Is it time to be concerned about a lack of 4th Q heroics?

[Motorin']

Josh has to get better with his decision making. The players protecting Josh need to be upgraded. The play calling  and game planning need to be improved. The in game adjustments need to be improved. The running backs need to be upgraded. They need a more physical TE and WR to make sure catches in crunch time.

 

 

[Andy1]

Moss appears to seek contact when running. Inexplicable!

[ColoradoBills]

1 minute ago, FireChans said:

Sure. But sometimes bad things happen, the team plays bad, and someone has to step up to win the game. Hasn’t happened this year.

 

Thanks for the topic and I have thought the same.  It comes down to IF the Bills would/could of split these close games they would

be leading the AFCE.

 

So much talk about blaming one specific person or scheme is getting old on this board.  As you pointed out the team is not coming up

with that play or two that wins (or puts away the game) in the 4th.  There are too many players/coaching moves that are the reason they

are coming up short. 

 

The fact is starting today the team needs to win out to win the division.  Every player has to dig down and make the plays.

If they don't the playoffs themselves could be in jeopardy.

[TheBrownBear]

9 minutes ago, dave mcbride said:

Or the fact that Diggs was wide open for a TD at the goal line after he smoked Jackson and the ball sailed way over his head? Diggs would absolutely have caught a decent pass there. Don't get me wrong - Allen is great. But the crunch time play this year has been subpar. The sacks he takes, the wrong decisions, etc. -- they have added up. He has five games left to rectify things for this team, so all hope isn't lost. My larger point is that it's OK to hold Allen to account even if there are a lot of bad things happening around him. He's been paid a quarter of a billion dollars and he's a physical freak. He needs to rise above.

100% agree with everything you said.  He hasn't come through in the clutch this year.  I think he almost feels too much pressure not to settle for field goals after the way the AFCCG turned out last year.  But in some of these games (last night and Jax for sure), just avoiding negative plays (the stupid sacks absolutely must stop) and kicking FGs would have been enough.  Something a seasoned QB like Brady is great at is just accepting that you can't get a TD every time.

[FilthyBeast]

29 minutes ago, FireChans said:

So over the last two years, Josh has 8 GWD. How many GWD or 4th Q comebacks do we have, as a team, this year?

 

I want to say zero. I think it’s zero. Obviously, it’s not all on Josh. The team chokes away all of their good chances. But we haven’t won an ugly one all year, and that’s the difference between good teams and bad ones. We don’t get the bounces and we don’t pull wins out of our asses.

 

Just mentioned this in another thread but at some point Allen has to win games in spite of the horrendous coaching and oline in front of him or what did you pay him a quarter of a billion dollars for?

 

Bills are 0-4 in one score games this year when they excelled in that area last season and quite frankly most of McDermott's time here since this team was never truly good enough to blow opponents out until they went on the run late last year and in some games in this year.

[Straight Hucklebuck]

When the play call comes in for a run to Moss/Singletary, Josh needs to audible out of that play immediately. 

 

The Bills OC called two runs on first down of their last two drives in the Red Zone and Moss was stuffed for 0 yards, and Singletary got 1 yard. 

 

Those are wasted downs. 

 

Also, Josh took a terrible sack. 

[Roundybout]

1 minute ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

When the play call comes in for a run to Moss/Singletary, Josh needs to audible out of that play immediately. 

 

The Bills OC called two runs on first down of their last two drives in the Red Zone and Moss was stuffed for 0 yards, and Singletary got 1 yard. 

 

Those are wasted downs. 

 

Also, Josh took a terrible sack. 

 

Such a stupid thing too, he tripped over Sweeney. 

[FireChans]

10 minutes ago, MAJBobby said:

You mean he missed a WR throwing into a 25-50 MPH wind?  Shocking it does happen.  That is why I am not as pissed about misses last night.  Build a Dome.  Now if the wind wasnt horrific and those misses occurred YES I would be fragging Josh. 

But again it gets put on Allen.  If Diggs makes his catch we are not talking about it.  If Davis makes his catch in Jax we are not talking about it.  If Dawkins doesnt get blown up on a sneak in Tenn we are not talking about it.  It can never be ALL Josh All the time.

No one said it’s all Josh. Read the OP

[No_Matter_What]

I just commented on this in other thread.

 

I think it is fair to point out that Josh and offense failed to bring us back in 4th quarter against Steelers, Titans, Jags and Pats, and they had multiple chances in last two. And I think it is fair to say that some of that is on Josh.

 

But I think people need to understand that there is some variance in it. Its a game of inches - better pass to Diggs (or maybe different wind?) on 2nd down yesterday and we won. Better execution by Knox on 3rd down and we won (and we are talking ONLY about great play by Allen). Better decision by Josh on 4th down (Beasley) and we won.* No QB gets it done all the time.

 

Last year for example inches were on our side pretty often, for example in Rams, Dolphins or Pats games (hell even in Cards game in our last drive, until you know what). This year, no so much. Part of it is definitely on Josh, expectations are higher. But it will come sooner rather than later.

 

We are not going to lose all close games, and that makes me feel pretty confident with playoffs getting closer.

