Why have the Bills not been more successful? (Poll to end all Polls!)

[NewEra]

A healthy combination of all 3

[Success]

It's not one reason.  

 

Luck is a part of it - we really did have some untimely injuries this year.  I hate it when people call that an "excuse."  It's just reality.

 

And the Chiefs are a real nemesis.  They're better when it counts, at least to this point.  They have more of a pedigree for that now, and more confidence.

 

That's a big thing as time goes on.  The Bills will just get tighter & tighter until we can overcome that, while the Chiefs play it pretty loose.

 

[GoBills808]

The Chiefs standing in the Bills way is misleading when you consider we basically created them

 

We had the 13 seconds game won and gave it to them and then laid down on defense for them this year

 

the answer is #2

[NastyNateSoldiers]

3 hours ago, Real McClappy said:

Add poll option of Defense for all 3 games we lost in the playoffs against the Chiefs. 

 

The stat of only forcing KC to punt 4 times in 3 total playoff games is all anyone needs to know or letting KC average 35.7 pts a game. 

Is this real? 😱

[RiotAct]

Indian burial ground.

[FireChans]

42 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

 

For the Chiefs, McD wasnt just along for the ride. He was busy having his defense absolutely blow the game, AGAIN, if not for a completely random and lucky Offensive Offside penalty on the Chiefs WR.

 

The Cowboys game saw Brady stick to the run. I'll give McD credit here for how prepared and fired up the ENTIRE team was, but that also goes to highlight my point about our inconsistency, and McD's issues this year filling in the DC spot and leaving the other 2 units without a true leader.

 

Then McD had us roll into LA, get down against Easton f$#&ing Stick and the 5-9 Chargers into the 2nd quarter AND last minute of the game, and giving Stick one of his highest rated games as the Chargers scored on ALL but one of their 2nd half possessions. Thankfully, Josh lead the team on a 13-play last possession drive to get the game winning FG. ALL of our units had issues that day, which speaks to the HC.

 

So unfortunately, no, McD wasnt just along for the ride. Might have been easier that way tho.

 

 

 

 

For the record, I'm with you on this tired, old "one score game" argument. It needs to be stated that the Bills also never get blown out. And since no one is winning ALL the games in the NFL, this "one score game" stat shows that the Bills are always in it, even in our losses. I'll give some credit there.

See there it is. Why can’t McD hold a lead against the GOAT QB and coach while Josh throws an absolutely TRASH pick to give them life?

 

Hard to win in the fans’ minds when you remember the Chiefs game as “McD tried to lose the game” forgetting that Josh could barely complete a pass after a pick across his body up double digits lmao.

[DrDawkinstein]

14 minutes ago, FireChans said:

See there it is. Why can’t McD hold a lead against the GOAT QB and coach while Josh throws an absolutely TRASH pick to give them life?

 

Hard to win in the fans’ minds when you remember the Chiefs game as “McD tried to lose the game” forgetting that Josh could barely complete a pass after a pick across his body up double digits lmao.

 

Oh, I have my criticisms of Josh, for sure. As recently highlighted here

 

 

 

But you didnt list "QB" as an option in your poll, and you encouraged us to just pick one, so this is my hill to die on.

 

 

 

And come to think of it, not listing QB but putting blame on him in your replies gives you the opportunity to argue with everyone who responds... Is this just a thinly veiled hate-on-Josh post for yourself?!?

[Trust The Process]

Most of the Bills cap dollars and premium draft picks have been spent on defense yet McD's defense is allowing an average of 27.6 PPG in 6 playoff losses. YIKES!!

[Trust The Process]

If you wanna head coach to rebuild the culture and make the playoffs? McD is your man. Want to win a Super Bowl? McD is not your man. 

 

I predict McD gets fired after the 2025 season. Pegs will serve us a new batch of Kool-Aid by hiring a new head coach when the new stadium is ready to go in 2026. Book it.

[Fleezoid]

Shouldn't a "poll to end all polls", be like. 

 

Should we continue to use polls?

 

A. Yes

B. No

[CSBill]

I would say it's a perfect stew of all three.

