mjt328

The ideal scenario is that we get the bye. If we don't, this is the next best "realistic" scenario I could figure out. Bills get the #2 seed. They matchup with the #7 in the Wild Card Round. Best bet would be Denver or Indianapolis. Hoping Cincinnati doesn't go on a tear and scrape its way into the playoffs. They are tougher than their record. Pittsburgh gets the #3 and defeats Los Angeles at #6. Houston gets the #4 and loses to Baltimore at #5. In this case, we get the Steelers in the Divisional Round... then face the winner of Chiefs vs. Ravens in the AFC Championship.

Depth is a great thing to have. First I think they need to gradually ease Matt Milano back into the lineup sometime after the bye. See how he's moving post-injury, and let him slowly get back into playing shape. Don't forget how long it took for both Tre White and Von Miller to start looking like themselves again. If Milano can regain his pre-injury form by the playoffs, then it's a no-brainer. He goes back into the starting lineup alongside Terrell Bernard, and the Bills will have the best Linebacker duo in the NFL. You can also use Dorian Williams in more heavy-run situations, either as a third linebacker or simply replacing Milano/Bernard in the lineup.

I'm very happy with how the season has gone so far. But I still think the #1 seed is a longshot. The Bills still have to play the Lions on the road (possibly the best team in the NFL). The 49ers are a very good team fighting for their playoff lives (very similar to our situation last season). The Rams aren't a bad team by any means. The Jets are always a sneaky in-division matchup, regardless of how bad their year has gone. 14-3 would be an excellent finish, and I would honestly be satisfied with 13-4. The Chiefs have three tough games left with the Chargers, Texans and Steelers, with a couple sneaky division matchups in the Raiders and Broncos. Personally, I think their remaining schedule is easier than ours. And they have a one-game lead. Lots of people are suddenly seeing them as vulnerable. But less than a week ago, many were considering us the "last hope" in keeping them from going undefeated. Anything can happen, but I'm not holding out hope here. If we can't get the bye, I think the next best thing is to root hard for the Steelers to win the NFC North. I would love a scenario where we get the Broncos/Colts in the Wild Card, the Steelers/Texans in the Divisional Round, while the Ravens/Chiefs knock each other out.

Despite the rivalry, part of me feels bad for Jets fans. I remember when the Bills were that dysfunctional franchise, with a meddling owner and a revolving door of GMs/coaches/quarterbacks. It's just a never-ending black hole of despair. There is a formula for turning around a failing team. It starts with the right owners. Then hiring the right front office. Then the right coaching staff. Then drafting the right quarterback. Then adding the right supporting cast. We have been very fortunate that all those dominos have dropped over the past several years. Jets fans know there is no hope in the immediate future, because they still haven't gotten step-one taken care of. The dysfunction starts at the very top. The Pegulas aren't football geniuses by any means. They just did their best to hire the right people, provided the financial resources needed to compete and then got out of the way. That was something that Ralph Wilson sadly wasn't able to do, especially in his later years. Yes, the Pegulas made some mistakes along the way. And obviously quite a bit of luck is involved in hiring the RIGHT guys. But at least they haven't been one of the roadblocks to the team's success.

Coach of the Year usually goes to the HC of a team that was expected to be bad...yet found a way to significantly overachieve. Usually (but not always) it's also a fairly new coach to the NFL (1-2 years in the league) rather than a longtime established veteran. I have no idea why it's that way. Maybe because voters have no other idea on what to look for in a good coach. That's why someone like Bill Belichick could be considered the best HC in the NFL for almost two decades straight, but somehow only won the award three times. Andy Reid won it once, and it was way back during his second year with the Eagles (over 20 years ago). Based on the normal credentials, I would assume that Dan Quinn (Washington) is among the front-runners. Kevin O'Connell (Vikings) is another legit candidate. If Pittsburgh wins the AFC North, Mike Tomlin could buck the trend of younger coaches winning it. Dan Quinn (Detroit) and Sean McDermott are probably longshots, considering their teams aren't really surprises.

There are only a handful of ELITE pass rushers, who can rack up 15-20 sacks per year regardless of scheme or other players around them. TJ Watt and Myles Garrett are basically the Patrick Mahomes/Josh Allen of the DE world, and everyone else is a notch below. Greg Rousseau has taken that step into Top 5-10 status. But he's not quite fast enough to put up HUGE numbers without additional help along the D-Line. In the same QB terms, he's probably in the Jalen Hurts/Justin Herbert tier. Outside of Rousseau, the Bills have just not gotten a consistent push from the right side of the line, or from the middle. Ed Oliver just doesn't seem to have the size to beat double-teams (and makes very little impact otherwise), and DaQuan Jones has taken a huge step-backwards this season.

