The #1 Key To Buffalo Going On A Playoff Run

[GolfandBills]

A semi miracle 

[extrahammer]

No Hochuli. 

[gjv]

From my perspective the key to a playoff run is Turnovers. Our offense has to not make any turnovers, and our defense has to make turnovers happen. Our succcess last year was a product of the success we had in the turnover game.

[Lionel Hutz]

Do Bills fans have the memory of a goldfish? Who in their right mind would want to face the Ravens with a healthy Derrick Henry on the road in the first round?

[Gregg]

2 minutes ago, Lionel Hutz said:

Do Bills fans have the memory of a goldfish? Who in their right mind would want to face the Ravens with a healthy Derrick Henry on the road in the first round?

 

I don't want the Bills to have to face them at home either. In the playoff game the Bills won the turnover battle by 3 and were playing at home and still needed a botched 2-point try by the Ravens to get the win. They were outplayed in the opener this year and should have lost. If Henry doesn't fumble, they would have lost. No thanks from me on the Bills playing the Ravens. Rooting for the Steelers to win that division.

[iwishitwerecolder]

5 minutes ago, Lionel Hutz said:

Do Bills fans have the memory of a goldfish? Who in their right mind would want to face the Ravens with a healthy Derrick Henry on the road in the first round?

Do you have the memory of a goldfish? We’ve beaten them twice in the playoffs!! The Texans on the other hand…

8 hours ago, SectionC3 said:

Even if we were to beat BAL in the WC round, they're a physical team and I don't like the prospect of then traveling to potentially play the #1 seed coming off of a bye.  

You do realize the Steelers have a shot at the north.. right?

[CSBill]

9 hours ago, All_Pro_Bills said:

Protect the football. In 4 losses the Bills have turned the ball over 11 times (NE = 3, Atl = 2, Mia = 3, Hou = 3). That's losing 11 possessions and scoring opportunities and giving the opponent points of turnovers chances. 2 of 4 of the losses were one score games. Lose the turnover battle on the road in the playoffs and its an early off season.  

 

This is everything. Don't turn it over, you win. Turn it over 2-3 times a game, you lose.

[WotAGuy]

Hard to see this version of the Bills winning a bunch of road playoff games this year. 

[ganesh]

11 hours ago, QCity said:

 

Baltimore are favorites to win the AFC North and playing the Ravens in the first round is certainly not a dream scenario.

Steelers:  @ravens,  Dolphins @lions, @browns, Ravens.          (3 Away, 2 Home)

Ravens:    Steelers, @bengals, Patriots, @packers, @steelers. (3 Away, 2 Home)

Bengals:  @bills, Ravens, @dolphins,  cardinals, brown             (2 Away, 3 Home)

 

The Bills can end the Bengals season this sunday with a victory

[Paup 1995MVP]

23 hours ago, iwishitwerecolder said:

I’ve done some thinking over the past week about the upcoming bills games, seeding, ect.. and there’s one blaring problem that prevents Buffalo from making a run in the playoffs. That problem has to do with home field advantage. It’s pretty clear by now we aren’t winning the division, the patriots likely have that locked up barring an utter collapse like the dolphins in 2023. But one thing sticks out to me, and is the fix to the problem that can propel Buffalo going on a run. It has to do with the 5 seed.. let me explain.

 

I have done some playoff generators and this is what I’ve concocted as the most likely/best case scenario for Buffalo (being the 5 seed)

 

1. Broncos/Patritos (flip flop it, it doesn’t matter to my point)

2. Broncos/Patritos (flip flop it, it doesn’t matter to my point)
3. (AFC south winner)

4. (AFC north winner)

5. Buffalo

6. (2nd place in AFC south)

7. Chiefs/3rd spot in AFC south/Chargers/ect.

 

The reason Buffalo needs the 5 seed is to have the chance to play the winner of the AFC north. It’s clear to everyone the AFC north is lacking right now, and with how the playoffs work and division winners ect, the ravens/steelers will likely be the 4 seed. Buffalo has an amazing record against the AFC north since Josh Allen has been at the helm, especially in the playoffs, being 3-1. (Loss vs cinci). If Buffalo can get the Steelers, or really, even the ravens in the first round it would be the dream scenario. While some on this forum may think I’m “thinking ahead too much”, or that Buffalo shouldn’t worry about who they play on their playoff schedule and to just “beat who they play”, I would have to disagree. The bills have struggled on the road in the playoffs, and with it being more and more likely by the passing week that Buffalo will be a wild card team, this is what is going to have to happen. The bills will need a weak wild card weekend opponent to make a run. Go Bills and thanks for reading

How about we worry about beating Cincinnati and New England.  Let’s get on a roll and it shouldn't matter who we play in the playoffs.  We have 5 regular season games left.  Just enjoy the ride.  

