Reviewing the Bills and the State of the AFC - Week Six

[LeGOATski]

The Bills sat back and enjoyed a bountiful bye week as a number of crucial AFC losses unfolded before them.

 

AFC Standings

 

The Titans, Chargers, Jaguars, and Browns all lost to NFC teams or lesser AFC teams, allowing further separation between the Bills and the rest of the conference.

 

Playoff Contenders:
The top 6 teams. The cream of the crop.

 

Pats
Texans
Chiefs
Ravens
Bills
Colts

 

The Pats continued their winning streak when they played the Giants. Nobody expected otherwise. They sit at the top of the standings, but I don’t think they’re playing the best football. I’m sure I wouldn’t receive much push-back on that notion. For the 3rd week in a row, Brady has been mediocre and threw a stupid interception that would surely draw the ire from Bills fans, if Josh Allen had done the same. Brady gets the benefit of the doubt, but he has not been great. I think if Belichick had his way, Brady would get traded.

 

Last week I said I’d give the edge to the Texans over any team except the Chiefs. Well, they just beat the Chiefs. 

 

so, now I’d give them the edge over any team.

 

Watson was superb once again, even with Fuller suffering a case of the dropsies. Hopkins also had an uncharacteristic drop. That offense is running full steam ahead. The defense isn’t too shabby, either. They don’t miss Clowney. Watt, Reader, and Mercilus played lights out.

 

The Chiefs were kicked by the Colts last week and horned by the Texans this week. The AFC South has not been nice to them. They didn’t play poorly, but the Colts and Texans just played better. Granted, the Texans were helped out by that fortunate PI reversal by the refs. The Chiefs receive pity from me on that one. It looks like they were about to go up by two scores, but then the Texans got the INT and marched down for a score. The call changed the momentum. No one here can convince me it was a good call. I will fight you.

 

After a tough 3 weeks against KC, Cleveland, and Pitt the Ravens caught a break this week by playing the Bungles. Lamar Jackson has taken a step back with his passing game, but easily makes up for it with his running game. 152 ground yards on Sunday. I’d still give the edge to the Bills over the Ravens.

 

I don’t need to talk about the Bills or Colts this week, since they both had a bye, so let’s talk about the Jets! Yay. 

 

A mono-less Darnold makes all the difference. They were in control of pretty much the entire game against the Cowboys. Their offense is well balanced with Anderson/Thomas/Crowder at WR and Bell at RB. That next Bills/Jets game is gonna be another tough one. Good thing it’s at home. MetLife was rocking on Sunday and it was very loud during the Cowboys’ last drive. Gotta respect that.

 

As for the rest of the AFC, the bottom half became muddied with a bunch of 2-4 teams. The Raiders are on the fringe at 3-2, just like the Colts. Right now the Bills are battling with them for the wildcard spots. Over the next few weeks the Colts face Houston, Denver, and Pittsburgh, while the Raiders face Green Bay, Houston, and Detroit. I’d bet on the Colts to end up with a better record, so not much will change in the standings.

 

Poll question: which AFC teams do you think are better than the Bills right now?
 

[Warcodered]

Kind of tough as a binary choice definitely see them as better than everyone below the Chiefs but the top 3 are where it gets murkier.

[JinxedBill]

Texans look good.  Still think Chiefs, Pats and add Texans.  I think the bills can compete with these teams.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

None of the Above     isn't an option!?!?!?!?!?!

 

[SCBills]

I put Pats-Texans-Chiefs, but those offenses are developed..  Ours is a work in progress.  

 

I have confidence that by the end of the year, we can be every bit as good as those teams. 

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

The only team with a better record is NE********** 

 

4-2 KC is good, but they lost 2 in a row .... so I'm starting to wonder about the team. 

4-1 Buffalo Bills

4-2  Houston is good also.  But we had them dead to rights last time they played until Josh got hurt. 

4-2  Cravens are good (enough).  But I'm not sold on LJ.  

3-2  Colts have done far better than I would have imagined.   

