A Few Thoughts about the Falcons Game - Community Edition

[Virgil]

It's been at least two years since I went into a Bills game feeling like they would be lucky to win.  We are 6 weeks into the 2025 season where we were Super Bowl favorites, favored to win every single game after the opener, and and ranked #1 in the power rankings, and I honestly am starting to wonder if this is the end of the McD era.  Overreaction?  Possibly.  But an anyone with confidence in this team is lying to themselves.

 

1 - Walker - I figured I would start with a positive, and Walker is the only positive from this game.  Walker was a beast in his starting role and made multiple impact plays, including some solid one arm tackles in the backfield.  In a fluke game where Jones got hurt in warmups, Walker is showing that he can be our future run stuffing DT.

 

2 - Josh - All you need to know about the Bills right now can be learned by watching Josh's body language.  Josh is a team guy who typically says and does all the right things.  He doesn't ruffle any feathers.  He doesn't call people out.  However, you can see very clearly that Josh is losing faith in the "process."  For years now, Josh has been working on playing team ball with everyone eats, not playing hero ball, and taking what the defense gives him.  Starting against the Pats, you are starting to see Josh feeling the need to play hero ball because no one else can step up.  He's forcing throws, creating turnovers, and leaving the pocket too early.  Sadly, I think Josh is correct in doing all of those things because the Bills can't seem to do anything on offense if he doesn't.  

 

3 - Offensive weapons - Coleman has officially entered bust territory for someone that was our first pick just last year.  I don't know if Brady is stubborn of if Coleman can't run any routes besides back shoulder throws, but Coleman is essentially useless out there.  Shakir was never going to be a number one guy.  Knox is still being paid like a starting TE.  And Cook is still doing great, yet we stopped passing to him.  We spend 52% of our cap on the offense and only scored touchdowns to start each half.  

 

4 - Andreesen and Poyer - I could talk about the injuries on defense, and it would be a fair point to make.  However, in what world did we end up with Poyer and Andreesen on the field in week 6?  Every team battles injuries, but you can tell from watching this game that our issues go far beyond injuries.  Robinson had over 230 yards on offense and we had no answer for London.  Which leads me to...

 

5 - Babich - This defense has shown nothing since Babich took over as defensive coordinator.  Babich needs to be fired before the plane touches down in Buffalo.  The Falcons have two weapons in total, and they killed us with it.  Our inability to take any offensive player out of a game is painful to watch.  Just look at how Diggs picked us apart last week, then had one catch the next week.  We commit huge penalties (thanks Groot), can't get off the field on third down, can't tackle, and found a way to make almost every returning player on defense regress.  Babich needs to be fired, McD needs to run the defense, and see if he can keep his job.  Falcons offensive yards - 436 ( Robinson and London had 379 of them)

 

6 - Brady - I think Brady thought McD was complimenting him when referring to his offense as cute, because he called another series ending sweep on short yardage that ended up on the turf.  When the Falcons sent 5 on defense, we didn't have a sixth lineman on the field.  No slants our quick release passes to slow down the pass rush.  Cook off the field on third and short.  No passes to Cook.  When Palmer left with an injury, the offense looked helpless.  If Palmer is the dealbreaker on offense, we are in a lot of trouble.  Also, our lack of go-to plays on 4th and short or 2 point conversions is baffling to me.  I don't know who his replacement would be, but this just isn't working.

 

7 - Groot - Can someone please tell me why we paid this man?  He blocked a FG.  Wow.  That and his first quarter against the Pats is all we've seen from him all season.  Sadly, it's a new contract as well, so we are stuck with him for a bit, which bring me to.....

 

8 - Beane - I've been a Beane guy for a while now, but I'm at the point now where I would understand if he needs to go as part of the regime change.  Knox, Milano, Jones, Samuel, AJ, and Groot are 6 of our top 12 salary makers.  Walker is the only player from the current draft contributing anything.  Palmer and Coleman were meant to push this offense to the next level.  At the end of the day, you are your record and results.  Beane does a great job getting value for guys and has build a great team since getting here.  But, is he willing to do what needs to be done to turn this around?  Is he willing to fire the coaches, including McD?  I'm going to say no.  

