msw2112

While he did get injured late in the regular season, I believe he was available for the game and they decided not to use him. I can understand not wanting to put a rookie back there in a playoff game in wintry conditions. I also understand using Shakir, who may be even better. You don't risk a starting WR getting injured on special teams in the regular season, but all bets are off during the playoffs a you do what you can to have the best chance to win. Codrington is still a very good returner and was a great pickup for the Bills. I'm interested to see if Micah Hyde gets called up for this game. Rapp may not be able to go, and even if he starts, I could see him getting re-injured in the game. Bishop seemed to acquit himself fairly well, but having a savvy veteran available in a big game like this could be an asset. He can also be a reliable player to field punts, in certain situations. If Hyde isn't called up, or they call up Kareem Jackson instead, it will confirm that Hyde is truly washed as a player. He still may add "locker room" value to the team as a veteran presence to help with the younger safeties.

I saw the article in the Athletic and I agree that the Bills got about as good a ref assignment as they could have hoped for. Allen's record with this ref is better than Mahomes'. The Bills have to be ready for the Chiefs DBs to be physical and also ready to give some back. Hopefully big, strong receivers like Coleman, Kincaid and Knox will be strong enough to play through the contact and make some plays. Also, Cooper is a veteran guy that should know how to deal with that type of play and still get open. A lot of Shakir's catches are behind the LOS, so he may also be able to escape the contact. With the Bills strong running game, plus the everybody eats passing offense, it will be more difficult for the Chiefs to take away the Bills receivers. It's no longer Diggs left, Diggs right, Diggs underneath, etc. with the occasional Gabe Davis mixed in, with no pre-snap motion (making the play easier to diagnose). The ball gets distributed to Cooper, Shakir, Hollins, Coleman, Samuel, Kincaid, Knox (who always plays well against KC), Ty Johnson, Davis, etc. They can't rough up all of these guys on every passing play. Cooper was quiet last week, with only 1 target that went incomplete. I think he'll make some big plays this week.

I agree with the above post, in part, and disagree in others. I will also be up front and say that I am a Michigan graduate and huge fan, so I have a bias. I dislike Ohio State a lot, despite having several friends and neighbors who are graduates of the school. BEFORE the playoff even began, I was on record saying that 12 teams was too many. There were many teams that definitely did not deserve to be in the playoff. Ohio State lost two games and by virtue of that, didn't deserve the opportunity to be in the playoffs and play for a national championship. The importance of the regular season in college football was what made it great. When Michigan and Ohio State played their final game in November, it used to be for all the marbles. Now, the loser of that game got a second chance. Had the loss to Michigan been Ohio State's ONLY loss, they would have had a better argument for getting in, but with TWO losses, they didn't deserve a shot. The NFL and other professional sports have a different format, but the meaningful regular season was what made college football unique. I don't dispute that Ohio State had the most talented roster in the nation and had continuity at head coach (unlike Alabama, Michigan, and Washington, who were all in the 4-team playoff last season, but lost their head coaches), so they should have been the favorite to win it all. I think that "The Game matter anymore" and "it took a while for the Buckeye fan base to understand that" are revisionist history. After Michigan won in November, the Ohio State fanbase was devastated and embarrassed, losing to a Michigan team with 5 losses and virtually no passing game. They were calling for Ryan Day to be fired. Now, it's convenient to say that "The Game didn't really matter" but that's just not the case for THIS season. It damn well mattered in November. Coach Day himself was on record saying how much losing to Michigan hurt him and his family and how it was the worst thing to happen in his life. That said, I agree that on a go-forward basis, the 12-team playoff will take some of the juice out of The Game. Now that a 2-loss team has won the National Championship, teams will approach the regular season differently. Had undefeated Oregon gone on to win the Championship this change would not have been as dramatic. In that case, the #1 seed would have appeared to have a lot of value and teams would strive for it. This year, the final four teams were the 5, 6, 7, and 8 seeds, with Ohio State being the #8 seed. Going forward, there just won't be as much on the line in the regular season and assuming Michigan gets back to its usual standard (which it should based on its recent recruiting success and familiarity with the new coaching staff), both teams should be in the top-12 and in the playoff, so there's a good chance there will be some rematches in the future. When Michigan won it all last season in the 4-team playoff, they were the #1 seed, had a 15-0 record, and beat their biggest rival during the last regular season game. A couple of other teams had previously done the same. With the changes in college football, I'm not sure we'll see that again. Notwithstanding all of that, Ohio State didn't create the new system, but they played their best football in the playoff and once they were in, they made the most of their opportunity and won it all, so I begrudgingly congratulate them. And thanks to Michigan last season and Ohio State this season, the Big Ten has quieted the arrogance of the SEC.