[FireChans]

1 hour ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Oh, I have my criticisms of Josh, for sure. As recently highlighted here

 

 

 

But you didnt list "QB" as an option in your poll, and you encouraged us to just pick one, so this is my hill to die on.

 

 

 

And come to think of it, not listing QB but putting blame on him in your replies gives you the opportunity to argue with everyone who responds... Is this just a thinly veiled hate-on-Josh post for yourself?!?

I’m not blaming Josh for anything. You’re the one who claimed that the regular season was a carry job by Josh and had quite a strange take on the winning streak that I felt was not congruent with reality. Don’t think too hard about it.

[Billsfanatic8989]

Here's a question: If Belichick is coaching the past two playoff games against KC, do they lose them both? I'm guessing absolutely not. 

 

So it's definitely coaching first and foremost. This organization needs an experienced offensive HC. Can include college too. 

 

Other teams get injured too. I'm not going with that excuse.

[CincyBillsFan]

I went with coaching & FO: 

 

*  Thirteen seconds was the year the Bills win a Super Bowl if not for that total meltdown by the teams coaching staff in that playoff game. With a win in 2021 over the Chiefs in the playoffs at Arrowhead and by definition the Chiefs are no longer the impediment.

 

*  This season the FO screw ups and MISSED opportunities in 2022 & 2023 kept us from winning the Super Bowl.  I may not be fair here as injury's have an element of bad luck associated with them but the choices to sign Von Miller and not get CMAC and/or DHOP was the difference in the Bills not winning the SB this season.  I know hindsight is 20/20 but is there any doubt that if the Bills had not signed Miller and traded for CMAC during the 2022 season and signed DHOP this off season instead of Floyd there would be a SB parade in Buffalo today.

 

 

 

 

[CincyBillsFan]

1 hour ago, FireChans said:

See there it is. Why can’t McD hold a lead against the GOAT QB and coach while Josh throws an absolutely TRASH pick to give them life?

 

You mean like the trash pick Mahomers threw against the 49's in the SB that his D saved his butt on?  Funny how when Allen would throw a pick in the middle of the game giving the team the ball 50 yards from a score it was the turning point but on a championship team like KC it's an opportunity for the defense to rise up.

 

 

[FireChans]

2 minutes ago, CincyBillsFan said:

You mean like the trash pick Mahomers threw against the 49's in the SB that his D saved his butt on?  Funny how when Allen would throw a pick in the middle of the game giving the team the ball 50 yards from a score it was the turning point but on a championship team like KC it's an opportunity for the defense to rise up.

 

 

Yes, both extremely bad picks. 
 

The Bills held onto their lead and won the game in the one I’m referring to as well.

[CincyBillsFan]

1 hour ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

And come to think of it, not listing QB but putting blame on him in your replies gives you the opportunity to argue with everyone who responds... Is this just a thinly veiled hate-on-Josh post for yourself?!?

I think you're on to something here.  If QB had been listed as a reason for why he Bills had not been more successful the poll would have lost all credibility.  I mean no sane person could list QB as a reason the Bills were not better.  Heck, put Mahomes on the Bills and I am very confident they still would not have won a Super Bowl. 

 

2 hours ago, FireChans said:

Who can forget Josh’s elite performances carrying us against the Chiefs, Cowboys, Chargers, Pats #2 and Dolphins to close out the year? McD was just along for the ride as our boy was lighting up the scoreboard. 

Allen played very well in those games and made some monster plays to help win them.  Also the threat of what Allen can do is a very powerful weapon and Brady deserves credit for using it in ways Dorsey did not.

 

 

 

 

[billsbackto81]

6 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said:

The only team beating the Bills is the Bills.

And they're really good at it!

Bad luck imo. 

 

Bills D gave the Chiefs all they could handle despite missing major starting contributors. No Milano, Bernard, White, Benford. Miller, Douglas, Hyde nowhere near 100%.

 

Tough order against the Chiefs 

[jethro_tull]

Our leftover LBs and DBs in the KC game trying to cover 3 TEs.  Klein and Douglas were painfully slow out of it.  

Edited February 14 by jethro_tull

[hondo in seattle]

23 hours ago, Trust The Process said:

This is how I assess blame as to why the Bills haven't been more successful ever since McBeane took over.