 

9 - McD - I don't follow the Sabres, so I can't say I know how Pegula's brain works.  However, to only have one dominant win this season be against the Jets in a Super Bowl year, I really hope that McD is on the hot seat and knows it.  McD lets his coaches coach, but he also needs to know when to be the head coach and step in when needed.  Well, it's needed.  This team has come out flat for four straight weeks.  Josh is frustrated.  Defense is bottom tier (McD's speciality).  Penalties are killing us.  The team just isn't prepared.  If McD is smart, he is doing a reset on the bye week and doing anything he can to get this team on track.  If not, then it's time to make a change.  The process is hanging on life support, this could be the season we pull the plug.

 

10 - Next?  We went from not knowing when our first loss would come to going 0-2 into the bye week.  The cap is a real thing.  You only have so much draft capital and can't mortgage the future away.  If it were easy to get a #1 receiver and #2 DB, everyone would do it.  We have to accept the fact that maybe this is our roster for the year.  We can't bank on the team getting healthy as we have people getting stepped on, injured during warm-ups.  Hopefully some guys come back, Hairston can do contribute, and the suspension boys help out.  I never thought I would feel this defeated so early in the season, but as of right now, we would be lucky to be one and done in the playoffs.  The good news is, we have Josh Allen, a new stadium coming, and an owner who will spend money.  If the GM and HC position comes open, we should have our pick of the litter.  

 

To me, if dead cap wasn't an issue, the one players on this team I would bring to the next season would be Josh, offensive Line, Kincaid, Shakir, and Cook.  On defense, Walker, Oliver, Bosa, and Benford.  Can't do much worse replacing everyone else.  

 

 

Edited 6 hours ago by Virgil

[Bills!Win!]

This was the first time I shut off a game in the Josh Allen era. That play at the end of the half really set me off.
 

I managed to turn it back on just to watch the bills block a field goal and I thought the magic was back. We blew that opportunity

 

Just like last week, something felt off. I just can’t put my finger on it. This is a great time for a bye week. I can’t handle it anymore

Also, in the Manning/Brady years, there was only one year when either of those QBs had garbage WRs. The following year the patriots fixed it and added Moss and Welker. Their GMS ALWAYS gave them someone to throw to 

 

 

Edited 6 hours ago by Bills!Win!

[Heavy Kevi]

I 100% agree with pretty much everything

 

Especially on Josh. He has been such an amazing team mate, never takes credit for anything, and never calls anyone out. It will start to get old for him, if it already hasn't.

 

And this entire game felt like we were down 7,375 points at all times. It felt like drought-era inevitability of losing.

 

Gimmicks like "everybody eats" only work when they are novel. The pats and falcons just showed how to shut down an offense with no play makers at WR: press and blitz. 

 

At one point, I believe it was orlovsky that said the bills "are just overmatched" at wr vs cb. That's a Vegas favored super bowl contender overmatched by a fringe team with a limited, single-read QB.

 

The magic is gone

 

And our 4 wins are against teams with a combined 3-21 record

[oldmanfan]

I never thought I’d say that both Buffalo major sports franchises are soft.  But here we are. Just soft.  And the Sabres have been that for over a decade.  We once had guys like Sestak and Smerlas and Hull and Richer, guys who refused to cave in.  Sabreshad guys like Schonny and Gare, Barnaby, guys who would never back down.  We had guys who gave everything they had.

 

Sadly I didn’t see it the past two weeks with the Bills.  Two weeks in a row where other than Walker we were dominated on both sides of the ball.  Two weeks of cute calls that backfire.  Two week of the D letting the other team walk right down the field.  Two weeks of Josh looking clueless on the sidelines.  And the Sabres captain just whined after their third loss in a row.

 

Where are the team leaders who demand performance and accountability from their mates?  Where is the resolve that they will not allow themselves to be pushed around? This is sad.

[Niagara Dude]

32 minutes ago, Virgil said:

It's been at least two years since I went into a Bills game feeling like they would be lucky to win.  We are 6 weeks into the 2025 season where we were Super Bowl favorites, favored to win every single game after the opener, and and ranked #1 in the power rankings, and I honestly am starting to wonder if this is the end of the McD era.  Overreaction?  Possibly.  But an anyone with confidence in this team is lying to themselves.