I said here in TBD before the game that no defense was going to fully stop the Ravens offense, just like no defense in the playoffs are going to fully stop the Bills, Lions, Eagles, or Rams offense. As to Baltimore, Lamar Jackson is a MVP finalist having arguably his best season, putting up video game numbers. Meanwhile, Derrick Henry had one of the best seasons in history for a running back, and is huge and fast. The Ravens were not going to be shut down and they would score their fair share of points. I said what the Bills needed to do was: a) hold a Ravens drive or two that could be a TD to a FG. They did that. b) Force a turnover or 2. They did that. c) Posses the ball on offense enough to limit the number of Ravens opportunities and score enough points to match the Ravens. Basically, it's going to be a one-possession game, so score enough points so that the turnover, or FG instead of TD by the Ravens, would be the difference. That's exactly what happened. For what it's worth, even if the Ravens had converted the 2-point try, I believe the Bills would have gotten the kickoff out to the 30, and then, with 2 timeouts, would have moved the ball into FG range, while milking the clock down to a few seconds, and kicked the winning FG. Andrews just made it a little easier. Next week's game is going to be different. KC is at home and has a knack for winning close games. I'm not sure the Bills pull it out if it's a one-score game. The Bills are going to need to open up the offense more against KC. KC's offense is not as explosive as the Ravens, but they will make fewer mistakes and will make plays when the game is on the line. Thus, the Bills are going have to jump out to a lead and keep the pressure on the Chiefs. Going conservative in the 2nd half like they did against the Ravens is much less likely to work. To add, if the Bills can get a lead and keep being aggressive, they can take the crowd out of the game. One other thing that I think will be key is to set up screen passes on 3rd down. Chris Jones and Karlaftis will get pressure and the Bills need to take full advantage of it by setting up screens to Ty Johnson, Samuel, and Shakir.

I'm as big a fan of Josh Allen as anyone, but I have noticed that throwing the fade to the corner of the end zone is not one of his strengths. He doesn't get enough air under it and throws it kind of flat. I do agree that the Bills should use this play more often, perhaps in blowout types of games to get better at it, but I wouldn't be keen on using it (at this point in time) on a critical play in a playoff game. With the likes of Knox, Kincaid, and Coleman on the roster, it's a throw the Bills should definitely work on and have in their playbook in the future, but until I see it run successfully a couple of times in less-meaningful situations, I wouldn't use it.

My wife is not from Buffalo and is not a huge football fan. She was in a bad mood yesterday and we were getting at each other. Before the game, she said "I don't care about the game" and "the Bills are going to lose anyway." Her mom invited her to a play which started about halfway through the Bills game, and she accepted the invitation and went to the play. We have Sunday Ticket and unlimited data on our phone plan. This is what popped into my phone during the 4th quarter: I don't know that you can "block" a 2 point conversion, but I do know that, try as one might, one cannot hide their true Bills fandom! I think I need to find a play next Sunday and buy her some tickets, pronto!

The game could go either way and is likely to be a one-possession game. The two differences between this season and past seasons are a) the Bills have a very strong running game and b) the Bills defense is largely healthy. I also think this Bills team is more confident, having beaten the Chiefs in the regular season and having won other big games where they were the underdog (Detroit, Baltimore playoffs).

I would have liked to see Allen roll out, having the option to tuck it and run, or throw it if there's an open receiver. If he ends up throwing it out of the back of the end zone because the run is contained, or nobody is open, fine. I'd also have been fine with the snowplow on 3rd and FG on 4th if it was not successful. The play they called gave the middle of the defense time to get established, which ultimately allowed them to make the stop. The offense has the advantage on the snowplow, because then know the snap count and the defense doesn't, so they have the chance to get lower and create some push first. Going shotgun gives the defense just a little bit of time to prepare/adjust, which they did. Regardless of the what happened on 3rd down, the FG on 4th down was absolutely the correct call. If the Bills went for it and didn't make it, they would likely have lost the game on the Baltimore TD. Going up 8, Baltimore not only had to score a TD (which was highly likely), but also had to convert the 2 point try, and that was a 50-50 proposition. Even if they made the 2, it's still tied and the Bills may have one more chance with timeouts and only needed a FG to win, or worst-case, OT. Back to 3rd down, I can understand the hesitation to throw the ball, because in pressure situation when it's cold/wet/snowy, guys sometimes drop the ball - even easy ones....

