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Buffalo Bills Season's End: The Off-Seasons Starts Now

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i don’t know if anyone would echo this, but something just feels way different this year on a core team vibe level. usually i have nerves going deeper into the playoffs, but this year it’s not like that for some reason?

in a way, the past few seasons’ failures seem serendipitous from a team learning/bonding perspective. the players/staff really enjoy each other, there are no glaring weaknesses roster wise, and coaching might be the best it has been under McD at any point in his tenure.

i know everyone thinks 13 seconds was some do or die moment, never to be surpassed on an ‘opportunity’ basis….. i disagree. that team was not ready to win. This Bills team, however, I don’t know, i just keep thinking about the way the players have been carrying themselves. they are so calm, like they know something good is coming soon. i don’t know how to describe it

every fan in the league always thinks that this is their team’s year. it’s massively cliche to say, but for me it has risen higher to a level of capital K “Knowing” even, beyond simply the fan tendency of thinking or praying for it. we are not going to stop winning. This year actually is our year. Definitely. maybe. go bills
 
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valet said:
i don’t know if anyone would echo this, but something just feels way different this year on a core team vibe level. usually i have nerves going deeper into the playoffs, but this year it’s not like that for some reason?

in a way, the past few seasons’ failures seem serendipitous from a team learning/bonding perspective. the players/staff really enjoy each other, there are no glaring weaknesses roster wise, and coaching might be the best it has been under McD at any point in his tenure.

i know everyone thinks 13 seconds was some do or die moment, never to be surpassed on an ‘opportunity’ basis….. i disagree. that team was not ready to win. This Bills team, however, I don’t know, i just keep thinking about the way the players have been carrying themselves. they are so calm, like they know something good is coming soon. i don’t know how to describe it

every fan in the league always thinks that this is their team’s year. it’s massively cliche to say, but for me it has risen higher to a level of capital K “Knowing” even, beyond simply the fan tendency of thinking or praying for it. we are not going to stop winning. This year actually is our year. Definitely. maybe. go bills
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I definitely feel what you're getting at here. There's some sort of vibe around the team at the moment. They're making the type of plays that win games. Part of that is Joe Brady and McDermott being aggressive at the right times. Brady doesn't outsmart himself too much, which Dorsey tended to. On 4th and inches or 4th and 1, we're giving the ball to our best player and letting our line win upfront. Utilizing higher percentage plays has kept the offense on the field more often and they're controlling the time of possession much more than they were. Dorsey was a real problem in my eyes and clearly held what should have been the best offense in football back last year and part of this. He'd often try a low percentage bomb to Gabe Davis on 3rd and 2 and then we'd punt. I'm not seeing that with Brady nearly as often.

I really want to feel good about this game but two things have me worried. First, the injuries which are just brutal. Bernard is possible the single biggest difference maker on that defense and helps us control the middle of the field better than we ever could with Edmunds. I just don't know how we will fare with a guy that was basically retired out there for the entire game against Mahomes, Kelce and a hall of fame play caller. I think we're going to give up more points than normal and will HAVE to score against an elite and healthy defense that gave us problems in the last game. This problem is much worse if Taron Johnson is out who I think can steady things if Bernard can't go. Hopefully we can have at least two of Johnson, Bernard and Benford out there, with Douglas looking like a go. Not worried about Gabe missing this game as he was basically shutout last time we played them, so give those snaps to someone better. This ain't the same Chiefs secondary from the 13 seconds game. We might do better with some speed on the field and utilizing Kincaid and Shakir a bunch.

Secondly, Mahomes is just clutch man. There's no denying it, he plays big in big moments. Josh does too, but not always like Mahomes. That's the difference between the two, especially if Josh gets rattled by their pass rush. Also, you know the Chiefs are going to be extra motivated to shut everyone up about never having a road playoff game. My guess is we'll get the absolute best shot the Chiefs have on Sunday and will need a nearly perfect game to win. Just think about our last two regular season wins that really game down to the defense making a play or two at the end.