 

1 - Walker - I figured I would start with a positive, and Walker is the only positive from this game.  Walker was a beast in his starting role and made multiple impact plays, including some solid one arm tackles in the backfield.  In a fluke game where Jones got hurt in warmups, Walker is showing that he can be our future run stuffing DT.

 

2 - Josh - All you need to know about the Bills right now can be learned by watching Josh's body language.  Josh is a team guy who typically says and does all the right things.  He doesn't ruffle any feathers.  He doesn't call people out.  However, you can see very clearly that Josh is losing faith in the "process."  For years now, Josh has been working on playing team ball with everyone eats, not playing hero ball, and taking what the defense gives him.  Starting against the Pats, you are starting to see Josh feeling the need to play hero ball because no one else can step up.  He's forcing throws, creating turnovers, and leaving the pocket too early.  Sadly, I think Josh is correct in doing all of those things because the Bills can't seem to do anything on offense if he doesn't.  

 

3 - Offensive weapons - Coleman has officially entered bust territory for someone that was our first pick just last year.  I don't know if Brady is stubborn of if Coleman can't run any routes besides back shoulder throws, but Coleman is essentially useless out there.  Shakir was never going to be a number one guy.  Knox is still being paid like a starting TE.  And Cook is still doing great, yet we stopped passing to him.  We spend 52% of our cap on the offense and only scored touchdowns to start each half.  

 

4 - Andreesen and Poyer - I could talk about the injuries on defense, and it would be a fair point to make.  However, in what world did we end up with Poyer and Andreesen on the field in week 6?  Every team battles injuries, but you can tell from watching this game that our issues go far beyond injuries.  Robinson had over 230 yards on offense and we had no answer for London.  Which leads me to...

 

5 - Babich - This defense has shown nothing since Babich took over as defensive coordinator.  Babich needs to be fired before the plane touches down in Buffalo.  The Falcons have two weapons in total, and they killed us with it.  Our inability to take any offensive player out of a game is painful to watch.  Just look at how Diggs picked us apart last week, then had one catch the next week.  We commit huge penalties (thanks Groot), can't get off the field on third down, can't tackle, and found a way to make almost every returning player on defense regress.  Babich needs to be fired, McD needs to run the defense, and see if he can keep his job.  

 

6 - Brady - I think Brady thought McD was complimenting him when referring to his offense as cute, because he called another series ending sweep on short yardage that ended up on the turf.  When the Falcons sent 5 on defense, we didn't have a sixth lineman on the field.  No slants our quick release passes to slow down the pass rush.  Cook off the field on third and short.  No passes to Cook.  When Palmer left with an injury, the offense looked helpless.  If Palmer is the dealbreaker on offense, we are in a lot of trouble.  Also, our lack of go-to plays on 4th and short or 2 point conversions is baffling to me.  I don't know who his replacement would be, but this just isn't working.

 

7 - Groot - Can someone please tell me why we paid this man?  He blocked a FG.  Wow.  That and his first quarter against the Pats is all we've seen from him all season.  Sadly, it's a new contract as well, so we are stuck with him for a bit, which bring me to.....

 

8 - Beane - I've been a Beane guy for a while now, but I'm at the point now where I would understand if he needs to go as part of the regime change.  Knox, Milano, Jones, Samuel, AJ, and Groot are 6 of our top 12 salary makers.  Walker is the only player from the current draft contributing anything.  Palmer and Coleman were meant to push this offense to the next level.  At the end of the day, you are your record and results.  Beane does a great job getting value for guys and has build a great team since getting here.  But, is he willing to do what needs to be done to turn this around?  Is he willing to fire the coaches, including McD?  I'm going to say no.  

