finn

I think so, too. But I think they would have been in the game if McDermott wasn't a sniveling coward on fourth down.

This really does fall on McDermott. He and Frazier came up with nothing to stop Mahomes, but even that you can forgive, sort of. But kicking field goals TWICE from inside the five yard line? The defense might have played better with some hope; same with the offense. You might fail on one fourth down, but you'll make the other one. And if you don't, you're sending a message that you're fighting. Field goals. Such cowardice really makes me sick. He should be ashamed of himself, stabbing this magnificent team in the back like that. If he were fired tomorrow and Daboll promoted, I would cheer.

What I don't understand are the field goals. You're up against the best offense in football scoring at will on your defense and you don't go for fourth and goal from inside the ten... TWICE? Against one of the worst teams in the red zone? That's malpractice. That's not playing not to lose. That's playing straight up to lose. McDermott chokes on the biggest stage.

That was the moment, right there. The defense holds them to a field goal, and we're set to close within five. And...they kick a field goal. Are they thinking they'll now stop an offense they haven't stopped yet?

What happened to the trick plays, the play action? Or how about a fade? A run by Singletary of all people? Why not just take a knee and save time?

Well, I guess Frazier isn't going to Houston. This defensive game plan might have been written by the KC offensive staff.

Or Brown? Like, the second receiver we have?

I agree the teams are extraordinarily evenly matched and the game could come down to a single blown coverage, bad read or ST gaffe. But, getting philosophical for a moment, that doesn't mean it could either way. The outcome will be a product of the unique combination of conditions and people at that precise span of time in that precise space. We really can't say, "The Chiefs/Bills should have won if only..." because that's not true, by definition. If you change the reasons for the blown coverage--a mental lapse by a safety, say, are you making him smarter or more attentive for just that one play? And we're not changing WHY he was dumb or inattentive? In other words, hypotheticals or "would've been/could've been" are all B.S. There is only what happened. And that's what's so great about sports, especially on this big stage: We're all getting together to see what happens. Game on!

That's what I don't get. I mean, commentary is these people's job. They're supposed to be informed. And it's not hard. In fact, it's fun and really interesting to look at the tape and do your research. Yet it seems 3/4 of them just wing it off the top of their head, repeating fluff they heard on the radio driving into work. "Allen has been struggling in the playoffs"; "Mahomes is unstoppable"; "It's going to be the same as the first game, which I didn't watch but I heard a lot about." Lazy, dumb, glib, smug... And then they don't own it when they're wrong.

I can see the Bills not wanting to new players on the offense at once (Sills and either Freeman or Williams). They might have promoted Stills to have him ready to step in for Davis but didn't want the distraction of having Williams and Freeman to think about, too. Singletary and Yeldon are fine. Both are blockers and receivers, and both are reliable.

I'm saturated with opinions, analysis and stats. It's all repetitive now. Taking it all together, it adds up to a Bills win seven times out of ten. It just does.

You're right. The bad memories sort of cohere into a toxic sludge in a part of my mind I try to avoid.

I haven't forgotten it. The Ickey Shuffle, the ball that bounced off of Ronnie Harmon's hands, Sam Wyche having his players fake injuries, the Bickering Bills season that followed.... Bad memories.

I lived in Missouri for four years. The weather changes on a dime. Even at this point, I wouldn't be surprised by heavy rain and 15 mph winds or no rain or wind.

Maybe with the best pass-coverage linebacker in the league?

I'm three hours north of you. There are a few other Bills fans up here, but Covid. Can't get my family to watch it with me, so it's just me screaming and yelling by myself. A bit sad.

Right, that and a real downpour. This game features what might end up being two Hall of Fame passers. Playing it in high winds or monsoon rains would be like Ali and Frazier fighting while sick with the flu. We're in for a treat Sunday night. I just hope Mahomes is healthy. I want to see a heavyweight bout--and see the best team (the Bills) win.

Incidentally, I really appreciate that Allen has never offered his hurt shoulder as an excuse for those two losses, although he wouldn't be wearing a brace if it wasn't affecting him. Another thing to like about the guy.

Yeah, I'm just expressing anxiety, which is funny because mostly I'm quite confident the Bills will win. But as for Beasley, I thought speculation was that he had a torn meniscus, which is painful and debilitating but playable. I wonder if that report was just wrong. I sure hope so. A Beasley at full strength makes the Bills much harder to stop.

The Bills don't have injuries to Allen, Milano and Edwards now, so it'll be a very different game right there. But now Davis and Beasley are hurt, so it's not all roses, especially with KC getting all its key players back. Beasley had a terrific corner on him against Baltimore, but in the clips I saw of him he was just going through the motions; his knee injury must be serious, even if he's not on the injury list. If Davis is hobbling, too, KC can bracket Diggs to take him out of the game, and then I'd worry about Allen trying to do too much, especially if they fall behind. The usual: throwing into double coverage, holding onto the ball too long, risking his neck to get the first down, and, worse of all, relying on Knox or Duke Williams. I have to say, though, I'm very confident that Frazier and McDermott will do something innovative and effective against Mahomes, and I am pretty confident that Allen to stay patient and take what's there: underneath throws to Singletary, passes in the flat to fat old Lee Smith, designed QB runs, maybe even (gasp) handing it off to the running backs. I'd love to see Williams and his explosiveness in the game. In short, the first meeting offers very few clues on how this game will go. The Bills are much better overall than they were, and KC looks like they'll be as good as they ever were. Should be really fun to watch. Just hope the fricking rain won't be a factor.

I'd be happy with a shootout. The Bills defense is better than KC's, and the Bills offense is every bit as good as KC's, so they would win in most scenarios. KC has not been burying their opponents; the Bills have.

And yet the Bills have been mocked for essentially taking him, Edwards and Allen over Mahomes.

That's why I want the Bills to draft one of the two big tight ends and/or add an exciting WR. Pour it on.

Or that if the Bills defense shuts him down they trot out excuses for him. "He's just not himself. Obviously, no defense in the world could shut down the Holy One." I think we can accept as a given that a Bills victory will have an asterisk (outside of the Bills mafia) no matter what happens. Fine, who cares? Make excuses.

Plus, am I the only one who hold his breath--in anxiety, not anticipation--when Roberts is about to catch the ball? It seems that three outcomes are equally likely at that moment: 1) He'll return for 10-30 yards; 2) he'll get stuffed back at the 6-yard line; 3) he'll fumble. I know that's not remotely fair based on his stats, but it might be close to true in terms of the stakes involved. As his coach, I would stress he doesn't have to take it to the house like McKittrick, that we like him just the way he is, no need to prove a thing, make good, sound decisions and DON'T TURN THE BALL OVER! (I think I would have to shout in his face at this point, wouldn't be able to help it.)