Just a regular season win but it feels like the Bills cleared a hurdle

[PoundingDog]

In the Josh Allen era of the Bills, the goal has quickly risen to Superbowl aspirations. Two hurdles have stopped them time and time again. The biggest one is the Mahomes and the Chiefs. They are now able to beat them in the regular seasons and have come close to the playoffs. The other is the Burrow + his weapons and the Bengals. The Bills has never come close in beating the Bengals both in the regular season and the playoff. They clear the first hurdle of beating them today. I can see in Josh's face and the players.

 

Sure the Bengals is not the Bengals of a few years ago. I think they are the best offense in NFL right now; once they are rolling, it is almost impossible to stop. The Bills are not the Bills a few years ago. The fact the Bills are able to match the offensive ouput is a lot of factors. Josh Allen may not have the talent he had in the past but he showed you he can still make plays. McDermott looked that he learned the lessons to not so hardheaded in trusting his defense and was willing to gamble on Josh Allen.  

 

The defense barely made enough plays to cover up the mistakes the offense made. I owe an apology to Benford. He's playing at pro-bowl level in the current streak that I never thought he ever had, and I'm not just talk about his flash plays - he's coverage was great. Though I still don't see him being a true #1 corner in the league. 

[Allen2Moulds]

And the Bengals playoff odds all but died today. For all the ups and downs this year, Allen is 3-0 against Mahomes, Burrow and Lamar this year.

Edited 8 hours ago by Allen2Moulds

[JGMcD2]

25 minutes ago, PoundingDog said:

Josh Allen may not have the talent he had in the past but he showed you he can still make plays.

Are you saying he doesn’t have talent around him, or his own talent has diminished?

[WotAGuy]

1 minute ago, JGMcD2 said:

Are you saying he doesn’t have talent around him, or his own talent has diminished?

Clearly he’s going downhill. I thought it was Coleman on that 40-yard TD, he took so long to get there.  

[Royale with Cheese]

Allen beat Burrow, Jackson and Mahomes.  That’s the 90’s equivalent Kelly beating Marino, Elway and Moon.  I don’t know if Kelly did that in one season.

[TFBillsfan]

Benford and Cook showing up! Would be great to see Groot have a pulse down the stretch with sacking the QB!

[Slack_in_MA]

9 minutes ago, WotAGuy said:

Clearly he’s going downhill. I thought it was Coleman on that 40-yard TD, he took so long to get there.  

Did you happen to notice the slippery white stuff on the field? Sheesh….

[PromoTheRobot]

This game pretty much ensures the Bills will be in the playoffs. They won't win the East unless something fluky happens, though.

[MiltonWaddams]

3 minutes ago, Slack_in_MA said:

Did you happen to notice the slippery white stuff on the field? Sheesh….

We should all just pray that he’s being sarcastic.

[WotAGuy]

3 minutes ago, Slack_in_MA said:

Did you happen to notice the slippery white stuff on the field? Sheesh….

I guess if you have to explain a joke, it wasn’t a very good joke. Or, as DC Tom would say, “You’re an idiot!”  😂

[Slack_in_MA]

Just now, WotAGuy said:

I guess if you have to explain a joke, it wasn’t a very good joke. Or, as DC Tom would say, “You’re an idiot!”  😂

I’m thinking the former. Internet sarcasm stinks once again!

[Kwai San]

1 hour ago, Allen2Moulds said:

And the Bengals playoff odds all but died today. For all the ups and downs this year, Allen is 3-0 against Mahomes, Burrow and Lamar this year.

 

Sadly the downs are Atlanta, Miami, the Cheats.....if we win ANY of those games which were close to begin with....TOTAL different story.  Bills have me billeving right now.  Foxboro is gonna be a tight win.....we will see how the rest of the season plays out.  12-1 in december over the last 4 seasons.....that says alot.  Well now 13-1 !!!  GO BILLS!!!

[TheWeatherMan]

Arguably worse than 13 seconds: Up 11 with 3:03 left in the game, this defense allows a 50 second 4 play 66 yard touchdown.  I disagree, no corners were turned, and no lead is safe.  It’s the same perpetual nightmare we’ve been living for 6 years running. 

[MiltonWaddams]

6 minutes ago, TheWeatherMan said:

Arguably worse than 13 seconds: Up 11 with 3:03 left in the game, this defense allows a 50 second 4 play 66 yard touchdown.  I disagree, no corners were turned, and no lead is safe.  It’s the same perpetual nightmare we’ve been living for 6 years running. 

“arguably worse than 13 seconds”?! Not a ***** chance

[WotAGuy]

1 hour ago, Slack_in_MA said:

I’m thinking the former. Internet sarcasm stinks once again!

I happen to think it was an excellent example of employing the “Coleman is slow” trope, using an ironic twist on Allen’s current physical ability. 

[strive_for_five_guy]

1 hour ago, WotAGuy said:

I guess if you have to explain a joke, it wasn’t a very good joke. Or, as DC Tom would say, “You’re an idiot!”  😂

Ha, I thought it was pretty clear you were joking….

[NeverOutNick]

15 minutes ago, TheWeatherMan said:

Arguably worse than 13 seconds: Up 11 with 3:03 left in the game, this defense allows a 50 second 4 play 66 yard touchdown.  I disagree, no corners were turned, and no lead is safe.  It’s the same perpetual nightmare we’ve been living for 6 years running. 

Ya but we won…I agree it’s scary that McD still can’t close a game comfortably but no Chiefs, bengals or ravens in the playoffs gives me some mild optimism this may actually be the year 

[Neo]

5 hours ago, WotAGuy said:

I happen to think it was an excellent example of employing the “Coleman is slow” trope, using an ironic twist on Allen’s current physical ability. 

 

 

I got the original joke.    I liked the original joke.

 

This use of “trope” and “irony” is spectacular.

[GunnerBill]

I guess put me in the camp that never really believed we had a problem against the Bengals in the same way. Are their receivers a tough matchup for our corners? Yes, and for EVERY other set of corners in the NFL. Tee Higgins would be a #1 on over half the NFL rosters and Chase is the 1st or 2nd best receiver in football. 

 

The Hamlin game they marched down the field, then a bit like last night so did we, but we stalled out in the redzone and were down 7-3. Then they were moving again and what happened, happened. 

 

The playoff game honestly I know it sucks to say this about a divisional playoff game but you have to throw that game out. I don't know the reason and I suspect we never fully will.... was it exhaustion after a season of upheaval? Was it the emotional impact of the same team and the Hamlin incident a few weeks before? Was it that was the true nadir of the Allen - Diggs fallout that had ripped the heart out of the locker room? Was it a combination of all that? I don't know. But there was something other than Xs and Os or execution of the gameplan that was off with the Bills that night. Every single one of them to a man had the glassy eyed look when the camera was on them. 

 

And then the following season we lost a messy, scrappy game in Cincinnati. A game neither team played that well in. 

 

That isn't to say beating the Bengals with a healthy Joe Burrow is ever easy. They were 8-0 in his last eight starts before last night. When they have him and his guys up on offense they are a tough out for anyone. But I just don't see them as being a "hurdle" the Bills have to get over in the same way as KC in the post-season. Playing the Bengals with Burrow is like playing the Ravens with Lamar. It's going to be a tough game, sometimes you will win and sometimes you will lose.