Low Positive

Lets put some actual numbers to all of this. In terms of causing TOs, the Bills and Steelers have had very similar years. The Steelers have forced 5 more fumbles this year, but the Bills recovered one more fumble than them. The Bills had two more INTS than Pittsburgh. The Bills had 7 more sacks than the Steelers. The Bills D was better in both passing and rushing yards per game. They are about equal on PPG. So, the Steelers have a good D but this is not a situation where the BIlls are playing a defense that is clearly stronger. That won't be the case against the Chiefs or Ravens, BTW. On offense, the Steelers only two dominant rushing performances came in the last two weeks against the Seahawks who have the second-worst rushing D in the NFL, and the Ravens' second and third-string players. By the end of that game, all the Ravens ST guys were playing defense. The Bills could lose this game, but there is nothing in the stats that indicates that the Steelers have any advantage in any area. I think that some people see those uniforms and expect Jerome Bettis to come marching out there. That is not the case. OTOH, the Bills rank 8th in passing yards per game while the Steelers rank 25. I know that it's been better with Rudolph (still never over 300 yards) and that the wind might negate that, but it still is a huge advantage.

I don't think that's a bad idea at all.

TikTok Boots: https://www.businessinsider.com/mschf-red-boots-are-all-over-your-social-media-2023-2

He's not a joke, he's just not a head coach. He should be an OC cooking up plays in the lab. You are correct about the unnecessary F-bombs. It looks like he's forcing them in an attempt to be relatable to players, but at his core McDaniel is the Yalee that he is. Also, putting the Yale football helmet in his office is a strange touch.

He's like an instructor in a college class who's lost the class but still has to continue lecturing. No one is learning anything and no one is listening to him anymore and all the business majors in the back are just rolling their eyes. Trust me, I've been in his shoes before.

I think what the OP is noting is the contrast between Bills fans and Steelers fans levels of confidence in online posts. Steelers fans are absolutely sure that they are winning it all, all due to beating the Bengals (in the game when Browning turned back into a pumpkin), Seahawks, and the Ravens backups. Somebody had to win the 7th seed in the AFC and they backed into it due to an epic collapse by the Jags. Meanwhile, Bills fans are actively searching for every potential way that their team could lose the game despite a five-game winning streak with wins over the Chiefs, Cowboys, and Dolphins. Do you know that the Steelers give up more yards per game on the ground than the Bills (or Cowboys) do? Do you know that Najee Harris” only two 100-yard games came against the second-worst run defense and the Ravens third-stringers? You know, if the Jags and Colts had won the Bills would be facing the Colts and JT in a snow game. Would that make people feel better? I get it. We are just guarding ourselves from potential disappointment. What I don’t get is the chest thumping from Pittsburgh.

I think there is a portion of TBD that hate McDermott so much that they want a loss on Sunday.

Mason Rudolph throws the ball downfield more than Pickett or Trubitsky, but he throws moonballs. He takes advantage of teams selling out to stop the run. If he had great arm strength, accuracy, and good decision making he wouldn't have ridden the pine for 6 years.

We don't get one until Wednesday for a Sunday game.

Coaching scared would have been 7. Punt

OK. But what team that is in the AFC playoff field would you rather be playing on Sunday? Would you rather be going back to Miami again? Would you rather be playing in Arrowhead? Imagine the panic this week if the Bills were playing the Browns defense. Imagine if the Jags and Colts had won and this board was facing the prospect of playing Jonathan Taylor in a snow game. This is the best possible situation that the Bills could be in, and most Bills fans have already lost the game in their minds. Yes, the Bills could lose this game. Any team can lose to any other team in this league, especially in the playoffs. I just can't believe that there is not a single poster on TBD that is confident in their team beating a team that just backed into the playoffs after barely beating the Ravens' backups. Remember, that game was tied going into the fourth when Harbaugh decided to remove everyone and rollover. I just checked the snap counts. We all know the offensive inactive for the Ravens, but Roquon Smith didn't play, Madubuike didn't play, and even guys that did play like C Linderbaum, OT Stanley and TE LIkely only played for the first quarter. The Ravens decided to allow the Steelers into the playoffs and it still took them until the 4th to get that done. I choose to be confident. BTW, every Steeler fan that I know wants the great Mike Tomlin fired yesterday. They hate him for being too conservative on offense and for focusing too much mental energy and draft capital on his vaunted defense. Sound familiar?

Why are Bills fans desperately searching for every possible way that their team can lose a home playoff game in which they are favored?

Now that Zoom is a thing, this is really not as big a deal as it used to be.

Any playoff game is tough, but if Bills fans are "scared to death" of the Steelers how would they feel about a road game in Baltimore? How about a date with Miiles Garret and the Browns D? What about the incoming Devin Singletary and Jerry Hughes revenge game? Do you really think that Mahomes and Kelce will continue to struggle? And this time, the Chiefs would have Pacheco. You gotta beat three good teams to make the SB as a two-seed, so strap in. It will be a roller coaster but I'd rather be on the ride than not.

Just for some context, Najee Harris has two games with over 100 yards rushing. They happen to be in the last two weeks, but two weeks ago it was against the Seahawks who have the second worst run defense in the league and last week it was against the Ravens backups. You can also run on the Steelers, who actually give up more yards per game on the ground than the Bills.

Because Bills fans need a reason to be miserable?

But it's what alpha males do...

Bills fans have to search for reasons that their favorite team will lose the game to cushion any incoming disappointment. Steelers fans, OTOH, are all sure that they are going to the SB. They also think that Mason Rudolph, a guy who has been sitting on their bench for 6 years, is the answer to their QB situation for the next decade. They remind me of Pats fans during the Mac Jones Pro Bowl year. They are so used to winning and having a franchise QB that they see mirages.

Bills fans bought those tickets when the schedule came out. The diaspora in South Florida always shows up, but a January game was a perfect post-holiday vacation for WNYers.

This board today just proves that Bills fans wouldn't be Bills fans unless they were miserable and worried sick.

We didn’t make it for 18 years. I, for one, will never take this for granted.

My wife, who knows nothing about football, likes to rename the teams in the games that I watch. She calls them the Teslas.

Even if Hills and Waddle play, they are nowhere near 100%. Waddle is two weeks removed from a high ankle sprain and Hill is in a boot.

What's stupid is that just because we happened to lose to NE and Denver, who happen to be in the AFC and beat the Giants and Bucs, who happen to be in the NFC, we might miss the playoffs. Switch those four games, and I believe that the Bills are in.

The way that I see it is this. This is a playoff game, with a distinct advantage. If the Bills can't win a game like this against a hobbled Miami team, then they can't win the playoffs. If they can't win in the playoffs, let's take the higher draft pick. In other words, I would rather lose this week than in the divisional round in two weeks.