BillsFanSD

This is my read too. It feels like we out-think ourselves after halftime with regard to play-calling, and also the players don't execute the plays that are called. Regardless, all three third quarters have been disasters. Whatever the problem is, they've got to get this sorted out.

I am loving this guy. He's already a good weapon and he's only three games into his rookie year. It typically takes a while for TE to fully transition into the NFL, so he has lots of room for growth. We were all disappointed that Kroft wasn't available today, but we arguably lose the game without Knox. (No way to really know that of course).

"Maybe" Knox? Guy was our offensive MVP.

I'm very happy to be 3-0, but to be honest I give us very little chance against the Patriots. We're hugely improved over last year and clearly on the right trajectory, but we're not quite there yet.

None of us are actually playing today (I assume). As fans, we can look ahead all we want -- it doesn't matter what we do.

Need to keep winning for the national media to take our team seriously . . .

Me too. I really want him back for @TEN, which feels like a game that could go either way.

The Bills can't afford to take anybody besides Miami lightly, but that's the weekly reality for nearly everyone in the NFL. I'm sure McDermott will keep the team focused on the Bengals and have them ready to play on Sunday. That said, I think fans are right to be highly confident about this game. Cincinnati is a one-dimensional team with a bad defense. If we can't sit on a team like that at home, then we were never in any danger of qualifying for the playoffs anyway. My only worry is going into the game with just two RBs (not counting DiMarco). That's thinner than I would like. Otherwise, this should be a straightforward win barring anything weird.

If you expected the 2018 Bills to turn into the Patriots or Chiefs in a single season, you weren't being realistic. Our offensive line went from abominable to competent. That is a huge step forward. Last year's WR corps was dropping passes all over the place and was headlined by an undrafted rookie free agent. This year they're competent, which is again a huge step forward. Our best TE from last year would be 5th on our current depth chart if everybody was healthy. And of course our 2018 QB was an ultra-raw rookie who looks a lot sharper now. Ideally we would add a true #1 WR (next year's priority in the draft IMO), have Knox develop into a security blanket TE (not there yet of course, but there's reason for optimism), further upgrade the line (free agency / draft), and look for upgrades/replacements for Gore and Yeldon (both are temporary stopgaps). Then we'll talk about the Patriots and Chiefs.

Given how our other TEs have played, it's hard to get too bent out of shape over this. Quite a change from a season ago.

The Jets suck now, because they're starting some random third-string QB who they signed off the street. They didn't suck when we played them. Not that they're a SB team with Darnold or anything, but that was a quality win in my book. By way of contrast, New England has beaten a Pittsburgh team that looks devoid of offense, and a Miami team that shows promise of being the worst NFL team since the merger.

Meh. That just gives New England an easier path to a wildcard.

I don't have a second favorite team, but I'll probably always wish Andy Dalton and Tyler Boyd well when they're not playing against us.

I expect this team to win a week 17 game against NYJ, but it's worth noting that they'll have an actual QB by the time that game rolls around. That team looks like more of a dumpster fire right now than it really is on paper.

It seems like the Bengals are kind of similar to the Giants: a one-dimensional offense coupled with a terrible defense. The main difference is that while the Giants rely heavily on the running game, Cincinnati relies almost exclusively on the pass. But our pass defense is the strength of our team, so this should be great for us, right? I have a hard time seeing us lose to a team not from Boston that throws the ball 45 times a game.

Very similar to an earlier post, but: Tier 1: Allen, Jackson, Mayfield. I would not trade Allen for any of the other quarterbacks right now. But honestly, I would expect Browns fans to say the same about Mayfield and Ravens fans to say the same about Jackson. Based on their combined body of work last year and the first two games of this year, all three teams have to be pretty happy with their guy. Out of this tier, I am most optimistic about Allen and least optimistic about Jackson, but they're all in the same neighborhood and that is probably just homerism on my part. I was intrigued by Jackson pre-draft, and I'm happy to see him succeed. For those downplaying Jackson's 2-0 start because of the teams he's faced, I would remind of you of the glass-houses-thrown-stones axiom. (small but noticeable dropoff) Tier 2: Darnold I like Darnold and expect that he'll get better. He had some good moments last year. But he didn't seem to improve much as the year went along (to be fair, I may have just missed it) and he seemed about the same in week 1. If I were a Jets fan, I would be at least a little worried my team drafted the next Ryan Tannehill -- not good enough to win games on his own, but just good enough that you can't move on from him. Then again, Eli Manning is the same kind of QB and he worked out well for the Giants. (big dropoff) Tier 3: Rosen He hasn't even shown any flashes that I can recall, and the fact that Arizona watched him for a year and dumped him at the first opportunity says a lot. If Miami throws him into the starting lineup, he may literally get killed before the season ends.

I was originally predicting a 9-7 season with us 1-1 at this point (L vs. NYJ and W vs. NYG). Since then, we picked up an extra W in a very mild upset, our QB is playing significantly better than he did last year along with the rest of the offense, and the defense has been about as good as we all expected. So I see no reason not to be hopeful.

I don't think that's true. Starting the season with back-to-back road games is a challenge no matter who you're playing against. Also, while the Giants are obviously a bad team and the Jets have all sorts of personnel problems now, the Jets team that we beat in week 1 was actually pretty solid -- I thought we were probably losing that game. Add in the fact that we've got a ton of new starters on offense and an o-line that hasn't had much time together, and I think we would selling ourselves short if we downplayed a 2-0 start.

Eh, I live and die with this team and I love what they're building, but let's not overreact to a comeback in week 1 and a perfectly predictable win in week 2.

In two leagues, I went with Houston and Baltimore. Made it through by the skin of my teeth.

I disagree strongly with this one. Take the time off the clock, punt the ball out of the back of the end zone, and make them do something with under 30 seconds left to go and no time outs. A missed FG gives them good field position, and runs the risk of a blocked kick or botched snap. They handled this situation exactly right IMO.

Excellent game by Allen. The turnovers were not his fault, but he had some throws that should have been turnovers but weren't. Regardless, he kept his head and led a 4th-quarter comeback. It's a little dumb to do week-by-week comparisons, but this is better than what Mayfield or Darnold accomplished.

Agreed. I think Josh Allen has a Favre gene that will probably never be coached out of him. I like Allen a lot and I don't say that be critical, just that we're all going to have to live with the occasional head-scratcher. I don't think either of his actual credited interceptions were his fault, and both fumbles were weird flukes.

Don't criticize Beane's taste in music. He's done everything for you, while you've done nothing for him.

Allen was the guy I was hoping the Bills would draft. I'm still very optimistic about his future, so no I guess nothing has really changed my mind since draft day. Agreed 100%.