mjt328

Pretty much every game can be defined by a handful of plays. Even blowouts start 0-0, and a few early plays start pulling the momentum towards one team. The thing I find interesting is that Baltimore and Buffalo both missed 2 field goals. The quarterbacks also both missed wide open deep throws, which likely would have gone for touchdowns. Both defenses were tough, and yards were not easy to come by. The difference in the game was that when Buffalo got down into the Red Zone in the 3rd Quarter, they punched it into the endzone. When the Ravens did the same, they threw a pick-6.

If what you are saying is true, there would be A LOT more uncertainty and nervousness this morning about Patrick Mahomes playing next week. Less than 24 hours ago, following the on-field collision, Mahomes was unable to stand on his own and had a dazed look in his eyes. The Chiefs later confirmed to CBS reporters that he indeed suffered a concussion, and declared him out... in the midst of a close playoff game. Andy Reid suggested after the game that Mahomes "passed" concussion protocols, even though that would be impossible so soon. The NFL requires a 5-step process of gradually increasing activity during the week, while being monitored by doctors. The average length of being out for a concussion is 19 DAYS. Following this train of logic, the only person on this planet with the slightest clue whether Mahomes can play is the neurologist examining him. Not the Chiefs staff. And even that doctor won't know until the middle of the week, after observing his progress during physical activity. Further more... based on what we've seen with other (non superstar) players in (non championship) games when it comes to concussions, the odds of Mahomes playing on Sunday is extremely low. Yet if you listen to the NFL reporters this morning, most are expecting him to play. Andy Reid clearly expects him to play. Mahomes himself clearly expects to play. The NFL does not care about player safety. They implemented these concussion rules to avoid another lawsuit. But if Mahomes and the Chiefs agree to keep this hush-hush behind the scenes, don't doubt for a second that an "independent" doctor wouldn't let him play. And everyone knows it.

At this point, I really don't care what the fools in the media say. As the year has progressed, Josh Allen has continued to make his critics look stupid. Most have been forced to admit they were wrong about him, but there are still a few holdouts. Some are just trying to get a rise out of Bills fans and should be ignored. Some are just lazy, never watch film and want to credit all of his success to Brian Daboll or Stephon Diggs. I say that we just go out and win some Super Bowls, and check back in with them when Allen's getting his yellow jacket.

The NFL's rules about hiring coaches still in the playoffs was likely a huge factor. Teams realize there are multiple job openings, and they can't just sit around waiting for weeks and weeks to choose their next Head Coach. Otherwise they will end up with the scraps. I'm sure the Chargers really liked Brian Daboll. But they couldn't offer him the job until the Bills were out of the playoffs. Which means they would need to wait at least another week, and possibly another three. And there is no guarantee he would even decide to take the job. I believe it's the same reason Eric Bieniemy was not hired last year.

The Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl champions, and finished with the best record in the NFL. If I was a gambling man, it would be very difficult for me to put money on any other team to win it all. At the same time, I don't understand the narrative that Kansas City is some unstoppable dynasty. They haven't beaten a team by double-digits since November 1. Over the last 2+ months, they have scraped out every game by the skin of their teeth. They seem to go long stretches where that explosive offense looks flat and uninspired. Don't get me wrong. Patrick Mahomes looks like a player who could win multiple rings during his career. But so did Aaron Rodgers, who is still chasing #2 at 37 years old. Russell Wilson will be in his 10th year next season, and still hasn't gotten his second. If the Bills put together a complete game on Sunday, they can certainly walk away with the victory.

These fights were clearly incited by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. There is video evidence that he encouraged Bills fans to go the stadium. He should be removed from office immediately.

In my opinion, a "good" defensive performance requires OUR players to actually make stops. Turnovers. Sacks. Pressure. Tackles. Passes Batted Away. We got no pressure on the QB at any point during the game. We continually missed tackles. We left receivers wide open all over the field. The only turnover we got didn't actually count. The Bills defense failed over and over to get stops on 3rd Downs, and were totally gassed by the 4th Quarter. If you want to just look at the points allowed and say "hey we did pretty good holding them to 24" then fine by me. Personally, I try to look at the game as a whole. And it was only Colts mistakes that kept our defense from allowing 35-40. Yes, mistakes are part of football. Which is why the Bills won. And they did enough on offense to deserve that win. But I completely understand why Saturday's performance is making fans nervous about facing the Baltimore Ravens.