Yeah. Not as hyped for this one as the usual Chiefs game. The AFC East is already locked up. So playoffs are not at risk, and we are pretty much guaranteed one of the Top 4 seeds. Even if the Bills win on Sunday, they will still be a game behind for the #1 seed. With upcoming games against the 49ers and Lions, it's not like we have any easy path to win-out either. We are probably looking at a 14-3 or 13-4 season at best... and unfortunately that probably isn't going to be enough to catch them. The Chiefs aren't playing great and don't have a cakewalk the rest of the way. But they are already 9-0. Getting the #2, 3 or 4 seeds is a toss-up at this point, because you don't know how they will matchup with the Wild Card opponents. Theoretically, the #2 seed could end up drawing the Bengals, while the #4 gets the Broncos. Homefield doesn't mean much to me either. January wind/cold can be just as much of a disadvantage to us. Not to mention... the Bills have beaten the Chiefs in the regular season three years in a row. But they are 0-3 against Andy Reid/Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs. I would almost rather let our injured players heal and save our best gameplan for a potential postseason rematch.

Based purely on body language, I'm noticing a lot more confusion on the defense this year. Guys scrambling before the snap trying to figure out who to cover. After a big passing play, defensive backs going back and forth about someone being out of position. Not to mention the D-Line constantly getting burned on screens, and failing to keep contain. Hopefully they can figure things out quickly. We are already past the halfway mark, and the postseason is coming quickly. We have a nice record and the AFC East is already in the bag. But I'm not feeling very confident about our chances in the playoffs.

Definitely. The Bills don't need someone like Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson, etc. They just need someone teams will respect enough to pull that coverage away from the middle, and give our other guys room to operate. The Titans/Seahawks games were the only times we've had the entire WR group healthy, and it was very tough for teams to stop.

Yes and no. I agree that Josh Allen has benefitted from not having the pressure caused by someone like Stefon Diggs demanding the ball. And the Bills definitely have plenty of overall TALENT within their receiving group to replace his production, especially if you count the Tight End room. But I believe the main reason they have struggled offensively at times... is that ALL our best options are all short-area/middle of the field guys. Khalil Shakir in the slot. Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox over the middle. Running backs in the flats. Even Curtis Samuel is more of a YAC guy. Nobody on the roster is a threat down the field. And outside of 2-3 games, we've really had nothing on the outside at all. After the first two weeks, defenses quickly realized we weren't able to consistently attack deep or outside. Our opponents adjusted, clogging the short/intermediate routes and daring our outside guys (Mack Hollins and inexperienced rookie Keon Coleman) to win. We struggled badly Weeks 3-4 with the Ravens and Texans, until getting Amari Cooper in a trade. Things immediately started picking up again. Then Cooper got injured. Then Coleman too. Yesterday was pretty ugly overall, and it shouldn't be surprising that our best success came when Hollins was actually making plays on the outside. I agree that it's not about having a #1 elite WR on the team. But we do need some variety to our passing attack, or it gets WAY too easy and predictable to defend. Hollins had a good game against the Colts awful corners, but I'm not sure we can count on him on a weekly basis. We desperately need Cooper back, because the upcoming matchup is Trent McDuffie.

I was at the game, and I have no idea who the first INT was being thrown to. There wasn't a receiver within 10 years of EJ Speed.

The Chiefs were literally a toenail away from going 0-1 in the first game of the season against the Ravens. They needed a BS pass interference penalty on 4th Down to beat the Bengals in Week 2. They needed yesterday's FG block to win against the Broncos. Not to mention the Falcons game, where Atlanta was driving for the go-ahead score and got stopped 4th-1 on the 13 yard line. Or the Tampa Bay Bucs game that went into overtime, and they won the coin flip. Everyone is acting like Buffalo is the final hope for stopping them from an undefeated season. But the Chiefs have barely scraped through all season long. They still have the Chargers, Texans and Steelers after us. And they have struggled in the past against division opponents like Las Vegas and Denver. Also don't forget that Cleveland upset the Ravens after switching to Jameis Winston.

Most people felt the biggest problem this season was going to be the schedule. Many of our opponents so far (Miami and NY Jets biggest of all) have been huge disappointments. It's also important to remember that our most difficult stretch (Chiefs, 49ers, Rams, Lions) is still upcoming. Even if the AFC East is already wrapped up, it will be interesting to see how we handle the next month. I think it will really tell us whether this team is a Top 5 contender, or looking at another early postseason exit.

I'm sure this game will be extremely well officiated, and the NFL referees will be calling penalties equally against both sides.

Lots of good ideas already. Here are my two big ones: Utilize technology wherever possible to ensure accuracy. There is no reason we shouldn't be using a sensor to determine where a ball is spotted already. I'm sure there are ways we can use the same idea to determine if a player steps out of bounds, crosses the goal line, which side moves first on Offside/false starts, etc. Keep a full team of officials in the booth, constantly reviewing calls and allowing them to quickly overturn ANY mistake made by the guys on the field. If there is a question, huddle for 20 seconds and wait for word from upstairs. I also feel like there are WAY too many "vague" rules, which are not consistently interpreted from play to play. Holding. Pass Interference. Illegal Contact. Roughing the Passer. Unsportsmanlike Conduct. Not sure the specifics on fixing this, but something needs to be done to make sure these kinds of penalties are done consistently across the league every single game.