finn

I had the same thought. If we noticed that special teams have won them at least two games this year (that is, two blocked punts, not just field goals), the Bills certainly have. And it has to be tempting to beat them the same way. I was thinking an onside kick myself. Not that this is a trick play, but we haven't seen the jet sweep in a long time, or a direct snap to the RB at all. The counter trey, reverses, the tricks you mentioned, I'd like to see them try all sorts of stuff, all the while praying that they deal with the punt blocking on the other side.

I live in New England, and I agree that Pats fans can be brutal. This year is indeed different. The sneers and insults aren't carrying the same conviction, and you can detect fear and resignation in their smug boasting about how many Super Bowls Brady has been to. Like us, they sense a changing of the guard, and they don't like it one bit.

Lining up the excuses in case the Bills win.

I'm one of those here who were born into the Bills and never considered another team, never even considered considering. I remember OJ stuffing the snowball into the camera in tribute to the fans sitting in their warm living rooms. Been some hard times since then, a lot of shouting at the TV and long periods of mourning. The only time I was truly disgusted was during the Rex Ryan. I could stomach the incompetence--god knows we're used to that--but that blowhard personality... That was not Buffalo and not the Bills. This team does feel right. I'll take the winning, too! ?

I suspect that Beane and McDermott are surprised that the Bills have done this well at this early stage of the rebuilding process. I wonder if Beane is kicking himself for not bringing another RB and WR. In a sense, it's all gravy from here on. Allen really has been clutch. As we've seen, he is one of the best in the league in the red zone, in third and long situations, and, as Shaw says, come back wins. He would have had two more if Hauschka had connected in Cleveland and Brown had sold his route against Baltimore. And maybe one more if he hadn't been knocked out of the Pats* game.

What bothered me more was the drivel about the Steelers coaching legacy, the glory of the Rooney family, and meandering reminisces about days gone by--during the action! Forget analysis of the play that just happened and the one coming up, let's just have a cozy chat about the old days. Why is he considered a top analyst? Give me Romo any day.

"Just ok," eh? Maybe their offense without Big Ben. But as many people are saying here, this defense is about as scary as they come, and they're a particular bad matchup for the Bills offense. Look at the patterns: A QB who holds the ball longer than anyone else in the league against one of the best pass rushing and blitzing teams, if not the best; a QB who can't hit the long ball to keep the defense from sitting on the short passes. A QB who has a fumbling problem against a defense known for creating turnovers. I hope Daboll comes up with an answer, but I don't see what it will be with Allen. He's talented, but his talents--a powerful arm and scrambling abilities--don't work very well against an effective blitz/pass rush. Essentially he needs to learn how to be a Brady-type rhythm passer overnight.

Yep. This looks like a 6-3-type game, unless there are turnovers, which the Steelers defense excels at, incidentally. It's a real test of the offense. The book on Allen, written by the Pats* and reinscribed by the Ravens, is open for anyone to read. Cheat the safeties in close to the LOS, since Allen can't hit the deep routes, and mix up the constant blitzes. I hope Daboll has them practicing screens and hot reads.

Agree. Chandler#81 is out of line. Hang up your moderator spurs if you can't be civil. This isn't the Browns forum.

Thurman. In any event, I wish Daboll would give it the rock more. Let him run 24-30 times a game. For every two times he gets stuffed he breaks free for ten or more.

Will be interesting to see how the Bills adjust on offense now that two teams--the Pats and Ravens--have shown the league that the way to beat Josh Allen is to be in his face all game long. He can be effective given time (most QBs are), but he doesn't make good decisions when rushed. In both games he or Daboll went for long balls in the face of the blitz instead of his short hot read (if he had one). The Steelers will be bringing the heat. Will Daboll adjust or not?

Of course moral victories are important. They're key to coming back strong. The Bills defense was the best the Ravens faced all year, and they're arguably the best in the league now. Everyone is harping on what the offense did wrong, which is fine and normal, but this game could have gone either way. They're ready to meet the Ravens again, and they showed how to shut down Jackson. Someone on the Ravens fan board said that for the first time the Ravens looked like they had a gimmick offense and that thank god other teams don't have the athleticism the Bills have.

