2018 Bills Maybe The Weirdest Season Of The Last 2 Decades

[corta765]

I was looking back on the last few seasons and the 2018 season is straight up such a weird outlier compared to virtually any previous season in the prior decades. Some of it was Josh learning his ropes and you always have interesting seasons with rookie QBs, but consider:

 

• Blown out in the opener causing the starting QB to lose his job and allow 47 pts
• Next week rookie QB takes over, CB retires at halftime, yet the score finishes 31-20 with the Bills making a decent finish
• Bills obliterate the largest spread ever (+13) and put 27 pts on the NFC title finalist Vikings
• Josh Allen hurdled a linebacker in that game. A QB hurdled a LB
• The Bills scored a total of 3, 0, 5, 6, and 9 pts in five games. The Bills also scored 42, 41, and 27 pts. 
• The defense allowed 47, 41, 37, and 31 pts yet outside of those four games actually allowed on average 18 pts a game. Additionally all four of those games were in the first 9 games and two in the first two weeks.
• When the Bills beat the Jets they did so with their fourth starting QB of the season Barkley (Peterman, Allen, Anderson) who proceeded to score 41 pts. Also an offensive lineman scored in that game
• Against the Texans Nathan Peterman successfully cost the Bills the game with a pick 6 and then another INT on the next drive. I am not sure what the NFL record is but two INT's in 1:11 with one being a TD has to be close.
• The Bills cut Kelvin Benjamin mid season who they had acquired the season earlier to shore up the WR Corp.

 

In general it was a rather memorable season for a 6-10 team, but a lot of the stuff that happen was really unique.

[RoyBatty is alive]

The Bills have had a lot of "weird" seasons.  You could take almost any year and point out the "weird" factors.

 

Every game was "weird" when Rex was here one never knew what to expect from the "defensive genius", all the gaffes and mistakes the team made. How about 2017 the year he couldnt even finish without getting his bulbous arse fired.

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

9 minutes ago, corta765 said:

 

• Against the Texans Nathan Peterman successfully cost the Bills the game with a pick 6 and then another INT on the next drive. I am not sure what the NFL record is but two INT's in 1:11 with one being a TD has to be close.

 

2017 is also pretty high up there for me. Thought they were easily the worst team of the Tyrod/Whaley era, yet they somehow were the team to break the drought. 

 

On the quoted, I wouldn't be shocked if the record is less than 10 seconds. Pick six, and then very next pass attempt is another pick. In fact, did Jameis  WInston have a sequence close to this last year? 

2 minutes ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

The Bills have had a lot of "weird" seasons.  You could take almost any year and point out the "weird" factors.

 

Every game was "weird" when Rex was here one never knew what to expect from the "defensive genius", all the gaffes and mistakes the team made. How about 2017 the year he couldnt even finish without getting his bulbous arse fired.

 

That was 2016.

[corta765]

3 minutes ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

The Bills have had a lot of "weird" seasons.  You could take almost any year and point out the "weird" factors.

 

Every game was "weird" when Rex was here one never knew what to expect from the "defensive genius", all the gaffes and mistakes the team made. How about 2017 the year he couldnt even finish without getting his bulbous arse fired.

 

2017 was sooo up and down and weird. The Denver 90+ degree game week 3 was unnormal just because of the weather.

 

Rex was more like shaking a can of beans and having zero clue what colors come out. 2016 week 1 hold Baltimore to 13 pts but score 7, week 2 score 30+ but lose because your defense couldn't stop a beach ball.

[RoyBatty is alive]

2 minutes ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

 

2017 is also pretty high up there for me. Thought they were easily the worst team of the Tyrod/Whaley era, yet they somehow were the team to break the drought. 

 

On the quoted, I wouldn't be shocked if the record is less than 10 seconds. Pick six, and then very next pass attempt is another pick. In fact, did Jameis  WInston have a sequence close to this last year? 

 

That was 2016.

Correct that was 2016, my mistake

[cage]

And the rookie QB ended the season with a dominant AFC Player-of-the-week performance that left everyone on a high that "maybe" we finally found our QB?!?

 

 

[corta765]

6 minutes ago, cage said:

And the rookie QB ended the season with a dominant AFC Player-of-the-week performance that left everyone on a high that "maybe" we finally found our QB?!?

 

 

 

Def a good point also. It really was an up and down chaotic year

[WhoTom]

1 hour ago, corta765 said:

I am not sure what the NFL record is but two INT's in 1:11 with one being a TD has to be close.

