Perspective Matters: The Offense Is Producing

[ngbills]

Telling yourself the Bills dont need a WR or any improvement is fine. Yes, they still make the playoffs with this roster. That has never been the issue. The issue is they have a glaring weakness that allows other teams to development a gameplan or even a plan for an important last drive of a game. It leaves minimal room for error in critical playoff games. Adding even a decent WR that forced attention adds an element that will help you in those crucial situations. 

[Southern McButterpants]

34 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

For me, there are 2 clear flaws and it has been exposed multiple times this year (in wins and losses). The guys on the outside can’t get open and they can’t stop the run. I won’t say that they’re “easy” to defend because they have scored a lot. They’re easy to game plan for though because there are certain areas that you don’t need to defend.
 

The Bills can absolutely win the Super Bowl but there is a formula that’s fairly limited that needs to play out for that to happen. They NEED to play from in front. Their offense can control the clock and run the ball. The defense can get after the passer and don’t have to worry about defending the run. The fear is, you get behind in a playoff game (let’s say Indy). Now, your defense, which was allowing the most YPC since like 1960’until last week, needs to stop Taylor and that elite OL. You can’t just play to your strength of running and ball control offense because it takes too long to close the gap. Now, you’re forced to throw to trash WRs (except Shakir), TEs who will be the focus of the defense and RBs that you refuse to throw to. 
 

It is not that the Bills aren’t great or that they can’t win. It’s they aren’t multiple enough to win in a variety of ways. One move, even someone like Shaheed, makes them more likely to win in the above mentioned situation. They can make chunk plays. They can keep safeties away from the LOS. There is a trickle down impact.

I say this every week - It's a great gameplan when it works (the last two weeks are proof of that).

 

The loss to the Pat*s is evidence to support OP's point.

 

The loss the to Falcon is evidence of how off the tracks it goes when you don't follow this formula. 

[Magox]

40 minutes ago, BillsVet said:

 

I don't care. 

 

Buffalo was second in points scored last year, third in point differential, etc. during the regular season.  And they still barely got past Baltimore in the Divisional Round game and had to grind it out in the AFC CG.  

 

The offense is built to succeed in the regular season and falters under the weight of greater expectations and pressure in the post-season.      

 

Ah yes, the classic rebuttal: “I don’t care.”
A timeless way to dismiss facts when they don’t fit the narrative.

Let’s unpack this idea that the offense “falters under pressure” in the playoffs:

 

Divisional Round vs. Ravens:
Scored 27 points against a defense that had allowed just 16.5 ppg over their last 6 games. That’s not faltering—that’s producing against a top unit.

AFC Championship vs. Chiefs:
Put up 29 points against a defense that hadn’t allowed 30+ points all season—except to the Bills.
That’s not grinding—it’s breaking through.

 

So unless “faltering” now means scoring nearly 30 against elite defenses, I’m gonna go ahead and say the offense held up just fine.

Also, if the offense is “built for the regular season,” someone forgot to tell the scoreboard.

But hey—if facts don’t matter, I guess we should just go back to yelling into the void and hoping for a WR trade to fix what isn’t broken.

[GoBills808]

2 minutes ago, Magox said:

 

Ah yes, the classic rebuttal: “I don’t care.”
A timeless way to dismiss facts when they don’t fit the narrative.

Let’s unpack this idea that the offense “falters under pressure” in the playoffs:

 

Divisional Round vs. Ravens:
Scored 27 points against a defense that had allowed just 16.5 ppg over their last 6 games. That’s not faltering—that’s producing against a top unit.

AFC Championship vs. Chiefs:
Put up 29 points against a defense that hadn’t allowed 30+ points all season—except to the Bills.
That’s not grinding—it’s breaking through.

 

So unless “faltering” now means scoring nearly 30 against elite defenses, I’m gonna go ahead and say the offense held up just fine.

Also, if the offense is “built for the regular season,” someone forgot to tell the scoreboard.

