finn

But are those short bursts of success because of WR talent or Allen making things happen? I see a superstar surrounded by mediocrity players (except for Diggs) and making them look special. Put it this way: can you think of a WR besides Diggs bailing out Allen this season with a great catch? And how many drops can you remember from MacKenzie alone? No, this is a team with a bottom-tier offensive line and a truly mediocre set of WRs aside from Diggs. Allen by himself makes commentators gush that "this offense is loaded" and "Allen is surrounded by weapons."

I don't know about that--I'm no fan of McKenzie, and Beasley may be done--but whenever I think of Crowder, I remember that slightly high pass from Allen bouncing off his tiny hands for an interception. That might have been a chemistry problem on the part of Crowder, who may not have been accustomed to Allen's high velocity.

If I'm the Bengals, I take away the deep pass, keep Allen contained in the pocket, and give him short- and mid-range passes all day. That takes away the Bills' best weapons (Allen running and throwing deep) and invites Allen to be patient, which is not his long suit.

Yet when commentators point to Mahomes better percentages--completion, yards per game, etc.--to argue he's better than Allen, they rarely note that he sat on the bench is rookie year instead of learning on the job, which is what Allen was doing his rookie year. No, Allen's accomplishment is impressive. Funny it's not getting any attention.

How good is the rest of the line? I lost track after "Joe Burrow is getting hammered behind an inferior line."

It's funny, because he came into the year looking like he was ready for his new role. He had added ten pounds of muscle and was understandably pumped after his extraordinary playoff game against KC. But that game looks like an outlier event for a guy who is just pretty good. Give Allen a second receiver like Burrows and Tua have and look out.

It may be time to acknowledge that Davis is just not an very good WR. Patrick Peterson claims he runs just three routes, and, watching him, I think that's right. He also has a very high drop rate, mediocre speed, and doesn't seem to try very hard, like when he didn't try for the TD throw with the CB in front of him; if he had, he might have drawn a PI call. With his size and ability to make sideline catches and the occasional fly route, he's valuable as a third WR, but he's nothing better than that, leaving the Bills with only one WR that scares opponents. Not a good situation heading into the playoffs, especially with Mackenzie falling short as a slot receiver.

In that case, MacKenzie also gets a game ball.

Yes, definitely keep throwing to Mackenzie, that well-known game-breaking receiver with sure hands and amazing ability to get open. Keep Shakir on the bench by all means.

Are they really going to lose this game?

Some bad Allen throws today. High, in the dirt, in double coverage (twice), and now this one right to the defender.

Sigh. Sure would be nice to see a blowout one of these days. Seems like a long time.

No panic. Bills are moving the ball on offense and stopping them on defense. Special teams not doing well, again, but otherwise they look fine. Just can't let them hang around is all.

Maybe Benford should play safety. Can't be worse than Hamlin.

Just don't turn the ball over and it should work out. The Bills are better across the board.

Good point. Brown's incompetence is essentially costing us a tight end. It takes two players to do the job Brown should be doing alone. Could Quessenberry, Hart, or even Daryl Williams be worse?

Any yet from all the evidence, MVP voters never take weather conditions into account. Remarkable, isn't it, how Mahomes is able to throw more TDs for a higher percentage in perfect conditions than Allen playing in the worst conditions in the NFL? SOS schedule also a non-factor, so Hurts playing so well with the softest schedule in the league doesn't figure in an iota. The voters are among the most seasoned beat reporters, too; you'd think they'd know better.

No Mac Jones? Outrageous!

Creed Humphrey was sitting there in the second round when Beane went for Boogie. Could have played guard for the Bills and saved the team a lot of grief and money.

Warner keeps saying "You can't get away with that" before admitting that Allen did in fact get away with it. It's like Warner wants Allen to be ordinary so he can show why what he does is bad football. But if what Allen is doing "wrong" ends up working repeatedly, it's not wrong, by definition.

Ironically, the most persuasive argument for Allen as MVP is the media's (and fans') early-season gushing over the "elite weapons" Allen has. Only now are a (very) few commentators beginning to realize that, aside from Diggs, Morse and Dawkins, the players around Allen are average at best. Reminds me of OJ Simpson being the entire Bills offense back in the day.

Even so, TWO first-round draft picks for a WR not proven in the NFL? With Evans and Odell available? And then to take E.J. Manuel the next year? He could have done better with a blindfold and a dart board.

The long run by Allen and his last-second, cross-body throw to Cook were vintage Allen. Keep Mahomes and Hurts. Allen is the best player in football.

It's like the defense has money on the Dolphins winning. This is easily the worst I've seen them play in the Allen era.

Cam Lewis comes back to lose TWO games for the Bills, all by himself.