SoTier

I think you are dead-on with this take. The combination of the new offensive scheme and talent plus playing a string of crappy teams made them look significantly better than they actually were on both sides of the ball. Now that opponents have film on Miami, they don't look nearly as good as they did. That includes the coaching. They seem to have at least a better than average running game that they tend to completely abandon too quickly when defenses stiffen up.

I agree. In order to expand, the NFL has to identify metros that are large enough to support a franchise, at least one viable would be owner/ownership group willing to ante up the initial cost of joining the NFL, and a cooperative state/local government willing to contribute to building an NFL stadium. IMO, US metros that meet all three of these conditions have been pretty much maximized. I can think of only three large metros currently without teams that can meet the population criteria: Saint Louis, San Antonio, and San Diego. That leaves foreign cities, which is why there's the emphasis on games outside of the US. I think that the NFL is working on cultivating foreign fandom in anticipation of expansion into Mexico (maybe with the 3 US cities I mentioned above) plus into Europe in the decade or two.

Hahahaha!!!! INTs on 3 straight possessions to give the game to the Packers. That's surely impressive ... NOT!

Surprise Christmas present thanks to the Pack!!!!!

RIP Franco. He was a great player, but from all accounts from those who knew him, a better person.

Throwing for PI is SOP in the NFL. It's like a QB using inflection or a long count to try to draw the D offside on 4th and 1.

In light of this weekend's games, I think you might want to temper your pessimism.

Holy crap!!!! The Jags win in OT on a pick 6. YEEE HAWWWW!!!

Stick a fork in Da Bears. Dey done.

Lions win!!!!!

Wilson missed again. 14 seconds and it's 4th and 18 from the Jests side of midfield!!!

Lions take the lead on a 51 TD on a fourth and 1 at mid-field. LOL at the Jests.

Why is she a toxic personality?

Exactly. Sometimes, the talent at a particular position when a team picks simply isn't worth a first round pick. I'm an advocate for the Bills to take a OG/C in the first in this draft (I advocated for them taking one last year, too), but I'm not going to throw a hissy fit if they don't. If they can't find at least 1 OLer they like in the first three rounds, however, that would make me angry because it would say that the Bills just aren't trying to improve the OL through the draft.

Prime spot to grab a top level guard or center.

Great news for the Lions, who are still looking to make the playoffs. The Lions have a potent offense, so they should be able to score some despite the Jests' good D. I doubt that the Jests under Wilson can outscore them.

I will add that Lamar has really improved his passing over his pro career just like Josh Allen has. His passing skills are different from JA's, but he's a decent passer, and one of the top QBs in the NFL.

Absolutely. There's so much more to being a good/great QB than being a great passer, including leadership and decision-making. How many great passers drafted into the NFL have literally fallen on their faces because they never had/mastered the rest of the skills good/great QBs need?

I think that Lamar has proven himself more than just a "pretty good QB", and I think that the only issue that Baltimore has with paying him is the guaranteed money. I think that in the aftermath of the Deshaun Watson deal, Lamar wants it fully guaranteed for x number of years, and Baltimore isn't willing to go that far. I'm not sure if they will compromise over the off season.

In an NFL without a salary cap or if all they were interested in was filling Highmark Stadium and making the playoffs, this would be easy to do, but the Bills play in an NFL with a salary cap, and they aspire to not simply make the Super Bowl but win it They need a defense good enough to stop offenses like the Chiefs, Bengals or Eagles, and the Bills have invested a lot assets to get what they hope is a good enough defense. Despite the losses of Hyde and Miller for the season, other injured defensive players have returned or are getting healthy, and the Bills defense appears to be still improving. I'm willing to sacrifice some offensive power for a defense that can take the Bills to a Lombardi. I'm a believer in the old adage, "defense wins championships".

IMO, winning close games late in the season is far better preparation for winning in the playoffs than cruising into the playoffs with a string of easy wins that make fans feel great but don't enable a team to develop the mental toughness needed to overcome adversity that surely appears during any run to the Super Bowl.

Seriously upgrading the OL would solve many of the problems with the offense IMO. It would make all the RBs better. It would enable Allen to have more passing success by giving him more time to throw. I'd like to see the Bills use a first or second round pick on a top quality OLer and at least one other pick in rounds 3-5 on an OLer.

Yeah, back in August and September the Chiefs were supposed to be the weak sister of that division.

I think going on instinct and ad-libbing was Mayfield's MO going back to college. I think it was a siginicant part of his success in his rookie season, too. If McVay is smart enough to realize that Baker does best when he has the option to ad-lib and nurtures that, the Rams may have found themselves a QB while scavenging on the NFL waiver wire!

Baker has resurrected Baker of 2017 (Heisman Trophy) and Baker of 2018 (NFL OROY) ... at least for one game.