Were We Running Into a Stacked Box?

[Livinginthepast]

Yes that was their strategy. Of course a smart OC would anticipate that and have a plan B and plan C, but well you know where this is headed.

[BillsFooteball]

Yeah the fact bills WRS couldn’t beat and win one on one matchups vs Miami backup secondary tell you everything you need to know about them 

[EmotionallyUnstable]

I’m only 3 drives in, but so far a few things jump out at me: 

 

- 12/13 personnel: Miami went to a 5 down front (3 DTs). It made it really hard on our interior guys to get to the second level. 
 

- 3rd & 1: Torrence mental error and stays on the double team instead of coming off his block to the ILB who makes the stop.

 

- 1 blown up run in the back field was on McGovern, completely overrun’s the LB on the inside zone and gets beat underneath.

 

-#20 for Miami is very good against the run. 

Edited 16 hours ago by EmotionallyUnstable

[philholbroo]

they knew Bills coaches were coming in looking to play it safe and be very vanilla. They knew they could stack and press as there was zero threat for long plays. They also knew that it would take at least 1st half for Bills to adjust out of that, or them being up big. Up 16 Bills were not adjusting gameplan.

[Tuco]

When the TV announcer even mentions that whenever Kincaid leaves the field Cook gets the ball, yeah, the box gets stacked.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

15 minutes ago, Tuco said:

When the TV announcer even mentions that whenever Kincaid leaves the field Cook gets the ball, yeah, the box gets stacked.

Brady: "Good!  We've got them right where they want us!"

😇

[boyst]

22 hours ago, GolfandBills said:

Yes

this is all that is needed.  we ran into a stacked box and created absolutely no offense to get the dolphins out of it despite them using a #3CB, a #4CB, a basically practice squad nickel, a #3 safety, and #5 LB, and trading away Jaylen Phillips.

 

seriously that defense Miami put out had little to no talent and stopped us entirely by scheme.

 

it was horrific. it was a travesty.

[BillsFan2313]

22 hours ago, Goin Breakdown said:

I already know the first few plays of the Tampa game. 
1- Cook up the guy for 3 yards

2- screen to Shakir 

3- back shoulder to Coleman

PUNT

 

That was the first time we went 3 and out on the first drive all year

[nucci]

Miami had 10 players at LOS and we run a WR sweep with Moore

[colin]

To my eye we did because we were stubborn (arrogant).  We played vs big personnel on d with our tiny nickel, and when we saw stacked boxes early vs the fish when we had the ball we were predictable and ran the same cut backs we always do, which they stayed at home and beat.  

 

Week to week this coaching staff just doesn't have ideas, and what's more when it fails early, there is no answer.  The team gets up for games the coaches are up for and prep for, and fails in games where the coaches just don't bother to have answers.  All three losses look the same -- the offense gets figured out by the opposing d, makes no adjustments, and we have to drop back and force balls to low talent wrs.  Early down throws and play action was there to be had vs Miami, we just don't like to be unpredictable 

[Bruffalo]

On 11/10/2025 at 11:19 AM, Goin Breakdown said:

I already know the first few plays of the Tampa game. 
1- Cook up the guy for 3 yards

2- screen to Shakir 

3- back shoulder to Coleman

PUNT

This is sort of my main problem with Brady this season.  Everything feels predictable.

 

Kincaid in? Passing play.

 

Under center? Running play. 

 

Shotgun? Passing play. 

 

There's a serious lack of tendency breaking and the willingness to adapt in situational moments. I don't know if it's just hubris or what but it really looks like the Bills just call their plays in spite of whatever the defense is doing.  Allen and Cook are just good enough to mask it. 

Edited 1 hour ago by Bruffalo

[ngbills]

There was a time when we used to spread the field and run the ball. You put guys out wide and the D has to bring guys with them.  Now we like to pack everyone in bunch formations. I don’t get it. And it’s not just in our run plays. How many times on passing plays do you see two or more guys running in the same area. It’s like Brady has no concept of space. Let’s send two guys the same space so not only do those defenders go with them but the safety has an easier job helping.

[Psautcsk]

23 hours ago, Goin Breakdown said:

This is what makes me sick. They dared our WR to beat there crew of practice squad DBs and no one was open. 

Maybe other teams will not notice this.

[Haslett_Stomp]

4 minutes ago, ngbills said:

There was a time when we used to spread the field and run the ball. You put guys out wide and the D has to bring guys with them.  Now we like to pack everyone in bunch formations. I don’t get it. And it’s not just in our run plays. How many times on passing plays do you see two or more guys running in the same area. It’s like Brady has no concept of space. Let’s send two guys the same space so not only do those defenders go with them but the safety has an easier job helping.

 

The passing offense had the same issue when Dorsey was OC, especially in year 2.

[Goin Breakdown]

1 hour ago, BillsFan2313 said:

 

That was the first time we went 3 and out on the first drive all year

Yeah. They were saying that on tv and then it happened. I get it 

28 minutes ago, Psautcsk said:

Maybe other teams will not notice this.

I'm sure this is what Brady is hoping for

[CincyBillsFan]

On 11/10/2025 at 11:21 AM, Charles Romes said:

Honestly, I’m shocked we haven’t seen a defender sit on the little screen to Shakir and take it to the house - yet. 

I've wondered that to and my guess is that they still have to spy Allen and sitting on that screen might leave the middle open for him to take off.

 

 

Edited 4 hours ago by CincyBillsFan

[T master]

On 11/10/2025 at 10:00 AM, st pete gogolak said:

I’m not an All-22 guy and I’m genuinely curious to hear from posters who are whether we were running into a stacked box yesterday.  For one example, what defense was Miami in on the first drive 3rd and one?  
 

It seemed Miami’s mindset coming in was to stop the run and challenge Josh Allen to beat them with his arm, which is kind of insane when you put in down on paper.  I believe that going into the game, we were the only NFL team with more rushing attempts than passing attempts, which is also kind of crazy considering who’s playing QB for us.

 

it also drives me nuts that we don’t have variations on certain formations. The announcers said it during the game. Gilliam’s in, it’s a run, Kincaid is in, it’s a pass.  Why not play action when Gilliam is in?  Same thing last year. No variation on the tush push. Always over the left guard. Cost us against KC.  
 

At this point, I’m hoping for some sort of change-up. Move Coleman to big slot and move Shakir outside. Stop throwing bubble screens.  Something.

 

Sorry this turned into a rant. Anyway, were we running into a heavy box against the Dolphins? If not, why was the running game so bad?

And one would think given the experiences that the OC supposedly has had in his career that he could draw up a lot more plays with the weapons he has at his disposal .

 

It baffles me how a game like the Miami game could ever happen with what supposed talent the Bills have on hand even with all the injuries they still should have put up a ton more points than they did with those they had !! 

[transplantbillsfan]

I haven't listened to Joe Marino's All-22, but Sal Capacio on his podcast right after the game pointed out that reporters and beat writers after the game are always given a game book, which includes personell and the Dolphins played with 3 LBs on the field for the vast majority of the game.

 

So yes.

[Call_Of_Ktulu]

They are watching the Dick Jauron film instead of the Marv Levy film on how we used Thurman Thomas. 
How Cook isn’t running at least 4 wheel routes a game is criminal. 

[JP51]

Teams have figured out after watching Josh have to sit in the pocket for 4 seconds that we can't throw downfield they are gonna stack the box