I don't understand why Daboll doesn't use him even more than he does. Yes, they were stacking the box, but his forte is making people miss and turning nothing into something. People here are saying we need a bigger back, but why? Singletary routinely moves piles. Surprising but true. Bigger, upright backs (remember Carwell Gardner?) often can't do that. I've said this elsewhere, but he reminds me of Thurman Thomas in his first year, when he too was underutilized but had a high average and showed he could catch the ball. Sure, find Singletary a Kenny Davis type to back him up, but I'm fine with him as a feature back. Look at it this way: he hasn't been shut down yet, except by Daboll. Which is more likely to succeed on third and three: a long bomb by a QB who may be historically inaccurate on throws over 30 yards, or a run by Singletary, who averages five yards a carry? Give him some sweeps and screens--remember those?--and ride him, not Allen.

The O-line played better than people are saying here. If a team blitzes it's on the quarterback to get the ball out quickly, and Allen often didn't. When he did, he overthrew his receivers or they dropped the ball (Singletary, Beasley, Knox). The Ravens came up with a good defense against Allen: Blitz hard, make him think fast and hit him hard every chance you get. It's easy to fault Daboll, but he did ok. I like how he put Singletary at receiver, and he tried to take what they were giving him. But where were the screens against the blitz? And why not more intermediate routes for the tight ends? Not a bad loss, all things considered. They never quit, the defense showed that it's elite. We're still a tackle and WR away on offense, and Allen needs to keep developing. Amazing he's come along this far already. Been a fun season. Go KC!

This is the turning point in the game. If they score a TD, it's over. A field goal or nothing and it's still a contest.

Reminds me of the Bills-Patriots game. Allen getting hit and not connecting on his throws. Under pressure all day. But still not trying to run it.

Why stress the one thing Allen can't do?

Am I alone in really having no idea how this game will turn out? I don't see a blowout by the Bills, but I think just about every other scenario is possible, especially with winds presenting such a wildcard.

Right. Rationality goes out the window when the media (announcers, online, print) and fans starts swooning over a player--or when the narrative, as you say, takes root that he sucks or is inaccurate or whatever. Facts and data are tailored to the story, and those who disagree are denounced. It's almost like religion and politics, and in fact I wonder if the same psychology is involved. Infatuation, "faith," group-think, hatred of the heretic, eagerness to identify with the successful, fear of being associated with the loser... Maybe part of the satisfaction of following sports is that we get to put aside rational thought for a while and indulge our most primitive impulses. Case in point: Haushka misses the last-minute field goal attempt against Cleveland. Instantly one narrative--Allen as the come-back kid, the defense as tough as nails, the team character as resilient--is replaced by another: Allen is struggling, the Bills' record is an illusion, the defense is meh--and nothing changed except Haushka's kick. That's irrational.

Tied for third, actually. Nice shooting.

Someone mentioned turnovers. That fumble Jackson had against the 49ers seemed to rattle him a bit, and he is a bit loose with the ball when he runs, especially when he's just leaving the pocket. I would coach the defense to try to strip the ball every time they tackle him. One or two turnovers might be all it takes.

To be fair, my dislike of Brady has less to do with his behavior or play than the media adulation he's received over the years. Over a decade of my life listening to how perfect he is in all respects of football and life. I live in New England, where the local beatification picks up where the national deification leaves off. Nauseating.

Let the drum roll of excuses begin. Brady's apologists on ESPN and elsewhere will turn out in force today. It's anyone's but the whiner's fault. Plenty of QBs have lousy receivers, but to the "experts" they're inept compared to Holy Tom. I see an aging, frightened loser back there willing to blame everyone but himself. Did you see him yelling at his receivers? Can you imagine Allen doing that? I hope he continues playing for three more years of increasingly mediocre play.

Actually, I think the Bills are matched up better than most people here are saying. They're establishing a ball-control identity on offense, with Singletary and Gore running nicely and Allen excellent on third down. So you control the TOP, keeping Jackson off the field with the no-huddle limiting their substitutions and bleeding the clock. On defense, you do what the Bills have been doing: make him go the length of the field, allowing no big gains. We have an excellent secondary, create decent pressure with a four-man rush, and our linebackers are fast enough to limit his runs. So like Prescott, he goes up and down the field but doesn't score too much. I don't think the Ravens will be fired up for this game, not after the 49ers game his week. They'll be on the road in a loud stadium against a rested team and coaches who had extra time to prepare for him. Put it all together, and I see both teams scoring points but not scads. A 24-27 type game, if the weather is ok. I give it to the Bills because they have more heart. Plus, I get a sense that their offense has peaked, and teams--maybe us and the 49-ers--are going to figure them out, whereas Allen and our offense is just now coming into its own.

Or if it's a GMO, eh?