finn

A good guess. Could also be that he gave up feeling guilty and got pissed off, not necessarily at the team's bringing in another kicker but at the universe in general. In my experience, a "screw it" attitude can straighten out a lot of psychological hang ups.

FYIW, The Athletic beat writer for the Bills agrees Hamlin is the weak spot on the defense: "Hamlin remains the most significant question mark, as his play-it-safe style, along with hesitance to dip down into the play has cost the team a lot of yardage over the season."

Great having his voice in this community all these years. I always appreciated his posts.

Someone is having a career year.

If awards were openly acknowledged as entertainment-based, I'd have no problem. But it's not "two-time most entertaining player, Lamar Jackson," it's "Lamar Jackson is obviously the best quarterback. He won two MVPs!" Still, I would prefer MVP and other awards to be based strictly on hard data. Wouldn't that be nice? No more Pro Bowl votes based on reputation, no more MVP based on entertainment value, no DPOY, etc., based on number of appearances on national broadcasts. While I'm in a wishing mode, how about professional, professionally trained referees? (Trained, that is, to overcome natural biases and make correct, wise calls, not trained to throw the game for whatever big-money betting interest they're associated with.)

Yeah, the league or the Dolphins should have over-ridden his decision to return. No one wins if he's concussed again, and that's likely just a matter of time.

I think this is a bit pessimistic. He was coming on fast in training camp, and he's likely staying in good shape during his rehab. He'll need time, but I suspect he'll be a major contributor by the time the playoffs come along. A Bernard-Milano lineup will be just what the Bills need then.

Lamar is less accurate than Allen even though his receivers are on the other extreme end of the separation scale. In other words, his receivers are relatively wide open and he's STILL less accurate than Allen, whose receivers get less separation than any in the league. And they think Lamar should be the MVP over Allen?

Am I the only one out there who mutes the commentary and unmutes for the play by play? The commentary is invariably trite, hyperbolic, self-evident, vacuous, fatuous, irrelevant, repetitive, verbose, inaccurate, inane, tedious, insufferable, boring, shrill, biased, superficial, or self-important, or some combination of these. I value my peace of mind too much to listen to it.

It'll take more than a few bouquets tossed in Allen's direction to quench three decades of simmering antipathy caused by the Pats humiliation of the Bills, Deflate-gate, the weepy Brady press conferences, and so on. I want him to grovel. The day he admits that Allen is better than he was, I'll join your-all's fan club.

Hey, don't interrupt my hatred. I've been enjoying it for decades.

Need the punt god here.

You put your finger on it. Follow the money.

KC is going to win another game it could easily have lost.

I was about to say I was surprised Hamlin made a play.

Where is Cooper? It's all Shakir, Cook, and Coleman so far.

The refs got the memo: stop the Bills.

Josh Allen? Let's talk about turnovers!

Are the Bills that undisciplined, or have the refs gotten a memo?

Heavy use of Mack Hollins. Who is he keeping on the bench?

Allen is playing Seattle and his own O-line.

Hurts throws to Brown, who has no defender within fifteen yards. "Hurts is just on point and throwing with pace and accuracy. Really impressive." What a job. Just say whatever comes into your head.

Dream: The Killer K's (Cooper, Coleman, Kincaid, and ShaKir) are open everywhere and get big-time YAC. Cook has a 100-yard game, the defense does enough to force Hawks into passing exclusively, and the pass rush gets home. Nightmare (besides injuries): Penalties on the O-line stalls several drives, Allen's first interception another; meanwhile, Walker blows through the weak middle of the D again and again for huge gains, allowing Geno all the time he needs in the pocket. Bills playing from behind all day, comes down to a 46-yard field goal try by Bass. (Enough said.) I'm going with the dream.

How about Bernard AND Milano? Two of the best linebackers in the league replaced by second-stringer and a guy on vacation with his family, and the game was still thisclose. And they say Allen is overrated?

No, I agree with Hondo, except I'd go further and argue the stars really aligned in KC, with a top-quality HC, DC, QB matched with two future HOF players already on the roster and an excellent GM drafting well (or the most part). I don't think any of these individuals, or even any pair or trio, would do nearly as well as they have in combination. I mean, Mahomes is struggling with a lousy WR corps. Give him a weak offensive coordinator, too, and you think he would be considered the best quarterback in the game? I doubt it.