People are wrongly disappointed - we just beat a very good football team - one better than their 11 & 5 record

[EersN'Bills]

I think I echo other people when I say I think having to tough out a playoff game after blowing out opponents will be a good thing for the Bills the rest of the postseason.

 

They essentially coasted for three weeks playing their best football, came into the Colts game and didn't play their best and had to win a tight one.

 

This will serve as a "wake-up" call of sorts that the playoffs are a totally different animal than the last month and a half of the regular season. This game will only make them stronger.

 

Again, they didn't play their best game, took Indy's best shot (and they're a very good team) and STILL WON!!!

 

Relax and enjoy the rest of Wildcard weekend, then it's on to the Divisional Round!

Edited January 10, 2021 by EersN'Bills

[JGMcD2]

50 minutes ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

In the Colts franchise history, this 11-5 Colts team is not in their Top 10 best teams ever fielded. 
 

Nobody is disrespecting the Colts. But this Bills team? I expect us to maximize a Top 5 season roster in the 60-year history of the Bills.

How does this even make any sense?

 

You’re comparing this year’s Colts team to Colts teams of the past and because they’re not one of the top 10 teams in the history of their franchise they can’t stand up against a top 5 team in Bills franchise history?

 

That’s just bad analysis. The Colts historical success and the Bills historical success have zero impact on how these two teams match up in 2020. 
 

 

[EersN'Bills]

Just now, JGMcD2 said:

How does this even make any sense?

 

You’re comparing this year’s Colts team to Colts teams of the past and because they’re not one of the top 10 teams in the history of their franchise they can’t stand up against a top 5 team in Bills franchise history?

 

That’s just bad analysis. The Colts historical success and the Bills historical success have zero impact on how these two teams match up in 2020. 
 

 

 

Exactly. If we had just beat an 11-5 Patriots team (which wouldn't register as a top 10 season for them) in this fashion, no one would care because we just beat the Patriots (as an example).

 

Past franchise success has no bearing on a team's current or future success. 

[Lieutenant Aldo Raine]

I’m not disappointed, but I’m not quite sure I understand the offensive play calling by Daboll.  I truly think we good have put at least 35 on them; not sure I seen Bojorquez punt more in a game this season. 

[Shaw66]

1 hour ago, billsfan1959 said:

 

IMO, Allen did nothing wrong on that play. Lewis went right by Feliciano and Allen did what he always does: evaded the tackle. We have watched him do it all season and make big plays - that is one of the things that makes him so special. Unfortunately, Autry was right there to wrap Allen up. Allen tried to secure the ball and Autry did a good job of forcing the fumble. That was more of good defensive play than it was any kind of mental error or carelessness on the part of Allen.

 

I saw it this way, too.   In an absolutely perfect world, Allen would have recognized that his position was 100% hopeless and thrown the ball away.  He has such extraordinary physical abilities that he'd recognized, he could have thrown the ball somewhere.   

 

But one major aspect of Allen's greatness is his ability to evade the first tackle, because getting away from the first tackler often results in Allen making a big throw or a big run.  That is, part of his greatness is that he DOESN'T bail on plays when most other quarterbacks should - he's able to make plays when other quarterbacks can't.  

 

So, yeah, in hindsight, we can say that Allen should have thrown the ball away, but taking that sack is the price, the small price, the Bills pay for having a QB who does such marvelous things.   

 

Having said that, I would like to know what the Bills coaches are saying internally about that play after reviewing the film.  The question we can't answer is whether PRESNAP Allen should have seen something and been prepared for what happened or changed the play or the blocking assignments.  Maybe there was something for Allen to have seen to prepare him better for what actually happened.   It that's true, well, that's just one more learning experience.   Another part of Allen's greatness is that if he DID miss something, he isn't likely to miss it next time. 

[Ya Digg?]

16 minutes ago, whatdrought said:

 

 

I'm really struggling to digest this.... 

 

When you win the game by observing the rules, making a damn good play, and coming up big in the biggest of spots - to then have the play incorrectly called (as agreed on by every single person in the world) and the refs to say "eh, ***** it. lets give em another shot." is my very definition of the having to beat the refs as well. The Colts were given undeserved opportunity at the end of the game, and as a result, the Bills defense had to overcome that and win anyway. 