Michael Pittman was open on the 4th Down throw into the endzone. Phillip Rivers just threw the ball a little bit too far. That's not a credit to our defense. That's a mistake by the Colts, which would have given them 17 points in the first half. The Colts only drive of the 3rd Quarter went 14 plays, and finally ended when Rivers threw behind Pittman (wide open again) for what would have certainly been another first down conversion in the Red Zone. Their kicker then proceeded to miss a 33 yard field goal. Once again, this had nothing to do with our defense and everything to do with untimely mistakes by Indy. Sorry. Our defense played poorly, and they are truly a concern going into the Divisional Round. We can thump our chest all day about stopping Jonathan Taylor. We failed to get any pressure on the quarterback, and left guys wide open all over the field. And at the end of the day, the Colts still had 163 yards rushing at 5.4 ypa.

I hate when fans/media criticize calls like this... but only when they have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. How many of these critics were screaming how "bad" the 4th Down decision was BEFORE they missed it? Probably very few. Mike Tomlin played it safe last night with a 4th Down punt. That play ended up killing Pittsburgh's momentum, and ultimately allowed Cleveland to ice the game. Now he's getting roasted for it. But the same people would have blasted Tomlin if he went for it and failed to convert.

The Colts had a better gameplan, and outplayed us for the majority of 4 quarters. But they also made some key mistakes, at very key moments. Phillip Rivers missed very few passes on Saturday. But one was on 4th and Goal. The other was on 3rd Down, just before the missed field goal. They also had very few penalties. But one was on 4th Down, a few plays before the Bills put the ball in the endzone. I don't like using the term "lucky" because the Bills made lots of plays on offense, and capitalized on all of the Colts' errors. But make no mistake. The Bills were very fortunate to escape Sunday with a victory. They were dominated at the line of scrimmage. They weren't sharp in the passing game for most of the 1st Half. They were baited into playing Frank Reich's game, instead of what led them to 13 regular season wins. I can't imagine a team being less than 100% focused in the playoffs. But hopefully the Bills come to play on Saturday. The Ravens have a very similar team to the Colts, and we need to employ a similar strategy to win. Another week of getting dominated at the line of scrimmage, failing to cover Tight Ends, or wasting drives running the ball 3 times in a row into a brick wall, and I don't think we escape with another victory.

Most people believe the Chiefs are the best team in football, outside of Bills/Packers fans and media personalities trying to get attention. They are not being overlooked. Being one of the few teams that: a) Wrapped up their division and #1 seed many weeks ago b) Sat their starters Week 17, and c) Got a first round bye ... there simply hasn't been much to discuss regarding the Chiefs recently. Personally, I do think the Chiefs are the NFL's best team. But I also think they are quite a bit overrated, and very beatable. There are some who act like Kansas City is already a dynasty, with only one Super Bowl trophy under their belts.

On Saturday, I feel like the Bills fell into Frank Reich's trap, and the Colts forced us to play their game instead of ours. Our big advantage over the Colts was the explosive passing game vs. their below-average secondary. No way I could see them matching up well against Josh Allen and our receivers. At the same time, the Colts advantage was along the offensive/defensive lines and controlling the line of scrimmage. The key to the Wild Card game was always going to be whether the Bills could build an early lead, and force the Colts into a heavy passing attack. The longer the game was close, the better it would be for Indianapolis. We never pulled ahead by a decent margin (24-10) until the early 4th Quarter, and then our defense immediately broke down and let them right back into the game. Over this week, our coaching staff needs to determine WHY this happened. Was it the poor field position? Was it the injuries to our receivers? Did our gameplan focus too much on the run game? Did we just fail to execute? Not to say that our offense played poorly. But why did it take so long for things to start clicking? Because the Ravens present a very similar situation. The path to victory is by getting up early, and forcing them into a pass-heavy approach. If they keep this game in the 10-point or less range, it plays to their strengths.

I would be extremely concerned if Stefon Diggs does not play. I think we would be OK without Cole Beasley. However, reports are that both guys practiced yesterday. And Diggs has stated that he 100% will play on Saturday.

