finn

Play action on the tush push, please.

Why isn't KC going after Elam on every play? What am I missing?

That pass to Shakir and the TD to Hollins were excellent, but otherwise Allen is playing as badly as he has all season, missing receivers, throwing into triple coverage, fumbling the ball... He has some of that overly excited look in his eye that he used to have. Reminds me of his play in the Houston game.

Mahomes is going to be deified for these drives, but a high school quarterback can make throws to wide open receivers with no pressure.

Forget the cushion. Elam will just let them walk down the field on every drive until KC wins. Tell him to jump the short route once in a while so at least he gets a TD for us once in a while.

What do you mean you can't control football outcomes? There's a thread after game about how watching the game with one eye closed, etc., is directly responsible for the Bills winning or losing! I mean, talk sense here, man!

It's been a season of overcoming narratives, hasn't it? The Bills will take a step back this year (check); Allen is a turnover machine (check); Lamar is the real MVP (check); the Bills can't stop the run and will be crushed by a superior Ravens team (check); and now, they can't beat the Chiefs in the playoffs. Next up: They can't win the Super Bowl. I really like the mojo of this team since Brady took over last year, which has been amplified by Babich on the defensive side. "Resilient" isn't the word; it's more a low-key "We believe in ourselves, and we're doing this for each other and for Buffalo, so FU with your dismissals and sneers."

Akin to Brady having as his HC and de facto DC one of the best defensive-minded gurus in the NFL all those years. You want a dynasty, you pair your generational quarterback with a generational head coach. If you clearly have one of the two but don't have a dynasty (or even a single Super Bowl win), you probably don't have the other. That's an indictment of Don Shula, Zac Taylor, John Harbaugh (who did had one SB win with Flacco) and, possibly, McDermott. I still have hope for McDermott. This Bills team is better than the sum of its parts, as an Athletic writer just pointed out, and that's not just because Allen has carried them. McDermott clearly cost the Bills a Super Bowl appearance (and likely win) in the 13-second game, but he seems to have realized what he is very good at and what he should leave up to others (i.e., Allen, Brady, and Babich). Does that make him a generational coach? I'm inclined to laugh at that question, but the truth is, the jury is still out.

Pretty big news. As we found out with Ken Dorsey, you never know how a coordinator will turn out. Sticking with proven ones is the way to keep winning. Big reason KC has seen so much success.

I think it's a rule that Kelce must have a free release, and that no one can be within ten yards of him when he catches the ball. I believe it's in the same section of the rule book that says no defender can touch Mahomes at any time, and any incomplete pass on key third downs will result in a PI call.

I agree. If I'm the Chiefs, I would sell out to stop the run and keep him in the pocket and throw to his slow receivers who don't get much separation, putting McDuffie on Shakir. Still not great, since Samuels has speed and Kincaid and Knox can catch (and then fall down), but it's a better option than letting the Bills run all day long, which they will do. In fact, they may still pull it off if KC does stack the box, that's how good the run game has gotten.

Even a brief visit there makes me appreciate this board all the more. Yes, we have a fair amount of complaining and flame wars, and certainly a lot of homerism, but for the most part, TBD posts tend to be well informed, realistic, and courteous. A pleasure to be part of.

I loved Levy, but I've always hated that decision to keep Henry (akin to Bishop) on the bench because of his "rookies don't play" philosophy. A few years later, he kept two rookies, John Parella and another big DT, on the bench in the Super Bowl when the Cowboys were pounding Jeff Wright and the other DTs into the ground. Remember that one TD run when Cowboys ran it every single play? Levy was terrific, but his stubbornness on those two occasions cost the Bills dearly.

That's right. What I recall is that Levy refused to play Henry in the Super Bowl that year when I think Smith was injured, opting to play a veteran bench player instead. Henry, who would turn out to be excellent when finally allowed to play the next year, sat on the bench while the secondary got torched. I would be surprised if he played in the AFCC the week before.

I didn't mean you at all; I had in mind all the lavish praise media figures have heaped on Mahomes even in this down year, when he has been ordinary. It's gotten to the point that it's taboo to criticize him, which is a pretty strange phenomenon. I mean, he choked in that game against the Bengals, but how often have you heard anyone--anyone at all, at any time--ever bring it up? I don't even hear it mentioned on this board. I get that he redeemed himself since then big time, but not the extent that his meltdown, which cost his team a Super Bowl appearance, should be forgotten entirely.

Three years ago against the Bengals. KC was ahead 21-3 but Mahomes played poorly in the second half and threw an interception in overtime that pretty much ended the game. Funny how people forget this meltdown in their deification of Mahomes.

Right, they come out with very strong opinions, but when they're wrong, they don't admit it, or they make excuses. That Broussard guy who bellowed all week about the Ravens dominance over the Bills insisted after the game that he was right all along, the Ravens are much better but they basically chose to lose against a weak team. What a job these guys have! Can you imagine showing up, shouting (essentially) that you ARE manly, that you're NOT too small down there, and that you're NOT afraid of your own shadow---and getting paid millions of dollars for it?

That's what I've noticed. He's had some brilliant deep throws in his career, but he built his reputation by throwing short and medium passes to fantastic receivers who did the rest. He is also an underrated scrambler who extends plays and drives as well as anyone. His Achilles Heel is pressure, with a twist. He recognizes the blitz and gets rid of the ball effectively, but if a three- or four-man front gets in his face and the coverage is good, he is ordinary, even below average. When Tampa Bay was able to get that pressure in their Super Bowl, Beane took note, drafting Rousseau and, unfortunately, Boogie Basham the very next year, then breaking the bank to sign Von Miller soon after. In short, one key to the game is whether Miller, Rousseau, Von, and the others can rattle him on their own while Milano or Dorian keeps him from taking off down the field. Not easy, when he has Reid calling a wide assortment of screens and crossers to get the ball out of his hand quickly. At the risk of stating the obvious, the best game plan for the Bills will be to control the ball with the run game, build a lead, and force KC to play catch up. That may happen, but I suspect it's more likely that the game will be a grueling defensive battle as the two sets of coordinators, all four of them excellent, each meeting move with countermove all game long.

Let me guess: no injuries at all on the Chiefs' report.

Great use of Dorian Williams' speed and athletic ability, too. Mahomes' scrambling ability is underrated. Lamar has amazing speed and juking ability, and Allen is big, fast, and elusive, but Mahomes gets a lot of yards on his scrambles, even if he looks like a four-year old running around in his backyard.

I'm tuning out the media coverage about the KC game just like I did for the Baltimore game, but I'm still curious. Are the talking heads picking KC? And did most of them pick Baltimore?

I wouldn't underestimate KC. They're a different team in the playoffs, and the Bills had to play exceptionally well to beat them this year. I do think the Bills will win, but KC is going to show up. They won't be sending gifts our way like the Ravens did.

😄

Mahomes is do dependent on him you got to wonder if it's worth assigning, say, Elam to shadow him the entire game.

So good to see. I was thinking he was a weak link on the defense.