A Few Thoughts about the Patriots* Game, in no particular order

[Virgil]

At this point, it's hard to not feel like a broken record when talking about the 2021 Bills.  They aren't physical enough in the trenches.  They have zero rushing attack.  The Bills can't beat anyone with a winning record.  As Bills fans, we try to make excuses and talk about any given Sunday, but after 12 games, it's time to start accepting that the Bills are not going to live up to the preseason expectations and they are no longer the Superbowl favorites we all hoped for.

 

1 - No Excuses - We've known all week what the weather was going to be like for this game and both teams had to play in it.  The weather did affect some kicks, but ultimately, it wasn't the hurricane we thought it would be.  Regardless, the Patriots came in and did exactly what we thought they would, and there was nothing we can do to stop it.  You don't get to pick the weather or where you play.  In the conference currently, the Ravens, Chiefs, Patriots, and Titans would all have home games.  Three of those four teams will be in brutal winter conditions.  With that being said, Beane and company built a team that isn't capable of winning low scoring, physical, weather affected games.  It's no longer an opinion, it's what the results tell us.  Our stadium isn't going to get magically get a dome next year and the those previously mentioned teams aren't going anywhere.  So what's next for the high powered offense that only seems to thrive in the right conditions?  That's a great question

 

2 - Allen - Josh is probably the only highlight of this game for me.  He did show off his arm through the weather and honestly placed most balls pretty well.  The offense didn't help him out much at all (I'll get to that later).  Josh threw for the only passing touchdown of the game on a dart to Gabe.  He should've had two, but the Pats defender held up Davis just enough on the second pass to throw off the timing (Nice no call refs) Josh had a few solid runs, but only one actually called by Daboll.  I can point the blame in a lot of places for this game, but Josh is clear for me.

 

3 - Drops - In a game where passes were at a premium, none of the receivers really came to play tonight.  Diggs had one good catch deep down the sideline that was a beautiful back shoulder catch.  However, he dropped a sure touchdown in the endzone that hit him in the hands, mainly because he lost track of the ball.  Knox had two big drops and got out-muscled in the endzone at the end of the game.  Sanders also had 3 drops while.  I'm not sure if you want to call Breida's fumble a drop, but it sure was ugly.  Why can't these units show up in big games is beyond me at this point.

 

4 - What you say when they give the guy the go-ahead?
What you gonna say? Olé!
What you say, what you say when your spitting up on your bed?
What you gonna say? Olé!
What you say, what you say when you've had enough of knuckleheads
What you gonna say? Olé!
What you say, now, what you say when you've seen enough bloodshed?
What you gonna say? Stop!

 

5 - Linebackers - Minus the last drive where Milano had back to back tackles for loss by shooting the gap, Edmunds and Milano were absolutely terrible in this game.  On the big run, Edmunds over-pursued the play (alongside Hyde) and he was getting engulfed by blockers all game.  Milano was also just pushed around off the ball.  For most of the game, we had 4 on the line and 4 LB/S about 5 yards off the ball, same as against the Colts and Titans (remember how that went?).  I can't wait to see the All-22 and the grades they hand out.  I'll put some of it on Frazier for not adjusting more, and you could argue they only scored 14.  But 14 in a game where the offense threw 3 total passes is completely unacceptable.

 

6 - Daboll - One Time.  Daboll called a designed run for Allen one time.  Take out the Motor run for 10+ at the end of the game and the Bills rushing attack averaged less than 3 yards a game.  In the same conditions where the Pats had over 200 yards in the 3rd quarter, the Bills weren't even close to being able to match it.  Watching our runningbacks go straight up the middle, while the Pats ran counters, cutbacks, and other zone style runs was an embarassment.  Daboll may be a great passing coordinator, but this is now multiple years in a row where he's shown zero ability to generate a rushing attack.  And, while I don't like putting him in harms way, to make zero attempt to utilize the best runner you have in Josh is pathetic.

 

7 - Redzone - I wish I could just place this all on Daboll, as the Bills had two redzone attempts at the end of the game result in zero points, but it was a team effort.  We had a false start on Knox, we had a no-call against Davis, we had Sweeney blocking Judon, and we had our kicker miss a FG, which made a future attempt at a FG a moot point.  The Bills could have won this game on multiple occasions, but it was all on display during those two redzone trips, as they have plagued us all season.  