At this point in his Bills career, I really don't care if McDermott has a background as a defensive coordinator. As head coach, he's responsible for the whole team, and for what it's worth he's delegated the DC responsibilities to Babich. As long as the team finds a way to win, I'll be happy with the head coach. In recent years, teams with good defenses really haven't shut down opponents with good offenses in the playoffs. Defenses are not holding strong offenses under 21 points (or under 3 scores). The last two Super Bowls, for example, were 25-22 (moderate scoring) and 38-25 (high scoring). The more achievable goal, rather than shutting down a potent offense, is the old "complimentary football" cliche. The defense has to do enough to slow the opponents' offense that will allow its offense to score more points than the other team (not trying to state the obvious). Force a punt here or there and/or hold a potential TD drive to a FG. Create a turnover or 2. The offense has to (as mentioned above) control the clock enough to keep the defense rested and effective. If the Bills defense makes one critical stop late in the game to allow them to win 42-40, then they've done their job. I just don't see a defense out there that's going to stop Buffalo, Kansas City, Baltimore, Detroit, LA Rams, Philadelphia, etc. from scoring a fair number of points in the playoffs.

I read the article. It shows that Josh is a highly competitive and confident guy, but also caring and down-to-earth. The fact the he knows the names of the scout team players, the staff, the janitors, etc. doesn't surprise me at all and when the top dog is humble and inclusive (while still being great at what he or she does), it bodes very well for an organization. Allen is the perfect fit for McDermott, the Bills organization and the Buffalo community.

I honestly have not looked at any stats, but if the game was indoors, I think Houston would have a great chance to win. A dome team from a southern city going outdoors to cold Arrowhead seems like a major advantage for the Chiefs. Baltimore is not as cold and snowy as Buffalo, but they do play outdoors and in some levels of inclement weather (plus they play all cold-weather cities in the NFC North), so I think the Bills' home field advantage is not as great as the Chiefs'. So I foresee a Chiefs victory, but not a blowout.

I agree - but will give Mack the benefit of the doubt and assume that he was aware of the situation when he did what he did - in other words, had it been a one-score game, he would not have done it. Aside from this play, Hollins has been a great add for the Bills. He's made a bunch of clutch catches including several TDs, he blocks in the run game, he's great on special teams, and he brings a great deal of character/personality/intangibles to the team that it needs. And as to special teams specifically, having Hollins be a gunner who can ALSO play WR, the Bills are not paying and wasting a roster spot on a guy like Taiwan Jones, who was great on special teams, but contributed absolutely zero elsewhere.

I think Samuel will get a few touches and may pick up a short gain here or there (6-8 yards on first or 2nd down), and maybe even pick up a 1st down or 2. He'll contribute, but not necessarily show up as a "difference maker." I don't think he's a bad player, he's just been limited due to 1) a lingering turf toe injury and 2) the Bills having an extremely diverse offense with several other options (Cooper, Shakir, Kincaid, Hollins, Cook, Davis, Johnson, Knox, etc.) I'm not a fan of Buckeyes, and Samuel scored the winning TD in double OT that kept my Wolverines out of the playoff and national championship back in 2016, but that painful loss has since been avenged (many times over) and Samuel is now a Bill, so he has my full support.

I think the original point is that if the Bills go 13-4, sweep the division, beat KC and Detroit, but don't win the Super Bowl (maybe winning 1 - 3 playoff games, but not going all the way), is the season wasted? Or was it a great season with a disappointing finish? I agree that any season with a team that's a legitimate contender that does not end in a Super Bowl victory is disappointing, but I don't think it's wasted. I have enjoyed a lot of great Bills football over the last 18 weeks and expect to enjoy it for a few more weeks. If the only satisfaction is the Bills winning the Super Bowl, why even watch a single game in the regular season? Or the playoff rounds prior to the Super Bowl? So yes, I'll be heartbroken and disappointed if the Bills don't win the Super Bowl, but I won't consider it a wasted season. I live outside of Buffalo and everyone I know knows that I'm a Bills fan (and if I'm wearing Bills gear, people I don't know also know I'm a Bills fan). I get compliments all the time about what a great team and fanbase we have. I enjoyed watching the Bills win 13 out of 17 games and have slept well on a lot of Sunday and Monday nights this fall. I've watched games with friends and family who also love the Bills. Those things will have taken place whether the Bills go all the way or not.

And Hurts can run too. I responded to this just because, but I agree.