 

9 - McD - I don't follow the Sabres, so I can't say I know how Pegula's brain works.  However, to only have one dominant win this season be against the Jets in a Super Bowl year, I really hope that McD is on the hot seat and knows it.  McD lets his coaches coach, but he also needs to know when to be the head coach and step in when needed.  Well, it's needed.  This team has come out flat for four straight weeks.  Josh is frustrated.  Defense is bottom tier (McD's speciality).  Penalties are killing us.  The team just isn't prepared.  If McD is smart, he is doing a reset on the bye week and doing anything he can to get this team on track.  If not, then it's time to make a change.  The process is hanging on life support, this could be the season we pull the plug.

 

10 - Next?  We went from not knowing when our first loss would come to going 0-2 into the bye week.  The cap is a real thing.  You only have so much draft capital and can't mortgage the future away.  If it were easy to get a #1 receiver and #2 DB, everyone would do it.  We have to accept the fact that maybe this is our roster for the year.  We can't bank on the team getting healthy as we have people getting stepped on, injured during warm-ups.  Hopefully some guys come back, Hairston can do contribute, and the suspension boys help out.  I never thought I would feel this defeated so early in the season, but as of right now, we would be lucky to be one and done in the playoffs.  The good news is, we have Josh Allen, a new stadium coming, and an owner who will spend money.  If the GM and HC position comes open, we should have our pick of the litter.  

 

To me, if dead cap wasn't an issue, the one players on this team I would bring to the next season would be Josh, offensive Line, Kincaid, Shakir, and Cook.  On defense, Walker, Oliver, Bosa, and Benford.  Can't do much worse replacing everyone else.  

 

 

Play of the game was first play,  Bills get strip and turnover and Greg Rousseau offside. They go down at score 7 and gave them confidence

[Mr. Wonderful]

Josh suddenly looks human.  No weekly heroics like last season where it all magically came together.

Defense getting shredded.  To Beane's credit he tried to address in the draft but D is bad.  Really bad.

WR's suck.  No speed.  No separation.   Not sure what can be done to fix the lack of talent.

All teams have warts but the potential of facing Mahomes in the playoffs again looks daunting.    

Edited 6 hours ago by Mr. Wonderful

[Pecker]

We could use a culture shock. And that skattebo kid woulda been it.  A freaking crazy SOB who plays football to injure people.  
 

and to top it off, when we bench cook for no good reason we would have a high speed bulldozer at rb 

[NoSaint]

I said last year they overachieved with near every break going their way, until KC, outside very limited situations 

 

we needed to step forward, not just run it back. To play perfect wasn’t enough. To play just good is not close to enough when the ceiling is so low outside Josh. 
 

odds are we win 12 games but it’s not a dominant team

[appoo]

Groot was fairly good today.
 

Keon is a pretty good complementary WR which is basically what you’re hoping out of the first pick in the 2nd round. 

[HappyDays]

Here's a thought - in the last year of Highmark Stadium there might be zero playoff games played there. That affects season ticket sales for next year. Is that enough of a reason for Pegula to make big changes?

[Bferra13]

9 minutes ago, Mr. Wonderful said:

Josh suddenly looks human.  No weekly heroics like last season where it all magically came together.

Defense getting shredded.  To Beane's credit he tried to address in the draft but D is bad.  Really bad.

WR's suck.  No speed.  No separation.   Not sure what can be done to fix the lack of talent.

All teams have warts but the potential of facing Mahomes in the playoffs again looks daunting.    

We might not make the playoffs. 

[Mark Vader]

This game was sickening to watch. It was far worse than last week.
 

Injuries suck, but we can't fall back on that with our defense every time. Yes, we get Hoecht & Ogunjobi back, but they've been sidelined for a long time, and it's unrealistic to think that they will have an immediate impact.

 

I can't imagine what is going through Josh Allen's mind. He's worked so hard to be the best player he can be for us, and he's getting very little in return for it.

 

McDermott has a lot to answer for. There is too much inconsistent play calling, and our defense is soft.

 

The season is far from over, but if we are to be taken seriously, then we need to see real moves made to change this team.

 

Sadly, I don't know if we can.

[corta765]

The team looks like they’re losing faith on McD. The standard because they have been so close is SB/1 seed etc and McD looks like a flawed failing product despite years of success prior. Josh looks 2023 all over again and the talent issues are real across the defense and WR corp. 