 

8 - Defense - 3 pass attempts.  The Pats had 3 passing attempts, with two of them coming on the second to last drive.  Knowing that, they still rushed for over 200 yards and consistently got chunk plays against us.  We had the same scheme that's failed us twice before and still rolled it out there.  At this point, I don't even know what to say or do about it besides accept that we are a soft team who can't get home against the quarterback and only beats up on weaker opponents.  Seriously, 3 pass attempts and we still can't stop them.  

 

9 - McD - You have to start to wonder if the McD clapping process is starting to lose it's luster.  I'm not calling for McD or anything like that, but it's hard to deny how this team doesn't show up in big situations and continuously gets dominated by more physical teams.  As the head coach, get involved with the coordinators and demand changes.  I'm getting tired of seeing McD get fired up on the sidelines about the quick delay of game penalty or whatever else didn't go our way.  If he wants to get fired up, go off on a player for a penalty that kills a drive.  Lay into some guys after they allow a 50+ touchdown run.  Take over play calling again when you aren't seeing the results on the field.  Whatever it is, this team does not have the same swagger as it did last year and that's on McD.

 

10 - 20 vs 1 - The Pats were a joke last season and all signs pointed to a full rebuild.  As a Bills fan, many of us relished in the idea of the Pats fans having to endure a 20 year rebuild like the Bills went through.  1 year.  It took 1 year and a lot of money.  To be a full game and tiebreaker behind the Pats this late in the season, after giving up a home game to them, makes me want to throw up.  I agree that we didn't get to see much of Mac Jones in this game nor do we know how his career will go.  However, just to see them leading the division already after only one down year after all that we went through is ridiculous.  It honestly makes the drought feel worse to me because right now, I don't feel as comfortable as I did regarding us having to blow up parts of this team and having to fight the Pats again for the next 20 years. 

 

 

I typically try to wait a day to post these so that I can calm down a bit.  In this case, I feel the frustration is justified.  We don't have a team that can win tough, physical games and at this point, it's a systematic issue that isn't going to be fixed by moving around a few players or coordinators.  We need an entirely new offensive rushing system, which may require different players.  We need to abandon the rotating defensive line for tough, big, physical guys who can't be moved off the point of attack.  We need leaders on this team who are going to push every player though each game.  Right now, we are regular season heroes who will pray they will play dome teams who can't run the ball. 

[Big Turk]

Just pissed about this game. Pissed. So many of the same stupid mental mistakes and dumb plays in clutch situations. When are they going to actually make good plays in these situations instead of dumb ones??

[Nitro]

/

Just now, Virgil said:

At this point, it's hard to not feel like a broken record when talking about the 2021 Bills.  They aren't physical enough in the trenches.  They have zero rushing attack.  The Bills can't beat anyone with a winning record.  As Bills fans, we try to make excuses and talk about any given Sunday, but after 12 games, it's time to start accepting that the Bills are not going to live up to the preseason expectations and they are no longer the Superbowl favorites we all hoped for.

 

1 - No Excuses - We've known all week what the weather was going to be like for this game and both teams had to play in it.  The weather did affect some kicks, but ultimately, it wasn't the hurricane we thought it would be.  Regardless, the Patriots came in and did exactly what we thought they would, and there was nothing we can do to stop it.  You don't get to pick the weather or where you play.  In the conference currently, the Ravens, Chiefs, Patriots, and Titans would all have home games.  Three of those four teams will be in brutal winter conditions.  With that being said, Beane and company built a team that isn't capable of winning low scoring, physical, weather affected games.  It's no longer an opinion, it's what the results tell us.  Our stadium isn't going to get magically get a dome next year and the those previously mentioned teams aren't going anywhere.  So what's next for the high powered offense that only seems to thrive in the right conditions?  That's a great question

 

2 - Allen - Josh is probably the only highlight of this game for me.  He did show off his arm through the weather and honestly placed most balls pretty well.  The offense didn't help him out much at all (I'll get to that later).  Josh threw for the only passing touchdown of the game on a dart to Gabe.  He should've had two, but the Pats defender held up Davis just enough on the second pass to throw off the timing (Nice no call refs) Josh had a few solid runs, but only one actually called by Daboll.  I can point the blame in a lot of places for this game, but Josh is clear for me.