But hey—if facts don’t matter, I guess we should just go back to yelling into the void and hoping for a WR trade to fix what isn’t broken.

it's not broken

 

it just needs to be better to win a Super Bowl

[hondo in seattle]

1 hour ago, Magox said:

Let's take a breath and look at what the offense is actually doing before we spiral over not getting a WR before the trade deadline.

 

Here are some facts that might help bring a little levity to the conversation:

 

Total Yards/Game: 385 – 1st in the NFL

Points/Game: 29.4 – 3rd in the NFL

Rushing Yards/Game: 161.5 – 1st in the NFL

Yards/Play: 6.1 – 3rd in the NFL

Passing Yards/Game: 224 – 14th in the NFL

Yards/Pass Attempt: 8.2 – 4th in the NFL

Yards/Rush: 5.0 – 4th in the NFL

Red Zone TD %: 67.74% – 9th in the NFL

Completion %: 69.9% – 7th in the NFL

Third Down Conversion: 45.65% – 5th in the NFL

 

These are damn good numbers. This offense is efficient, productive, and balanced. We’re top-tier in yards, points, and play efficiency. The passing game may not be flashy in total yards, but it’s highly efficient—top 5 in yards per attempt and completion percentage.

Could we have added a WR? Sure. But let’s not ignore what’s already working. This team is moving the ball, scoring points, and doing it with balance and precision.  And the WR room gets better with Palmer back into the fold and I do think Gabe Davis will help on those scramble drills which seem to be missing this year.

Let’s keep perspective. The season is long, and the offense is already doing more than enough to win games.

 

This is a great post, and I agree we have an excellent offense.

 

You're clearly a glass-is-half-full kind of guy, and I respect that.  But I'm a greedy mutha who doesn't want to appreciate the half glass.  I want a full glass, gosh darn it! 

 

We have an MVP QB and yet we're middle of the pack in passing yards.  The immense arm talent of our unicorn QB is neutered, to an extent, by a weak receiving corps and an OC who doesn't excel at scheming a downfield passing game.   

 

As well as Brady does with the run and short passing games, I daydream about what our offense would look like if we could develop a potent downfield aerial attack too.  

[Kirby Jackson]

4 minutes ago, Southern McButterpants said:

I say this every week - It's a great gameplan when it works (the last two weeks are proof of that).

 

The loss to the Pat*s is evidence to support OP's point.

 

The loss the to Falcon is evidence of how off the tracks it goes when you don't follow this formula. 

It’s kind of like those great Warriors teams. They won 4 championships. They are the greatest shooting team of all-time. They shot the lights out from 3. If they shot the ball to their standard, they won. If they shot the ball at a top 5 or top 10 level, you could beat them. They didn’t lose often but if the game didn’t play out their way, they could get beat. 
 

This Bills team is obviously good. They’re the Super Bowl favorites for god’s sake. With that being said, the recipe to beat them isn’t complicated. Everyone knows it. Can you do it? That’s a different story. If a team is having success running and stopping the run, the Bills can’t just flip the switch (at least consistently). In the Diggs years they could. They could beat you more ways. To @NoSaint’s point, you will have to win 3 or 4 games in a row against great teams to get a championship. Your margin for error is nil. That’s tough when you have clear flaws. 

[Pete]

1 hour ago, Magox said:

Let's take a breath and look at what the offense is actually doing before we spiral over not getting a WR before the trade deadline.

 

Here are some facts that might help bring a little levity to the conversation:

 

Total Yards/Game: 385 – 1st in the NFL

Points/Game: 29.4 – 3rd in the NFL

Rushing Yards/Game: 161.5 – 1st in the NFL

Yards/Play: 6.1 – 3rd in the NFL

Passing Yards/Game: 224 – 14th in the NFL

Yards/Pass Attempt: 8.2 – 4th in the NFL

Yards/Rush: 5.0 – 4th in the NFL

Red Zone TD %: 67.74% – 9th in the NFL

Completion %: 69.9% – 7th in the NFL

Third Down Conversion: 45.65% – 5th in the NFL

 

These are damn good numbers. This offense is efficient, productive, and balanced. We’re top-tier in yards, points, and play efficiency. The passing game may not be flashy in total yards, but it’s highly efficient—top 5 in yards per attempt and completion percentage.

