Success

The "Hail Murray" would have derailed just about every single drought-era Bills team. It galvanized the current team. Instead of folding or letting down, they went on one of the most amazing runs the franchise has seen to win every game until the AFCCG. So, I'm not sure how one defines "killer instinct." To me, that's it.

I was ready to be dismissive of this as a typical overreaction/hot take - but it's a really detailed and thoughtful article. I thought Allen might actually improve from last year, given the trajectory. That probably wasn't realistic. Nor do I think he's really regressing in any kind of alarming way. I still see him as one of the top QB's in the league. The Bills will adjust. Other teams' fans like to say things like "the Steelers just gave the league the blueprint on how to beat the Bills," but as the article mentions, that won't be easy for most defenses to do. At the end of the season, we may look back on Pittsburgh as one of the best defenses that we played.

Unless Moss regressed, he HAS to be in there every game going forward. We can't go into a game without a guy for short yardage. And he can do a lot more than that. That decision will never sit well w/ me - not that I know better than the coaches, but I feel like they didn't take this 1st game as seriously as they should have.

For 2 decades, I was longing for an offense that would have a more wide open air attack & mix it up w/ trick plays and innovative schemes. Now, that seems to be all we do. There is a happy medium between the drought years and our current O. We have got to establish a legit running game. We don't have the best RB's in the league, but that is no excuse: this team has to run more.

Happy for Zay - what a moment! That's one he'll remember for years...

Good post. It's weird getting used to big expectations, and the Bills being a target instead of under the radar. I have to credit Pittsburgh. That was a game where I have no excuses to offer - no bad officiating, no lucky play. WE had a chance to put them away early, but we let them hang around - and they do what good teams do when their opponent allows that. They took it.

Co-sign. We looked like a team that was treating the game as a more formal scrimmage. They hopped on the SB train based on the media building them up all summer and weren't ready for any resistance. As stark as a wake-up call in sports gets. I fully expect them to come out next week like their season depends on it.

It's not really an excuse. An entire unit of the offense was hurt. It's just a fact. I'm not going to be all "ssssshhhhh" about it.

I mean, I'm not even sure how to respond to that. When no receivers are open, of course a QB is going to have to scramble more. That changed the whole game.

They talked about this after the 1st few games last year, where he also fumbled frequently. Then, he didn't. For most of the rest of the season. Not worried.

One thing no one talks about from that KC game: 4 key Bills receivers all had significant injuries. Diggs had an oblique injury, Beasley had a broken leg, Davis had a bad ankle from the week before and Brown had a bad knee. And you could see it on the field - Romo even commented the the WR's never got any separation. They showed a few long-view shots where the receivers were blanketed, which rarely happened all season.

Great write-up. Good observations on the body language. Everything just seemed off. It felt like the whole team & coaching staff didn't get enough sleep, or all broke up w/ their girlfriends. Just out of sync. And I don't think there is any doubt: they fell for the hype. The hype may have been justified - but the players can't fall into that. This is a season like any other, and they have to earn every single win.

Which is as meaningless as all of the teams being 0-0 the 1st week. The Bills can get back on track w/ a win over the Dolphins. They should still be the clear division favorites.

Wasn't Jackson the guy who was trash talking Diggs in the beginning of our 2nd game w/ them last year, only to get burned by Diggs repeatedly after that? I'm surprised a Patriots player is talking like that. Not their usual m.o. And to Jackson, a word: scoreboard.

The Bills will make the playoffs. A bye was always going to be challenging. It's still possible of course, but I'm not counting on it. Pittsburgh was always going to be a tough game. That team will be in the mix at the end. All good here. Allen's MVP candidacy took a hit, but I have no worries about his play or any kind of regression. Just a bad day.

The nagging question for me is this: why do the Patriots get 2 decades of futility from the other teams in the division when they have a great team, but as soon as the Bills finally get it together, it looks like the division could be super-competitive top to bottom? More of a whine, actually. And I suppose the Pats had something to do w/ that, since there was so much QB & coaching turnover as the other teams tried to compete w/ a team like that.

Divisional opponent, away - nothing is going to be easy here. Watching some of their game yesterday: they don't really do anything spectacularly well, but they're solid in every area. I thought Tua looked pretty good. Their running game certainly isn't scary, but it gets the job done. They play good, sound defense and don't give up big plays. It's definitely a game the Bills should win, but after yesterday, they need to bring their A game and take advantage of every opportunity.

I'd agree w/ the general premise. I don't think it means he's suddenly a bad coach - but he sure did have an off day. Beyond the lack of run game (and my goodness, do we need Moss), he was too cute too much of the time. He has no problem calling Allen running plays - so why doesn't Allen do a sneak when it's 4th and 1? The Pats did that EVERY time w/ Brady, and there was no stopping it. Just get the 1st down. 4th & 10 was inexplicable - both the decision, and the actual call. It felt like a very discombobulated gameplan, and also like we just weren't taking it seriously.

Great write-up! I'm glad you mentioned both Oliver & Edmunds. They have turned into difference makers on that side of the ball. I mentioned this yesterday, and I may be rationalizing - but the more I've reflected on the game, the more I tend to think that we'll look back on it like the "Hail Murray" game. That game was a low at the time, but it was also the moment that galvanized the team and led to that amazing run to end the season. I think this team, and the coaches, 100% bought into the SB hype this year. You could see it. On at least some level, they thought these games were just going to be dominoes on the way to a high playoff seed and SB contention. I think that was most evident in some of Daboll's calls. They didn't seem to be taking the game seriously - almost like it was a scrimmage or preseason. Yesterday was a bucket of ice cold water. I think everyone is wide awake now, and realizes that it's going to be a slog & not a coronation.

Well, it's early - but I'd agree overall that the Pats have their guy. Particularly while BB is HC, but I'm sure beyond that. He's definitely a good QB. You guys are really pretty lucky to go from Bledsoe to Brady to now Jones. Most teams have years where they struggle to find the right QB.

I watched every pass (because I'm a psycho). It was textbook dink & dunk. I don't think dink & dunk is a bad thing, and it was a very good debut. But right now, I see a lot of coaching & scheme that made a debut like that possible. Jones looked like the guy who most scouts say he is. Ready to come in day 1, but w/ a limited ceiling. The kind of game he plays is great for games where it's close or the Pats have the lead. If they get behind by more than a score, he'll need to do a lot more than he did yesterday.

I 100% did not say that. I said they were fine - but to me, they indicate more about the coaching & scheme than they do about the QB. I saw enough in Mac today to be a bit worried, but not nearly enough to be terrified.

The things I was worried about, I'm still worried about. The O-line, the secondary, and the running game. Lots of positives, though. I'll focus on those. Going forward, the Bills need to follow the Pats blueprint: you get a franchise QB, you PROTECT HIM.

I'm good w/ "not bad." I feel like we had that a few times over the years. As long as he's not the next Brady, or anywhere near it.

Did anyone see the game? Patriots fans are over the moon about Mac. From what I could see just on the internet, it seemed like he was just making 7 yard passes all day. Which is fine, but much more game manager than QB threat to worry about.