The '21 Bills are sleepwalking to the playoffs

[Hermes]

This iteration of the Bills cares not for the accolades of the regular season!

 

They know the only games that matter are played in January and February. After the loss to the Chiefs in AFCCG with a hobbled WR room and feeling the effects of going all out for an entire season, the Bills aren't going to let that happen again! It's a long season and they know it. They know what it takes to win playoff football games. They're not going in blind and flying high like last year.  They're grounded and focused on the ultimate goal.

 

Many fans and pundits are down on the bills because of the 'disappointing' record and the inconsistency of play, however, the Bills don't give a crap what you or anyone else thinks. It took everything the Patriots had to win that game Monday night, and if the Bills connect on a small handful of plays it's a rout in the Bills favor, it's really that simple. The Patriots had to play an almost perfect game and they still had to scrape by with last minute defensive heroics to come out on top.  Milano might've purposely 'gotten injured' at the end of the game because the Bills aren't going to embarrass themselves with some trash play to win on a punt return in week 13, in week 19 and beyond if they're in that position, they're going to have something special prepared for the occasion.

 

Yeah they lost to the Pats.

 

Who cares!?

 

They're still in prime position to make a run in the playoffs. It doesn't matter where they play, they know they can beat the pants off of any team in the league, in their own stadium, Bills fans travel well and they'd love to see Blue and Red confetti all over Arrowhead, or anywhere else.

 

It took the best efforts of the Steelers, the fully loaded Titans, the Jags, and now the 'white hot' AFC leading Patriots to get the better of the Bills on days where the bills were 'off'. These weren't a couple bad plays and the game was out of hand, these games were close the whole way through, with the opponents feeling great about themselves for a having a slim lead, even knowing the Bills could end it in a play.  These teams hold this win against the Bills as a highlight of their season (or decade, in the case of the Pats) and the Bills don't care about the loss for one second, they only care about the one that ended the season last year. The Colts game was over at halftime after the Mckittrick fumble and the Bills were ok with that. Something in common with these teams is that they all had this game circled as a big one. The Bills only have one game circled on the schedule. THE big one.

 

That's not to say that the Bills are a team who isn't trying to win.  Quite the contrary.

 

They're a team that is working out the kinks now instead of later.  A team who doesn't get too amped up about a week 13 game.  A team in the process of getting better. A team with quiet confidence even with their backs against the wall. A team who knows their best football is ahead of them.

 

A team with Superbowl aspirations.

 

 

[Steptide]

I actually thought in a similar way until the jags game happened. Now I realize they are who they are. Inconsistent. I said the other day on here that I'm not expecting any more wins and I'm gonna stick to it these next 5 games. Even if this team goes 3-2 the next 5 weeks and gets into the playoffs, how far are they realistically gonna get? Even if by some miracle they get to the afc championship game again, do they really have a chance to win? At this point I say no

[Jrb1979]

They are very one dimensional on both sides of the ball. 

[Hermes]

4 minutes ago, Steptide said:

I actually thought in a similar way until the jags game happened. Now I realize they are who they are. Inconsistent. I said the other day on here that I'm not expecting any more wins and I'm gonna stick to it these next 5 games. Even if this team goes 3-2 the next 5 weeks and gets into the playoffs, how far are they realistically gonna get? Even if by some miracle they get to the afc championship game again, do they really have a chance to win? At this point I say no

I see where you're coming from but at what point in the Pats game did they have no chance to win?

 

What about the Titans? 

 

I don't remember the way the Jags or Steelers game ended but I'd imagine it's similar. 

 

The point is that even when the Bills are playing poorly by all accounts. They're still in position to win these games against quality opponents. 

2 minutes ago, Jrb1979 said:

They are very one dimensional on both sides of the ball. 

I don't necessarily disagree, although I don't think it's a huge issue. They're working on the run game on offense and defensively they do well enough that it only truly hurt them in the game against the Colts. The Pats only scored 14 points and they had the Titans within 1 yard of a win

[Freddie's Dead]

 

[Brand J]

The Bills are 0-4 in one score games. I don’t remember what that record was last year, but it was among the best. They’re just not getting it done this season and I’ve seen too many lethargic attitudes about it - Dawkins, D Williams, Morse, Edmunds, and a few others. Those dudes just seem like they’re collecting checks, doesn’t feel like losing eats at them. 

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

20 minutes ago, Steptide said:

I actually thought in a similar way until the jags game happened. Now I realize they are who they are. Inconsistent. I said the other day on here that I'm not expecting any more wins and I'm gonna stick to it these next 5 games. Even if this team goes 3-2 the next 5 weeks and gets into the playoffs, how far are they realistically gonna get? Even if by some miracle they get to the afc championship game again, do they really have a chance to win? At this point I say no

 

As of now the patriots are the only "consistent" team in the AFC.  KC is coming on - but everyone else is flawed.  

 

Indy - already has 6 losses, to get to 10-7 they'd need to win 2 of NE, Arizona, LV.  