Could we have added a WR? Sure. But let’s not ignore what’s already working. This team is moving the ball, scoring points, and doing it with balance and precision.  And the WR room gets better with Palmer back into the fold and I do think Gabe Davis will help on those scramble drills which seem to be missing this year.

Let’s keep perspective. The season is long, and the offense is already doing more than enough to win 

Through 8 games- half a season

 

Khalil Shakir 383 yards 

Keon Coleman 292 yards 

Josh Palmer 234 yards 

Elijah Moore 110 yards 

Tyrell Shavers 48 yards

Curtis Samuel 41 yards 

 

Flipper Anderson had 336 yards in one game!

 

Calvin Johnson had 329 yards in one game!

 

 

[Magox]

Just now, GoBills808 said:

it's not broken

 

it just needs to be better to win a Super Bowl

 

It doesn’t need to be better—but sure, it could be. That said, the offense is already more than good enough to win a Super Bowl or any other meaningful game. The real question is the defense.

If the Bills can consistently play defense with the same tenacity and game planning we’ve seen recently, this team can absolutely go the distance.

Let’s be honest—everyone knows the defense has been the issue in past playoff runs. But watching Max Hairston paired with Benford, and seeing the emergence of Cole Bishop, gave me a glimpse of what this secondary could look like moving forward.

And then there’s the front seven—Bosa, Rousseau, and Epenesa were relentless against Mahomes. Deone Walker blowing up Creed Humphrey on the goal line to stop a touchdown? That was a statement.

Maybe I’m overly exuberant after these last two games, but something feels different. This defense is starting to look like it could be special—and that’s exciting.

[GoBills808]

2 minutes ago, Magox said:

 

It doesn’t need to be better—but sure, it could be. That said, the offense is already more than good enough to win a Super Bowl or any other meaningful game. The real question is the defense.

If the Bills can consistently play defense with the same tenacity and game planning we’ve seen recently, this team can absolutely go the distance.

Let’s be honest—everyone knows the defense has been the issue in past playoff runs. But watching Max Hairston paired with Benford, and seeing the emergence of Cole Bishop, gave me a glimpse of what this secondary could look like moving forward.

And then there’s the front seven—Bosa, Rousseau, and Epenesa were relentless against Mahomes. Deone Walker blowing up Creed Humphrey on the goal line to stop a touchdown? That was a statement.

Maybe I’m overly exuberant after these last two games, but something feels different. This defense is starting to look like it could be special—and that’s exciting.

it's not the personnel on defense, it's the system. and it's always going to get exposed postseason. there's no reason to think this year will be any different

 

so yes, the offense needs to be better

[Green Lightning]

1 hour ago, Magox said:

Let's take a breath and look at what the offense is actually doing before we spiral over not getting a WR before the trade deadline.

 

Here are some facts that might help bring a little levity to the conversation:

 

Total Yards/Game: 385 – 1st in the NFL

Points/Game: 29.4 – 3rd in the NFL

Rushing Yards/Game: 161.5 – 1st in the NFL

Yards/Play: 6.1 – 3rd in the NFL

Passing Yards/Game: 224 – 14th in the NFL

Yards/Pass Attempt: 8.2 – 4th in the NFL

Yards/Rush: 5.0 – 4th in the NFL

Red Zone TD %: 67.74% – 9th in the NFL

Completion %: 69.9% – 7th in the NFL

Third Down Conversion: 45.65% – 5th in the NFL

 

These are damn good numbers. This offense is efficient, productive, and balanced. We’re top-tier in yards, points, and play efficiency. The passing game may not be flashy in total yards, but it’s highly efficient—top 5 in yards per attempt and completion percentage.

