed Miller for the playoffs.  The Bills wanted to dictate to the offense by having a dominant threat on the edge.   That's a playoff strategy.   Hasn't worked yet. 

[BeastMaster]

The difference in the playoffs is the coaching 

 

We are at a huge disadvantage with McDermott against good coaches that have upper echelon QB's like Burrow and Mahomes

 

The defensive coach gets abused in the playoffs, and it has cost Josh numerous chances to play in the Superbowl.

[Virgil]

People forget that this is true for so many teams not named the Chiefs or Patriots.  Think about the Saints for a moment.  They were Super Bowl favorites almost every year with Brees and only made one 

[LABILLBACKER]

1 hour ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

Josh is a tremendous QB and the most fun player in the league to watch, IMO.    He got ever-so-close to Mahomes level for that brief moment in the 13 seconds game.   But Allen went into the offseason thinking he'd made it because he left the field winning against Mahomes and the defending champs.

 

But as it turns out,  that wasn't actually a great version of Mahomes or the Chiefs.   They choked and he played careless, gunslinging football in defeat to Cinci the following week.  Mahomes went into that offseason knowing that he needed to change and be a better situational QB/leader.

 

That's where he regained his separation on JA.

 

We hate Mahomes but the guy has had his professional priorities and personal life more in order than JA.    

BADOL, I totally get where you're coming from and some of it I agree with.  In a perfect world I'd like Josh to be a little more cerebral.  I'd like Josh to take a page out of Tom or Peyton and study his profession a little more in the offseason. But what makes Allen elite are the things some of us want to change about him. Don't run as much, stay in the pocket,  check it down,....etc..etc.  That's not who he is or probably who he should be. Brady recognized this and stopped that low positive nonsense and let Josh be what's in his DNA.  

 

We don't know the true outcome of the 2nd & 9 play. Maybe Diggs drops the ball?  Maybe Diggs gets the 1st down but we get stopped 3 plays later?  Maybe the oline holds for a fraction of a second longer and Allen connects on a wide open Shakir.  Life is littered with "what ifs".....but is there room for Josh to improve?.....absolutely!

Edited February 11 by LABILLBACKER