 

Aside from that, there were some ticky tacks as well: multiple uncalled delay of games, a missed helmet to helmet on Diggs on his first deep catch. But those are minor comparably and I wouldn't be saying we had to beat the refs on those alone, even if they were bad calls. 

 

Look we are in agreement about the fumble, that was definitely a fumble-I don’t know how that call doesn’t get overturned. That being said, and maybe it’s a matter or semantics or interpretation, when I see or hear someone say a team had to beat the refs as well as the other team-to me that person is saying the refs are intentionally making calls against one team and completely favor of another team on a consistent basis throughout the game. The refs called pretty much no penalties all game. I find it hard to believe that in either side there wasn’t a single hold along the offensive line. They mentioned the delay of game thing on multiple occasions throughout the game and the network ref also said that those wouldn’t be called delay of game. I wanted them to be called for sure, but you do see it a lot when the ball is hiked just after the clock hits zero. 
For the most part I think the refs called the game fairly, meaning even for both sides. I’m going to venture a guess though and say that you and I are going to have to agree to disagree on this one though 

[Mr. WEO]

Next game will be the Bills bye week...

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

1 hour ago, RochesterLifer said:

It certainly was not a good play. However, if in a 60 minute playoff game, against a high quality opponent, you feel the need to point out one poor play, no NFL quarterback - not Brady, Mahomes, Rogers or Manning is going to pass your test.

feel? Chill out. You obviously misread the message. 

 

with all the complaints that is probably the only negative. 
 

[whatdrought]

11 minutes ago, Ya Digg? said:

Look we are in agreement about the fumble, that was definitely a fumble-I don’t know how that call doesn’t get overturned. That being said, and maybe it’s a matter or semantics or interpretation, when I see or hear someone say a team had to beat the refs as well as the other team-to me that person is saying the refs are intentionally making calls against one team and completely favor of another team on a consistent basis throughout the game. The refs called pretty much no penalties all game. I find it hard to believe that in either side there wasn’t a single hold along the offensive line. They mentioned the delay of game thing on multiple occasions throughout the game and the network ref also said that those wouldn’t be called delay of game. I wanted them to be called for sure, but you do see it a lot when the ball is hiked just after the clock hits zero. 
For the most part I think the refs called the game fairly, meaning even for both sides. I’m going to venture a guess though and say that you and I are going to have to agree to disagree on this one though 

If the colts had scored a TD on a blown coverage directly following the fumble idiocy, would you blame the refs at all for the Bills losing?

[Dukestreetking]

2 hours ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

I don’t think anyone is disappointed. But I think there is some concern that what the colts did can be replicated, and we want to know how the Bills will respond to a similar game plan. 

You're just too damn reasonable to be on the board.

 

We demand hot takes...hot takes *****.

 

Out, out I say, and take that meddling logic with you.

[Ya Digg?]

4 minutes ago, whatdrought said:

If the colts had scored a TD on a blown coverage directly following the fumble idiocy, would you blame the refs at all for the Bills losing?

Would’ve been upset at the refs but wouldn’t blame them-I would blame Daboll for a poor offensive plan, blame Frazier for a bad defensive scheme, blame the players foe terrible execution....I just think blaming the refs is just lazy 

[Hebert19]

2 hours ago, wjag said:

I can understand them wanting to play better, but disappointed in a win is not an emotion I am capable of.

 

Areas of improvement:

 

1.  Special teams.  Bad field position for many drives.  Poor tackling, a penalty, bad decisions to field punts and run out of the endzone.  Might have been their worst game of the season.

2.  TE coverage.  Still afflicts this team.  

3.  Running the ball.  Has to be more from the OLINE and RBs.  There has to be more.

4.  QB pressure.  Just wasn't enough of it.

 

Go Bills!!!!

This.   Need to do better at pressures for sure.  

 

Also.  Love roberts but I'd be ok with stills active and mckenzie returning. 

