Magox

Dalton won’t be leaving the Bills

I wouldn’t be so sure

I think Palmer comes back the week after next.

I actually had a conversation with my brother about the Bills having had issues slaying a few dragons. The Chiefs in the playoffs, Houston at Houston and the Bengals. Yesterday, the Bills slayed one of those demons, I think that is potentially significant. I have a feeling the Bills will be playing Houston at some point this year in the playoffs.

This is it. This is what the decision was about. Not whether or not he is better than Tre or someone who will crack the top 3. It was a decision the Bills made believing he is an upgrade over Ingram. Nothing more than that

There are signs of the Bills defense beginning to show up on a slightly more consistent basis over the past 6 weeks. If the defense can begin putting up these better defensive performances on a more consistent basis and if the Bills can get healthier with Palmer and Kincaid coming back to the fold and if Josh Allen can get into the zone, which if we are going to be honest here, he has not been at his best (albeit still relatively pretty good) then I think the Bills can do it. That's a lot of ifs but often times for teams to win a super bowl a lot of ifs usually have to happen. In regards to who we play, I don't think it really matters that much. If the Bills are on, then they should be able to handle any of those teams, if not then they will lose to any of them as well.

The biggest difference this year is that there is no other team that looks as tough as last years Eagles or Chiefs. The field is wide open for the team that is the hottest come the playoffs.

Yes and no. If your receiver loses reps when he was a main target and the play results in an incompletion, then confidence is lost and its natural that you begin to look at other options. Trust is a process.

I think this is largely true but I would quibble that it isn't so much that Brady isn't adept to it but more so that the approach is a high percentage ball control offense. Honestly, I don't believe Allen has the trust in the receivers to look their way as often as he could. You only have so many seconds to make a decision back there on where you want to distribute the ball and clearly the receivers are not typically his first or second looks. But there have been quite a few occasions I've seen this year where Wide receivers were open and he just didn't get it there. I'm not blaming him, no QB sees everything, its just that his confidence level is not there to make them one of his early reads in some of those spots. I think little by little he has to have certain plays that he feels comfortable with to look to get the ball out to those receivers.

Over the past couple years, we’ve seen a shift—quiet, but noticeable—in how running backs are impacting games and how they’re being talked about in MVP conversations. Last year, Saquon Barkley finished 3rd in MVP voting. The year before that, Christian McCaffrey did the same. This year, there are whispers around Jonathan Taylor, and yes—even James Cook. While none of them are likely to win MVP, the fact that RBs are consistently cracking the top 3 speaks volumes. Now contrast that with wide receivers: no WR has finished top 5 in MVP voting in the last 2 years. Not Tyreek, not Jefferson, not Chase. And yet, WRs are commanding massive contracts while RBs are being undervalued—even by fans. Remember the debates on this board about James Cook? So many were adamant about not paying him a dime over $12M. I and others argued that even at $15M, he’d still be undervalued. And now? Cook is a top-3 RB in the league, a centerpiece of one of the NFL’s most efficient offenses. Just think about it: Khalil Shakir earns more than Cook. I love Shakir, but if you had to keep one, who’s more valuable to this team? We all know the answer—and if you say Shakir, you’re just being stubborn. Cook’s emergence, paired with the best offensive line we’ve had in years, has transformed this offense. Balanced attacks are winning games. The best teams in the league are running the ball—a lot. I’ve already made the case that WRs are overvalued in this thread: 🔗 That’s not to say WRs aren’t important. Outside of QB, I still rank them as the most valuable offensive skill position. But if you offered me an elite DT or DE over an elite WR? I’m taking the trench player every time. They impact the game on every snap, not just the 10–15% of plays where a WR is targeted. It’s time to rethink how we value positions. And maybe—just maybe—some folks owe James Cook (and the RB position) a little crow.

And what is the biggest culprit for those losses? Is it wide receiver separation or the defense?

So the plan is… Fix the good thing because the bad thing is too broken? That’s like refusing to upgrade your car’s engine because the tires are flat. Pretty sure progress isn’t supposed to be held hostage by hopelessness

I respectfully disagree with that take—focusing on one play instead of the full body of work from the game misses the bigger picture. But even if we do isolate that one play against the Chiefs on first down, it wasn’t about receivers failing to get open. It was a well-designed blitz that our All-World QB misread, and the offensive line missed their assignments. That breakdown had everything to do with protection and recognition—not a lack of separation. Let’s not rewrite the narrative based on one moment. The game is bigger than that. When it comes to playmakers, I think this is the best offensive line we’ve had—better than last year’s unit. James Cook has emerged as a top-3 running back in the league, and Dalton Kincaid is now playing at a Pro Bowl level, with two other tight ends who can supplement the attack. On defense, the emergence of Maxwell Hairston could be a game-changer. Cole Bishop, especially over the past two games, has brought a presence we haven’t seen since prime Jordan Poyer. Joey Bosa is playing at an elite level when he’s on, and Deone Walker is flashing signs of something special. There’s a real chance we’re witnessing the rise of something new and exciting—this team is starting to look stacked with playmakers on both sides of the ball

It doesn’t need to be better—but sure, it could be. That said, the offense is already more than good enough to win a Super Bowl or any other meaningful game. The real question is the defense. If the Bills can consistently play defense with the same tenacity and game planning we’ve seen recently, this team can absolutely go the distance. Let’s be honest—everyone knows the defense has been the issue in past playoff runs. But watching Max Hairston paired with Benford, and seeing the emergence of Cole Bishop, gave me a glimpse of what this secondary could look like moving forward. And then there’s the front seven—Bosa, Rousseau, and Epenesa were relentless against Mahomes. Deone Walker blowing up Creed Humphrey on the goal line to stop a touchdown? That was a statement. Maybe I’m overly exuberant after these last two games, but something feels different. This defense is starting to look like it could be special—and that’s exciting.

Ah yes, the classic rebuttal: “I don’t care.” A timeless way to dismiss facts when they don’t fit the narrative. Let’s unpack this idea that the offense “falters under pressure” in the playoffs: Divisional Round vs. Ravens: Scored 27 points against a defense that had allowed just 16.5 ppg over their last 6 games. That’s not faltering—that’s producing against a top unit. AFC Championship vs. Chiefs: Put up 29 points against a defense that hadn’t allowed 30+ points all season—except to the Bills. That’s not grinding—it’s breaking through. So unless “faltering” now means scoring nearly 30 against elite defenses, I’m gonna go ahead and say the offense held up just fine. Also, if the offense is “built for the regular season,” someone forgot to tell the scoreboard. But hey—if facts don’t matter, I guess we should just go back to yelling into the void and hoping for a WR trade to fix what isn’t broken.