dave mcbride

second tweet in that thread:

Yeah, it all probably averaged out to about the 25 at the end of the day. The first four didn't make the 25 and one was at the 10 because of a penalty.

Yup. Part of it is a function of a running game that doesn't really work in the red zone if the runner isn't named Josh Allen and they're playing teams that are better than the Dolphins and Texans. I don't blame the backs; I place it on an interior o-line that's pretty talent-deprived in the run blocking game.

It's not just the Bills though - it's pervasive throughout the league and seems far worse than it was, say, a decade ago.

Enh ... he's playing zone. He's not really playing a man and there's always going to be someone open given the lack of a pass rush, TN's scheme, the quality of TN's receivers, and the accuracy/quickness to release of Tannehill. Edmunds shouldn't be blamed for this.

I swear to god that I think the NFL is trying to legislate returns out of the game. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say that between 33 and 50 percent of all kick returns (inclusive of punts) result in a holding penalty on the returning team. I can't imagine that STs are more likely to hold than, say, interior offensive linemen, but they definitely get called at a way higher rate. The hold on the kick return for a TD didn't bother me because I expect it to happen, but at the same time, even though he held a bit, it was nowhere near the play and the guy being held had not a snowball's chance in hell of getting within 5 yards of McKenzie. Anyway, ST returns are difficult to watch. I also think the Bills were kicking it short deliberately because they figured they had a 50/50 chance of a hold call that'd push TN back to the 10. Happened at least once and maybe twice (can't recall specifically). Anyway, it's bad for the game because it's bad entertainment.

Getting home field advantage throughout the playoffs is massively helpful. Just ask the Patriots.

Poyer was blatantly held, but that often gets missed.

That's awesome stuff; thanks.

Sam Monson at PFF has him at 29 out of 32 (that would probably include 3rd down sneaks and sounds more plausible given that he's been in the league nearly 3.5 season). That's 91 percent, which is pretty darn high.

I think it's more a case of the Ravens overcoming a raft of preseason injuries and getting better and better. They basically went into the season with no credible RBs on a RB-centric team. We shall see, of course.

Don't forget the last TD run. Other than that, how did you enjoy the play, Mrs. Lincoln? Most meaningful statistic is points off of turnovers, and the Bills lost it, 7-3.

I think they're a contender, but I also think they're too flawed to get the SB without home field advantage throughout. I don't think that'll happen this year unless the Ravens lose in the first round (which is possible but not probable). Of course, I could be wrong about the Ravens, but I expect them to get to 14 wins.

I can't believe either the announcers last night or people here aren't factoring in the following: Beasley was wide open because Allen decided to run the ball and the Titans defenders in the EZ rushed forward to stop him. The guy on Beasley pulled off of him to defend the Allen run. That's why he was so wide open.

I just think that Andy Reid is a great coach and they'll sort the turnover issue out. Offensive turnovers are why they lost two games. They aren't a turnover-prone team generally speaking. I also think Mahomes is the best QB in the league.

@Virgil, I disagree on one point: Tannehill was phenomenal after a shaky start to the day. He made the right decisions all game after the first quarter and was extremely accurate. He destroyed us last season too by working the middle of the field. Props where props are due.

The Browns appear to have serious problems and Mayfield is going to be less than 100 percent all season. They're also probably going to lose twice to the Ravens.

Hughes was the only good pass rusher last night. And was it just me who saw the blatant hold on the first TN series of the game near the goal line that allowed Tannehill to get the ball off? I fear the Ravens will end up with a better record given their respective schedules. The NFC is more top-heavy with excellent teams than the AFC. The only teams in the AFC vying for elite status are Baltimore, Buffalo, KC, and to a lesser extent TN. The rest have too many flaws.

Yeah, I don't see them as a SB winner this season. I think the only chance they have of getting there is getting home field advantage throughout, which is possible but I don't think probable. Presently, I have them going 13-4, which is good but I don't think good enough. I think they lose to TB and lose either to NO or the Pats once. Too many of the Pats games are 50/50 propositions, and their luck is bound to turn at some point in those games. They're 1-3 in such games now. For the Bills sake, you want those two losses to be to TB and NO (despite it ruining Thanksgiving). The problem is that the Ravens schedule isn't that hard. They're clearly the best team in a weaker-than-expected AFC North (I'm not a believer in the Bengals vs. good teams), and they get GB and the Rams at home. 14-3 is a very legit possibility for them: https://www.baltimoreravens.com/schedule/. Tennessee is a problem, but they have the Pats and the Rams on the road and the Chiefs at home: https://www.tennesseetitans.com/schedule/. The rest of their schedule is pretty easy, although the Colts always play them tough. Jax, Miami, Houston twice, and SF at home are basically five guaranteed wins. I know it's problematic to pull for the Chiefs, but given the tiebreaker situation, we definitely want them to beat TN this week. That's a big game for the Bills. I'm guessing 12-5/11-6 at the end of the day for TN. The Chiefs have a tough schedule, but the toughest opponents outside of LAC are at home. I think the Chiefs win that division at the end of the day. Chargers gonna Charger. And the Raiders will implode at some point.

Not so sure about this. The bizarre thing about this season is that everyone thought that the AFC was better than the NFC going into the season, but I'd argue that four of the best five teams in the league are in the NFC: AZ, LAR, GB, and TB. The other top team is somewhere between Buffalo, KC, and Baltimore. I love the Bills, obviously, but I can't get around the fact that they're 3-0 against terrible teams starting backup QBs and 1-2 vs. pretty good-to-good teams with their regular starting QBs. Murray is good. The jury results are arriving.

The key determinant for me was the all-important points-off-turnovers category. The Bills lost that one 7-3, which was the difference in the game.

People seem to have a hard time accepting that it was the correct spot.

Agree 100 percent. The bills were shredding them on short to intermediate passes and to take that sack looking for the deepshot that wasn’t there was a bad play by josh. Then a subsequent bomb and a long no-chance iass to sweeney meant that we couldn’t nail them deep.

At least you didn’t say he is mediocre. But you are wrong. Since coming to TN, they are 22-10 and his rating is around 107.

The spot was correct.