 

 

8. Buffalo Bills (4-1)

Week 6 ranking: 10

Biggest weakness: Turnovers

It's a fixable problem, but the Bills' 11 turnovers are tied for fifth in the NFL -- which is an obvious ball and chain for an offense ranked fifth in average time of possession, ninth in first downs per game and 11th in yards per game. If Buffalo takes better care of the ball, it will be a dangerous team given the strength of its defense. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques

Edited October 15, 2019 by SlimShady'sGhost

[Seasons1992]

There's this daily sports talk show hosted by a little-known former ESPN anchor (something called "Sportscenter" in the 90's, not really familiar), where Tony Dungy just said about 15 minutes ago that he "Hates to say it, but perhaps Buffalo is the 2nd best team in the AFC currently."

 

@ROCBillsBeliever

 

[Lagoon Blues]

9 minutes ago, Seasons1992 said:

There's this daily sports talk show hosted by a little-known former ESPN anchor (something called "Sportscenter" in the 90's, not really familiar), where Tony Dungy just said about 15 minutes ago that he "Hates to say it, but perhaps Buffalo is the 2nd best team in the AFC currently."

 

@ROCBillsBeliever

 

I hear that a lot it seems.....It appears to really pain people to say the Bills are half way decent.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Link to Joe B Athletic article with Bye Week review of the Bills. 

Pretty good stuff - he also goes into trade deadline options and FA signings.

 

https://theathletic.com/1287335/2019/10/11/11-bills-musings-at-the-bye-best-and-worst-free-agent-signings-trade-deadline-options-and-more/

Subscription, free trial available.

 

Key points:

-He goes over the improvements Allen has made since his rookie season injury and points out the steps he's taken and the next steps

" On the positive side, Allen responded well against Tennessee in Week 5 and had one of the most controlled and complete games of his young career. He learned from his errors, opting to throw the ball away rather than trying to make a big play. This has become a bit of a cycle for Allen. His most significant changes from one week to the next occur when his errors cost the team the most. The Bills need to find a way to teach Allen not to do too much even when he’s feeling confident. "

-Allen should take Favre's advice and preserve his body

-New OL coach Bobby Johnson gets kudos (deserved I believe, though he does have more to work with)

-Micah Hyde deserves props, and Tre' Edmunds, if he keeps it up, should get pro-bowl buzz

-"well durrrr" comment that John Brown is our best FA signing and Tyler Kroft our worst

 

Joe raises rotational 1-technique DT and WR as two positions he thinks the Bills should address prior to the trade deadline, and he mentions Green as a target (despite the Bengals saying they won't trade him).  He doesn't mention any names as DT trade targets

 

Good article, give it a read if you can (and you can, unless you've already been trialing Athletic every week)

 

[Scott7975]

Tough to say. Some of them are better in offense than us. Some way better on offense. Some of them are close to as good on defense. None of them are way better on defense. 

[ProcessAccepted]

Why is there a required field on the poll?

Prevented me from answering.

 

Maybe there so be a no one option. With out the illegal hit on Allen we win that game. 

Edited October 15, 2019 by ProcessAccepted

[Numark3]

Pats are in a tier of their own.  Texans and chiefs are in a tier with the bills.

 

sorry, but the chiefs are no longer belong in the top 2.  They have proved nothing and their defense is not good enough.  

[clayboy54]

The key to your poll is "right now." The Bills are not complete yet, but are well on their way. As the year progresses, you will see more consistency across the board. Plus, as the new pieces on offense become more cohesive, our firepower will dramatically increase. Finally, Josh Allen is getting better most every week and shows that he is a student of the game, studies and works hard, and despite being the most raw prospect coming out of Wyoming, he is rapidly becoming a good NFL QB. He may be able to become great over time.

[whatdrought]

The top four in the AFC are probably the Pats, Texans, Bills, and Chiefs. 

 

We're still early enough in the season that it's hard/impossible to get a true feel for the hierarchy within these four. Week to week there are too many questions: 

 

Patriots- what does their offense look like against true NFL defenses? They've seen one and it wasn't at all pretty for them. The Giants gave them a run for their money and they're no world beaters. If TB is having performance issues based on age, those aren't getting easier as the season goes on. Their line is weak and they aren't dominant running like they were last year. Serious red flags there.

 

Texans- Which OL shows up. They're playing really well, but this feels like a team that lacks depth and can't be consistent. Their offensive showings the past two weeks have been incredible, but it was against Swiss cheese defense. Also, Watson is going to get hit- between his style and the still lagging line- what does that look like in December. I also just don't trust BOB much. 