The Super Bowl 25 strategy is commonly used when teams are facing offensive powerhouses. It's nothing special or unique. It was actually our strategy back when we played the Chiefs earlier this year. There were two key reasons that gameplan worked for the Giants 30 years ago: 1. The juggernaut Bills passing offense came out ridiculously flat, and played pretty bad for most of the day. 2. The Bills defense continually failed to make tackles on key 3rd downs, constantly letting New York extend drives. Jim Kelly barely cracked 200 yards passing in that game, with zero touchdown passes. We had 12 points at halftime. The week before (in the AFC Championship), we had 41 points at halftime. If our offense (which had 4 eventual Hall of Famers on it), had shown even the slightest signs of life in that game, we could have forced the Giants to abandon the run and rely on the arm of Jeff Hostetler. As it stood, the only thing working for us was Thurman Thomas and we got into a ground battle that didn't favor us in the slightest. The Colts have a good team everywhere. Except in the secondary, where they are below-average and have multiple injuries. This is where the Bills have a major advantage, regardless of Frank Reich's strategy. If Josh Allen and the passing offense come out and play well, the Colts are going to be in big trouble. If they come out and look like Weeks 5-8, then it's very likely this game is tight in the late 4th Quarter.

Setting aside my personal feelings as a Bills fan.... Patrick Mahomes has been playing at this level for 3 full seasons now. He has one MVP under his belt, and will get serious consideration this year. He has also proven himself in the playoffs, leading the Chiefs to a Super Bowl in only his second season. Josh Allen has been playing at an elite level for 1 season, and has never won a playoff game.

Our biggest advantage in this game will be Josh Allen and the passing offense, going against the Colts below-average secondary. The strength of the Colts D is against the run, with their best players (Darius Leonard and Deforest Buckner) right up the middle. Unfortunately for them, we run less than any team in the NFL. The Bills should be able to focus their blocking efforts on Buckner, avoid Leonard and attack the corners. Allen has put up huge numbers recently against much better groups. On the other side, the Colts do have a very-underrated and balanced offense. Their biggest names (Quentin Nelson and Ryan Kelly) are on the line, so they don't exactly have a reputation for being explosive. But they were Top 10 in most categories this year, don't allow many sacks and don't turn the ball over much. Phillip Rivers is still a good QB. Jonathan Taylor can be dangerous. This is a group that can put up 25-30 on pretty much anyone. The key will be for Buffalo to get an early lead, and put themselves on pace for at least 35 points. The Colts don't want to get in a shootout. They want to keep the score close in the 25 point range and hope for a couple turnovers, so they can maintain balance on offense and not force Rivers to push the ball downfield. The good news is, our offense has been very hot over the last month plus, and should be extra hyped for the playoffs (with fans in the stands for the first time all year). As long as we don't come out of the gates flat or make some stupid turnovers, I see us winning this one pretty soundly.

This may be true. But at the end of the day, the Bills may end up getting lucky with their playoff opponents. Outside of us, the Ravens were probably the hottest AFC team going into the postseason. And many believe the Titans were the toughest matchup (outside of Kansas City of course). Meanwhile the Steelers seemed to be running out of gas as the season wore on. Now if the Bills beat the Colts (definitely) and the Steelers beat the COVID-stricken Browns (looking more likely each day) -- then the three teams we didn't want to play will knock each other off, and we don't get any of them until the AFC Championship.

The Bills pretty much treated the second half like a preseason game. Our guys who were playing in the 3rd-4th quarter have spent most of the season on the bench, and this was their first chance to prove themselves in real game action. An UDFA like Antonio Williams viewed this game as his audition for a roster spot next year. Matt Barkley wants to stay our backup another year, with Jake Fromm and Davis Webb at his heels. Sorry if the Dolphins couldn't stop them, but this hardly qualifies as running up the score.

Can't blame the Dolphins. They spent the #5 overall pick on Tua, and it's way too early to give up on that kind of investment. At the same time, the NFL seems to go through stages. And we seem to be entering a stage where QBs like Tua (a.k.a. game-managers with good accuracy but average arm strength) are being outgunned by the mega athletes who can avoid the rush and make throws all over the field. Arguably the best three QBs in the league this year were Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. At the same time, the Chiefs, Packers and Bills were arguably the best three teams in the NFL, and at this time probably the biggest Super Bowl favorites. Russell Wilson was not far behind those guys. And if the Texans had been better as a team, Deshaun Watson probably would be in MVP talks as well.