 

3 - Drops - In a game where passes were at a premium, none of the receivers really came to play tonight.  Diggs had one good catch deep down the sideline that was a beautiful back shoulder catch.  However, he dropped a sure touchdown in the endzone that hit him in the hands, mainly because he lost track of the ball.  Knox had two big drops and got out-muscled in the endzone at the end of the game.  Sanders also had 3 drops while.  I'm not sure if you want to call Breida's fumble a drop, but it sure was ugly.  Why can't these units show up in big games is beyond me at this point.

 

4 - What you say when they give the guy the go-ahead?
What you gonna say? Olé!
What you say, what you say when your spitting up on your bed?
What you gonna say? Olé!
What you say, what you say when you've had enough of knuckleheads
What you gonna say? Olé!
What you say, now, what you say when you've seen enough bloodshed?
What you gonna say? Stop!

 

5 - Linebackers - Minus the last drive where Milano had back to back tackles for loss by shooting the gap, Edmunds and Milano were absolutely terrible in this game.  On the big run, Edmunds over-pursued the play (alongside Hyde) and he was getting engulfed by blockers all game.  Milano was also just pushed around off the ball.  For most of the game, we had 4 on the line and 4 LB/S about 5 yards off the ball, same as against the Colts and Titans (remember how that went?).  I can't wait to see the All-22 and the grades they hand out.  I'll put some of it on Frazier for not adjusting more, and you could argue they only scored 14.  But 14 in a game where the offense threw 3 total passes is completely unacceptable.

 

6 - Daboll - One Time.  Daboll called a designed run for Allen one time.  Take out the Motor run for 10+ at the end of the game and the Bills rushing attack averaged less than 3 yards a game.  In the same conditions where the Pats had over 200 yards in the 3rd quarter, the Bills weren't even close to being able to match it.  Watching our runningbacks go straight up the middle, while the Pats ran counters, cutbacks, and other zone style runs was an embarassment.  Daboll may be a great passing coordinator, but this is now multiple years in a row where he's shown zero ability to generate a rushing attack.  And, while I don't like putting him in harms way, to make zero attempt to utilize the best runner you have in Josh is pathetic.

 

7 - Redzone - I wish I could just place this all on Daboll, as the Bills had two redzone attempts at the end of the game result in zero points, but it was a team effort.  We had a false start on Knox, we had a no-call against Davis, we had Sweeney blocking Judon, and we had our kicker miss a FG, which made a future attempt at a FG a moot point.  The Bills could have won this game on multiple occasions, but it was all on display during those two redzone trips, as they have plagued us all season.  

 

8 - Defense - 3 pass attempts.  The Pats had 3 passing attempts, with two of them coming on the second to last drive.  Knowing that, they still rushed for over 200 yards and consistently got chunk plays against us.  We had the same scheme that's failed us twice before and still rolled it out there.  At this point, I don't even know what to say or do about it besides accept that we are a soft team who can't get home against the quarterback and only beats up on weaker opponents.  Seriously, 3 pass attempts and we still can't stop them.  

 

9 - McD - You have to start to wonder if the McD clapping process is starting to lose it's luster.  I'm not calling for McD or anything like that, but it's hard to deny how this team doesn't show up in big situations and continuously gets dominated by more physical teams.  As the head coach, get involved with the coordinators and demand changes.  I'm getting tired of seeing McD get fired up on the sidelines about the quick delay of game penalty or whatever else didn't go our way.  If he wants to get fired up, go off on a player for a penalty that kills a drive.  Lay into some guys after they allow a 50+ touchdown run.  Take over play calling again when you aren't seeing the results on the field.  Whatever it is, this team does not have the same swagger as it did last year and that's on McD.

 

10 - 20 vs 1 - The Pats were a joke last season and all signs pointed to a full rebuild.  As a Bills fan, many of us relished in the idea of the Pats fans having to endure a 20 year rebuild like the Bills went through.  1 year.  It took 1 year and a lot of money.  To be a full game and tiebreaker behind the Pats this late in the season, after giving up a home game to them, makes me want to throw up.  I agree that we didn't get to see much of Mac Jones in this game nor do we know how his career will go.  However, just to see them leading the division already after only one down year after all that we went through is ridiculous.  It honestly makes the drought feel worse to me because right now, I don't feel as comfortable as I did regarding us having to blow up parts of this team and having to fight the Pats again for the next 20 years. 

