Casey D

I don't think so. I see only one team coming out of the South-- so it will not have playoff implications. Given the Bills are likely to be competing for the wild card--if anything-- I think pulling against Oakland, NYJ and Pittsburgh is of greater interest, as those three teams will be offering some of the primary competition for a wild card berth IMO.

Well put.

The Bills lead the AFC in scoring.

There is roughly a 6 point swing playing at home v. road. I agree we likely will split with NYJ, but I don't agree that it's more likely we win on the road than at home. And I would not want us to have to win the third game of a road trip to split--which is what you are saying. Exactly. And dumping the only true home game in a 2 month period to the Jets would be, for me, equally bad.

I think beating the Jets twice is not a reasonable assumption. NYJ are better than Washington. If the Bills can't beat Washington at home after a bye--going to 4-3-- it would shock me if they got to 10-6. Strictly speaking you are, of course, correct. But I'd wager that if they don't win those two games, they will not make the playoffs. These are relatively easy games at home-- to make up for a loss you will have to beat as good or a better team on the road, and leave yourself very little margin for error.

I agree. We need to get to December at 7-4 at the worst to have a good shot. I like the 3 December home games. SD will be tough. NE depends on if NE is playing for anything. If they are, it will be a hornet's nest. But again, after November it needs to be 7-4.

I know the phrase must win is overused, but the next two games are the key to the rest of the season IMO. Both are home games(Toronto I know but nevertheless) against decidedly average opponents. If the Bills are to threaten for a playoff spot, these two home games have to be wins. If they can get to 6-2, they have a pretty good shot at the playoffs. With home games remaining against Tennessee, Miami and Denver in December all being very winnable as well, that means the final determination will be made by how many wins the team can get in away games at Dallas, Miami, NYJ SD and NE-- none of which will be easy(Miami being the possible exception). But games obviously don't go to form all the time, and the Bills have lost 2 of the last three. So I think the next two games will decide whether the Bills can right the ship and have a legitimate shot at the playoff after week 9. 5-3 won't cut it given the second half schedule.

JP Losman and Trent Edwards can make all the throws, as could Russell, Harrington, Carr Leaf, etc. They are also all unemployed because they can't play QB at the NFL level, which has about 10% to do with arm strength and 90% to do with brains, heart, and leadership. That's why Fitz is, and will continue to be, a very good NFL QB and lots of first round QBs are busts. That's kind of the point of the thread.

You are correct. The offense is averaging over 31 points a game. That's alot. Right now the D roughly requires the team to score 30 points for us to win. In fact, when we don't score 30 or more PPG, we lose. That's too much to ask out of the offense on a week in and week out basis, IMO.

Nice point. I don't know who all these franchise QBs are that people want--and seem to be a dime a dozen in the college ranks according to some of the scouting experts on the board-- but Fitz is at the top of the list of QBs after the half dozen or so true franchise guys in the league today. Get past P. Manning, Brees, Brady, Rivers, Rodgers and maybe Ryan and Vick and he's right there with the Flaccos, Roethlisbergers and Freemans of the world. QB play is not very good in the NFL overall, and people are looking for fantasy guys that don't exist.

It is not my view, I was merely commenting on the conclusions of others in various threads. I think the team is moving in the right direction, and has been in every game. I'm happy.

I agree. But still we are overachieving given how many holes we had according to the Wall. In fact we are all holes if I believe what I read.

I'm a rooster-eyed optimist. I'm a rooster-eyed optimist.

We have a terrible defense, a weak armed backup QB as our starter, a defensive coordinator whose IQ is 75, CBs who can't play at a Pop Warner level, a cheap owner and a coach who calls stupid plays. I'm probably missing something, but it's a Festivus miracle that we are 4-2 given the only strength on the team seems to be the water boys.

Indeed.

Nice posts. Good to see with so many puke fans who bail after a close loss. I mean if the team quits as fast as some fans, we'll be 4-12. Whatever happened to the concept of perseverance through hardship?

Also, to end up so close on the road against a good team while making some critical errors is no shame. You are going to lose some games. Fitz makes those two throws that were pics we win. Get some guys back and strap it on against the Redskins in two weeks... CD

It is not who is in the playoffs today, but who he thinks will be in the playoffs. For example, San Diego is currently 4-1, but he has Oakland winning the AFC West, although they are 3-2.

He was AFC offensive player of the month for September. Just sayin'.

Looking at the schedule, I see four very difficult games for the Bills, @ NYG DAL NYJ and SD. I see four very winnable games @ MIA and TENN MIA and DEN(all at home and in December). I see four toss-ups, PHIL WASH NYJ. And then the final game against NE, which could be impossible or perhaps fairly easy depending on what NE is playing for at the time. At 3-1, 7 wins seems quite doable given the schedule. 8-10 is the likely range. 11 wins or more unlikely. JMO. CD I really hate extremists.

I don't think you are correct. Most fans dread that the Bills first three games were just an illusion, ala 2008. What gets them "circling the wagons" is the viewpoint that the loss in Cincinnati "proves" that the team is no good because Ralph is cheap and the current regime is incompetent, the meme that was in vogue at the start of the season. It was one game, "statistically irrelevant", to use economic jargon. What bothers people is that those who have said the team sucks from day one are using the Cincinnati game to say "I told you so"-- demonstrating a greater desire to be right that to see the team do well, and ignoring contrary evidence from the first three games. Insecure "I told you so" negative folks are not much fun to be around, even if they turn out to be right(which, of course, remains to be seen). It's the fact that they take so much joy in maybe being right that people find unpleasant-- not an unwillingness to consider criticism of the team. CD

Ignorant delusion-- perfect description of Redskins' fans. Few Bills' fans fit that description.

Long time Bills fans always have bad feelings about most games, it is in our nature. Here is Washington, the fans believe the Redskins are always going to the SB and will win. They are always optimisitc, even when unwarranted. Conversely most Bills fans always have the Charlie Brown/Lucy viewpoint.

I tend to agree. There may have been too many distractions after a huge win. If you are right, we should see renewed focus next week-- if they learn from today's loss.

See, that's why you are happy. The Bills are exceeding your expectations. People expect perfection after a 4-12 start, and are dissapointed with one loss. True that. But is blowing a 14 point lead any more significant than overcoming 18 and 21 point deficits? Team could be anywhere from 1-3 to 4-0. 3-1 is not bad. See what they do next two weeks. If they go to 3-3, then despair. 5-1 or 4-2, I'll take that. Have to keep the big picture in mind.