 

 

*I am simplifying things but I take for granted that if we scored TD on last drive yesterday the game was over or in OT at worst. Mac is not Brady and they would get to FG range at best.

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

These stats tend to be like takeaways and turnover differential. They’re not very predictive season to season.

 

I think it was Seattle last year that won a ton of one score games. And now they only have four wins on the season.

 

I’d also say part of the issue is just our general inabilities  in the red zone. We’ve been struggling in the red zone pretty much every game for all 60 minutes. So it’s not a surprise when we really need it at the end we continue to struggle.

[Nextmanup]

You can focus on a variety of specifics and had they been different, so to might have the outcome.

 

Our coaching overall was terrible; the play calling was quite bad; the defense was a sieve all night long...

 

...and Josh couldn't find wide open receivers and throw the ball to them when he had to.

Pure and simple.

 

He was getting pressured and if he isn't well protected back there, he panics a bit, goes squirrelly, and has trouble finding someone to throw to.  This is nothing new.

 

99 out of 100 fans at this forum won't talk about that, though, b/c Josh is supposed to be the hero.

 

 

[DrDawkinstein]

5 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

You can focus on a variety of specifics and had they been different, so to might have the outcome.

 

Our coaching overall was terrible; the play calling was quite bad; the defense was a sieve all night long...

 

...and Josh couldn't find wide open receivers and throw the ball to them when he had to.

Pure and simple.

 

He was getting pressured and if he isn't well protected back there, he panics a bit, goes squirrelly, and has trouble finding someone to throw to.  This is nothing new.

 

99 out of 100 fans at this forum won't talk about that, though, b/c Josh is supposed to be the hero.

 

 

 

We're literally all talking about that in pretty much every thread.

1 minute ago, ScottLaw said:

Think the anxiety is still there big time with Josh in crunch time. 

 

Which is weird, because it wasnt there much last year. I think he has lost all trust in the OL (and rightfully so), but it causes him to play even worse. His indecisiveness, his double-clutching instead of just delivering the ball, his lack of poise as he scrambles backwards instead of just stepping up and making a throw... Hopefully can be fixed next year with solidifying the interior OL.

[dorquemada]

They've coached the hero ball out of Josh and for that they should be fired

 

They've replaced it with an ineffective red zone and 4th Quarter O that I'm sure looks great on Dogballs' whiteboard

[dorquemada]

56 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said:

...

 

The fact is starting today the team needs to win out to win the division.  Every player has to dig down and make the plays.

If they don't the playoffs themselves could be in jeopardy.

 

I'm proceeding on the basis they they finish 9-8 or 8-9 and miss the playoffs.  Even 9-8 i'm not sure about. Falcons and Jets are beatable I guess?  REmember though when we were terrible and the Falcons were good a few years ago and we went into their house and beat them?  Look out for bad but hungry teams, they'll feast on a bloated overhyped team running for the busses

 

The difference between this team and the later drought-era teams is the D on those teams were a lot more physical, and we could run the ball.  Josh Allen is better than Tryhard in every way but the rest of the team seem to be playing out the string with extremely predictable results

[SCBills]

1 hour ago, TheBrownBear said:

100% agree with everything you said.  He hasn't come through in the clutch this year.  I think he almost feels too much pressure not to settle for field goals after the way the AFCCG turned out last year.  But in some of these games (last night and Jax for sure), just avoiding negative plays (the stupid sacks absolutely must stop) and kicking FGs would have been enough.  Something a seasoned QB like Brady is great at is just accepting that you can't get a TD every time.

 

I love Josh Allen, think he's an absolute stud QB, but the Josh Allen red zone sack is becoming as common as the Zack Moss plow ahead for no gain red zone run.  

 

Both need to stop, now.  

[Einstein]

Josh is not the problem.

 

1) We have an OC that refuses to call red-zone plays that maximize our offenses most efficient players (see: designed QB runs).

2) We have RB's with zero vision.

 

This is a TD with a competent RB. 

 

 

[Chandler#81]

just an aside, but for every damn crying thread filling up Page 1 here today, this is by far the most intelligent, balanced and thought provoking thread. Thanks for the contributions everyone -except @Sugar High JA17, who’s life expectancy is on mortal life support..

[LeGOATski]

Yeah, it's disappointing. But Josh is still one of the few QBs I want in that situation.

 

It's not like that competitive edge has been forced out of him. The whole offense needs to figure it out.

3 minutes ago, Einstein said:

Josh is not the problem.

 

1) We have an OC that refuses to call red-zone plays that maximize our offenses most efficient players (see: designed QB runs).

2) We have RB's with zero vision.

 

This is a TD with a competent RB. 

 

 

Seriously, that was so frustrating.

[Just in Atlanta]

This offense does not have the X Factor magic anymore. They need to find it really quick for Tampa Bay.

Wow that run by Moss was pathetic

[ColoradoBills]

9 minutes ago, dorquemada said:

I'm proceeding on the basis they they finish 9-8 or 8-9 and miss the playoffs.  Even 9-8 i'm not sure about.

 

Maybe, maybe not.  I don't know and neither does anyone else.

That's why I watch the games.