Could we have added a WR? Sure. But let’s not ignore what’s already working. This team is moving the ball, scoring points, and doing it with balance and precision.  And the WR room gets better with Palmer back into the fold and I do think Gabe Davis will help on those scramble drills which seem to be missing this year.

Let’s keep perspective. The season is long, and the offense is already doing more than enough to win games.

It's never the in season numbers I worry about. It's about the one play we need on 4th down against the Chiefs in a AFC championship game, or making a stop when we really need it. It's about having an elite player who will get open when we need to stack some first downs to ice a title game. We're good, but always short on the clutch play, on either offense or defense, that the other team seems to have and we don't. I don't care if we rack up the points during the season. I care that we can close out of championship game. Elite players will get open (Kelce) or make that crucial stop (Chris Jones) to ice a game. During clutch time, we don't have anyone who is un-blockable or a player can't be covered. It keeps us outside looking in. What about this roster makes you think we'll get over that hump this year?

[VW82]

We're going to get Palmer back as early as this week. We've yet to really incorporate Cook in the passing game even though he's mroe than capable. Kincaid is now playing 2/3rds of his snaps either in the slot or as a boundary WR. Our TE group as a whole benefits from being dual threat. The passing offense is going to be fine. 

 

The subtext of these WR criticisms is some (Josh>Bills) fans are perfectly happy to live in a world where Josh puts up a lot of fantasy points but the Bills lose and they can blame Sean, Beane, and everyone else for letting Josh down.

 

An offense where Cook is occasionally the best player or a team where the defense sometimes bails out the offense is the worst outcome for these "fans" because Josh doesn't get to be the hero / doesn't get all the credit.     

[BillsVet]

42 minutes ago, dave mcbride said:

Going to echo others here, but that Baltimore team that the Bills faced was elite. They weren't by games 4-5 because of a ridiculous number of injuries to key players, but that was an impressive win. I actually expect them to win the AFC North at the end of the day. They still have two games vs Pittsburgh, so they control their own fate.

 

Baltimore was/is a very good team, but that game demonstrates the inherent issues within Buffalo's philosophy.  And yes, I can see them being in the playoff by virtue of a solid second half.  

 

The Ravens game showed that when Buffalo doesn't have, as @Kirby Jackson noted, the formula go according to plan they have to become a pass first team.  Specifically, getting behind late, not being able to run for whatever reason, and needing downfield throws to score quickly.  Results in those games are mixed...the win at Detroit, the loss at LA Rams, the loss to KC in the AFC CG last season come to mind.

 

It is not a reliable strategy, but it's what they've got for this season.  There's just no second or third pitch when the fastball isn't working.       

[GoBills808]

9 minutes ago, VW82 said:

We're going to get Palmer back as early as this week. We've yet to really incorporate Cook in the passing game even though he's mroe than capable. Kincaid is now playing 2/3rds of his snaps either in the slot or as a boundary WR. Our TE group as a whole benefits from being dual threat. The passing offense is going to be fine. 

 

The subtext of these WR criticisms is some (Josh>Bills) fans are perfectly happy to live in a world where Josh puts up a lot of fantasy points but the Bills lose and they can blame Sean, Beane, and everyone else for letting Josh down.

 

An offense where Cook is occasionally the best player or a team where the defense sometimes bails out the offense is the worst outcome for these "fans" because Josh doesn't get to be the hero / doesn't get all the credit.     

no

 

the subtext of the WR criticisms is some fans want to win a championship and some fans are more concerned about where to lay the blame

[FitzShowUsYourTitz]

1 hour ago, BillsVet said:

 

I don't care. 

 

Buffalo was second in points scored last year, third in point differential, etc. during the regular season.  And they still barely got past Baltimore in the Divisional Round game and had to grind it out in the AFC CG.  

