dave mcbride

Jax is far more talented, but since Bortles turns it over with such regularity, it might actually turn out to be a game given the Bills' ability to ballhawk.

The Saints' RBs are far from mediocre.

I don't either. It's an issue that the team faces and which the fans don't factor in enough. Players don't want to stay.

20-18. You should always count game one of the 2015 season, in which Cassell got credit for the start because they ran a trick play on the first play of the game, with TT split wide.

There does seem to be a constant here that you're not addressing: highly talented players really seem to want to get the hell out of Buffalo. I'd add Watkins and McGahee to this mix.

A much better measure is DVOA, which factors in opponents and a whole bunch of other relevant factors like turnovers ( http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef ). 2017: 16th (he took over a D that was 27th in the league the year before; that was Ryan's D) 2016: 10th 2015: 2nd 2014: 15th 2013: 3rd 2012: 11th 2011: 32nd 2010: 11th (Philly) 2009: 3rd (Philly) All in all, his record is quite good. In 9 seasons, he has finished in the top half eight times, in the top 11 six times, and the top 3 three times. He had one disaster season - his first year in Carolina. Incidentally, your 2011 stats are wrong. Carolina's D was 27th in points allowed and 28th in yards allowed. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/car/2011.htm

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/film-room/2015/film-room-ryan-fitzpatrick for all of his flaws, taylor is a lot better than fitzpatrick.

Yup. If rivers is out, they will be favorites. It sounds like he won’t go — self-reported about his concussion.

Because if the season ended today they'd be in the playoffs, and their primary contenders for the 6th spot have suffered equally embarrassing losses.

Did you watch the Ravens lose 44-7 to Jacksonville? Miami lose 40-0 to Baltimore? Those are the competitors we're facing. Yup!! I trust you about the Ravens, of course.

There are a lot of people out there who are pretty uninformed about how crappy the AFC is this year beyond the top tier.

The defense was terrible from the first play onward. The Saints marched up and down the field on every possession. *They did not punt.*

Taylor was awesome in garbage time a mere ten days before. Never forget that in a situation like that - up 47-3 - the primary goal of every defender is avoiding injury.

Ah, how soon people forgot. Taylor had a garbage time performance for the ages only ten days previously. Don't read too much into these things. With a 47-3 lead, the primary motive of every defender on that field is not getting injured.

You also don't last long in the NFL if you don't care. Major sports leagues do a pretty good job of weeding out the not-caring types.

The Chargers are not good despite some real talent! Go check out their message boards (if they exist); I guarantee you that people are bitching about how bad they are. They give away so many games. Agreed that if the Bills lose in LA, the season is utterly over.

Your standards are way to high. I'll take any playoff game at this point, no matter the outcome.

? - Rodgers is out, but Stafford and Roethlisberger aren't.

They're actually in the playoffs if the season ends today. My hopes are not up, but I am conscious of how bad the AFC is right now.

It's not really wishful thinking. It's recognition of how bad the middle of the pack in the AFC is. Miami lost 40-0 to Baltimore the last time they played! They are a bad team, although I am certainly not chalking up the Bills game in Miami as a win. The Chargers find new ways to lose every week; they are bad. Indy is bad. The Bills have shots in all four of those games despite being not very good. Aside from the Ravens, who has a realistic shot to go 9-7 besides the Bills? The Ravens will not end up better than 9-7 either. A 9-7 team will get in.

In the midst of all this dismal play, let's not forget two things: the Bills have a very reasonable shot to go to 6-4 on Sunday, and they have a decent shot to make the playoffs with a 9-7 record. The loss to the Saints was embarrassing, but it *was* to an NFC team. Going into Sunday's game, that's the game that was least harmful in terms of picking up a loss. Beat LA, Miami twice, and Indy, and they're duking it out with Baltimore for the final playoff spot. There really is no one else if that happens. The Jets are out of it, Miami will be out of it if the Bills beat Miami twice, Indy and Houston are out of it, Cincy and Cleveland are out of it, the Broncos are out of it, Chargers will be out of it the Bills beat them (they'll have seven losses and lose the head to head), and the Raiders will be out of it because they will lose to NE and KC in KC. The Bills have the head to head against Oakland. Basically, if the Bills take care of business against three teams that are really no better than them (but not much worse, if at all), they will make the playoffs if the Ravens lose to Detroit and GB. That is a huge if, of course. Below is the Ravens schedule the rest of the way. It is unfortunately very easy. If they beat GB and lose to Detroit (or vice versa) and the rest of my predictions hold, they'll go in because they'll have a better conference record (8-4) than the Bills (7-5). You hope against hope that the Browns at home will put up a battle against them, but I wouldn't count on it. They should beat GB, but it is in GB and it's not as if the Ravens are a great team. That said, they're coming off a bye and facing a team starting Brett Hundley. At Green Bay (50/50) At home against Houston (win) At home against Detroit (50/50) At the Steelers (loss) At the Browns (win) At home against Indy (win) At home against Cincy (win)

Saying people that you're engaging with know nothing about football is not a wise way to debate. Regarding Dareus' pass rush ability, it is the case that through 2014, he was one of the best interior pass rushers in the league. He was misused by Ryan, and moreover he has not played up to his immense ability since the beginning of the 2015 season. But the talent is presumably still there - a coach simply needs to get through to him. Maybe Marrone does. We'll find out soon.

This is flat out false. Interior pass rush is what has made good d-lines great in recent years. It's how you beat Brady. Just look at Denver last night - they lost their interior pass rush from a couple of years ago and they were destroyed. The Giants destroyed Brady in 2 Super Bowls via interior DTs who could collapse the pocket. Watch what Seattle does with Michael Bennett on a weekly basis or Leonard Williams with the Jets now.

Re year 4: if they're not good by year 3, i expect they'll be gone. Given them a year 4 after three bad ones would be similar to the Gus Bradley situation. That tends not to work out.

That's why the team should be willing to trade up. Staying put and adding a DT or LB or whatever is not going to change the team's trajectory in the slightest.