Bills Fan in MD

I'm not willing to write them off as a contender, but it was a terrible and revealing loss that makes clear that they're also not as close as I thought they were. The offensive line is comically bad and needs some upgrades (and potential reshuffling). They also need a competent #2 WR to take the pressure off Josh and Steph. I don't think any of that is debatable. The defense also has issues, but they may not be as urgent if Miller, Hyde, and Jones come back strong and if Tre continues to recover from his ACL issues. That said, there's still work to be done and they need to rethink their schemes, especially against top tier QBs and WRs. I haven't written them off in the slightest, but they can't just stand pat this off-season.

Frazier and McDermott have definitely heard all of the criticisms that have rightly been levied against them about the ridiculously soft defense the team was playing, even before Von went down. They both have eyes and saw the same thing as everyone else on Sunday. I don't know how they could even consider arguing that they can just keep the same scheme and that all will be well when Hyde, Miller, and Jones are healthy, but that's exactly what I expect them to do.

No, it's just a loss that was the culmination of problems that have been evident since at least the first Jets game. Frankly, if they were going to lose I'm glad it was like this. I can't handle another heartbreaker and they shouldn't be lulled into believing that they can just run it back next year.

Serious question: who's in charge of this team right now? Are the coordinator decisions 100% with McDermott? And considering that McDermott was hired first, does he also have the final say on what moves they are going to make and where they are going to just run it back? If the power really does all lie with McDermott, then Beane is just a glorified scout. And of course the biggest question mark is the Pegulas. Does Terry have any role in football operations (assuming Kim is still out of commission)? If the answer is "yes" the team does a good job of keeping that all in house, but I honestly don't know.

Honestly, I was done with that team after Burrow went off after the game about the league putting tickets to the neutral site on sale. If you look on Ticketmaster even now the Bengals had sold tickets to the AFC championship in Cincinnati on the chance that Jacksonville beat KC. I like Burrow a lot but that was so lame.

If they let Keenum walk I'm done with this team forever. Kidding. In all seriousness, I won't lose sleep if they all left, other than Edmunds. I'm over his hot and cold play, but I also don't know who replaces him. They need to use their draft capital on the offense, particularly the line, and I'm also not sure there are any better FA options who aren't going to cost a lot more than Edmunds. I like Singletary as well and could see him coming back if no other team throws a ton of money his way, which seems unlikely.

You may be right and I recognize that the D line got more pressure when Von was in the lineup. I'm just pissed off today.

You could tell for a while that this team was out of gas. That said, if that game had been played in September the Bengals still would have won - just maybe by fewer points.

Cincinnati, but I'm not sure I have it in me to watch another game next week. It would be nice to see the Eagles win it all as they seem to have done just about everything right in terms of roster building, coaching, etc.

Which team is short handed on the OL?

This could get ugly quick if the D comes out flat again on this drive.

The closer we get to Sunday the more freaked out I'm becoming about the possibility of not being able to watch this team play again until September. I have confidence that they will come out ready to play, but I'm also not ready to have this season end. I know that's the same issue we deal with with every season they make the playoffs, but this is a special team no matter how it ends.

I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen. If the Bills team that showed up in the first quarter of the wildcard round shows up against the Bengals, we will win. If it's the team that showed up in the second quarter against the Dolphins, we will almost definitely lose. I suspect that it will be somewhere in between. I do know that I'm not emotionally ready for this season to end.

Teams always sell tickets for future playoff games that are obviously contingent on what happens before. This is nothing new.

That sucks. A reasonably healthy Phillips could make a huge impact against the depleted Bengals OL.

This is criminally bad play calling.

Don't forget about OBJ.

As a Bills fan, I don't have the slightest concern about Tua playing. Our D has always matched up well against him and the offense should be able to put up more than enough points to win. As a human being, I'm totally uncomfortable with the idea of watching a guy with as many as three concussions over the last four months taking hits.

What an amazing time to be alive. I don't know how long ago the various procedures, devices, protocols, and drugs used to save him were first developed, but I have to think that many of us were born at a time when there would have been little to no hope for his injury. Him getting discharged after a week is such great news and a testament to the wonder of modern medicine and the skill of our medical professionals.

Honest question - do the Packers hang onto Davante Adams if Rodgers doesn't pressure them into giving him that huge raise last year?

Not sure it really matters. The Texans are probably looking QB (Bryce Young) and I don't see the Bears moving on from Justin Fields. As long as the Bears don't trade the pick, the Texans will still get their guy.

I'm going to chalk that one up to stupidity. Apart from that, this may be Tomlin's best coaching performance. I'm shocked that they finished with a winning record.

I'd be pissed if I was a Chargers fan. I think they lost Mike Williams earlier in the game, which is 100% meaningless.

Recognizing that things usually don't play out as predicted, but the road to the Super Bowl may go through the Dolphins and Bengals as home and the Chiefs at a neutral site. That's doable, but it's going to be tough.

As frustrating as this team has looked all year, they're about to conclude a regular season with three losses by a combined total of eight points.