If we were (more or less) fully healthy for this game, I'd feel pretty confident that we'd win. I think we have a better roster and a QB playing at a MVP level. Sure I'd love to have a better WR2 but we're certainly more loaded with weapons on offense. When healthy, the two defenses are very close, and both make big plays and have great coordinators. The Chiefs make clutch plays quite often and just stay in games even when their offense is sputtering. Again it'll likely come down to a couple key plays, possibly on special teams. We'll likely need someone unexpected to step up with a big play like we've seen the last couple games. They'll have a plan to contain Diggs and often do, so who is going to step up and be the hero this time?
 
valet said:
i don’t know if anyone would echo this, but something just feels way different this year on a core team vibe level. usually i have nerves going deeper into the playoffs, but this year it’s not like that for some reason?

in a way, the past few seasons’ failures seem serendipitous from a team learning/bonding perspective. the players/staff really enjoy each other, there are no glaring weaknesses roster wise, and coaching might be the best it has been under McD at any point in his tenure.

i know everyone thinks 13 seconds was some do or die moment, never to be surpassed on an ‘opportunity’ basis….. i disagree. that team was not ready to win. This Bills team, however, I don’t know, i just keep thinking about the way the players have been carrying themselves. they are so calm, like they know something good is coming soon. i don’t know how to describe it

every fan in the league always thinks that this is their team’s year. it’s massively cliche to say, but for me it has risen higher to a level of capital K “Knowing” even, beyond simply the fan tendency of thinking or praying for it. we are not going to stop winning. This year actually is our year. Definitely. maybe. go bills
Click to expand...
I agree with this sentiment, up until the bolded. The doomers (myself among them) expect the worst to happen because we have been conditioned to. It is never our year. If it ever happens, I will expect the world to end before our parade.

I will also commend McDermott. I have not been a fan of him over the last few years, and thought that he would be unable to overcome his fatal flaws. I sense a change in him - they are playing much more aggressively. I have no idea how he has kept the defense from collapsing with the injuries. The Dorsey decision was a big gamble, but it appears to have worked.

Winning makes it easier, but I have been critical of McDermott when they have won in the past. I just think that the recent experiences have galvanized him. I hope to gain further data to support this theory on Sunday.
 
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Despite being limited, I'd consider Taron the biggest longshot to play. Almost no players have cleared the protocol in one week this season. I don't think any have cleared it on short rest.
 
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Did anyone else remember we have QB Shane Buechele on our practice squad? Not that it matters, but I only know this because I guess his wife was hanging with Hailee Steinfeld during the game on Monday.

thenew961.com

Did Hailee Steinfeld Start Snowball Fight At Bills Game?

Snow was flying all day leading up to the Buffalo Bills' home game at Highmark Stadium and of course there were plenty of snowballs being thrown at the game.
thenew961.com thenew961.com
 
Husko said:
Despite being limited, I'd consider Taron the biggest longshot to play. Almost no players have cleared the protocol in one week this season. I don't think any have cleared it on short rest.
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Haven’t multiple bills done it this season? And hasn’t taron Johnson done it multiple times in the last few years?
 
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Husko said:
Despite being limited, I'd consider Taron the biggest longshot to play. Almost no players have cleared the protocol in one week this season. I don't think any have cleared it on short rest.
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Dang, that's a sobering take. Didn't realize that...I'm over here penciling him in.
 
Dirty Dog said:
Haven’t multiple bills done it this season? And hasn’t taron Johnson done it multiple times in the last few years?
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I could be wrong but I think they’ll be more cautious with this being multiple for him this year. He did clear in one week coming back for the Philly game IIRC, but I don’t see them putting him in unless he exceeds expectations on her recovery.
 
This feels like a Cam Lewis coming out game. Different players seem to have their's this year and it has really helped the depth. If Johnson can't go, KC is going to target him and he needs to be on his shit.
 
Moved to Richmond, VA recently. I don’t know if all the Wegmans do this but they have an entire Bills section there.
You see much more Bills stuff than Commanders stuff down here.
 

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missingmika said:
Moved to Richmond, VA recently. I don’t know if all the Wegmans do this but they have an entire Bills section there.
You see much more Bills stuff than Commanders stuff down here.
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welcome to the RIC. It's a great place to live. As you're just arriving, we're departing. lol Headed to Harrisonburg to be closer to the kids. Moving away next month after 31 years here.
 
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