 

Last year as it was a reset year of sorts 4-2 didn’t feel awful and felt like they controlled a really good future. It is reallllyyy hard right now to feel like this season has a promising future given how injuries have hit the team hard on defense and the offense has no outside WR threat. McD has been here for 8 years and culturally the regression feels so real.

 

In a sense it would be relieving for this to bottom out and see McD finally released to give Josh another shot with someone else. I truly appreciate the work McD did to help this org rise from the ashes, but I don’t want to see Josh be 35 and that’s the first time he has a new voice when he is no longer at his peak.

3 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

Here's a thought - in the last year of Highmark Stadium there might be zero playoff games played there. That affects season ticket sales for next year. Is that enough of a reason for Pegula to make big changes?

If it meant McD goes I’d sign up for it at this point.

[Jerboski]

I think it’s finally happening 

 

Josh is getting tired of carrying all the water for Sean and beane 

 

and he should be tired of it 

[Hawaii50]

12 minutes ago, Mr. Wonderful said:

Josh suddenly looks human.  No weekly heroics like last season where it all magically came together.

Defense getting shredded.  To Beane's credit he tried to address in the draft but D is bad.  Really bad.

WR's suck.  No speed.  No separation.   Not sure what can be done to fix the lack of talent.

All teams have warts but the potential of facing Mahomes in the playoffs again looks daunting.    

Teams know our receivers cannot separate.  Blitz Josh and no one can get open.  Not a good situation.  Our defense is showing signs of live which is only positive.  Brady may need to go.  Never liked having a Brady on our team.

[appoo]

2 minutes ago, Jerboski said:

I think it’s finally happening 

 

Josh is getting tired of carrying all the water for Sean and beane 

 

and he should be tired of it 

He was ass in his protection calls tonight. 
 

 Dude needs to own his own *****. QB is generally responsible for setting the protection at the LOS. What DK we think the the biggest problem on offense was tonight?

[Jerboski]

Just now, appoo said:

He was ass in his protection calls tonight. 
 

 Dude needs to own his own *****. QB is generally responsible for setting the protection at the LOS. What DK we think the the biggest problem on offense was tonight?

He doesn’t need to own ***** 

 

His receivers are ***** trash, the defense isn’t much better 

 

he is asked to do more than anyone in the nfl, enough is enough 

[appoo]

2 minutes ago, Jerboski said:

He doesn’t need to own ***** 

 

His receivers are ***** trash, the defense isn’t much better 

 

he is asked to do more than anyone in the nfl, enough is enough 

There was no time for the WRs to do much tonight.

 

I agree the lack of a guy who can beat CB1 coverage is a problem.  That’s not what stopped the offense tonight.

Like was Allen’s pressure rate like 80%? Oh and the defense almost pitched a shutout in the 2nd half. this ain’t on them 

Edited 5 hours ago by appoo

[BuffaloBill]

25 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

I never thought I’d say that both Buffalo major sports franchises are soft.  But here we are. Just soft.  And the Sabres have been that for over a decade.  We once had guys like Sestak and Smerlas and Hull and Richer, guys who refused to cave in.  Sabreshad guys like Schonny and Gare, Barnaby, guys who would never back down.  We had guys who gave everything they had.

 

Sadly I didn’t see it the past two weeks with the Bills.  Two weeks in a row where other than Walker we were dominated on both sides of the ball.  Two weeks of cute calls that backfire.  Two week of the D letting the other team walk right down the field.  Two weeks of Josh looking clueless on the sidelines.  And the Sabres captain just whined after their third loss in a row.

 

Where are the team leaders who demand performance and accountability from their mates?  Where is the resolve that they will not allow themselves to be pushed around? This is sad.

 

They are soft and even Josh is playing like he is a cerebral QB not a master of physical improvisation. 

[Jerboski]

Just now, appoo said:

There was no time for the WRs to do much tonight.

 

I agree the lack of a guy who can beat CB1 coverage is a problem.  That’s not what stopped the offense tonight.

Like was Allen’s pressure rate like 80%?

I just don’t care bro, we need Allen to be amazing all the time and turn around and give him ***** to work with 

 

do you see the chiefs operate that way? How about the ravens or the eagles?