 

The DEFENSE is built to succeed in the regular season and falters under the weight of greater expectations and pressure in the post-season.      

Corrected

DEFENSE

[BillsVet]

6 minutes ago, FitzShowUsYourTitz said:

Corrected

DEFENSE

 

No one's talking about defense in this thread.  But if we were...go ahead and start one. 

[Magox]

1 minute ago, Green Lightning said:

It's never the in season numbers I worry about. It's about the one play we need on 4th down against the Chiefs in a AFC championship game, or making a stop when we really need it. It's about having an elite player who will get open when we need to stack some first downs to ice a title game. We're good, but always short on the clutch play, on either offense or defense, that the other team seems to have and we don't. I don't care if we rack up the points during the season. I care that we can close out of championship game. Elite players will get open (Kelce) or make that crucial stop (Chris Jones) to ice a game. During clutch time, we don't have anyone who is un-blockable or a player can't be covered. It keeps us outside looking in. What about this roster makes you think we'll get over that hump this year?

 

I respectfully disagree with that take—focusing on one play instead of the full body of work from the game misses the bigger picture.

But even if we do isolate that one play against the Chiefs on first down, it wasn’t about receivers failing to get open. It was a well-designed blitz that our All-World QB misread, and the offensive line missed their assignments. That breakdown had everything to do with protection and recognition—not a lack of separation.

Let’s not rewrite the narrative based on one moment. The game is bigger than that.

 

When it comes to playmakers, I think this is the best offensive line we’ve had—better than last year’s unit. James Cook has emerged as a top-3 running back in the league, and Dalton Kincaid is now playing at a Pro Bowl level, with two other tight ends who can supplement the attack.

On defense, the emergence of Maxwell Hairston could be a game-changer. Cole Bishop, especially over the past two games, has brought a presence we haven’t seen since prime Jordan Poyer. Joey Bosa is playing at an elite level when he’s on, and Deone Walker is flashing signs of something special.

There’s a real chance we’re witnessing the rise of something new and exciting—this team is starting to look stacked with playmakers on both sides of the ball

[Ga boy]

40 minutes ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

This is a great post, and I agree we have an excellent offense.

 

You're clearly a glass-is-half-full kind of guy, and I respect that.  But I'm a greedy mutha who doesn't want to appreciate the half glass.  I want a full glass, gosh darn it! 

 

We have an MVP QB and yet we're middle of the pack in passing yards.  The immense arm talent of our unicorn QB is neutered, to an extent, by a weak receiving corps and an OC who doesn't excel at scheming a downfield passing game.   

 

As well as Brady does with the run and short passing games, I daydream about what our offense would look like if we could develop a potent downfield aerial attack too.  

I’d like to see long completions too, but this staff wants to control the clock to limit the other teams TOP, which is fundamental to complementary football.  Also, Dan Fouts played against different defenses.

[Buffalo4Life01]

46 minutes ago, GoBills808 said:

it's not broken

 

it just needs to be better to win a Super Bowl

This right here.  

[Big Turk]

Here are my thoughts:

 

1) The Bills are running the offense they want to run and it's intentional that they are not focusing on deeper throws.

 

2) The focus is on ball control, efficiency, taking layups repeatedly and rolling up points and running clock.

 

3) This then causes the other team to have fewer possessions and they have to match the Bills efficiency on offense which usually doesn't happen.

 

4) This usually results in the Bills winning by 2+ scores most games

 

And that's really it. We want them to throw the ball farther down field, they don't really care.

 

Their focus is on execution, paying attention to details and taking easy yards on any given play, then running the ball down your throat every chance they get.

 

Is it sexy? No.

Is it effective? Yes.

Do we have to like it? No.

Do we have to accept it? Yes.

 

[Blank Stare]

It is until it isn’t. Which unfortunately happens in the most critical moments.