[billieve420]

Being healthy is my #1 concern. Seems team is always battling something or other come playoff time.  

[Richard Noggin]

So no one (especially the OP) has worked out even one simulation of how the AFC bracket would progress for Buffalo's "playoff run" beginning with a road win against the Ravens? What are the other 2 matchups during the WC round? Any other road warrior upsets? (Which would mean Buffalo does NOT travel to the top seed for Divisional round.) Could all three WC teams win on the road, given the leaguewide parity? (Which would mean Buffalo hosts #6 AND THEN either travels to #1 or hosts #7 for the AFCCG.) How does the AFC seeding shake out after week 18? 

 

[Billsatlastin2018]

This post is Wandering In the Desert Years deja vu, isn’t it? We had these same fun, but goofy posts then, involving teams A, B, C, D, and E winning and losing, so that the Bills could make that meteoric rise. If and if and if and if.
How laughable, because the Bills had lost games they shouldn’t have- like this year.

 

And…IT NEVER WORKED OUT!

And they never made the Playoffs.

 

In 2025, they have shat their own bed and short of the Patsies having a terrible collapse through injury to Maye, etc., the best the Bills can do is to finish 5th.

 

On the road, therefore, likely all the way.

What a disaster! 

[mjt328]

This year isn't going to be about the opponent we face.

None of the teams in the AFC are elite juggernauts.  I could see us beating any of them.  

But they all have something that can exploit us.  Which means I could also see us losing to any of them.  

 

In my opinion, the key to this postseason is going to be consistency.  It will require 4 straight quality performances against top level competition.  Our best bet is getting all phases up to at least a solid/decent level, so that it's not a glaring weakness leading to our downfall.  Then hopefully Josh Allen can break out of his slump and be the element that pushes us over the top.

 

#1 - We can't go into the postseason relying completely on James Cook sparking the offense.  At least one of our opponents is going to succeed in stopping the run, and at some point our WRs will need to get open and we will need to move the ball through the air.  The offense needs back Dalton Kincaid and Josh Palmer fully healthy... and Brandin Cooks needs to become someone the defense needs to account for downfield (similar to what Amari Cooper provided last season).

 

#2 - We can't go into the postseason with our rushing defense constantly getting run over.  At some point we will inevitably face someone like Jonathan Taylor or Derrick Henry.  There needs to be a realization that our normal plan on defense isn't working against the run.  Less nickel and more 4-3.  More Shaq Thompson and less Terrel Bernard.  Doing this led to our best rush defense all season against Pittsburgh.  Keep it going.

 

#3 - We can't go into the postseason without getting pressure on the QB.  This has been our weak point each of the last 5 years.  Even if Patrick Mahomes misses, there are still passers who will exploit us if we give him too much time in the pocket.  Joey Bosa and Ed Oliver need to return healthy, and some other guys need to step up.

[SoCal Deek]

1 hour ago, Billsatlastin2018 said:

This post is Wandering In the Desert Years deja vu, isn’t it? We had these same fun, but goofy posts then, involving teams A, B, C, D, and E winning and losing, so that the Bills could make that meteoric rise. If and if and if and if.
How laughable, because the Bills had lost games they shouldn’t have- like this year.

 

And…IT NEVER WORKED OUT!

And they never made the Playoffs.

 

In 2025, they have shat their own bed and short of the Patsies having a terrible collapse through injury to Maye, etc., the best the Bills can do is to finish 5th.

 

On the road, therefore, likely all the way.

What a disaster! 

Is it really a disaster considering how this roster has been constructed? When you step back and look at it objectively the Bills have gotten next to nothing out of the entire Draft class (with the exception of ‘some’ limited play from Mad Max). Add to that their prized free agents have likewise all but disappeared (with the exception of Bosa…while he remains healthy). Put all of that together and it’s kind of a miracle they’re sitting at 8-4 in December. So I’m thinking they’re right about where they should be. However, this cannot continue for another season. The Team seems like it’s running on fumes and maxing out its credit cards just to pay the rent.