Logic

You guys, I don't wanna stir up any controversy here, but... I'm starting to think Josh Allen might be pretty good.

Stadium didn't seem to miss him. The game sold out, the fans were nuts, the team played well, the QB had his best game ever.

If any of y'all know who Dave Portnoy of Barstool sports is, you know what a smug, annoying Pats superfan he is. You should most definitely watch this (WARNING: BAD LANGUAGE):

This is my favorite Bills game I have ever watched. It's hard to digest what we just saw. - The Bills set MULTIPLE records, including first team in the HISTORY of the NFL not to punt, kick a field goal, or turn it over once in a single game. They were the only team to score on their first five possessions in NFL postseason history...but then went on to have two MORE scoring drives! - They gave the Pats a taste of their own medicine, running up the score and not relenting. No one could've deserved it more. - Prior to their last game in Foxboro, Belichick had coached in 474 career games and never had an opponent not punt a single time. The Bills have now done it to him TWICE IN A ROW. - Josh Allen had the best game of his career, in near-zero degree weather, against the greatest coach of all time and the #2 defense in the NFL, in a playoff game. Let that sink in. - Let two narratives be dead and buried forever: The "Josh can't play in cold weather" narrative and the "McDermott is too conservative and lacks a killer instinct" narrative. Did I mention that was my favorite Bills game that I've ever watched? History just happened there, folks. History.

I’d like some of whatever Mike Rob smoked before filming this segment.

I live in Portland, Oregon. Just went to get takeout, and the dude running the shop looked at me in my bills shirt and hat and said “uh oh, we better watch out for our tables!!” Oh, Bills Mafia, you beautiful drunken idiots. What have you done? 😆

Here’s the Tweet:

Im truly wondering where Russini got a report like this. Surely neither coaching staff and neither set of players are telling reporters what strategies to watch for. There’s just no way. So where does she get this from?

His team sure seemed to be playing hard for him, right up through week 18. 🤷‍♂️

Wynn, Mills, and Dugger would all be huuuuge losses for the Pats. I’ve seen some speculation that Dugger may play, but with a clubbed hand. Have to think that makes him less effective at shedding blocks and hand-fighting.

The posts by Miyagi and Hapless state it perfectly. Stink, stank, stunk. I hate this.

I would say there's a zero percent chance Saban becomes the head coach of the Dolphins, but that wouldn't do it justice. It's a less than zero chance. I have a better chance of sprouting wings and flying to Jupiter than Saban does of either wanting to leave college ball or being hired back by the team that he deserted when he left the pros to begin with.

My favorite thing about a division rival firing a head coach is that it sets team construction back for them. New coaches tend to bring in their own systems, which often require different types of players, meaning that good players get shipped out for not fitting the system, and the team has to spend valuable draft and free agency capitol to replace those players. We saw it happen to the Bills for YEARS. One of the big reasons the Pats dynasty was so successful for so long is that the three teams with which they shared a division were constantly churning through GMs, coaches, and QBs, and never had any stability, and therefore could never become a serious threat to the very stable Pats. Well, the Bills finally turned the corner on that front, but it looks like our fellow division mates, the Dolphins and Jets, are still up to their same old tricks.

I have two answers to your question: The non-friendly answer, since you're a Pats fan, is...there are 64+ games worth of highlights available on Youtube, go find out for your damned self!!!! ...but the friendly answer is that yes, he has shown the ability to use touch at a high level over the past few seasons. That said, his receivers have been dropping more passes than usual in the recent string of cold weather games, and it sure looks like it's because Allen is putting a bit too much mustard on them.

It really looks like the Bills will have no excuses not to perform well on offense. Receivers room fully healthy. Running backs room fully healthy. Offensive line together for the third straight week. Allen healthy. Knox healthy. Weather will be cold, but likely with no significant wind or precipitation. All systems go. Blast off.

I still think everyone should just follow Beasley's lead and call Allen "Dad".

I just wanted to point out that any notions of Bill Belichick somehow purposely holding defensive or offensive looks back when we played them in Foxborough -- essentially risking losing a de facto division title game -- just so he'd have some fresh tricks in the bag IN CASE we played them again in the postseason...is absolutely ridiculous. First of all, that far back, he had absolutely no way of knowing the likelihood of playing Buffalo in the playoffs. Second, the greatest head coach of all time is damned sure smart enough to know that if he WAS going to see the Bills again in the postseason, he'd rather do it at home than away, which would require winning that game. I've seen a few people say it on this message board, I've seen it said on social media, and it never stops being ridiculous to me. Bill Belichick, no matter how much galaxy-brained 4D chess people are convinced he's always playing, did not purposely do things that would cost his team a victory in a pivotal matchup, just so that he could save some looks for a later meeting that might not even happen. No way, no how. Completely ridiculous.