[Giuseppe Tognarelli]

3 hours ago, BuffaloBill said:

Team offense: Bills #2 the Colts #9 (https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2020/)

Team Defense Colts #10 the Bills #16 (https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2020/opp.htm#)

Special Teams: Colts #2 the Bills # 11 (https://www.lineups.com/nfl-team-rankings/special-teams)

 

The Colts were a very difficult match up for the Bills. Buffalo’s success has ridden on Josh Allen’s arm this season and the Colts had a perfect game plan to overcome that. They nearly pulled it off. However, be happy with the W because the Bills just beat a very good team.

It's a good point. Average of rankings: Colts #7, Bills #10

[BillsFanSD]

2 hours ago, Juice_32 said:

I was shocked at the amount of people who wanted Indy in the first round. They scared me more than anyone but possibly Baltimore.
 

We just beat a really good team without our A game in a grinder of a game. Today is a very good day.

I was one of the people who wanted Indianapolis in the playoffs.  Not because Indianapolis sucked or anything, but because I saw them as the least-elite opponent in an absolutely stacked AFC field.  There is no mediocre Bears team or a 7-win WTF on our side of the bracket.  When the #3 seed is arguably the weakest playoff team, you know your conference is loaded.

 

Indianapolis was a good, balanced team that's solid but unspectacular in all phases of the game.  I thought we would pick on their secondary more than we did, but this was not a team that I really expected to completely blow out.  I did fully expect to win though. 

 

If you had asked me before the game, I would said that for Indy to have a chance, first the Bills would need to play their B-game.  Very few teams can hang with us if we're firing on all cylinders, and Indianapolis is not one of those teams.  As it turned out, we did play our B-game.  Our special teams were terrible in the first half, resulting in awful field position, which is exactly the kind of game the Colts were hoping for.  In the second half, our defense sunk to new lows especially in the fourth quarter, and the offense handed them a gift on the sack/fumble during a promising drive that showed real potential to run out the clock.  Then there's the whole offensive game plan that featured the run more than any of us expected.  In addition, the Colts benefited from an awful and borderline-inexplicable call that gave them a new life during the last drive.  Bad calls happen, but over the last six weeks or so a bad call just meant the difference between winning by 17 instead of winning by 24.  Here, the Colts were in a position to benefit from a lucky break.  They needed that sort of set up to win.

 

The other thing though is that the Colts needed to play nearly perfectly to win.  The Bills played poorly but still hung 27 on them, and that was about the best Indianapolis could have hoped for -- that score felt like a win for the defense.  They absolutely needed Pittman to catch that TD on fourth down.  I know that was in the first half and who knows what the play calling would have looked like if that play went differently, but that was a back-breaking mistake that an inferior team just can't afford when they're playing against an elite team.  The Colts caught the Bills on a sub-par day and they got some help from the officials, but they made one mistake too many and that was that.  

 

I think we would have lost to the Titans or Ravens yesterday.   

[Logic]

I wasn't disappointed in the classical sense of the word with yesterday's Bills performance.

I'm a firm believer that "a win is a win", ESPECIALLY in the playoffs. Just ask the Patriots dynasty. They won PLENTY of unconvincing squeakers over two decades. A win is a win. Overcoming adversity and finding a way to win a big game when you're not on your "A game" is really important and was a big growth milestone for this team.

I WAS disappointed in the sense that I know the Bills are capable of playing much better than they did yesterday. After seeing how well they are capable of executing the past few weeks, how creative Daboll's game plans can be, etc, I've come to have high expectations for this team. 

I was trying to understand how I was feeling after yesterday's game. Normally, I would be euphoric. I was happy, to be sure, but more so, I was just relieved. Relieved because I know the Bills are good enough to compete for a championship, and because they didn't necessarily play championship caliber football for large stretches of the game, but still managed to get a win. I guess what I'm trying to say is that my EXPECTATION LEVEL has been raised. Squeaking out wins or winning one playoff game are no longer good enough. We're past that now. The expectation now, for me, is championship. THEN I will be euphoric. Each win along the way will make me happy, but more so, it will be a relief, because it means the Bills have cleared another necessary hurdle on the way to the real goal, the BIG goal, the ONLY goal.