 

 

I typically try to wait a day to post these so that I can calm down a bit.  In this case, I feel the frustration is justified.  We don't have a team that can win tough, physical games and at this point, it's a systematic issue that isn't going to be fixed by moving around a few players or coordinators.  We need an entirely new offensive rushing system, which may require different players.  We need to abandon the rotating defensive line for tough, big, physical guys who can't be moved off the point of attack.  We need leaders on this team who are going to push every player though each game.  Right now, we are regular season heroes who will pray they will play dome teams who can't run the ball. 

You nailed it.  The Bills are now a middle of the pack also ran.  They believed the press clippings in the off season.  This team is too undisciplined and fails to execute.  The off season I am looking forward to plenty of changes. 

[Nextmanup]

 You think the Bills "didn't show up" tonight?

 

What game are you watching?

 

We were outmuscled in the run game, but our team is not built to stop a heavy running game.

 

 

[727Bills]

Number 9 is key here, gonna beat this drum until it's proven otherwise

Edited December 7, 2021 by 727Bills

[Nitro]

1 minute ago, Big Turk said:

Just pissed about this game. Pissed. So many of the same stupid mental mistakes and dumb plays in clutch situations. When are they going to actually make good plays in these situations instead of dumb ones??

Red Zone on offense and basic run defense.  Glaringly  bad.  

[Solomon Grundy]

Couldn’t have said it better Virgil

[Virgil]

Just now, Nextmanup said:

 You think the Bills "didn't show up" tonight?

 

What game are you watching?

 

We were outmuscled in the run game, but our team is not built to stop a heavy running game.

 

 

 

100% they didn't show up.  The receivers didn't show up with their drops and the linebackers didn't show up at the next level

[Big Turk]

Just now, Nitro said:

Red Zone on offense and basic run defense.  Glaringly  bad.  

 

They made lots of plays for losses on D, but allows too many big runs due to over pursuit...and why did it take 3 quarters for McD and Frazier to figure out that all they needed to do to stop these pulling runs was to shoot Milano through the gap.

[Solomon Grundy]

1 minute ago, Nextmanup said:

 You think the Bills "didn't show up" tonight?

 

What game are you watching?

 

We were outmuscled in the run game, but our team is not built to stop a heavy running game.

 

 

The mental mindset is what’s questionable. How do you keep overrunning the gaps? The missed tackles. The drops. The Offside. 

[Success]

It all kind of goes back to the biggest problem - we're built to beat KC.

 

And we did.  And I can't blame them for building the team that way - they looked like they would be our biggest hurdle for years.

 

But we're small & finesse.  The Pats looked like the Varsity out there.

 

[TampaBillsJunkie]

17 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 To be a full game and tiebreaker behind the Pats this late in the season, after giving up a home game to them, makes me want to throw up. 

This is where. I'm at. Dry heaving as I type, thinking of 50 ways we could have won with a little competency and toughness. It's my Patriot hate that makes it all the more nauseating.

[BuffaloRebound]

Red Zone Offense.  When people get over the Patriots one-sided play-calling, this game and the season comes down to a failure of the red zone offense.  

[Iiiiiiiiive Got a Feeeelin]

26 minutes ago, Virgil said:

100% they didn't show up.  The receivers didn't show up with their drops and the linebackers didn't show up at the next level

Knox had so many crucial drops tonight just about game changers

 

[rockpile]

Thanks for putting so many of the things that were making me sick into a post. I did not have the energy. I love the Bills but I am tired of all the excuses. I think they will be lucky to be in the playoffs. 

[Jerboski]

Mentally soft team 

 

physically soft team 

 

way too much reliance on one player to carry them 

 

still can’t stop a physical running team 

 

Poyer and Hyde stop crying and doing something about it on the field 

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

36 minutes ago, Virgil said:

To be a full game and tiebreaker behind the Pats this late in the season, after giving up a home game to them, makes me want to throw up.  I

 

Bills win out they win the division regardless of what the Pats do. Bills still own the tie-breaker. We have Miami to thank for that.

[Billznut]

19 minutes ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

 

Bills win out they win the division regardless of what the Pats do. Bills still own the tie-breaker. We have Miami to thank for that.

It could happen. But at this point It requires the Bills to beat the Pats in Foxboro plus the Pats losing to Indy or Miami. As well as us beating Carolina, Atlanta and the Jets. Could happen but nothing so far this season should give us any hope this will actually occur. 

Edited December 7, 2021 by Billznut

[Peace Frog]

[RiotAct]

#4 is especially on point in recent times.