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This season was a roller coaster of amazing highs only to follow with incredible lows. Going from playoff expectations to top 15 in the draft was really hard and this season scared a lot of fans for a long time about the Bills starting fast. Week 1 at Kansas City Chiefs, 41-7 win: After a FG to go up 17-0 the Bills force a fumble on the kickoff which they recover. Buffalo kicks another FG to go up 20-0 and never look back as the fumble cements it’s going to be the Bills day. Week 2 vs Oakland Raiders, 38-34 win: The Fitz Scream was born this game. After the Bills spot Oakland a 21-3 lead they storm back to go back and forth with Oakland with the lead. Down 35–31 late The Bills offense moves downfield to the Raiders 15 yard line with .34 seconds to go. On fourth down Ryan Fitzpatrick connects with David Nelson in the end zone for a touchdown while letting out an inhuman scream that NFL films picks up on audio. Week 3 vs New England Patriots, 34-31 win: In the game to finally end the streak against NE there are many moments to choose from. As much as I want to pick Fred’s run which setup up the GWFG, the Drayton Florence Pick 6 with 10:32 to go is the moment. The Bills came back in this game to tie it at 24-24 with the Patriots getting the ball back with under 11 minutes to go. Tom Brady throws a pass to at gets batted at the line and Florence picks it and takes it to the house. Just about every Bills fan at that moment felt this is our game finally to beat these guys. The picture of Florence scoring famously ended up on Sports Illustrated cover the next morning (one which I need to frame). Week 4 at Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20 loss: Despite running out to a 17-3 lead into the 2nd half Buffalos offense couldn’t move the ball and the defense wore out. Tied 20-20 with just 52 seconds left in the game Andy Dalton dove for a first down on third down at mid field to give a new set of downs. Next play the Bengals got a 20 plus yard run and won the game on a last second FG. Week 5 vs Philadelphia Eagles, 31-24 win: Going into the season the Eagles were a self proclaimed “Dream Team” after a bunch of marquee free agent signings. Yet by this point they were 1-3 and not nearly the squad many expected. Up 14-7 after a Fred Jackson TD, Bills LB Nick Barnett intercepted Eagles QB Michael Vick for a touchdown to put Bills up 21-7, a lead they never would lose. Week 6 at the NY Giants, 27-24 loss: After weeks of getting timely turnover the well dries and Fitzpatrick Fitzs. Tied 24-24 with 4 minutes to go The Bills are on the Giants 30 with a chance to take the lead. Fitzpatrick under throws a pass down the left sideline which is INT. The Giants proceed to go down the field draining the clock and get a FG with 1:35 left. Buffalo goes four and out. Week 7 home in Toronto vs the Washington Redskins, win: 0-3 in their first three games in Toronto the 4-2 Bills just gave Ryan Fitzpatrick a contract extension. Up 10-0 Ryan Fitzpatrick gets hit hard in his mid section during a completed pass. He finishes the game but after the season it is revealed the hit broke some of his ribs. The impact of this is soon noticeable during the Bills slide the rest of the season and Fitzpatricks reduced play. Week 9 vs NY Jets, 