Silver lining takes only

[Casey D]

We've been through all this before.  Remember 2023 when the Bills were 6-6 after that crushing loss in Philadelphia.  The problem is that the regular season means little to many fans now.  Win the Division, so what?  When only a SB appearance--at a minimum-- is acceptable, then anything that suggests we won't meet that lofty goal means the team and all its management and players absolutely suck.  Lots of fan bases would give their left nut to have a team like the Bills.  So just let the season ride out, we are 7-4 and have an 87% chance of making the playoffs.  In the playoffs anything can and has happened.

 

It is hard to believe that after a loss like Thursday.  Other teams-- particularly in primetime-- get fired up to play the Bills because they are the Bills.  Think about that.  I mean Houston has a good defense, but they don't fly around like lunatics every game like they did Thursday.  Why?  it's the Bills in primetime.  It  is hard for the Bills to match that intensity when playing-- Houston?  And despite all that, and all the mistakes, the Bills almost won.

 

So sit back and chill.  Forget seeding and all that, and play one game at a time and get to 11-6 and into the tourney.  Let's then see what they do, before deciding to get out the pitchforks.  Does that work?

[Psautcsk]

8 minutes ago, Casey D said:

We've been through all this before.  Remember 2023 when the Bills were 6-6 after that crushing loss in Philadelphia.  The problem is that the regular season means little to many fans now.  Win the Division, so what?  When only a SB appearance--at a minimum-- is acceptable, then anything that suggests we won't meet that lofty goal means the team and all its management and players absolutely suck.  Lots of fan bases would give their left nut to have a team like the Bills.  So just let the season ride out, we are 7-4 and have an 87% chance of making the playoffs.  In the playoffs anything can and has happened.

 

It is hard to believe that after a loss like Thursday.  Other teams-- particularly in primetime-- get fired up to play the Bills because they are the Bills.  Think about that.  I mean Houston has a good defense, but they don't fly around like lunatics every game like they did Thursday.  Why?  it's the Bills in primetime.  It  is hard for the Bills to match that intensity when playing-- Houston?  And despite all that, and all the mistakes, the Bills almost won.

 

So sit back and chill.  Forget seeding and all that, and play one game at a time and get to 11-6 and into the tourney.  Let's then see what they do, before deciding to get out the pitchforks.  Does that work?

Served up on a silver platter.

[YoloinOhio]

The silver lining is that my expectations are low. Right now I would be happy with a playoff win. 

[Augie]

We are a couple coordinators and a couple quality WR’s from running roughshod over this league!

 

Unfortunately, one broken position, like a car part, messes up everything else. But our DB’s are getting faster and more athletic and are figuring things out. Our OL, when healthy, is one of the better units out there. I love Walker already and I have high hopes for the young guys and Hoecht on the DL. 

 

It’s not as doom and gloom as it may appear to some. It’s a shame that we are having these struggles when there doesn’t seem to be a great team to beat for the SB, but this season has a long, long way still to go. 

 

That’s all I’ve got for now. 

[eball]

Everyone around here gets so damned dramatic.  In three of the four losses the Bills were literally one play away from a W.  The injury thing is a fluke.  Just get to the playoffs and hope Josh goes on a heater.

 

 

[YoloinOhio]

1 minute ago, eball said:

Everyone around here gets so damned dramatic.  In three of the four losses the Bills were literally one play away from a W.  The injury thing is a fluke.  Just get to the playoffs and hope Josh goes on a heater.

 

 

It’s more about the injuries for me with my view of the team’s ceiling this year than it is coaching or roster construction 

[Casey D]

22 minutes ago, eball said:

Everyone around here gets so damned dramatic.  In three of the four losses the Bills were literally one play away from a W.  The injury thing is a fluke.  Just get to the playoffs and hope Josh goes on a heater.

 

 

Well said.

[SoCal Deek]

It’s only a flesh wound. 

[Sweats]

..........we're still in play for a WC spot

[zow2]

There’s several teams over the years that don’t appear to be special, but get hot and make the SB. They may not win, but teams have gotten there. Gotta get in the tournament though. 

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

I have spent years KILLING this defense and specifically the coaching of it. We never make stops, can’t stop the run, every QB has all day on third down and every physical team blows us backwards off the ball for 3 hours. The defense is why we haven’t won a Super Bowl. The defense is why we have lost in the playoffs every year. The defense is why I felt we can’t win this year. All of that is because the guy coaching the defense is beyond useless. He has one job and sucks at it. He plays the wrong guys, the scheme has been since figured out and the stubbornness is crippling. The offense has earned the benefit of the doubt 10x over and as long as we have Allen we will always be good enough to make a run on offense. The defense is the thing that holds us back. I’m the #1 loudest guy about how TERRIBLE our defense is and has been……

 

silver lining 
 

The defense was good in that second half.
 

