Hail Murray a blessing in disguise?

[The Red King]

As I revel in the afterglow of this most wonderful beatdown I'm left to wonder...was that painful loss to Arizona actually beneficial?

 

Up to that point, the Bills would roll up an early lead, then go flat dropping into conservative mode.  They let their opponents back into games and then we all held our breath as they turned it back on and clawed out a win.

 

They almost did it again against the Cardinals.  Forget the painful ending a moment, the Bills had and blew a decent lead.  Once again Allen had to fight back near the end to take what looked like a game winning score, only to have their hearts ripped out.

 

Things changed after that.  Buffalo stopped trying to protect a lead, and started stepping on throats, and it was glorious.  The Bills started leaving a trail of broken bodies, dreams and playoff chances in their wake.

 

So, what do you all think?  Was the Hail Murray actually a much needed wake-up call to rouse the meat grinder we saw on display today?

Edited January 3, 2021 by The Red King

[TailgateChef]

Good take.

Sorta reminds me of this:

 

I loved this guy in college.  Imagine his passion and drive with unlimited arm talent?  We have him.

Edited January 3, 2021 by TailgateChef

[BADOLBILZ]

 

I think it was just the one-week-at-a-time approach and deliberate routine.

 

They've had some dog-day stretches in every season but they have come earlier and earlier each successive playoff season.

 

That's a credit to McD and also to Josh Allen for not losing focus.........it's something we've seen the Patriots do for 2 decades prior...........if your leaders don't get caught up in the moment then it's a lot easier to keep the team on point and improving.

 

[BillsfaninSB]

At least it did not come back to haunt us.   I’m relieved about that. 

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

13 minutes ago, The Red King said:

As I revel in the afterglow of this most wonderful beatdown I'm left to wonder...was that painful loss to Arizona actually beneficial?

 

Up to that point, the Bills would roll up an early lead, then go flat dropping into conservative mode.  They let their opponents back into games and then we all held our breath as they turned it back on and clawed out a win.

 

They almost did it again against the Cardinals.  Forget the painful ending a moment, the Bills had and blew a decent lead.  Once again Allen had to fight back near the end to take what looked like a game winning score, only to have their hearts ripped out.

 

Things changed after that.  Buffalo stopped trying to protect a lead, and started stepping on throats, and it was glorious.  The Bills started leaving a trail of broken bodies, dreams and playoff chances in their wake.

 

So, what do you all think?  Was the Hail Murray actually a much needed wake-up call to rouse the meat grinder we saw on display today?

I don’t think it was a bad thing they had to go into the bye thinking about that game. 

[Success]

I don't think there is any doubt.

 

That would have been the end of the season for a lot of Bills teams we've seen over the years.  But it brought out the best in this team.  They took it as a challenge - we've been a different team since that day.  Leaving nothing to doubt.

 

And it's interesting to see that the Cards went in a completely different direction. They're probably going to miss the playoffs now.

 

[buffaloboyinATL]

That is a great take.  I agree!

[Don Otreply]

I believe it drove home the point that success can be fleeting, and that it’s not over till the clock hits zero, that and never take your foot off the gas on either side of the ball, never! 
 

Go Bills!!!

[TBBills]

Nah the Bills were beginning to peak there that loss had nothing to do with everything else. That game was won for the most part so it wasn't huge.

 

They were finally getting players back on defense and the defense was starting to get better. 

Edited January 4, 2021 by TBBills

[Buffalo Junction]

4 minutes ago, TBBills said:

Nah the Bills were beginning to peak there that loss had nothing to do with everything else. That game was won for the most part so it wasn't huge.

 

They were finally getting players back on defense and the defense was starting to get better. 

In large part I agree. I do think it made a difference with the playcalling though. Frazier in particular has been more aggressive in the second half since that game; especially in the third quarter. 

[OZBILLS]

Still should have broken up the pass. Unforgivable 

[whatdrought]

It's a good point... Furthermore, there's a shot of Josh walking to the bench to get his hat directly after the Hail Mary with a look of complete determination as if to say "I'm not going to be the reason my team loses again." 

 

I think that's a moment like last years Pats game, and the WC game where we see the Psychology of Josh changing to become what he is. 

[BarleyNY]

They turned a negative into a positive by using the Hail Murray as motivation.  That’s a mark of good leadership and a strong organization.

[fergie's ire]

Agreed.  I remember Josh saying as much after the game...that they had to learn to stop letting teams back in the game.  Plus, it's always a good idea to lose against NFC teams because it helps with the tiebreaker.  

[BillsPride12]

I felt like it definitely lit a spark in them and gave them more of a killer instinct mentality going forward.  Sure they were a young team that was going to progress throughout the season either way but I think that heartbreaking loss was a part of the progression.  You could tell the players and coaches were truly hurting after that loss.  They seemed just as hurt over that one as the Houston playoff game last year.  Then we had the BYE week right after it so it really gave them some time to have to sit with that feeling in their gut.  That seemed like a major turning point in the season to me where we were on a mission to completely bury teams.  The coaching and game planning seemed much more aggressive when we came back from the BYE.

[Giuseppe Tognarelli]

Micah Hyde said he's glad it happened, so yes.

[GunnerBill]

I think that drive at the end of that game, even though in the end it counted for nought, clicked Josh back into top gear. He was awesome for 4 weeks then dinged up and decent but not special for a spell from Tennessee to Arizona. Since then we got first 4 week Josh back. I think him feeling better physically played in but also I think that drive was a bit of a moment for Allen and Diggs of "man we can't be stopped". 

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

2 hours ago, The Red King said:

As I revel in the afterglow of this most wonderful beatdown I'm left to wonder...was that painful loss to Arizona actually beneficial?

 

Up to that point, the Bills would roll up an early lead, then go flat dropping into conservative mode.  They let their opponents back into games and then we all held our breath as they turned it back on and clawed out a win.

 

They almost did it again against the Cardinals.  Forget the painful ending a moment, the Bills had and blew a decent lead.  Once again Allen had to fight back near the end to take what looked like a game winning score, only to have their hearts ripped out.

 

Things changed after that.  Buffalo stopped trying to protect a lead, and started stepping on throats, and it was glorious.  The Bills started leaving a trail of broken bodies, dreams and playoff chances in their wake.

 

So, what do you all think?  Was the Hail Murray actually a much needed wake-up call to rouse the meat grinder we saw on display today?

 

I certainly think if they hadn't lost that game, they'd have lost at least one down the stretch, maybe more.  So overall agree Hail Murrey helped the team.

[Billznut]

Hated losing that way to Arizona and Murray, who are both way overrated. So glad to see their season end today as they never should have been in position to get in the playoffs with a win today anyways if it wasn’t for that lucky win vs Buffalo. 

[YoloinOhio]