27-11 loss: In what may be the season defining game the Bills take on the Jets in a hyped divisional showdown as the Jets were coming off back to back AFC title game appearances and were 4-3 winning 2 straight. In a game to show the NFL a statement Buffalo falls flat. Wearing white at home for the first time since 1986 the Bills are down 6-0 early in the 3rd quarter Fred Jackson fumbles the ball on the Bills own 20 and it is recovered by the Jets. It takes NY just three plays for a LaDanian Thomilson TD to put the Jets up 13-0 and they pull away from there. Additionally the injuries start to pile up as starting young center Eric Wood is injured for the season. Week 10 at Dallas Cowboys, 44-7 loss: With major questions on whether the Bills are real they get wrecked in Dallas. The defining moment is a pick six by Dallas in 4th quarter cementing Bills fans worst fears that their team is a pretender and the QB is not as good as they thought. Week 11 at Miami Dolphins, 35-8 loss: Hoping to get a win to at least solidly stay in the playoff hunt the Bills instead get embarrassed by their rivals. But the defining moment is the season ending injury to Fred Jackson who fracture his tibia. With Jackson gone the heart of the Bills offense went too. Week 12 at NY Jets, a 28-24 loss: At 5-5 the Bills need a win to truly think playoffs. The offense actually shows up in this game as it is back and forth throughout. With a minute left the Bills have the ball at mid field when Fitzpatrick throws a dart to a wide open Stevie who drops the ball at the Jets 20 and would’ve acted to take the lead. Week 13 vs Tennessee Titans, 23-10 loss: With any playoff hopes hinging on this game Buffalo again fails to produce. By this point in the season the Bills injuries and lack of depth show especially on defense. In the 2nd quarter Chris Johnson scores his second TD of the game and gets to 90 yds rushing already on the day as the pours Bills D cannot stop the run. Week 14 at San Diego Chargers, 37-10 loss: With the Bills playoff chances basically gone the Bills help to eliminate any mathematical chance with a bad loss in San Diego. Defining this game is Ryan Fitzpatricks pass in triple coverage to Lee Smith which hits the back of Chargers defender and pops right to a Chargers defensive back. At this point of the year not a single break would ever go Buffalos way. Week 15 vs Miami Dolphins, 30-23 loss: In a more spirited affair vs the division rivals Buffalo loses a spirited contest. Defining this game though early in the 3rd quarter down just 13-6 the Dolphins have the ball at mid field. Dolphins QB Matt Moore bombs a deep ball to WR Brandon Marshall who takes it in for 65 yard TD. The Bills fight back but the trend of falling behind my multi point deficits wrecks their chances. Week 16 vs Denver Broncos, 40-14 win: Against an upstart Broncos team led by Tim Tebow the Bills actually win. Leading 26-14 with 8 mins left in the game Tebow is intercepted by Jarius Byrd near mid field who scores cementing a Buffalo win. Week 17 at New England Patriots, 49-21 loss: I’m not even doing a defining moment here. Just look at the box score and see Buffalo had 21 pts in the first half and then the Patriots scored 49 pts consecutively. Stevie Johnson got himself benched also for another celebration penalty.