 

[Rock-A-Bye Beasley]

Going into the game I thought the colts are “worse” than their record. 
 

When I went down their list of opponents I wasn’t too impressed. 
 

one of their losses is the only Jacksonville win and Jax was close there in the 4th Qtr week 17 against them. 
 

Then you have the week 16 blown lead to the Steelers, a team we beat handily. 
 

Aside from Allen, I feel like the Colts beat themselves yesterday. They dropped a lot of passes that could have kept drives going. Missed FG from close range. 4th and goal play was there for them but off by an inch. 

Edited January 10, 2021 by Rock-A-Bye Beasley

[26TrapDraw]

2 hours ago, BuffaloBill said:

Team offense: Bills #2 the Colts #9 (https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2020/)

Team Defense Colts #10 the Bills #16 (https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2020/opp.htm#)

Special Teams: Colts #2 the Bills # 11 (https://www.lineups.com/nfl-team-rankings/special-teams)

 

The Colts were a very difficult match up for the Bills. Buffalo’s success has ridden on Josh Allen’s arm this season and the Colts had a perfect game plan to overcome that. They nearly pulled it off. However, be happy with the W because the Bills just beat a very good team.

None of us are wrong to be concerned with how our D played yesterday. Do you think it will be easier as we advance? We dodged a bullet yesterday. At least that’s what the eye test told me.

[whatdrought]

3 minutes ago, Ya Digg? said:

Would’ve been upset at the refs but wouldn’t blame them-I would blame Daboll for a poor offensive plan, blame Frazier for a bad defensive scheme, blame the players foe terrible execution....I just think blaming the refs is just lazy 

This is idiotic. I’m sorry. But it is. 
 

You play the 60 minutes of a football game, you’re playing against elite competition, you’ve battled all game and put your team in a position to win, you make the game ending- game winning play and the refs steal it from you. 
 

Playoff games are supposed to come down to a handful of plays. 
 

The refs negatively affected our ability to win the game by breaking the rules, and we had to overcome it in order to win. 
 

Blaming the refs for ticky tack calls that happen in the course of a game is lame. Blaming the refs for stealing a victory by completely ignoring reality is normal. 

[Ya Digg?]

3 minutes ago, whatdrought said:

This is idiotic. I’m sorry. But it is. 
 

You play the 60 minutes of a football game, you’re playing against elite competition, you’ve battled all game and put your team in a position to win, you make the game ending- game winning play and the refs steal it from you. 
 

Playoff games are supposed to come down to a handful of plays. 
 

The refs negatively affected our ability to win the game by breaking the rules, and we had to overcome it in order to win. 
 

Blaming the refs for ticky tack calls that happen in the course of a game is lame. Blaming the refs for stealing a victory by completely ignoring reality is normal. 

I’m gonna let you keep your hot take, you win my man-you’re clearly still very fired up about the game. The Bills didn’t have a solid game plan on either side of the ball. The defense did not play well. The run game like usual was nonexistent. But yes, if they had lost 100% of the blame should go on the refs 🤦‍♂️
But like I said, you win...and I’m done responding to your hot take 

[Green Lightning]

1 minute ago, whatdrought said:

This is idiotic. I’m sorry. But it is. 
 

You play the 60 minutes of a football game, you’re playing against elite competition, you’ve battled all game and put your team in a position to win, you make the game ending- game winning play and the refs steal it from you. 
 

Playoff games are supposed to come down to a handful of plays. 
 

The refs negatively affected our ability to win the game by breaking the rules, and we had to overcome it in order to win. 
 

Blaming the refs for ticky tack calls that happen in the course of a game is lame. Blaming the refs for stealing a victory by completely ignoring reality is normal. 

I agree blaming refs is a loser's excuse, but that call was ridiculous and could have cost us the game. Everybody but the replay idiot in NY saw that it was a fumble on a masterful play by Poyer. If it did cost us the game it would have been on a par with the non-call that cost the Saints a trip to the SB.