Well... He had 6.5 sacks and 17 TFL his last season in Buffalo, which would have led the Bills this season. He was a plus run defender. He fit in well in the locker room and brought some humor and light-heartedness and swag. He already knows our system and would be valuable depth for the playoffs and, if things go well, perhaps for the future. Hughes and Addison might be gone after this year, and having some veteran depth behind our trio of youngster edge rushers might be good. He's still just 27 years old. We would no longer be counting on him to play big starter minutes or to live up to a first round billing. We'd simply be bringing in a guy who can play the run well, rush the passer well in spurts, fits well into the locker room, and knows the system. At this point in the season, that's a good get.

True, but the NFL doesn't care whatsoever about weather when picking the window for each game. Their ONLY concern is maximizing each viewing window by placing each game in the window where they think it will draw in the most viewers. Not only that, but from the NFL's perspective, a 0 degree kickoff temperature is a huge win! That's excellent viewing! Many of the sub-zero playoff games throughout NFL history are still talked about to this day, some having nicknames like "the ice bowl" or "the freezer bowl". So no, the NFL would see no reason at all to try to ensure warmer weather for kickoff. In the ultimate reality show soap opera that is the NFL, Bills vs Pats on a Saturday night on the frozen tundra of Highmark field is appointment viewing.

Weather, weather, weather. Let's look at some matchups and factors that will decide the game! Judon vs Dawkins - Dawkins got the better of this one in the last meeting between these two teams, turning Judon into a non-factor. That said, Judon was placed on the COVID list the very next day, so who knows how much stock to put into his performance in that game. He has previously had big days against the Bills when he was a member of the Ravens. Whether and to what extent Judon can impact Josh Allen will be one of the biggest determining factors in the outcome of this game. Will Barmore and Mills play? Arguably the most consistent pressure-creator on the Pats' d-line is Christian Barmore. He was hurt last week, but the MRI showed no serious damage. It is unknown whether he will be healthy enough to be in the lineup this week. If he isn't, it's a huge break for Buffalo's running AND passing games. Jalen Mills, meanwhile, has been playing quite well lately as CB2 for the Patriots, and he's currently on the COVID list. The Bills lacked a healthy Gabe Davis the last time these two teams played. With his return to the lineup -- and the return to health of Emmanuel Sanders -- the Patriots better hope that Mills returns to the lineup for Saturday's game. The depth behind he and JC Jackson is not super great. Can the Bills keep the running game going? Since week 11, the Patriots have the fourth WORST run defense in the league. The Bills, in that time, have the third BEST rushing attack. Can Singletary keep up his recent string of impressive performances? Can the Bills effectively unleash Josh Allen as a runner? Allen has rushed for over 60 yards in three straight games. In the frigid night air of Orchard Park, who's gonna want to tackle Allen if he gets running at full speed? Would YOU? Bills D-line vs Pats O-line - The Bills d-line, led by Harrison Phillips and Ed Oliver, has really ratcheted up their effectiveness the past few weeks. They've been stopping the run, holding their ground, beating double teams, bending the edge, and pressuring and sacking the quarterback. That said, no one would mistake the Pats' excellent offensive line for the lackluster groups of the Falcons and Jets. The ability of the Bills to pressure Mac Jones and force him into rookie mistakes will be paramount to the success of the Buffalo defense. Can anyone return kicks and punts? Bueller? Bueller? This has all the makings of a game where, if the Bills don't shoot themselves in the foot with stupid mistakes, they should win. Not committing penalties, executing their assignments soundly and tackling well, and most importantly: HOLDING ON TO THE FOOTBALL. The Bills return game has been a revolving door of terrifying fumble-itis lately. I think we're all to the point where we hold our breath any time McKenzie or Stevenson field a kick. It is my hope that Hyde is used as the punt returner and that the Bills don't have to field many kickoffs. Belichick, though, will likely instruct his kickers to kick the ball off short of the end zone, thus FORCING the Bills to return it. I don't care if they don't have big return yardage -- all I care about in those instances is that they hold on to the football. Ultimately, just like last time these two teams played, the team that wins the line of scrimmage most often on both sides of the ball and takes care of the football will win. I'm less worried about the Pats beating the Bills than the Bills beating themselves. Play a clean game, play physical in the trenches, don't turn the ball over, and the Bills win.

Yep. Another was the one where he passed low and inside to Gabe Davis up the right sideline, but Davis was looking high and outside. I think there may have been one to Beasley, too, but I can't recall the specific down/distance/time of game on that one.

"Like a giant buffalo. Or some sort of monster, like something with the body of a walrus with the head of a sea lion. Or something with the body of an egret with the head of a meerkat. Or just the head of a monkey with the antlers of a reindeer.....with the body of a porcupine" - Michael Scott

I suppose this thread is meant as some light-hearted humor, but...it seems a bit heavy handed and tasteless to me. If it was "who do you want to always be given over-cooked steak" or "who do you want to always lose their TV remote" or "who do you want to step on a Lego every Tuesday" then I could get behind it. Talking about who we wish death upon, even in a joking fashion, seems...not great.