When I was writing up my 2011 moments I reflected how I wish that team broke that drought. They were close but didn’t have enough depth once the injuries started. Chan made that offense farrr more functional then it should have been. They also lost a few games that really swung their chances.

Yep week 3 NE started and everyone’s general reaction was it’s about time and wow the offense is just bad not historically awful. Gailey walked into an awful situation as the team had little talent, ownership was a major ?, and they had no QB answer. He wasn’t even the teams first choice which was Cowher. I think he started Trent to see if anything was salvageable and then moved from there. To me his major mistake was not pining to draft a QB any of his years there.

Haha yea the Bengals game was wild and fun. It was the one legit good and fun game that season. I went to the Dolphins home opener, Jets rain blowout, and Pats snow blowout. All were miserable for different reasons. The Pats game we went to tailgate we sat 200 level for $35 for two tickets. I remember that morning buying an 18 rack of Coors at 6:45 with the purpose of drinking all that by start of game haha I remember people were legit angry they won games because Cam and Luck were potentially there and they needed a QB badly. Fitz fooled them like he has everyone on being a true starter (not hate at Fitz I loved him he just wasn’t a franchise guy).

It’s the off season and I feel like having fun. I feel like each season and game has a defining moment symbolizing what went wrong or right. I’m going to start with 2010 and go forward to this season. Let me know what you think! Week 1 Home vs Miami, Loss 15-10: In the opening game of the season the Bills took on the Dolphins in a pretty non eventful game. That said Buffalo had the ball with a chance to win, but the drive stalled and on fourth down new head coach Chan Gailey intentionally took a safety playing for field position instead. That may have actually summarized his time in Buffalo. Week 2 at Green Bay, Loss 34-7: After sacking Trent Edwards LB Clay Matthew’s humped him as he got up. The Bills lost even when the clock was stopped. Week 3 at New England, Loss 38-30: A 35 yard TD pass from Brady to Moss put NE back in front for good and solidified the divide between the teams. Rookie CJ Spiller did have a beautiful 95 yard kick return TD return. Week 4 New York Jets, loss 38-14: A 41 yard pass from Sanchez to Braylon Edwards put the Jets up 17-0 on the Bills midway in the 2nd of a rain soaked affair. Week 6 Jacksonville, 36-20 loss: Down 30-20 with ten minutes to go the Bills go for it with a fake punt which Moorman only gets 1 yard needing 7 to give the ball back to the Jags. Buffalos defense was a sieve and the Jags get FG while burning the clock down. Week 7 at Baltimore, 37-34 OT loss: In a very entertaining game the Bills rally to force OT. In OT the Ravens pick up Bills TE Shawn Nelson despite him being stopped and Ray Lewis strips him with the Ravens getting the ball and then a GW FG. I’ll never understand how this was legal as Nelson’s forward momentum was stopped and the play should’ve been blown dead. Week 8 at Kansas City, 13-10 OT loss: The Bills were looking to end a six game losing streak and came oh so close at the end. With 1:17 remaining in regulation the Bills had the ball close to mid field and got to the KC 41 with a first down. Then it happened, Fitz Fitz’d. He threw an INT on first down to Chiefs Eric Berry despite being in FG range. This would be my first memory of us being bad Fitz’d. Week 9 home but at Toronto vs Chicago, 22-19 loss: In a relatively nondescript game like all the Toronto games the Bills score a TD midway in the 3rd quarter to make it 14-13 Bears. The Bears defense was quite good that year and blocked the extra point. That ended up being the difference as the Bears ended up going for two later on rather then kicking to tie. Week 10 vs Detroit Lions, 14-12 Win!: In an ugly rain soaked mistake riddled matchup Lions QB Shaun Hill throws for 300 yds on 50 attempts, but his last second TD drive fails as he can’t convert the 2 pt conversion. Week 11 at Cincinnati Bengals, 49-31 Win: Roaring back from down 21 pts the Bills see Drayton Florence pick up a fumble and go 27 yds for a TD. With all the momentum on the Bills side they keep going and stun the Bengals for their second win. Week 12 Pittsburgh Steelers, 19-16 OT loss: This moment may have been the apex of bad “Billsing” and snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Buffalo played the future AFC champs hard forcing OT. In OT Ryan Fitzpatrick throws a 50 yard bomb to a wide open Stevie Johnson streaking into the end zone which will win the game... and he dropped the ball which hits him dead in the hands. Week 13 at Minnesota Vikings, 38-14 loss: Bills LB Arthur Moats crushes NFL legend Brett Farve that he is knocked out of the game. The hit is so bad it ends Farves iron man streak as he has to miss the next game. Week 14 Cleveland Browns, 13-6 Win: Browns QB Jake Delhomme is hit by Moats and his pass misfires getting intercepted by Leodis McKelvin late in the 4th. The Bills run the clock out for their 3rd win. Week 15 at Miami Dolphins, 17-14 win: CJ Spilele gets a 34 yard punt return which helps the Bills get a 10-0 lead a rare multi score lead on the season. Buffalo never relinquishes for their fourth win. Week 16 New England Patriots, 34-3 loss: Patriots LB Gary Guyton forces a Fitzpatrick fumble on the Bills third possession. The Patriots drive down and score to make it 14-3 and Buffalo continues to keep turning the ball over and the Patriots keep scoring. Week 17 at New York Jets, 38-7 loss: Brian Brohm is the QB with Fitzpatrick injured and throws a pick six 6 minutes into the 2nd quarter to Jets CB Marquice Cole. Few fun factoids on the season: -The Bills played three overtime games and lost all three. That is the most OT games they’ve played in the last 11 years. -The majority of Bills home games were played in awful conditions. With 5 of the 7 games in Buffalo (screw Toronto it was not a home game) having rain or wind. -In the last 8 games the Bills went 4-4 after at starting 0-8. However after going 4-2 they got blown out 72-10 in the last two games. -Against the Bengals the Bills scored 49 pts, in their other three wins combined they scored a total of 44 pts. PSA: Please appreciate our offense that exists currently. -This was the last season with the NFL blackout rule so it was possible to not see some Bills games.

