finn

Now if they sit McKenzie, I'll be happy.

I'm at peace. If the Chiefs win, they're better. Just hope the refs don't give them a win.

You'd think NFL teams without a franchise QB would realize that the position is worth any amount of investment. That's why I wanted to throw up when Doug Whaley gave away TWO first-round picks for Sammy Watkins when they didn't have a QB, then panicked the next year and reached for E.J. Manuel. Or, before that, the Bills reached for J.P. Losman instead of trading down so they had the capital for a better QB the following year, when, it turns out, they might have had a shot at Aaron Rogers.

Why not Elam? He's also big, and he's faster, more athletic, and better in man coverage than Benford. Plus, he won't have a club on his hand.

Then he choked against the Bengals. That illustrates my point that he's insulated from criticism. He was awful in that last quarter when it counted, just like he was awful through three quarters of one of his Super Bowl appearances. Yet that awfulness does not form any part of the Mahomes narrative. Meanwhile, we're still hearing about Allen's "inaccuracy" and the "Bad Josh" who plays out of control. Again, I realize this is homer talking.

Right, but it doesn't make it less annoying. Unless it's your guy who's untouchable.

You ever notice that no one ever criticizes Mahomes? At the most, it's "He had a bad game, but..." It's like his early success inoculated him, so, like Brady, he is out of bounds. Thou shalt not criticize the Holy One.

Morse will be a key player for this reason alone. In Miami, Roten had a hard time snapping the ball cleanly and in synch with his line-mates.

That's interesting. Are you thinking of his Reed-like glide, upright posture, soft hands, and deceptive speed?

A machine calculating all vectors and factors could not have thrown that more precisely. No wonder commentators keep calling Allen a cyborg. I mean, in that throw, we saw the apotheosis of what a human being is capable of.

Crazy throw, but what about the other bomb to Davis yesterday? How could that ball have been more perfect? Hits Davis exactly, precisely, in stride, where the safety had no chance at it, despite being draped all over Davis. And the throw was, what, 55 yards in the air? It also happened to be not just an amazing throw, but also an amazing catch and amazing defense. How often do you see those three amazings line up?

Shakir is a revelation at slot. I don't see McKenzie highpointing that throw from Allen, and I see that pass going off Crowder's hands for an interception. He also did a nice job returning kicks, including (I think) not trying to return that wonky one that ended up on the three-yard line. He appears to be the real deal.

Wait, how did you do that? I thought you had to pay for NFL+ for the replays.

I'm from the future. You people still don't appreciate what you have.

Cook, wow. I think a random pedestrian could do better than he has.

I guess he's human after all.

Am I the only one who doesn't like Pickett's face?

Second worse, after Saffold. They stand out, because most their teammates are truly excellent.

Also, the team is well aware that they're missing key people, nor are they likely to overlook last year's surprising loss to the Steelers. I'm thinking this is the first non-weather game for Josh Allen since week two. I think he's going to enjoy himself. And I think the pass rush will enjoy feasting on "Small Hands" Pickett.

I hope you just miswrote that. Please tell me you realize that the problem with the running game is the awful offensive line and not the running backs. If you don't, well, you must be a casual fan. Nothing wrong with that. I'm worried that Bryant will be signed off the practice squad. He's a starting-quality player.

I'm a homer, but Mahomes does not impress me anywhere near as much as Allen does. That flip pass that people were swooning over? Allen made a similar pass to Knox for a TD. I don't recall people swooning then. To be fair, Allen really has gotten a lot of attention lately, but it seems that Mahomes gets praised mostly for his flashy trick plays, like no-look passes or sidearm throws. Meanwhile, Allen is doing all that AND trucking people. I know, I know, it's ok for both of them to be good. But I get jealous of any praise that's directed at a rival.

Yes, sorry about that. The hazards of not reading through the whole thread. I saw them after I posted and very much appreciated them.

I'd like to see more analysis of why the run game keeps getting blown up. The Atlantic pins the blame mostly on Saffold and Bates, with weak play by Van Roten and missed blocks by the tight ends thrown in. Saffold in particular appears to be a liability. He either whiffs or gets stood up and the back runs into him. I wonder if the Bills will make a change at the bye week, maybe move Bates back to left guard, where evidently he's more comfortable, and plugging someone into the right guard spot. Not sure when Boettger is due back, but he's a possibility. Hart and Quessenberry are more tackles, but they can't do much worse than Saffold. Maybe the new guy, Jordan Simmons?

The defense is truly impressive. Reminds me of the Bruce Smith-Bryce Paup-Ted Washington era defense.

Say it again. I'll be glad to hear it.