LSHMEAB

I can understand why you feel that way from the outside looking in, but it's just not the case. The guys who set the lines use a very detailed set of analytical data. This particular line is moving towards Pitt despite the fact that the public(which means the average Joe betting 20 or 30 bucks) picking the Bills. That's generally not good. The Denver analogy was a good one. That line moved all the way down to 4.5 despite the fact that the public liked the Bills. I'm hoping for a repeat, but Pitt is a more difficult matchup. We'll see what happens. Just gotta hope for the best.

Getting that offense into third and long is the key to stopping them. You could say that about any offense, but it's especially true in their case. The Bills did well on 1st and 2nd down and the run D was solid overall. It's easier said than done because of that RPO and the scheme Roman has created. They haven't found themselves in 3rd and long situations very often, so they're pretty good at avoiding them. Bills defense did a good job, but the notion that LJ has been "figured out" is ludicrous.

If that were the case, BB would be making a very poor decision.

Completely disagree, but the notion of Jimmy G riding the pine for 6 seasons would have never happened. He was gonna get bank and the Pats weren't gonna pay 2 QB's. BUT, he's better right now. And believe it or not, I respect Tom Brady and don't really have animus towards him. Probably because I'm a Michigan guy. Consider him the greatest QB of all time. I watched him towards the end of last season and the zip just wasn't there. Now he's getting REALLY shaky behind the line because his body is telling his mind that he cannot absorb hits. It happens to everyone and it's happening to TB.

BB is cuthroat. He has zero blanks to give about Brady's legacy and he's not an idiot. Very bright coach. He's gonna play the better QB. Unless you want to make the case that Brady is better than Jimmy G right now. Is that what you believe?

I'm a little unclear on this. Is net points synonymous with margin of victory?

I think Jimmy G would be playing RIGHT NOW if he were on the roster, but yes, they didn't have the option of retaining him and he wouldn't have taken over for Brady during the seasons you mention. That being said, I would be SHOCKED if Brady came back for another season. Completely shocked.

I have that same sinking feeling about this game as I did for the Cleveland game. Some people pay no mind to the betting perspective and that's cool. But "people" believed in the Bills while Cleveland remained the favorite. Line never budged. This line is going UP for Pitt despite the fact that Joe Schmo is betting on the Bills. Guarantee you're gonna see the writers who never really know anything about what's GOING to happen pick the Bills. Hope they go out and make this post look dead wrong.

Exactly. Bojo is a mixed bag because there are times in which he shocks you and rocks one, but punter is the last position you'd want a "mixed bag" from on an NFL roster. You don't want some kind of huge disparity per punt. That 65 yarder is great, but the 33 yarder is more harmful than that 65 yarder is helpful. You could argue kicker and QB are in the discussion, but it's only natural that a kicker is going to miss a few and a QB is going to have an off day. There's no reason to accept off days from a punter.

Said it perfectly. I tend to disagree with the premise that there's an actual "moral" victory. You..play...to...win...the...game. If they go into Pittsburgh and build on the positive things they did and negate the negative things they did, then the game may have served a positive purpose. If they go into Pittsburgh and lay an egg, then the game may have served a negative purpose. Looking back at the Ravens game and trying to extrapolate whether it was a "good loss" or simply a loss is an exercise in futility. It's always THIS WEEK in the NFL and Pitt. is a CRITICAL game.

For sure my man. I'm not trying to be "that guy," but we gotta deal with reality. Gonna take a quality outing from the offense against a good defense to beat Pitt, let alone NE. Just glad we beat the Titans.

Absolutely. I think there's a very good chance we lose this game if the offense brings less than their A game. The Steelers are favored, so there's that. This is by NO MEANS some kind of game you can chalk up as a win. People don't want to think about it, but it's entirely possible the Jets game becomes a must win game to get into the playoffs. Those are just the facts.

I think it was worth a shot and at that moment, the Bills offense NEEDED momentum. Tough call considering they rarely overturn them, but it was pretty blatant. They ended up having a shot at the end and TO's didn't come into play, but that's impossible to predict. Who knows. Emotionally, I definitely wanted to see that red flag because it felt like the game was slipping away.

I don't think the officiating was particularly biased overall. The non PI call was brutal. Considering the trouble the offense had moving the football, McDermott should have absolutely thrown the challenge flag there. Other than that, meh. Sour grapes. One other play I did question was a clear throwaway by LJ at the Ravens one. He chucked it OOB while well inside the pocket. I suppose there was a player in the area, but come on man; that's grounding. Had me thinking the refs consider LJ out of the pocket regardless of where he is in the backfield.

All I can say is that Titans game was far more important than anyone realized at the time. I could absolutely see a scenario in which we lose the next two and need to win the finale against the Jets.

I'll use another baseball analogy here. Jim Leyland used to say something along the lines of, "at some point, you've got to stop tipping your cap to good pitching and score some runs." There were plays to be made and they weren't. It's really that simple. It would be unreasonable to expect to light up that Baltimore D, but they're not the 85 Bears. There were drops, there were miscues, there was poor play calling, and Allen made some bad throws on what could and should have been home runs. It's not the end of the world, but this was a missed opportunity. I don't see a silver lining. What I see is an opportunity to go into Pitt and beat a quality team with an excellent defense. That is going to be a really tough game and things could become dicey if it's an L. There will be no moral victories next week.

I will say that was a perfectly designed and executed play with far less degree of difficulty on the throw, but the point stands.

Gotta disagree here. I think when you take the number of deep shot yards left on the field by poorly thrown balls in totality, there is harm. Sure, you move on to the next down. But you don't get that many chances in the course of a game to hit those. It's like an AB in baseball; when the pitcher hangs a breaking ball and the batter gets out in front of it and smashes it down the line foul, there's harm. It's not strike 3, but you missed a golden opportunity. Not quite sure what the answer is, but JA needs to start hitting some home runs if he's going to take that next step.

Imagine if Garropolo wasn't traded? I know it wouldn't have been feasible to retain him, but it would be amazing theater. The Pats would have no choice but to go to JG and BB would absolutely do it.

Gotcha. Pretty crazy that they play twice in the last 3, but that explains it.

How is this the case? IF Pitt and Tennessee were to win out, they'd both be 11-5. Maybe Tennessee plays Houston or some other scheduling scenario, but I question this.

The whole notion of "you're still down by one score" if you kick is archaic thinking. From a non analytics standpoint, I HATE when you need that two at the end of a game. There's far more energy on the defensive side of the ball. That's just my perception. From a practical standpoint, you want to know THEN if you're gonna need to score once or twice so you can proceed accordingly.

Exactly. I get the sentiment of "we competed" but these games could have been had. We contained both Brady and Jackson, but couldn't get it done offensively. Not like we didn't have opportunities. They are trending upwards and all that good stuff, but moral victories are not my thing.

I'm hoping.

This is a great game, but I got my eye on Pitt as well. We could easily lose to that team. Easily. Tennessee was such a pivotal win for the Bills. Game could have gone either way, and they got it done. We'd be in pretty bad shape if not for that W.