 

McD: 55%

Beane: 30%

Players: 15%

 

McD's RECORD IN 1 SCORE GAMES

 

2017: 6-3

2018: 3-3

2019: 4-6

2020: 6-1

2021: 0-6

2022: 7-3

2023: 6-7

 

McD's record in 1 score games including the playoffs is 32-29 equals a winning percentage of 52.4%. This stat proves when its crunch time McD is average, which is unacceptable, and has been detrimental in the playoffs.

 

McD's RECORD ON CHALLENGES

 

2017: 1-3

2018: 0-6

2019: 2-3

2020: 2-3

2021: 1-2

2022: 1-3

2023: 3-3

 

McD has a combined record of just 10-23 on challenges since becoming Head Coach of the Bills. That's a success rate of only 30.3% which is amongst the worst in the NFL when it comes to tossing the flag. Incredibly, McD has never had a season in which he has won more challenges than he has lost. 

 

McD's PLAYOFF VICTORIES

 

2020: Phillip Rivers and Lamar Jackson (Wildcard Round and Divisional Round)

2021: Mac Jones (Wildcard Round)

2022: Skylar Thompson (Wildcard Round)

2023: Mason Rudolph (Wildcard Round)

 

Notice a pattern here? Aside from a 39 year old Rivers, McD's playoff victories came verses QB's who suck.

 

McD's PLAYOFF LOSSES

 

2017: Blake Bortles (Wildcard Round)

2019: Deshaun Watson (Wildcard Round)

2020: Pat Mahomes (AFC Championship Game)

2021: Pat Mahomes (Divisional Round)

2022: Joe Burrow (Divisional Round)

2023: Pat Mahomes (Divisional Round)

 

The pattern here is, aside from losing to Blake Bortles, McD hasn't beaten any great QB's in the Playoffs. Watson was a great QB at the time McD faced him.

 

POINTS ALLOWED IN PLAYOFF LOSSES

 

2017: 1O vs Jacksonville

2019: 22 vs Houston

2020: 38 vs Kansas City

2021: 42 vs Kansas City

2022: 27 vs Cincinnati

2023: 27 vs Kansas City

 

The pattern here is McD's defense is allowing a whopping average of 27.6 PPG in 6 playoff losses. McD is a defensive coach yet his defenses has gotten shredded in 4 of 6 playoff losses, 4 years in a row to be exact. Wrap your brain around that. 

 

NOTABLE PLAYOFF STATLINE IN 3 GAMES VS KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

 

McD's defense only forced the Kansas City Chiefs to Punt a grand total of 4 times in 3 playoff games, and allowed an average of 35.7 PPG. Good grief. How in the world is McD still the head coach of this team? It boggles the mind.

 

Beane shares the 2nd most blame, mostly for doing a bad job with Free Agency. Didn't spend cap dollars wisely, especially on the defensive line. Bad contracts. As far as the draft goes, Beane has done a great job from rounds 4-7 but at an average job in rounds 1-3 which is where you find your blue chip players/difference makers, and where precious cap dollars are spent.

 

The Players shares the least most blame, mostly for not making enough plays to win in crunch time in one score games during the regular season, and more so in the playoffs.

 

The bottom line is stats don't lie, it tells a story.

 

 

I agree stats don't lie.  But let's use the right stats, not meaningless stats like challenge record or record in 1-score games.  

 

Stat: the Bills went 17 years without sniffing the playoffs.  Since McD, we're regulars.  

 

Stat: McD has the highest winning percentage of any coach in Bills history and the 2nd most playoff wins.

 

But coaches don't play the game.  Belichick has won Lombardis with good rosters and had losing records with bad rosters.  Speaking of Lombardi, he finished his final season with a pedestrian 7-5-2 record.  Even the greatest coach of all time can't win the championship if he doesn't have the right roster.  

 

I don't understand why McD's viewed as a failure for not bringing home trophies when he doesn't have a trophy-caliber roster.  I guess that's what separates me from the fire-McD crowd.  They seem to rate our roster more highly than I do.  

 

I'm also not certain why we're assessing blame for not winning the Super Bowl.  Beane and McD are both responsible for an amazing turnaround.  That deserves appreciation, not blame.  Of course, I hope they both do more to get us to the summit.