Tenn - Should take their division at 10-7 simply because they get jax/houston in their final 5 and Indy already has 6 losses.  But i don't feel good about them in pitt, sf, or miami.  They look pretty lousy lately.

Pitt - Need to win 3 of Minn, Tenn, KC, Cle, Baltimore.  

Cleveland - Need to win 4 of baltimore, LV, GB, Pitt, Cincy to get to 10 wins... very unlikely

Buffalo - Can hit 10-7 if they win 3 out of 5 with carolina, ATL, and the jets.  They will be dogs against the bucs and patriots but they can play with either.

Cincy - SF, Den, Baltimore, KC, Cleveland.  3 wins to 10-7.  

 

Baltimore looks lost out there and injuries are piling up.  Chargers are basically the west coast bills with regards to consistency, but i don't see them catching KC.  

 

The best team in the AFC right now is New england, and buffalo was a couple of plays away from beating them in adverse conditions that actually favored New England.  The other would be KC, who buffalo beat. 

 

Go out and change the narrative - beat NE on their field.  

[Hermes]

11 minutes ago, JayBaller10 said:

The Bills are 0-4 in one score games. I don’t remember what that record was last year, but it was among the best. They’re just not getting it done this season and I’ve seen too many lethargic attitudes about it - Dawkins, D Williams, Morse, Edmunds, and a few others. Those dudes just seem like they’re collecting checks, doesn’t feel like losing eats at them. 

I do think they'll look to get better at the positions mentioned. Probably not Edmunds this off-season. I'd imagine them going LT in the first to bump Dawkins in to LG then either CB or RB in round 2 and then an interior OL to push Morse, Williams, Feliciano, and Dawkins to be better

[Hermes]

4 minutes ago, dneveu said:

 

As of now the patriots are the only "consistent" team in the AFC.  KC is coming on - but everyone else is flawed.  

 

Indy - already has 6 losses, to get to 10-7 they'd need to win 2 of NE, Arizona, LV.  

Tenn - Should take their division at 10-7 simply because they get jax/houston in their final 5 and Indy already has 6 losses.  But i don't feel good about them in pitt, sf, or miami.  They look pretty lousy lately.

Pitt - Need to win 3 of Minn, Tenn, KC, Cle, Baltimore.  

Cleveland - Need to win 4 of baltimore, LV, GB, Pitt, Cincy to get to 10 wins... very unlikely

Buffalo - Can hit 10-7 if they win 3 out of 5 with carolina, ATL, and the jets.  They will be dogs against the bucs and patriots but they can play with either.

Cincy - SF, Den, Baltimore, KC, Cleveland.  3 wins to 10-7.  

 

Baltimore looks lost out there and injuries are piling up.  Chargers are basically the west coast bills with regards to consistency, but i don't see them catching KC.  

 

The best team in the AFC right now is New england, and buffalo was a couple of plays away from beating them in adverse conditions that actually favored New England.  The other would be KC, who buffalo beat. 

 

Go out and change the narrative - beat NE on their field.  

People see a couple of losses for the Bills and they just want to blow the whole thing up and put heads on the chopping block. The last team to win every game in a season was the dolphins, the Patriots came close but they lost the only one that mattered. I can guarantee that every player on that team would rather sneak in the playoffs and win the Superbowl than have a perfect regular season.

 

I appreciate you putting the other teams schedules up to really show where the Bills stand, which isn't a bad position honestly. They've 'underperformed' yet are still in a better place than almost every drought era team.  

[Thurman#1]

49 minutes ago, Hermes said:

This iteration of the Bills cares not for the accolades of the regular season!

 

They know the only games that matter are played in January and February. After the loss to the Chiefs in AFCCG with a hobbled WR room and feeling the effects of going all out for an entire season, the Bills aren't going to let that happen again! It's a long season and they know it. They know what it takes to win playoff football games. They're not going in blind and flying high like last year.  They're grounded and focused on the ultimate goal.

 

Many fans and pundits are down on the bills because of the 'disappointing' record and the inconsistency of play, however, the Bills don't give a crap what you or anyone else thinks. It took everything the Patriots had to win that game Monday night, and if the Bills connect on a small handful of plays it's a rout in the Bills favor, it's really that simple. The Patriots had to play an almost perfect game and they still had to scrape by with last minute defensive heroics to come out on top.  Milano might've purposely 'gotten injured' at the end of the game because the Bills aren't going to embarrass themselves with some trash play to win on a punt return in week 13, in week 19 and beyond if they're in that position, they're going to have something special prepared for the occasion.

 

Yeah they lost to the Pats.

 

Who cares!?

 

They're still in prime position to make a run in the playoffs. It doesn't matter where they play, they know they can beat the pants off of any team in the league, in their own stadium, Bills fans travel well and they'd love to see Blue and Red confetti all over Arrowhead, or anywhere else.

