finn

Or anything less than three yards inside the KC 40 yard line, unless it's turning into a ball-control/field position type of game, which seems unlikely.

I had the same thought, but then I remembered how the Chiefs had those long drives in last year's playoff game against the Bills. Either team can do that, I think, which would keep it from being a real shootout.

Yes, I've had that conversation. It follows with, "Yeah, but we have 6," and "Did I mention we won six?" Always the "we," except, I notice, when talking about the Bills latest blowout, when they talk in terms of "them" getting blown out and how badly "they" played.

Do you think Pats* fans are rooting for the Bills? I live in NE, and I can't really tell. Most people are still feeling raw about the blowout.

The Bills can only afford veterans looking for a ring and so willing to sign for cheap. Fortunately, they'll be an attractive team in that regard. They also will want to stockpile draft picks, so maybe they'll ship out some players they can spare, like Beasley, Butler, Morse, Ford, Williams (provided they draft a guard early), Addison, Hughes (forgot if he'll be a free agent), and maybe Moss. Meanwhile, develop promising young players like Hodgins, Stephenson, Jackson, Hamlin, and Doyle, all of whom might start at some point. (Jackson already is.)

It's like two narratives are ready to go depending on who wins. Either it's the "It's the Bills time!/Steamroller Bills" or "They're not ready/KC owns them/Can't win on the road." And as usual, you win and the focus is on how great you are, lose and it's all about the ways you suck. I want the win because I want to spend a pleasant eight months savoring it.

Yeah, but wasn't it pretty much the same as the last game against the Pats? Sure, we didn't get every bounce in that game, if that's what you mean, but the Bills played lights out like in this one. They dominated, which is SO nice to see after all those games (e.g., Dolphins, Washington) where they let teams hang around. I'm so greedy now. I want them to crush KC, crush the Titans and crush GB or whoever makes it from the NFC. Not sure if that's even unrealistic.

Bet that's the first time in NFL history that has happened, too.

This game reminds me of the Bills beating the Raiders 51-3 in 1990.

Wow, what an impressive catch. You just don't see that very often.

Moving the camera angle for a minute, how would you beat the Bills if you're Belichick? I think he has to pick his poison. My priorities would be keeping Allen contained in the pocket--no rollouts at all--and take away Diggs and Knox. Then hope the cold shuts down the long passes and you get some turnovers. On offense, take the air out of the ball, like he did in the Bills-Giants Super Bowl. That's pretty much the only way for them to win against a clearly superior team. They've really lucky to have another weather day.

What virtually every commentator on Allen misses is how bad his offensive line is. THAT element should be factored into any quarterback rating system. Has any line given up more pressures than the 2021 Bills line? Ford by himself was giving up nearly a dozen a game for awhile, which the best linemen give up across a whole season. Anyway, yes, the QB rating systems are foolish, at least the way they're interpreted, as the final judgment. They should be just one factor, or they should factor in pressures, drops and running back production. Remember Thurman kept being called "the best all-around back"? Allen is the best all-around QB.

I keep hearing and reading the Bills are a "top-ten defense" and "one of the better defenses." I still haven't heard they're the best period in both yards and points. When the Pats were the best in points alone, all you heard was that they were unconditionally the best defense in the league.

Uh, yeah. Because of COVID, Dawkins was awful for the first part of the season, leading directly to the losses to Pittsburgh and Titans. We also lost Feliciano for a long stretch to COVID, which gave us Cody Ford and his baker's dozen of pressures per game and the loss to the Jaguars. Ford continued his happy play when Spencer Brown was out with COVID and Williams had to kick out to tackle. All but one of the Bills losses was by a single score. So, yes, COVID is what stands between 11-7 and 16-1, or even 17-0. I'm surprised I have to make this case in a fan forum. Seems obvious to me. Are you in the camp that expects that Allen should regularly dodge two defenders on every pass play and make an incredible throw on the run while being chased by a linebacker? And call him "erratic" or "old Josh" when he doesn't succeed? The Bills lost those games because of awful line play, and the line play was awful because of COVID.

Someone send this comment to the real experts on TV who know far more about the quality of NFL teams that head coaches. Why, does Saleh check his Twitter feed before writing a column or getting his makeup done for his studio appearance? Probably not. I think after the Super Bowl, the football world--all of it--will realize that they didn't see the obvious all along: The Bills have always been the best team, by a healthy margin. The losses can be explained by COVID. End of story. Of course, the pundits will say they knew it all along.

Will this give us the lowest points against in the league?

People here would rip Daboll for calling a run if Singletary didn't make it in. Admit it.

Worst game from Allen I've seen, even going back to his rookie year. Has had maybe three excellent throw and five good ones. The rest have been awful.

We pissed off another defense.

Just once I'd like to see them dominate a team from start to finish.

Hey, vet minimum for a guy to hold the edge against Taylor and/or Henry? I'll take him. In return, Lawson gets a ring.

It's only 32nd because their opponents are always way ahead and running out the clock. They also top or near the top in run attempts against. If the Bills plan to run it early and expect to dominate that way, they may be in for a surprise. That's a pretty stout D-line.

It's been said before, but how often do commentators and "experts" put an asterisk next to stats of QBs playing in domes and warm-weather stadiums? Or next to those who, like Rogers and Allen, who regularly play in high winds and snow? Yet they're happy to compare stats down to the tiniest units and draw grand conclusions. Just got to win, I suppose.

I agree with this. A few bounces, and 538 is talking about how the Bills 15 or even 16 wins don't amount to much. A few bounces against them, and Tampa Bay wouldn't even be in the playoffs. To be sure, losses and wins shape a team' character and subsequent performance. But to think less of the Bills because, essentially, Dawkins blew the block in the Titans game AND Allen slipped on the turf AND the refs didn't give them the first down on the previous Allen scramble... well, that's just dumb. It's more plausible to expect the Bills to run the table and dominate along the way. Except for the White injury, all the pieces are coming together for them at the right time. I wouldn't want to face this team right now.

Right. The "If only" thinking is a big part of the experience following sports. I don't have to invoke "wide right" or "illegal lateral" to make my point. The funny thing is, fans on the other side of the if-onlys seldom think this way. Titans fans don't consider the Titans could have just as easily lost that game against the Bills. To them, the Titans are the better team, maybe by a mile. To be fair, if Allen doesn't slip, I would have though the Bills deserved to win hands down. I still do, in fact, but it's a lot harder to think that way. Anyway, I'm tired of the countless off seasons thinking about what could have been if only. I want the Bills to just fricking win.