Buffalo Bills Week 15: New England (3-11) at Buffalo (11-3), 12/22, 4:25 PM (flexed), CBS

[Jim Bob]

It might have been the fan expectation going into the year but the quarterback is playing like the best player in football. If he maintains this level and they don’t progress forward from their usual standard, that’s failure.

It wasn't just a fan expectation, Beane talked openly about it. It's just that the addition by subtraction with the remaking of the WR room went way better than anyone expected.

Nobody expected this group of weapons to put up 8 straight games of 30+ points like prime Brady and Manning did.

Results in the playoffs oftentimes come down to things like health (just looked at how banged up thy were at LB and DB against KC last year) and luck (coin toss in the 13 seconds game).

I could see another KC-Buffalo playoff matchup coming down to who has the healthier roster that day.

 

[Dubi Doo]

It wasn't just a fan expectation, Beane talked openly about it. It's just that the addition by subtraction with the remaking of the WR room went way better than anyone expected.

Nobody expected this group of weapons to put up 8 straight games of 30+ points like prime Brady and Manning did.

Results in the playoffs oftentimes come down to things like health (just looked at how banged up thy were at LB and DB against KC last year) and luck (coin toss in the 13 seconds game).

I could see another KC-Buffalo playoff matchup coming down to who has the healthier roster that day.

Say it louder for the people in the back because it's an unspoken truth. Kills me that KC got the injury luck over MIA and BUF last year. Miami likely screws the pooch regardless, but we've shown we can lay a whooping on them. No reason to doubt the day would've been much tougher on Mahomes if our LB core and DBs were healthy.

 

[Jim Bob]

Say it louder for the people in the back because it's an unspoken truth. Kills me that KC got the injury luck over MIA and BUF last year. Miami likely screws the pooch regardless, but we've shown we can lay a whooping on them. No reason to doubt the day would've been much tougher on Mahomes if our LB core and DBs were healthy.

The interesting part is that people can look at the Lions this year and understand that their playoff results will likely be limited by all the injuries they have suffered.

But, they are unable or unwilling to see the same thing happening with the Bills.

Last year, they were playing AJ Klein at MLB against the Chiefs.

The year before, they were injured and emotionally spent after the Damar situation, and all the other stuff with the blizzard, the Tops shooting, Kim Pegula's health episode, etc.

McDermott haters want to call those kinds of things excuses. But, the margins are so thin in the playoffs because you aren't playing the Giants or Browns at that time of year. And those things matter even more.

That's why I wish the Bills could have somehow gotten the 1 seed. With KC having the early bye week, getting that extra rest and making KC play that extra game would be huge. But unless Mahomes is out for the next 2 or 3 weeks, that seems unlikely now.

 

[Jim Bob]

NFL Week 15 best and worst coaching decisions: Bills’ Joe Brady’s great plan vs. Lions

Also, Liam Coen's Buccaneers offense had no trouble against the Chargers, and DeMeco Ryans' Texans took away a Dolphins strength.

www.nytimes.com

Campbell’s late-game management​

Speaking of Lions coaches, we love Campbell for his belief in his team and commitment to aggressiveness. I don’t have a problem with the fourth-down decisions, but attempting an onside kick with 12 minutes left, right after your team held the Bills to a field goal and scored a touchdown to cut the lead to 10, was reckless.

Campbell understandably didn’t trust his defense, but the onside kick is such a low-percentage play that you shouldn’t try one until you absolutely have to, especially since you can’t surprise onside kick anymore. Last season, just 5.2 percent of onside kicks were successful, and that’s with surprise onside kicks.

Campbell also made a critical clock-management error. The Lions tackled running back Ray Davis with 2:41 remaining. The Lions had all three timeouts but didn’t use one and let 39 seconds run off the clock. The clock ticked down to 2:03 after the Bills kicked a field goal. If the Bills kicked a returnable ball on the kickoff, the Lions might have lost the advantage of the two-minute warning. Completing the comeback would have been difficult, but Campbell’s mistakes cost them a better chance to do so.

That sounds like a lot of the complaints about McD's late game management in the Rams game.

Like I said last week, no coach is perfect with this stuff.

 

[HaNotsri]

NFL Week 15 best and worst coaching decisions: Bills’ Joe Brady’s great plan vs. Lions

Also, Liam Coen's Buccaneers offense had no trouble against the Chargers, and DeMeco Ryans' Texans took away a Dolphins strength.

www.nytimes.com

That sounds like a lot of the complaints about McD's late game management in the Rams game.

Like I said last week, no coach is perfect with this stuff.

Not using the timeout is the only complaint I agree with.
Onside kick at least saves time and they'd need to do it regardless of the outcome of the next two drives.