If you take a look at some of the biggest tours in the nation they have been using football stadiums (Taylor Swift, Metallica, etc). Buffalo has been passed by for bigger cities because of size. Again read the study yourself to see the differences. Summer and Fall they do most of the events at the Ralph as Winter and Spring are notoriously bad for outdoor events that don't involve the Bills. You gain those two seasons back for use if it is indoor. One of the perks people don't talk about is stadium tours are really popular for new venues or in general (believe it or not you can tour the Ralph.. well could pre COVID I meant to do that). Downtown you can get many more people who are interest. I am not trying to sway your opinion as much as just point out some of the advantages that have been reported with indoor use. Truthfully nothing is better as a Bills fan then a 60 degree day in October watching them play. But if a new stadium comes to pass I want them to explore every possibility and use especially because tax payers will feel it. That honestly would be super cool but I doubt it ever happens now that the Pegulas own the team and the city of Buffalo has made the overtures it has to have the team downtown. Had we had different ownership that wanted the Canadian market more I think that was a real possibility.

I am just telling you what I have read. It would open the possibility for larger tournaments in college sports, Buffalo would be bale to get larger concerts or conventions. In general Buffalo does not have a large enough venue for major things like that. Key Bank is find for most concerts, but there are larger concerts that do stadium type tours that having an indoor venue allow. I am not necessarily disagreeing with you, but indoor has more potential for use.

I read the stadium report Populous did a few years ago. The major reason for indoor is the amount of events you can do and host like doubles as opposed to out door. If you are going to spend that much money I'd rather have 55-60 things happening a year as opposed to the 20-25 you get outdoor. I did Miami pre Canapy and post Canapy and it was like a different stadium. Even though it was like 80% capacity, with the Canapy the sound reverberated tenfold more then the night game I went to without it. Def an interesting difference to have experienced.

Bills beating NE in 11 is the easy pick, I was at the Raiders the week prior which was nearly just as good. The Packers 2014 win to me was the start of the Bills fortunes changing and the first flicker of remerging onto the national landscape (the Dallas win in 2019 was the fire in full force). Some other fun games I was at during drought time were the 2004 win vs Miami when McGhee first started, 2013 Panthers win last second, 2015 Colts home opener. The Jets TNF home opener in 2016 was insane atmosphere wise the defense just couldn't get out of its way and Fitz had one of his great Fitzy games.

I really like this question. I think for the first time ever the young QB potential may have swung a bit too far to the other side. Some of the bigger QBs moved (Stafford, Wentz, Goff) were done because teams felt the contracts were too high. If you hit on a young QB teams see the 3-5 years you get with a cheap contract and cap room to improve the roster quickly. The flip side though is Wentz & Goff were teams went too big too quick. People laugh at Jerry Jones but truthfully I think what he did with Dak was more logical compared to Philly overpaying Wentz which basically led to their roster being deconstructed because of his cap. I believe it was Bill Barnwell had a thing or 538 that the odds of hitting on a QB in the 1st round where its a ten year run with sustained success (division crown, 10 + wins etc..) is 46%. To have success with a young QB you need to surround them with a system and talent that fits which won't happen for all. Not enough of these teams will have plans or systems that work for what it takes with a young QB. Getting a veteran isn't as sexy but rather then paying a premium for a QB it can give you time to identify the right guy for your system and get the talent needed.

Depends on the year the contract kicks in. If it is 2022 then it makes sense the cap having a one year dip, otherwise completely agree.

Hopefully can take the Reigns off and stop the "rains" for Moss hahaha

Agreed. Every time I buy the Russel hype train it crashes into a lake. I'm at the point he is a top 10 guy but the reason Seattle went to SB's was the defense not him.

I am not a fan of this. I'd rather keep Milano and let Williams walk. Yannick I am shaky on, his stats are not bad but he seems to be a malcontent at points and I wonder if the defense had a start they way they did in the 1st half how well he would do with it. That said I really like our defense with Milano staying and Yannick added and that feels like it could help gel the defense to have the edge they missed last year. That said I think you can find a RT faster then a LB like Milano who has proven that his absence in the lineup has been a major void. Additionally you do not know if Tremaine is worth the money long term and Milano has shown more. Even if they had to franchise tag Milano I would rather do that for a year.

Yea AFC I’d say it goes like this: Should win Division Bills Chiefs Ravens Solid Teams That Could Jump Titans Browns QB Play Could Change Fortunes Good Or Bad Dolphins Steelers Raiders Colts Some Pieces But Need Improvement In Certain Areas to Jump Bengals Broncos Chargers Playing for Draft Picks Patriots Jets Texans Jags The top 5 teams I listed I would be genuinely surprised if they missed. After that it’s a hodgepodge depending on additions and subtractions etc. The bottom two AFC spots are going to be really interesting to see what happens to.