 

Chiefs- A team that is waking up to the idea that voluntarily shipping out 20+ sacks probably wasn't a great idea. They don't even try to run, they don't have a defense, and the book is out on beating them- play physical and keep the ball out of Mahomes' hand. Can Andy Reid adjust? Will they be intentional about running, especially with a lead? 

 

Bills- Which Josh Allen is coming to play. As good as he has been at fixing some of his issues from last year- accuracy, short ball, etc - there are certain parts of his game, specifically the deep shots and the back breaking runs that cripple defenses, that just have not been there so far. Is that going to change? Is his arsenal going to come back? More importantly, is he going to learn from idiotic mistakes and play cleaner football? As for the team, are they going to be willing to run earlier in games to set a physical precedent (especially when Allen isn't looking great) - what does this offense look like with Singletary and Williams and Kroft incorporated in. Can the Defense continue the dominance? Can the offense be capable against good defenses? 

 

 

I think at this point the ranking is probably similar to how I have them listed, but this could all be completely different in two weeks. The Patriots and the Bills have cake walks of schedules which will help them- I don't know if I can find 4 more losses on the Bills schedule with how we've played so far, but the season is still young.

 

Either way- I think this is probably the most open the AFC has been in a while. 

Edited October 15, 2019 by whatdrought

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Where's the N/A option?

 

[LeGOATski]

8 minutes ago, clayboy54 said:

The key to your poll is "right now." The Bills are not complete yet, but are well on their way. As the year progresses, you will see more consistency across the board. Plus, as the new pieces on offense become more cohesive, our firepower will dramatically increase. Finally, Josh Allen is getting better most every week and shows that he is a student of the game, studies and works hard, and despite being the most raw prospect coming out of Wyoming, he is rapidly becoming a good NFL QB. He may be able to become great over time.

Yeah, the poll is definitely meant for right now; as of the end of week 6.

 

Right now the Bills have an awesome defense and an offense that can move the ball, but has trouble scoring because of turnovers.

 

I give the Bills the edge over all but the Pats, Texans, Chiefs. It's very close, though. The Bills have the talent to compete with anyone.

 

I think the Bills wouldn't be able to score enough against the Texans or Chiefs in most cases. 

 

They wouldn't get enough calls to go their way vs the Pats in most cases.

 

I think they'd be able to shut down the Ravens and Colts more often than not and control the ball to win. 

22 minutes ago, Crayola64 said:

Pats are in a tier of their own. 

Idk, man....

 

Their coaching is in a tier of their own. Their team is not. Brady and that offense are missing a piece or two. Hate to say it, but Gronk would make a huge difference for them right now. Brady looks average.

 

Their defense is a tad bit overrated. The front 7, particularly the LBs, are not playing as well as they have in the past.

[LeGOATski]

10 minutes ago, Joe in Winslow said:

Where's the N/A option?

 

Not needed. I also didn't include the Bungles or Fish for obvious reasons.

 

The Jets are an interesting dilemma. They look much better with Darnold and Thomas starting to sync up.

[ILBillsfan]

Sorry I’m biased the Bills are right below the pats and that is the only team better than the Bills right now.  
 

A few mental mistakes away from being undefeated with a win over the pats.  
 

the offense is close and once it starts to gel a bit more this team will be a very dangerous team nobody will want to face.  

 

One week at a time and just keep getting better offensively and a avoid injuries and this could be an interesting year

 

[RyanC883]

1 hour ago, Lagoon Blues said:

I hear that a lot it seems.....It appears to really pain people to say the Bills are half way decent.

 

people suddenly hate a great defensive team.  

 

I think Cower loves us, however.  

 

When we begin to fix the offense with this D, we will be everyone's fav! 

[Numark3]

20 minutes ago, LeGOATski said:

 

Idk, man....

 

Their coaching is in a tier of their own. Their team is not. Brady and that offense are missing a piece or two. Hate to say it, but Gronk would make a huge difference for them right now. Brady looks average.

 

Their defense is a tad bit overrated. The front 7, particularly the LBs, are not playing as well as they have in the past.

Im not saying they are unbeatable.  Their point differential is 142 points...through six games.