Once Bernard went out. 

(Sucks for him. Seems like a good guy I never wanna see a guy get hurt. Hope he is ok I’m not a POS)

 

The best thing that ever happened to this 2025 team was getting 45 and 58 on the field together.  It sucks that it took an injury to get the good guys in but we are here. If we could ever get Tarron Johnson out we might have something. Against Carolina and against Houston post Bernard were the two times I felt good about our defense in years. If we can stop people, we can win this whole thing. The offense will figure it out. The offense will be fine. If we play Thompson and Milano, we might have something here. Bernard and Tarron Johnson have been killing us for months. IMO the single most important event of the Bills season might have happened in that second half against Houston. Hate it for the reasoning but we are here now. And it might have saved us. God knows the coach was never going to do it on his own.

[Ray Stonada]

If we fired the coaches this offseason, take our lumps next year and eat salary cap, we could be back in action for the 2027 season, Josh's age 31 season.

 

We could be one of the youngest teams in the league again. 

 

Imagine Hairston, Bishop, Hancock and Walker as our defensive vets. Josh, Kincaid, Hawes, Shakir and Cook are the offensive vets. Other than these 9 players, our 53 is young and cost-controlled. 

 

Imagine a coach who is a great offensive playcaller and hires a great defensive coordinator... and both guys adjust at halftime!

 

Imagine a young, hungry DL with a big 1 tech and dominant ends.

 

Imagine JA with a stock of receivers drafted in 2026 and 2027, plus a bruising running back to complement Cook.

 

Imagine a 50 TD season from Josh and a 15-2 record, a 1 seed, two home playoff games at the new pile. Imagine...

 

It's fun to dream...

 

[Charles Romes]

Dominant road wins last year v the Seahawks and Colts  happened after getting pushed around by Houston. 

[Livinginthepast]

I think my default "silver lining" (often overtaken by my complete Bills cynicism) is that the Bills could win it all even with the team and the cards dealt to them if they just got hot at the right time.  They are flawed in several ways but with Allen, the X factor, that can sometimes be overcome . They have been close to doing this (2021) but slipped up at the most crucial stage (13 seconds). I know I'm dating myself here but when I think back on all the years watching the NFL (since 1979) there has been at least one team a decade who was as inconsistent as the Bills are now that somehow has put it all together at the perfect time. They would just have to win 4 games as WC team to accomplish this. These teams did it:

 

1980–81: Oakland Raiders–Super Bowl XV.

1997–98: Denver Broncos–Super Bowl XXXII.

2000–01: Baltimore Ravens–Super Bowl XXXV.

2005–06: Pittsburgh Steelers–Super Bowl XL.

2007–08: New York Giants–Super Bowl XLII.

2010–11: Green Bay Packers–Super Bowl XLV.

 

4/6 had great QB's. We have a great QB. The Raiders did it with a rejuvenated Jim Plunkett (who people thought was washed up. The Ravens did it with Trent (pick 6) Dilfer. The one thing that we lack compared to those teams (at the moment) is a solid defense. But get some of these guys back for January, make the WC round and anything can happen!

[Since1981]

We finally get a new stadium… complete with a semi-roof and heated turf that melts ALL the snow. Perfect. Because who doesn’t love the idea of Buffalo football without the one thing we actually enjoy

[oldmanfan]

We have Josh of course.  Despite their poor showing Thursday night the O line is pretty solid, and Cook is having a great year.  Get Kincaid back and with Palmer and Davis back we can have a balanced attack again. 

[Buffalo Boy]

Fans are finally opening their eyes to how incapable this regime is.

Acceptance is necessary for change 

[sven233]

There really isn't too much of a silver lining.  We lost.  We got beat up.  Multiple starters likely to IR for a team that already has a bunch of banged up players.  Our WRs were exposed once again.  Both of our lines got manhandled.  Allen took a beating.  Brady looked completely clueless out there even with the most obvious adjustments that needed to be made (adding an extra lineman to block when our 5 was getting eaten alive on every play, getting away from running mesh on just about every play right in front of the Texans defense that was waiting for it constantly, never once trying a shot down the field, etc.).  Our defense, while better in the 2nd half still being unable to stop Davis Freaking Mills from putting up 20 in the first half.  Missed XP, and multiple penalties on returns that held back our starting field position.

 

I could go on, but you were looking for a silver lining.  The only thing I can come up with is that with them winning, it separates them from KC a bit more and makes it harder for the Chiefs to get in as a Wild Card.  I guess if we're going down this season, we may as well take the Chiefs with us if we can.  Oh.....1 more positive....  we don't have to play until next Sunday.

[BuffaloMatt]

That the Houston game is over. That was like watching a fighter get knocked out in the UFC and the ref being slow to stop the raining elbow strikes. 

[goldenboy81]

Josh Allen gives me hope every single year, so why not this one too.