The Bills number one focus this offseason will be getting Josh Allen his long-term contract. After that, deciding which Free Agents are the most important, and trying to replace the rest with cheaper options. We've got a pretty lengthy list of guys to re-sign, including Matt Milano, Jon Feliciano and Daryl Williams. Not to mention deciding on Tremaine Edmunds and his 5th Year Option. Brandon Beane needs to decide which positions/players are the most important to our long-term success. I don't get the impression that he values RB or TE high on that list, and is probably comfortable rolling with mid-round guys like Singletary/Moss/Knox.

The "experts" in the media don't have time to watch all 32 teams for 16 games. They have time to watch a few games per week, then analyze highlights and box scores on the rest. To be completely honest, Josh Allen's first two years were pretty bad statistically, at least from a passing perspective. His completion percentage was at the bottom in 2018 and 2019, and the Bills didn't really throw enough for him to rack up much yardage. Yes, he was pretty good at scoring in the Red Zone, and had some decent touchdown numbers. But much of that was done with his legs (which only gets respect if you are Lamar Jackson). People talk about the "eye test" when evaluating players, and Allen was one that certainly fell into that category during his first two seasons. Bills fans saw something in Allen that others did not, simply because they watched him play football every week. What he was doing - and what he was capable of - it just didn't always translate to the stat sheet. In the offseason, lots of Bills fans were talking up Allen as a breakout star in 2020, while everyone else around the league was expecting him to bust. It's the same reason that Bills fans were happy to dump EJ Manuel after less than 2 seasons under center, and why reporters in the media felt we never gave Tyrod Taylor a fair shot at keeping the starting job. Unlike them, we watched those guys play every Sunday and realized they didn't have it.

I'm happy for Brian Daboll that he is getting consideration. But at the same time, I shake my head every year (on Black Monday) when teams start their interviews and cycle through the latest "hot names" on the coaching list... In other words, the offensive/defensive coordinators who just happened to have success in 2020. No offense to Daboll, because he's done a great job for us THIS year. And for the sake of continuity, I would love for him to stay in Buffalo. However, the guy has been a coach in the NFL for almost 20 years, and got his first stint as an offensive coordinator back in 2009. Why is he just getting recognition now? If we are being honest, very few people knew who Daboll even was until this season. And that just happened to be after the Bills front office overloaded the offense with ridiculous levels of talent and Josh Allen suddenly started playing at an MVP level. Remember when Seattle's offense was really good (before Marshawn Lynch retired), and Darrell Bevell was one of the big names around the league? How about Adam Gase when Denver had Peyton Manning? I seem to recall Anthony Lynn doing a pretty good job at OC here too. Teams are going to expect Daboll to just come in, and magically develop their young QB into the next Josh Allen. Good luck. Instead, they should be looking for a great leader, who can work seamlessly with their GM.

I agree the NFL plays favorites, and it does factor into things like awards. But I also think the Bills are starting to gain some popularity amongst the general fanbase, which will gain them traction in that area. It's not all about big markets. We have a tremendous, high-scoring offense with some likable young players.

It will be interesting to see. - The Jaguars are almost 100% likely to take Trevor Lawrence at #1, and I would not expect them to trade out. - The Jets will certainly look hard at taking a QB, but Sam Darnold has shown some promise. Unless the new staff is completely sold on Justin Fields or Zach Wilson, it's possible they try to give Darnold one more chance and surround him with some weapons. They are possible to take a QB, possible to take something else, and possible to trade down. - I don't expect the Dolphins to replace Tua this soon. This regime thought highly enough to draft him #5 overall, and he's got a winning record under center as a rookie. But don't be surprised if they trade out. If the Jets/Dolphins decide to stick with what they've got, there are all kinds of possibilities for trading into the Top 3. The Panthers are a big possibility sitting at #8. But don't rule out the Falcons or the Lions, who may be ready to move on from Matt Ryan/Matthew Stafford. If any of the top quarterbacks drop, you could also see the 49ers or Patriots sneak into the Top 10.

Boo hoo. The 6-10 Giants didn't get the help they needed to make the playoffs. 🙄