 

That could be a record for two, but Geno Smith threw 3 picks in the first quarter against the Bills in 2014.

• at 8:47
• at 6:19
• at 4:49

 

 

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

1 hour ago, corta765 said:

I was looking back on the last few seasons and the 2018 season is straight up such a weird outlier compared to virtually any previous season in the prior decades. Some of it was Josh learning his ropes and you always have interesting seasons with rookie QBs, but consider:

 

• Blown out in the opener causing the starting QB to lose his job and allow 47 pts
• Next week rookie QB takes over, CB retires at halftime, yet the score finishes 31-20 with the Bills making a decent finish
• Bills obliterate the largest spread ever (+13) and put 27 pts on the NFC title finalist Vikings
• Josh Allen hurdled a linebacker in that game. A QB hurdled a LB
• The Bills scored a total of 3, 0, 5, 6, and 9 pts in five games. The Bills also scored 42, 41, and 27 pts. 
• The defense allowed 47, 41, 37, and 31 pts yet outside of those four games actually allowed on average 18 pts a game. Additionally all four of those games were in the first 9 games and two in the first two weeks.
• When the Bills beat the Jets they did so with their fourth starting QB of the season Barkley (Peterman, Allen, Anderson) who proceeded to score 41 pts. Also an offensive lineman scored in that game
• Against the Texans Nathan Peterman successfully cost the Bills the game with a pick 6 and then another INT on the next drive. I am not sure what the NFL record is but two INT's in 1:11 with one being a TD has to be close.
• The Bills cut Kelvin Benjamin mid season who they had acquired the season earlier to shore up the WR Corp.

 

In general it was a rather memorable season for a 6-10 team, but a lot of the stuff that happen was really unique.

 

Even weirder - the game chicago scored 41 points - Chicago had 11 first downs, 190 yards, and a turnover.  

 

Buffalo was 1-2 in games where the opponent had fewer than 200 yards, also losing to Miami 21-17 (charles clay drop in the end zone).  In that one, mckenzie muffed a punt that resulted in 7 and buffalo had 130 yards in penalties.  Both TD drives were assisted by penalties.  

Edited February 3, 2021 by dneveu

[corta765]

6 minutes ago, dneveu said:

 

Even weirder - the game chicago scored 41 points - Chicago had 11 first downs, 190 yards, and a turnover.  

 

Buffalo was 1-2 in games where the opponent had fewer than 200 yards, also losing to Miami 21-17 (charles clay drop in the end zone).  In that one, mckenzie muffed a punt that resulted in 7 and buffalo had 130 yards in penalties.  Both TD drives were assisted by penalties.  

I was at the Chicago game and it swung soo dam fast. You knew the Bears defense was like potentially historically good that year but the offense couldn’t help it enough.

 

And yea our defense actually played pretty decent just zero help.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

15 minutes ago, corta765 said:

I was at the Chicago game and it swung soo dam fast. You knew the Bears defense was like potentially historically good that year but the offense couldn’t help it enough.

 

And yea our defense actually played pretty decent just zero help.

 

Short field off a penalty, Croom fumble TD, then peterman pick, then peterman pick 6, then a cohen punt return to the like 10.  Just like that - down 28-0.  Phillip gaines had like 100 yards of DPI penalties too.

[LeGOATski]

Their mentality was basically to throw the team into the deep end and let them flail around. You end up with messy results, but you can easily see which guys buy in and which guys give up.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

7 minutes ago, LeGOATski said:

Their mentality was basically to throw the team into the deep end and let them flail around. You end up with messy results, but you can easily see which guys buy in and which guys give up.

 

I think what shocked me the most - phillip gaines... who the terrible 2018 bills cut mid-season.  Was signed in 2019 by Houston... and brought back in 2020.  The guy was either a gaping hole or a penalty.  No wonder their defense was so terrible.

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

6 hours ago, WhoTom said:

 

That could be a record for two, but Geno Smith threw 3 picks in the first quarter against the Bills in 2014.

• at 8:47
• at 6:19
• at 4:49

 

 

 

Winston threw two picks in 1:00 of game time last year against the Texans. 

 

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201912210tam.htm#all_pbp

 

First Quarter

14:19

13:19

 

Still thinking there has to be one that's under 20 seconds of game time though. 

 

 

[The Frankish Reich]

2018 was weird all right, but it also had that just plain boring, pitiful lull when Derek Anderson was getting his butt kicked while everyone else was hurt.

