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

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

10 minutes ago, Billznut said:

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. 

 

Actually I think everything you listed is very capable of happening. You missed the thing that is most unlikely and that is beating the Bucs next weekend. Bills lose to the Bucs then they need the Pats to lose to either the Colts or Dolphins or any other team besides the Bills. Bills win next weekend and it might not matter if the Pats win out in all their games except for the Bills game.

 

Carolina, Atlanta and NY Jets are all home games in Buffalo. Could we get a Jacksonville type game? Much less likely that happens at home. The Patriots? Well as we saw tonight that's basically a toss up so of course the Bills can win at New England in what guaranteed has to be better weather conditions for how our team is built then what we saw tonight.

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

The most infuriating thing about #6 is that they will call 4-5 designed runs against some scrub team like the Jets or Falcons later in the year as they already have earlier in the year against some bad teams. I don't want to put Allen in harms way needlessly but a pivotal game like today would have been a good one to use his legs. 

[goldenboy81]

I'm not a Allen hater but that kid needs to start scoring touchdowns. Guys were open

[GETTOTHE50]

This season is all on McD. Its not even close.

[Do The Reich Thing]

1 hour ago, 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. 

Well said. 
 

It’s annoying as hell that the Bills mold into they type of game the opponent plays. “Oh it’s cold and windy? Let’s run the ball because that’s what the Pats are trying to do.”
 

They play up and down to their competition and don’t play the type of game they should be playing. They’re an air raid offense and have the most physically gifted QB in the league and play to what the opponent dictates. 
 

I really think Daboll is pushing McD to his limits. You could tell in the presser how pissed McD was. Nothing will happen mid season because that’s not who McD is, but if the season continues down the chute then Daboll is as good as gone. Too many brilliant offensive minds to show up like this week in and week out. 

[IronyAbounds]

7 minutes ago, GETTOTHE50 said:

This season is all on McD. Its not even close.

The team needs more than just a lot of clapping. Clapping may have brought Tinker Bell back to life, but it isn't doing much for the Bills.

[HappyDays]

I think if any pass catcher had made just one play tonight Allen would have cemented his lead for MVP. Just Diggs or Knox catching TDs that hit them in the hands would have done it. Allen's teammates and play caller really let him down tonight. I am frustrated for him. Usually in his press conference he repeats some form of "I could have done more." Tonight he was saying "we didn't execute the plays Daboll called" and "I'll trust Diggs to make that play next time." He knows what happened tonight. He gave it his all in the game of the year and came away with nothing.

Edited December 7, 2021 by HappyDays

[CincyBillsFan]

10 minutes ago, goldenboy81 said:

I'm not a Allen hater but that kid needs to start scoring touchdowns. Guys were open

Diggs dropped one TD.  A spectacular 50 yard throw in brutal wind conditions. 

 

And Knox was not able to out muscle a smaller DB in the end zone to score the game winning TD.  I watch a lot of football and on almost every weekend I see multiple TE's win that catch on that exact same play.  It's expected that an NFL TE win the ball on that play.

 

That's two fantastic throws that should have been TD's giving Allen 3 for the night. 

[Heels20X6]

I've said it before and I'll say it again...that loss to Jacksonville looms like the darkest, ugliest cloud over the rest of the season.  That loss seemed to have broken this team...took away its swagger, it's belief that they could beat anyone (that was at an all-time high when they beat KC).  The Pitt loss, that could be explained with "well, first game of the season, short pre-season".  The Titans loss?  That came down to the wire, two heavyweights taking blows to try and knock the other out.

 

The Bills that went into Arrowhead and punched the Chiefs in the mouth, would have rolled the Pats today.  Now, they look like they're playing scared, afraid to make mistakes and therefore making them...

 

This season is pretty much over.  Tonight was just another nail into the season's coffin that started with the Jags loss.

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

Just now, Heels20X6 said:

I've said it before and I'll say it again...that loss to Jacksonville looms like the darkest, ugliest cloud over the rest of the season.  That loss seemed to have broken this team...took away its swagger, it's belief that they could beat anyone (that was at an all-time high when they beat KC).  The Pitt loss, that could be explained with "well, first game of the season, short pre-season".  The Titans loss?  That came down to the wire, two heavyweights taking blows to try and knock the other out.

