Is run defense really the problem behind no super bowl with Josh?

[GoBills808]

Just now, QB Bills said:

Despite popular opinion, pass rush has not been the problem in the playoff losses. Its been coaching. Bruce Smith in his prime isn't sniffing Mahomes when he's getting the ball out within 2 seconds to receivers running wide open 5 yards from the line of scrimmage.

 

This is what drives me nuts about the Allen vs Mahomes discussion. Yes, Mahomes has been great in his career. But he hasn't had to do anything special against the Bills in the playoffs. I remember him missing two wide open receivers for easy TDs in the playoff loss at home and the Chiefs still won relatively easily.

The Kincaid drop game is a good example of how these narratives get created

 

Prior to that drive the game was tied at 29 w 3mins left when Mahomes went sack-incompletion-incompletion before Butker makes the FG for the Chiefs to take the lead. Yet because his kicker made a FG Mahomes is 'clutch' 

 

Meanwhile we are still hearing about Allen missing the throw to Shakir the yr prior and Bass missing his FG as proof the offense 'isn't getting it done at the end of games'

 

Just doesn't fly

[QB Bills]

5 minutes ago, GoBills808 said:

The Kincaid drop game is a good example of how these narratives get created

 

Prior to that drive the game was tied at 29 w 3mins left when Mahomes went sack-incompletion-incompletion before Butker makes the FG for the Chiefs to take the lead. Yet because his kicker made a FG Mahomes is 'clutch' 

 

Meanwhile we are still hearing about Allen missing the throw to Shakir the yr prior and Bass missing his FG as proof the offense 'isn't getting it done at the end of games'

 

Just doesn't fly

Its true. For the gamers out there, Mahomes is playing on rookie mode while Allen is playing on the All-Madden setting. He's had literally zero margin for error against KC in the playoffs. Its ridiculous.

Edited April 29 by QB Bills

[Pecker]

Seems like everyone thinks it’s our lack of pass rush.  You’d think that Beane would draft a pass rushing specialist at some point. Someone with speed and explosion off the snap.

[ColoradoBills]

Fans can believe whatever they want.  It's their right.  IMO the D has not performed as it should in the playoffs and the offense has known it.

It has to wear on Josh and the O.

Edited April 30 by ColoradoBills

[MJS]

It is obviously pass rush.

[Thrivefourfive]

1 hour ago, Buffalo Junction said:

Absolutely. It certainly wasn’t uncatchable. There was just a level of difficulty to it where if it had been made with a Bills win we’d be viewing it like the Tyree catch. The Diggs miss was much more frustrating to me 

 

 

 

 

One guy had a hall of famer assaulting him. The other… well, he was all alone on a soft feathery floater. 

[billsfan714]

2 hours ago, Thrivefourfive said:

 

 

 

 

One guy had a hall of famer assaulting him. The other… well, he was all alone on a soft feathery floater. 

Funny and true.

[Don Otreply]

Actually it was our loosie goosie pas defense, 

 

in one particular game…, 

Edited April 30 by Don Otreply

[Kelly No huddle]

It's obviously pass rush but more so imo because of ridiculous injuries to your top pass rushers. And once again scheme...

 

I never understood the idea that you're just going to rush four and play a bunch of your back seven in zones , because nine times out of ten really good quarterbacks , especially in the playoffs , are going to absolutely pick it apart. Unless you have a generational pass rush where you can get home with 4 consistently.Well then you see what happens...

 

This is the most excited i've been since before the 2021 season. 

 

The Archetype of having a young offensive minded head coach at the top is what I always wanted and actually, drafting corners that could play Real man, bump and run coverage so you can blitz more is what I wanted for years. 

 

This is the highest IQ coaching staff I think we've had here in a long time which is why I trust guy's like jim leonhard and what he wants to specifically do with the ohio state corner that we drafted for example

 

I watched a lot of big ten football , and when I saw jim leonard's defense at wisconsin , I knew he was one of the brightest young coaches in football today. His defense was absolutely outstanding. 

Edited April 30 by Kelly No huddle

[Kelly No huddle]

In 24 vs the ravens in the playoffs,  derrick henry had 12 carries for 22 yards in the 1st half.

 

They then had one great drive running the football in the third quarter, and then after that , it was once again , shut down.

 

In the early 4th, Henry tried to run for a 1st on 3rd and short and got nothing.  It then did the tush push with mark andrews and barely got the first down. On the very next play , they ran henry again for once again no gain. 

 

Outside of the second half vs cincinnati in 2022, i can't remember any team really having that much success running it on us in the playoffs.  And in 22 that dline was severely injured.

 

 

[90sBills]

5 hours ago, Thrivefourfive said:

Everything’s been a problem in the losses. Literally. The Bills play the whole game only to look like they have 9 players on the field and they’ve completely forgotten how to do anything on defense on that final, decisive possession. Broncos 2025 season, Chiefs 2024, Chiefs 2023, Chiefs 2022. In every one of those losses, the opponent had the ball last and put the game away. 

Opponents were able to put the game away in ‘23 and ‘24 because the offense failed to score when they had a chance to win the game. The blame isn’t all defense. 

[Kelly No huddle]

9 minutes ago, 90sBills said:

Opponents were able to put the game away in ‘23 and ‘24 because the offense failed to score when they had a chance to win the game. The blame isn’t all defense. 

