dave mcbride

That team is a complete mess right now. I knew they'd be bad, but they're bad AND in disarray.

Say what you will about Hollins, but that was a helluva pancake block at the end there.

It could end up being 2 years/$16 million with a cap hit in 2026 of $3.4 million. Not ideal, but not a horrible hit given the likely size of the cap that year. The fact that I'm already thinking about this is kinda sad, though. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/player/_/id/21781/curtis-samuel He was wide open. Allen got hit, though.

Yeah, but even factoring that in, he's averaging 3.4 yards per play he's involved in (13 targets and 3 rushes). That's laughable for a WR.

The Bills were forced to pass the last two games too. And they were forced to pass in game one given that they were down by 2 TDs.

Judging from his performance in 2022 and 2023, Curtis Samuel is not a bad player at all and is indeed a moderately productive one if used properly. In this system, though, it feels like most throws to Curtis Samuel are behind the LOS and they seem to end up with him tackled around or slightly behind the LOS. It's baffling. He has long been a fairly productive player, with 171 touches (126 catches for 10 ypr; 45 runs for 5.1 ypc) and 10 TDs in the 25 games he played for Washington in the previous two years. That's basically 7 touches for 60 yards and .4 TDs per game, and with garbage QBs throwing to him. He had a 69 percent catch rate too. For the Bills, he has 12 touches on 16 targets/carries for freaking 54 yards over five games and hasn't sniffed the EZ. He is averaging 3.4 yards per play he's involved in, and he's a WIDE RECEIVER. That shouldn't happen; it's terrible. He's not a true difference maker, but he's certainly not this bad. At this point, I have to think he's simply being misused.

Throwing to Cook (or a TE or Samuel on a crosser) on first is a fair point. The third down call had to be for a throw past the sticks, though.

Here's the thing: the run game had completely stopped working (5 yard on the previous 6 RB carries), and even if they ran it on first and second down and ended up with, say, 3rd and 7, you still need to pass it because the best outcome is getting a first down -- not giving Fairbairn a chance at a long kick. If they get the first on the pass, great, the game goes to OT. If they fail and it's incomplete, Houston still has the one timeout they need. They didn't need three - they needed one. Plus failed running plays are generally shorter in duration than failed passing plays, so that gives Houston a few more seconds. You can rip on the play calls -- the second down one was a heave due more to pressure than a schemed design, I believe - but on the first one Coleman had one-on-one coverage (against Houston's weaker CB, Lassiter) and it was a throw to just past the sticks. To be sure, Coleman was well covered there and his OPI was smart and arguably prevented an INT. On third down, Samuel was wide open for the first. I would have preferred TE usage in that sequence, but the first and third down plays weren't terrible, at least in conception. More importantly, conceding a punt with three runs up the middle was the worse play, percentage-wise, than trying to pick up a first. And while Allen had a poor game, I would rather put my fate in his hands than those of the running backs.

Great point!

Gronkowski is arguably the best tight end in league history.

I suggest watching Simms here on that final sequence: https://www.nbcsports.com/watch/nfl/chris-simms-unbuttoned/does-josh-allen-have-enough-playmakers-around-him-on-the-buffalo-bills On the Bills previous six running back rushes, they had gained 5 yards. The run game had stopped working outside of Allen scrambles.

They schemed him open for a probable long td yesterday but Allen underthrew it.

Because it was thrown to the wrong spot. People love hating on Hollins, and I sorta get it because it feeds the narrative (which is true) that the receiving corps isn’t good. But two things can be true at once: Mack Hollins is a JAG and that was also one of the many bad throws by Allen yesterday.

Check out the other threads analyzing the play. Allen absolutely threw it over the wrong shoulder — it should have been his inside shoulder and the threw it to his outside one — which caused Hollins to have to adjust and slow down. It was a straight-up badly placed ball, and I’m sure Allen would tell you the same thing. He also missed a TD to Kincaid with a severe underthrow. He was really bad yesterday. Totally disagree. It was a badly placed ball. It needs to be on the inside shoulder. Hollins isn’t good, but that one wasn’t on him.

Not a fan of Hollins, but that was a bad throw.

Correct — their final completion came with 4:20 left in the third. After the Coleman TD, their RBs ran it 7 times for 16 yards. On their final six runs, they accumulated 5 yards. Cook had an 11-yard gain in the third quarter to start their first possession after the TD. Maybe that’s why they passed on their final possession — because their running game had been completely figured out.

Agree 100 percent.

I woke up this morning and my first thought was Davante Adams.

Lotta “I think” in this thread. Be prepared.

Because he had an upper body injury and not a concussion?!?

It was overthrown with not enough arc to allow the WR catch up to it. It’s been an issue with Allen his entire career. Lol. Uncatchable. Gimme a freaking break with the screenshots.

Some of your first-half “drops” were plays requiring WRs to make near-impossible circus catches. The deep pass to Hollins was inaccurate (a recurring problem) and the pass to Coleman was literally 2 yards out of bounds. He had a terrible game. The Texans dropped a couple of INT-worthy passes too. It happens. Every QB has the occasional bad game.

Exactly. And that’s why Brady forced his way out and went to a team with a good WR corps.

He took an absolute beating today despite taking only one sack.

I thought the third one was fine - he got hit but the receiver was open for the first.