Will lack of Tough Games hurt the Bills?

[PatsFanNH]

Honest question for football fans.  Do you think the fact the Bills may only face 3 quality teams all year,(Yes I am considering my Pats a non quality team)  something that could hurt them come playoff time? 
 

What I mean is since they are facing teams they should steamroll will they be ready to win a dog fight in the playoffs against teams like Baltimore, Cinci, TN. Etc.  Yes we all expected the KC game be a statement game but in all honesty they are not playing well at all and probably fail make the playoffs.

[NoHuddleKelly12]

Did it hurt the Pats all those years that the East was a doormat for them with 6 guaranteed wins to start? 
 

 

(edited to account for pesky math facts) 

Edited October 25, 2021 by NoHuddleKelly12

[JohnBonhamRocks]

Yes, if this were college football and they needed votes. 
 

But really, no. They still face KC, TEN, TB, PIT, IND, NO, & CAR. Maybe not elite QBs, but enough of a measuring stick. 

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

Nah, Might just help them stay healthier. This team is battle-tested. They also have a 5 game stint of Ind, NO, NE@2x and TB. They really only have 4  weak games Mia,Jax and NYJ 2x.

Edited October 25, 2021 by D. L. Hot-Flamethrower

[NewEra]

It might.

 

It might not.

 

no one knows

[PatsFanNH]

3 minutes ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

Did it hurt the Pats all those years that the East was a doormat for them with 8 guaranteed wins to start? 

Lol but it’s not just the East.  The Pats usually always played at least 4-5 tough games outside the conference.

[Jobot]

Not if we can secure the 1 seed and have the playoffs come through Buffalo.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Is KC playing badly, or did the Bills and Titans just give them the "statement game" treatment?  They lost two close games (to the Chargers and Ravens) beforehand.

 

I think the Bills have enough games against quality teams to test them and help them develop.

[Patience]

I don't think so.  The nucleus of the team has generally been the same the past few years, during which time they played some difficult opponents.  As always, we'll see.  Playoffs will be the ultimate equalizer, as it should be.  

[Royale with Cheese]

16 minutes ago, PatsFanNH said:

Honest question for football fans.  Do you think the fact the Bills may only face 3 quality teams all year,(Yes I am considering my Pats a non quality team)  something that could hurt them come playoff time? 
 

What I mean is since they are facing teams they should steamroll will they be ready to win a dog fight in the playoffs against teams like Baltimore, Cinci, TN. Etc.  Yes we all expected the KC game be a statement game but in all honesty they are not playing well at all and probably fail make the playoffs.

 

They look like they lack tough because we dominated them.  

WFT team almost upset the Chargers, Jets beat Titans and the Pats hung tight with the Cowboys.

 

We were a Josh Allen slip from beating the Titans.

[GunnerBill]

We were boatracing teams at the end of last year in the regular season. Then were still able to grind out two real tough games in the playoffs against the Colts and Ravens. I'm not concerned. The number of games in the 5 years of McDermott where this team has just not been ready to compete for 60 minutes is less than 1 a year. 

[Nuncha]

21 minutes ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

Did it hurt the Pats all those years that the East was a doormat for them with 8 guaranteed wins to start? 

Would be 6 guaranteed wins during the Brady era (colts moved to South in 2002) but still your point is spot on!

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

20 minutes ago, PatsFanNH said:

Lol but it’s not just the East.  The Pats usually always played at least 4-5 tough games outside the conference.

I mean we play both super bowl teams from last year that can’t be too common lol

[ToGoGo]

People are underestimating the Pats. Those will be 2 potentially tough games. Never write off Belichick.

[Gugny]

41 minutes ago, PatsFanNH said:

Honest question for football fans.  Do you think the fact the Bills may only face 3 quality teams all year,(Yes I am considering my Pats a non quality team)  something that could hurt them come playoff time? 
 

What I mean is since they are facing teams they should steamroll will they be ready to win a dog fight in the playoffs against teams like Baltimore, Cinci, TN. Etc.  Yes we all expected the KC game be a statement game but in all honesty they are not playing well at all and probably fail make the playoffs.

Here we go with the, "well, they beat KC .. BUT ... blah, blah, blah," crap.

 

Stifle it.

 

[hondo in seattle]

Wins give you confidence.  Enough wins get you a playoff spot with homefield advantage.  So 'easy' wins are good wins. 

 

Consider the easier games preseason games if you like.   You're still working on execution all season long.  Regardless of the schedule, a team should be playing at a high level by the time it reaches the postseason - as long as it stays healthy.  

A few tough games on the schedule (and the Bills do have a few) may help prepare a team for what they'll face in the playoffs.  But you don't need more than a few.  

Edited October 25, 2021 by hondo in seattle

[Scott7975]

I don't think so but one hope I do have is we go into the playoffs healthier this year.

[Big Blitz]

The Colts, Bucs, Saints in the dome and at NE will not be easy games. 

 

That's 4 of the remaining 11 that I'd consider tough or very tough

[Bob in STL]

No.  Despite the standings and some obvious bottom feeders,  every game is a challenge.  Every game requires you have a good game plan execute the plan.  They will be challenged from week to week. 

[SoCal Deek]

Huh? There are no ‘easy’ games in the NFL. This isn’t Alabama playing some Division 2 school! Sure, some teams are better than others but given the way the NFL schedule is constructed and weighted nobody really plays that much easier of a schedule than anyone else. The biggest unknown may actually be injuries, not opponent. You never know until game day if some opponent that looked tough on paper has their typical starters on the field. That’ll play out even more so with 17 games.