finn

Right. He must really not like Bishop to choose over him a guy who is slower than anyone on the field.

Any remaining Hamlin defenders out there?

There's just nothing up the middle at all. And this is supposed to be the worst run defense in the league.

Buckner is a beast.

Which might not be good for the Bills, who are prepared for an ancient relic, not a dynamic athlete who can run like a deer.

Hamlin looked like he was paid off to dog it.

Taron, one of the few true blue-chip players on the team.

Joe Flacco will show his age and throw two picks. Cook will go over 100 yards in a run-heavy game. Kincaid gets 80 yards and a two TDs. Bills 27, Indy 13.

How about one? Aren't they retooling Lewis Cine as a linebacker?

Actually, maybe this week we do. At WR, it's Shakir and three Vince Papales.

Time for the junior varsity to shine.

Yannick Ngakoue? He's out there and should be inexpensive. Might be able to rotate in and add something.

Good point. Brady could be dialing him up and Allen is either changing the play or looking at his other reads. I wonder what the all-22 would say. Is he not getting open? The few times I've noticed him, he doesn't seem to be trying very hard to get open, like MVS. Just jogging out there. But that's a very limited sample.

There's got to be a use for the guy besides going in motion. Hell, my niece could do that. How about a reverse, a direct snap (remember Kenneth Davis?), or any other gadget plays I thought he was brought here to do? Even McKittrick brought some value. Why have him on the field if he's doing nothing? I wonder if Brady designs a play for Samuel then thinks, "You know, Cook [or Davis or Keon or Shakir or Gilliam or his niece] could do that better..."

The problem is likely not getting worse; it's just that instant replay has gotten a lot better, so the viewers see things they didn't see decades ago. That said, I still find it baffling the league doesn't implement the solutions people are mentioning here. The Competition Committee tweaks rules every off season, why not look at how referees are hired, trained, paid, evaluated, and, in the game itself, overruled when they make egregious errors?

Curtis Samuel is a poor man's Curtis Samuel, so...

Have Congress or the FBI launch an investigation of point shaving. My guess is that the officiating will improve, fast.

Gut out the Indy game, rest, and all hands on deck for KC, what I say.

Vegas should open a betting line. Over-under on flags tossed late in the game in KC's favor. We joke, but the favoritism is real. Not sure if it's deliberate or merely unconscious, but you can see the refs reaching for the flag when KC is in trouble. Pretty easy to be undefeated with those guys on your side.

It helps to get DPI on all deep misses and offensive holding on all critical opponent drives. I wish the league would just admit it favors the Chiefs. It would be infuriating but also oddly refreshing to see their bias spelled out in the rulebook: "If the event that Kansas City is losing in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter of any game, the opposing team shall be penalized for defensive pass interference or roughing the passer, whichever infraction gives Kansas City more yardage. Actual infractions are not needed for these calls."

Missed the first half. Are the announcers slavering over Mahomes as usual?

I appreciate the "we." I'm not really down on Von, but it is sad how badly Beane's biggest investment besides Allen has paid off. Here's hoping he can still contribute once he gets his game legs back.

The Bills offense left a lot of points on the board yesterday. I don't expect they'll do that next week. Take care of business, boys.

You're right. Taron is the only other player in the secondary causing turnovers. Douglas has stone hands, Benford seems to have his back to the ball too much to intercept passes (no complaints; he's terrific in coverage), Rapp is more concerned with taking people's heads off, and Hamlin is too slow and playing too deep to catch passes that don't fall into his hands. I miss Poyer and Hyde. (And Nate Odomes.) Ingram has made some plays.

Yeah, I wish he would stifle his impulse to trade up, in part because he likely would have nailed the picks he gives away to move up. That fourth for Elam and the fourth for Kincaid are two examples that are obvious, albeit in hindsight.