 

[Dubi Doo]

NFL Week 15 best and worst coaching decisions: Bills’ Joe Brady’s great plan vs. Lions

Also, Liam Coen's Buccaneers offense had no trouble against the Chargers, and DeMeco Ryans' Texans took away a Dolphins strength.

www.nytimes.com

That sounds like a lot of the complaints about McD's late game management in the Rams game.

Like I said last week, no coach is perfect with this stuff.

What Josh Allen does to a mfer!

I read a Reddit post (I know, I know) saying the Bills only punted once on 10 drives, which is a 10% chance of stopping Allen and co. An onside kick has an 8% chance of hitting + the Bills have iffy special teams. I'm not sure the call was that crazy given Allen was going nuclear + all the injuries to their defense.

 

[SharkInABoloTie]

it isn’t a fact. You’re ignoring every fact to the contrary

1-4 in the playoffs against them says otherwise

 

[26CornerBlitz]

Uniform Reveal | Bills vs. Patriots | Week 16

The Buffalo Bills will wear their red Color Rush jerseys, white pants, red socks, and white helmets this week as they face the New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium.

 

[Tsujimoto]

Uniform Reveal | Bills vs. Patriots | Week 16

The Buffalo Bills will wear their red Color Rush jerseys, white pants, red socks, and white helmets this week as they face the New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium.

Kinda weird that they're doing it against the Pats, but I like this combo way better than the all red.

 

[Fezzy126]

Glad to get the win but some ugly defending in the fourth quarter. Going to need to clamp down


Didn't realize Broncos D is that good. Could be a problem if we face them as projected

Check out Detroit's defense before they played us:



No one is a problem for us the way Allen is playing right now. Just have to hope him and Brady can keep this up for another two months.

 

[Dingo44]

 

[Zman5778]

No one is a problem for us the way Allen is playing right now. Just have to hope him and Brady can keep this up for another two months.

Currently, there is only one AFC defense that worries me a bit. Maybe possibly two.

KC's D, if fully healthy, could be a problem. They've got a solid secondary, solid LBs and a good pass rush. If the O-line doesn't play well....they're a problem.

PIT's D, if fully healthy, could be a problem. TJ Watt, when healthy, is a major problem for anyone. Heyward is a problem. Patrick Queen is a nightmare. Joey Porter Jr is becoming elite. BUT, beyond the high-end talent.....they don't have much.

 

[SharkInABoloTie]

 

[TehDoak]

I've made my NFL network debut

 

[truthbluth]

Currently, there is only one AFC defense that worries me a bit. Maybe possibly two.

KC's D, if fully healthy, could be a problem. They've got a solid secondary, solid LBs and a good pass rush. If the O-line doesn't play well....they're a problem.

PIT's D, if fully healthy, could be a problem. TJ Watt, when healthy, is a major problem for anyone. Heyward is a problem. Patrick Queen is a nightmare. Joey Porter Jr is becoming elite. BUT, beyond the high-end talent.....they don't have much.

Nick Herbig continues to be an underrated pass rusher. He’s scary.

 

[zenthusiast]

I might reconsider that position. The regular season is 18 weeks long. The post-season is maybe 8.

Given we only have so much time available to us before we're dead and buried, I'd argue that it's more important that we have the opportunity to enjoy quality football for 18 weeks played by one of the best talent of all-time than an almost completely arbitrary game in which a trophy is handed out in the end (not even a good one, by the way.)

In short: There will only be one Dominik Hasek. There will be one Stanley Cup awarded every year. Savor those years.

I enjoyed watching the 06-07 Sabres, sure. I’d have been happier if they’d won the cup instead of the president’s trophy, and if there was an obvious point of improvement to maximize that chance I would have advocated for that as well.

 

[zenthusiast]

It wasn't just a fan expectation, Beane talked openly about it. It's just that the addition by subtraction with the remaking of the WR room went way better than anyone expected.

Nobody expected this group of weapons to put up 8 straight games of 30+ points like prime Brady and Manning did.

Results in the playoffs oftentimes come down to things like health (just looked at how banged up thy were at LB and DB against KC last year) and luck (coin toss in the 13 seconds game).

I could see another KC-Buffalo playoff matchup coming down to who has the healthier roster that day.

I mean, Beane also said the team was “all in” despite the roster moves. It’s just gm speak. I also wouldn’t consider the 13 seconds game contingent on luck until after the point where it was contingent on massive unforced error.

 

[zenthusiast]

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I've made my NFL network debut

Surprised it took this long, Stef.

 

[Jim Bob]

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I've made my NFL network debut

 

[TehDoak]

Surprised it took this long, Stef.