 

The Bills that went into Arrowhead and punched the Chiefs in the mouth, would have rolled the Pats today.  Now, they look like they're playing scared, afraid to make mistakes and therefore making them...

 

This season is pretty much over.  Tonight was just another nail into the season's coffin that started with the Jags loss.

 

They have to beat more than one good team all year. For arguments sake I'll say the KC game was against a good team even though they were losing a lot when we played them. So they need one more. The Jags loss hurt but they will make it to the playoffs easily if they can win at least one of their two tough remaining games. If not, well then they very well could need some help and honestly they don't really deserve the playoffs.

[HappyDays]

8 minutes ago, Do The Reich Thing said:

I really think Daboll is pushing McD to his limits. You could tell in the presser how pissed McD was.

 

Definitely. In his press conference, McDermott kept repeating that the Bills average starting field position was the 40 yard line and we were just 1 for 4 in the red zone. He said New England would have had to abandon their game plan if our offense had pulled ahead. He knows the offense is the real reason we lost tonight. I would not be surprised to see Daboll and McDermott "mutually agree to part ways" in the offseason.

[AlCowlingsTaxiService]

Thanks for your quick write up Virgil. Unfortunately, I still want to vomit after that performance. 

[Do The Reich Thing]

Just now, HappyDays said:

 

Definitely. In his press conference, McDermott kept repeating that the Bills average starting field position was the 40 yard line and we were just 1 for 4 in the red zone. He said New England would have had to abandon their game plan if our offense had pulled ahead. He knows the offense is the real reason we lost tonight. I would not be surprised to see Daboll and McDermott "mutually agree to part ways" in the offseason.

Yup. McD won’t do it mid season because he doesn’t work like that, but all bets are off postseason. 
 

Bring in Joe Brady or give Dorsey a shot. 

[LV Bills fan]

I agree with most of your points, but we did win a physical, bad weather game in the postseason last year. So it can be done. 

[Beast]

7 minutes ago, LV Bills fan said:

I agree with most of your points, but we did win a physical, bad weather game in the postseason last year. So it can be done. 

Absolutely.

 

I’m sorry but the Bills beat the Bills tonight. Yeah, the defense got gashed at times but 14 points shouldn’t be near enough to beat the Bills. Not even in this weather.

 

Our receivers, to include our tight end and our offensive coordinator were big time culprits for this loss.

 

The Bills left 10-17 points on the field tonight. They should have won this game comfortably.

[HappyDays]

14 minutes ago, Do The Reich Thing said:

Bring in Joe Brady or give Dorsey a shot. 

 

I think we can do a lot better than that. We have Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs. An experienced play caller that needs a career revival would love to have that duo as a stepping stone. I have said a few times on here that I would be very happy with Doug Pederson. He led a Carson Wentz (and then Nick Foles) offense to a Super Bowl. Allen is a better version of 2017 Carson Wentz. He coached under Andy Reid for several years. He isn't currently employed so if he's looking to get back into coaching he would be my first choice.

Edited December 7, 2021 by HappyDays

[GETTOTHE50]

8 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

I think we can do a lot better than that. We have Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs. An experienced play caller that needs a career revival would love to have that duo as a stepping stone. I have said a few times on here that I would be very happy with Doug Pederson. He led a Carson Wentz (and then Nick Foles) offense to a Super Bowl. Allen is a better version of 2017 Carson Wentz. He coached under Andy Reid for several years. He isn't currently employed so if he's looking to get back into coaching he would be my first choice.

 

Id love to give pederson a shot.

[NoHuddleKelly12]

2 hours ago, 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. 

Virgil, bravo 👏🏻. Unlike the performance of most of the team not named Josh Allen, your effort deserves a kudos clapping from the sideline. You’ve captured my feelings perfectly about where we stand now, and what it will likely take to get back on track. The trenches are screaming for attention and our coordinators need to be upgraded, and that’s just the start. I hope we can still salvage something from this year, and use its lessons to catapult to greatness next year—as one of the quotes from a very underrated Dick Van ***** movie ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ goes, “from the ashes of disaster grow the roses of success.” Here’s hoping 🤞🏻.

[Budkin]

1 hour ago, GETTOTHE50 said:

This season is all on McD. Its not even close.

He's not a great coach.

[GETTOTHE50]

49 minutes ago, Budkin said:

He's not a great coach.

 

he isnt. he has hit his ceiling.