2017? Now that was weird. A wild, fun ride. Still my favorite Bills season ever. Broke the playoff drought despite Nathan Peterman taking over. The snow game with the Joe Webb play. The Andy Dalton miracle with Kyle Williams watching. I loved everything about that season, even in retrospect the crazy, infuriatingly bad stuff.

[Rubes]

9 hours ago, cage said:

And the rookie QB ended the season with a dominant AFC Player-of-the-week performance that left everyone on a high that "maybe" we finally found our QB?!?

 

 

it was fun watching that again. You can really see the change in Josh’s mechanics compared with that year.

 

[Saxum]

8 hours ago, WhoTom said:

 

That could be a record for two, but Geno Smith threw 3 picks in the first quarter against the Bills in 2014.

• at 8:47
• at 6:19
• at 4:49

Only thing I remember about him is his "fight" with IK Enemkpali,

[78thealltimegreat]

15 hours ago, corta765 said:

I was looking back on the last few seasons and the 2018 season is straight up such a weird outlier compared to virtually any previous season in the prior decades. Some of it was Josh learning his ropes and you always have interesting seasons with rookie QBs, but consider:

 

• Blown out in the opener causing the starting QB to lose his job and allow 47 pts
• Next week rookie QB takes over, CB retires at halftime, yet the score finishes 31-20 with the Bills making a decent finish
• Bills obliterate the largest spread ever (+13) and put 27 pts on the NFC title finalist Vikings
• Josh Allen hurdled a linebacker in that game. A QB hurdled a LB
• The Bills scored a total of 3, 0, 5, 6, and 9 pts in five games. The Bills also scored 42, 41, and 27 pts. 
• The defense allowed 47, 41, 37, and 31 pts yet outside of those four games actually allowed on average 18 pts a game. Additionally all four of those games were in the first 9 games and two in the first two weeks.
• When the Bills beat the Jets they did so with their fourth starting QB of the season Barkley (Peterman, Allen, Anderson) who proceeded to score 41 pts. Also an offensive lineman scored in that game
• Against the Texans Nathan Peterman successfully cost the Bills the game with a pick 6 and then another INT on the next drive. I am not sure what the NFL record is but two INT's in 1:11 with one being a TD has to be close.
• The Bills cut Kelvin Benjamin mid season who they had acquired the season earlier to shore up the WR Corp.

 

In general it was a rather memorable season for a 6-10 team, but a lot of the stuff that happen was really unique.

People forget about that season too Josh wasn’t even supposed to start till ideally after Thanksgiving when the oline got a little cohesiveness so he wouldn’t get killed out there he got thrown to the wolves cause Peterman and the other guy where so awful people where whispering if Sean’s job wasn’t on the line despite making the playoffs the year before  

[corta765]

7 hours ago, 78thealltimegreat said:

People forget about that season too Josh wasn’t even supposed to start till ideally after Thanksgiving when the oline got a little cohesiveness so he wouldn’t get killed out there he got thrown to the wolves cause Peterman and the other guy where so awful people where whispering if Sean’s job wasn’t on the line despite making the playoffs the year before  

 

I went to a preseason game when Peterman was the #1 QB and truthfully he didn't look bad I got the logic of let Josh sit so he could grow and start later. The problem with Peterman is that in a real NFL game at full speed his decision making failed and he didn't have the arm for side passes that need a punch. Every game he started outside of the Snow Bowl which conditions made moving fast impossible he threw INTs left and right. Additionally I think Sean knew he would've lost the locker room had he kept Nate in after the Baltimore game because it was the second time he just stunk it up.

[78thealltimegreat]

8 hours ago, corta765 said:

 

I went to a preseason game when Peterman was the #1 QB and truthfully he didn't look bad I got the logic of let Josh sit so he could grow and start later. The problem with Peterman is that in a real NFL game at full speed his decision making failed and he didn't have the arm for side passes that need a punch. Every game he started outside of the Snow Bowl which conditions made moving fast impossible he threw INTs left and right. Additionally I think Sean knew he would've lost the locker room had he kept Nate in after the Baltimore game because it was the second time he just stunk it up.

Agreed that Baltimore performance was so bad that if Josh didn’t start against the Chargers  he might have had a mutiny on his hands ...I remember it starting to build after the Browns preseason game where Adam Schein was telling people if Josh Allen doesn’t start then Sean McDermott didn’t care about winning and it kinda steamrolled from there