The nostalgia for the past is insufferable at points. Its a new time, new identity, new group etc.. the 90s had their time and its past. When the NFL finally dumps the stupid one shell helmet rule fine do a game or two in red but that is it.

I've always liked TNF as it kinda starts my weekend for me, but I don't disagree with how bad it is for the players and recovery. I've always thought if you play TNF then you should be coming off a bye or play on at least Saturday the week prior

Thinking about it the last truly fun opening matchup was probably the Colts in 2015. Jets in 2019 had some hype because at the time people thought they could be decent. Bears in 2014 is still probably my favorite opener of the last decade.

Same here. Everyone keeps thinking us, but its the NFL and with Dak returning, Dallas being Dallas, why would they not take a layup like that. Additionally the NFL since 2002 has had one NFC v AFC opening night game and that was in 2003 when the Jets played the Redskins otherwise the opening game is always inside conference. That was also the last time they didn't have the Superbowl Champion open the season.

i don’t disagree that you sign this big contract but get pissed when you don’t have help. Flacco successfully lost his top two TEs and Torrey Smith when he signed his deal. Maybe if he took less he doesn’t lose all of them. Say what you want on Brady but I always thought it was smart that he took less so he could get help

IDK to me if your organization isn't run well why should the player have to stay? Wilson has been hit almost 40 times a season for 5 years, the team has failed routinely around him to give him support, and he doesn't have a lifetime of good years left. If your a good well run organization this is non factor, if your goofing the wiggle room is gone these days to stink and I am 100% pro player. The Lions wasted two of the best skill positions in the history of the league because of how poorly their managed. I would love to have seen Sanders or Megatron in a SB but he got put in crap. I am not a Phillip Rivers fan but I will say his org let many of their best players go and never completely paid for guys in a premium way. Sports has become a two way street where players expect more out of their orgs and vise versa. This paid off for the Bills in the Diggs trade which a decade or two ago probably never happens and he wastes in Minnesota. Win and be well run you don't have issues.

RIP Jaws he was just trying to carry people to safety

Yea it is annoying but I get it and its why Dallas plays a million games a year on national TV despite most of the time not being worthy of the game.

Yea I think Miami replaces the Patriots as our likely primetime division matchup. If they get Watson I could see both games being at night or at least 4:00 pm. Had the Jets got T-Law I'm sure they would've got like 4 primetime games, but even with Watson I am not sure it will be as high. I have a feeling more games will be flexed this year or have the ability to. The NFL seems hellbent to help their broadcasts and truthfully a Lions v Eagles MNF game between two 4-7 teams should be moved if that is their record come December.

Because some of last seasons primetime matchups were a result of the Bills playing West Coast. The Bills faced the 49ers on MNF rather then it being a 4 pm game and Denver in a quasi primetime Saturday spot the same way. As I put above for comparable the Texans and Titans after good runs in the 2019-2020 still only received 2-3 primetime games apiece. The Bills have routinely said they prefer that the Bills play at 1:00 pm at home because a good chunk of the fanbase travels anywhere from 1-3 hours to get to the game and that is the optimal spot. Last season the Bills had 2 primetime home games and rest 1:00 pm. Major difference was the West Coast where we were on primetime twice plus the Raiders and Cards at 4:00 pm. The Titans game was suppose to be a 1:00 pm Sunday matchup until COVID so the Bills literally had 5 of their 8 games be at more marquee times. Even if that falls to 3 games it still is a decrease that is semi inevitable. One last thing is that TV networks can protect games and with the Bills being with the Chiefs/Ravens as top in AFC they will want to protect some of those games to not all be night games. I certainly could be wrong and kind of hope I am as I love the night games, but 2 home primetime games, 1-2 away primetime games, and 1-2 4:00pm matchups still is a healthy amount of marquee matchups. But look at their schedule and after Colts/Steelers/Chiefs/Bucs/& maybe Saints/Phins the rest is pretty light in terms of matchup and talent. Could be good and mean a 12-4 type season, but even with Trevor Lawrence the Jags aren't exactly must see TV. I could see that and if that happens its probably Steelers/Colts/Bucs/Chiefs/AFCE team in some combo.