 

It took the best efforts of the Steelers, the fully loaded Titans, the Jags, and now the 'white hot' AFC leading Patriots to get the better of the Bills on days where the bills were 'off'. These weren't a couple bad plays and the game was out of hand, these games were close the whole way through, with the opponents feeling great about themselves for a having a slim lead, even knowing the Bills could end it in a play.  These teams hold this win against the Bills as a highlight of their season (or decade, in the case of the Pats) and the Bills don't care about the loss for one second, they only care about the one that ended the season last year. The Colts game was over at halftime after the Mckittrick fumble and the Bills were ok with that. Something in common with these teams is that they all had this game circled as a big one. The Bills only have one game circled on the schedule. THE big one.

 

That's not to say that the Bills are a team who isn't trying to win.  Quite the contrary.

 

They're a team that is working out the kinks now instead of later.  A team who doesn't get too amped up about a week 13 game.  A team in the process of getting better. A team with quiet confidence even with their backs against the wall. A team who knows their best football is ahead of them.

 

A team with Superbowl aspirations.

 

 

 

 

I love positivity as much as the next guy, but ...

 

Who cares? Really? They do, for one group. Did they look happy in their post-game interviews?

 

They're not out of it. That's a good thing. But history shows it's not easy to turn it off and on at will. It doesn't generally work that way. Unless they start playing like a serious contender, they're unlikely to be one. They've got a little time, but they're already losing the week off, home games, etc.

 

That hurts. They care, and so should we.

Edited December 9, 2021 by Thurman#1

[Hapless Bills Fan]

If they don't stop hitting the snooze button and wake up and play, they're gonna sleepwalk their way right out of the playoffs

[thenorthremembers]

Regular season isnt over yet.

[Thurman#1]

39 minutes ago, Hermes said:

I see where you're coming from but at what point in the Pats game did they have no chance to win?

 

What about the Titans? 

 

I don't remember the way the Jags or Steelers game ended but I'd imagine it's similar. 

 

The point is that even when the Bills are playing poorly by all accounts. They're still in position to win these games against quality opponents. 

I don't necessarily disagree, although I don't think it's a huge issue. They're working on the run game on offense and defensively they do well enough that it only truly hurt them in the game against the Colts. The Pats only scored 14 points and they had the Titans within 1 yard of a win

 

 

Sure, they had a chance to win.

 

Having had a chance to win, that's what the losers talk about. It doesn't matter. We had plenty of teams in the drought that were always in games with a chance to win.

[Hermes]

5 minutes ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

I love positivity as much as the next guy, but ...

 

Who cares? Really? They do, for one group. Did they look happy in their post-game interviews?

 

They're not out of it. That's a good thing. But history shows it's not easy to turn it off and on at will. It doesn't generally work that way. Unless they start playing like a serious contender, they're unlikely to be one. They've got a little time, but they're already losing the week off, home games, etc.

 

That hurts. They care, and so should we.

I'm glad they care. But I don't. They could have a losing record at the end of the year for all I care as long as they make the dance. That's what the season is all about. I didn't watch any post game since it was so late, so I can't comment on the players/coaches reactions.

 

We've seen games this year where they look absolutely dominant like a contender should and others where they look out of sorts and more like a wildcard team. Either way it's playoff caliber football 

6 minutes ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

Sure, they had a chance to win.

 

Having had a chance to win, that's what the losers talk about. It doesn't matter. We had plenty of teams in the drought that were always in games with a chance to win.

They missed so many opportunities and they should be ashamed of losing that game Monday night. Same with the other games. When you're that close it hurts so much more to lose. But they aren't going to dwell on the loss like so many fans are. They're moving past it so they can focus on the road ahead. They'll probably be extra jazzed up for the next Pats game, but they certainly won't treat it like their Superbowl

[Ethan in Cleveland]

They are sleepwalking to missing out on the playoffs

[ControllerOfPlanetX]

Sleepwalking..or..deadman walking?

[Breakout Squad]

No way this years team beats the Colts and/or Ravens in last year’s playoffs. Everyone knows we can’t run and defenses only need 7 up front to shut us down. It’s disheartening. 

[Ross Murdock]

46 minutes ago, dneveu said:

Baltimore looks lost out there and injuries are piling up.  Chargers are basically the west coast bills with regards to consistency, but i don't see them catching KC.  

 

The best team in the AFC right now is New england, and buffalo was a couple of plays away from beating them in adverse conditions that actually favored New England.  The other would be KC, who buffalo beat. 

 

Go out and change the narrative - beat NE on their field.  

I mostly agree - But if we can't beat NE once, were not even the Chargers, and don't belong in the playoffs.... Regarding the "Bills being a couple of plays from beating NE".. Please... Detroit has been a couple of plays from beating about 6 teams. The Bills showed nothing on Monday. It was an embarrassment.     

[Dablitzkrieg]

They are not going to make the playoffs so this is a moot point.  

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

I think we are done now. Unless something drastic changes immediately, we aren’t going to make it.