 

Montana from 87-90 in the playoffs 

 

22 tds to 3 turnovers 

 

Kelly from 90-93 in the playoffs 

 

14 tds to 13 turnovers 

 

Allen from 20-23 in the playoffs 

 

25 tds and 5 turnovers 

 

 

 

Allen in just the div rd and afc championship game 

 

18 tds, 6 turnovers and 91 passer rating during his entire career 

 

Allen vs kc in the playoffs is 11 tds to 1 turnover , passer rating of 100

 

 

Allen already has more playoff tds than elways entire career at age 29.... Elway got to 5 super bowls. Allen zero

 

Elway is viewed as an iconic playoff qb.

Edited April 30 by Kelly No huddle

[Old Coot]

I'm not sure that one can ID a consistent failure for the 8 years we were in the playoffs. As other posters in this thread have pointed out our D and O have failed at crucial points in many of the games we lost; sometimes injuries contributed to those failures.

 

Sometimes it's good coaching by the opponent. By the time you get to the playoffs you are facing the better coaching staffs and they have plenty of tape on us. I watched some video on how the pats adjusted to one of our red zone plays involving a wheel route (by Cooke, I think). It was pretty complex and forced Josh to check down. I cannot locate it just now, otherwise I'd post it.

 

I think a case can be made for lack of a pass rush in the games in which we gave up a game-winning drive at the end.

 

Take, for example, the most recent Denver game, maye carved us up in the first half. In the second half, we cam out blitzing and the Denver O wasn't able to adjust. Then on Denver's last drive we don't blitz and they score.

 

If Cooks hadn't made that clutch catch downfield we'd have lost that game. Oh wait.....

[Kelly No huddle]

26 minutes ago, Old Coot said:

I'm not sure that one can ID a consistent failure for the 8 years we were in the playoffs. As other posters in this thread have pointed out our D and O have failed at crucial points in many of the games we lost; sometimes injuries contributed to those failures.

 

Sometimes it's good coaching by the opponent. By the time you get to the playoffs you are facing the better coaching staffs and they have plenty of tape on us. I watched some video on how the pats adjusted to one of our red zone plays involving a wheel route (by Cooke, I think). It was pretty complex and forced Josh to check down. I cannot locate it just now, otherwise I'd post it.

 

I think a case can be made for lack of a pass rush in the games in which we gave up a game-winning drive at the end.

 

Take, for example, the most recent Denver game, maye carved us up in the first half. In the second half, we cam out blitzing and the Denver O wasn't able to adjust. Then on Denver's last drive we don't blitz and they score.

 

If Cooks hadn't made that clutch catch downfield we'd have lost that game. Oh wait.....

 

💯 

 

One of the things about brandin cooks , he also dropped a key ball at the end of the first half , in the jags game that would've possibly put us up ten. 

 

People also forget before the controversial call.If i'm remembering correctly , allen put on an absolute dot that was also within field goal range , cooks caught it, but didn't get two feet down. Ppl never remember that play ...

 

 

This is another reason why i'm glad we're going with a much younger team this year for a lot of different reasons...

[90sBills]

1 hour ago, Kelly No huddle said:

 

Montana from 87-90 in the playoffs 

 

22 tds to 3 turnovers 

 

Kelly from 90-93 in the playoffs 

 

14 tds to 13 turnovers 

 

Allen from 20-23 in the playoffs 

 

25 tds and 5 turnovers 

 

 

 

Allen in just the div rd and afc championship game 

 

18 tds, 6 turnovers and 91 passer rating during his entire career 

 

Allen vs kc in the playoffs is 11 tds to 1 turnover , passer rating of 100

 

 

Allen already has more playoff tds than elways entire career at age 29.... Elway got to 5 super bowls. Allen zero

 

Elway is viewed as an iconic playoff qb.

Too bad we can’t save those TDs for failed winning drives. 

[Kelly No huddle]

2 hours ago, 90sBills said:

Too bad we can’t save those TDs for failed winning drives. 

 

I mean in these playoffs allen has multiple go ahead td drives and individual tds in the 4th qtr.  

 

It's actually extremely rare to even be in the situation to begin with. 

 

Off the top of my head he has 4 go ahead tds to out the team ahead in the 4th. 3x extremely late. 

 

I think there may be 1 other i have to check 

 

He's basically been the elway of this era. At least imo

Edited April 30 by Kelly No huddle

[bmur66]

3rd and long!

[Not at the table Karlos]

11 hours ago, frostbitmic said:

My bad ... I had 2020's 27-10 loss to the Colts instead of this past years score.

The 27-24 Bills win over the Colts? 

[Beck Water]

13 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Its been the defenses in ability to get off the field on 3rd in key moments of games.  This is the single biggest issue, and it has not mattered if a team ran or passed on the play, we gave up 3rd and down, often even 3rd and long, with utter ease.  

 

This

[Beck Water]

I wish you had a "maybe" option for us moderates

 

LOL

 

Seriously, I would say the run defense has a been a problem indirectly.  A week off and homefield advantage are huge in the playoffs.

 

Every season seems like, the Bills had 2-3 games where they just got run over - I'm talking giving up more than 200 rush yards or close, or sometimes having an 80% successful run D but giving up 2-3 Yuge runs.  And they lost.

 

Hypothetically, if the Bills won those games, they could have had that precious extra week of rest and played at home.  And those could have been difference makers.