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

[filthymcnasty08]

Very low key element to this perfect game:

 

The discipline level that these players exhibit is 100% on the coaching and culture.

 

Look no further than Jerry Hughes and think of how many times he's killed us in the past with avoidable PF's and Offside.  

 

I've never seen a team performance quite as perfect as Sat night....that was some football "bucket list" sh-t!

 

 

 

 

[GETTOTHE50]

love the 'raid the villages and hide the wife and children' JA17 mode 😆

 

love the reggie shout out. he deserves it. when his number is called, he delivers in blocks and catches.

 

loved the few thoughts and loved the win!

[Success]

I was not like you.  I was a mess on Saturday.  Toward the end of the Pats dynasty years, I started looking at any match-up with them like I look at a dentist appointment. Something very unpleasant that I can't avoid, and just have to get through.

 

That conditioning stayed w/ me through Saturday.  I was confident in the team, but had the worst feeling - I felt like Belichick had some crazy plan that would knock us off balance, and they'd sneak one out again like the wind game.

 

I have watched sports for decades. That was the single greatest sports viewing experience I have ever had, bar none.  There was so much weight on that game in terms of changing the narrative about both teams and truly announcing that the Bills are here to stay, and have put the Patriots' demons permanently behind them.

 

Pure joy. It took that Bostonian cloud that's been lingering above my head & blew it into another universe.

 

Great write-up.

 

[Peace Frog]

Something else to keep in mind: In the AFCCG last year, almost all of our receivers were banged up. Diggs (ribs), Brown (knee), Beasley (fibula), and Davis (ankle) all had some ailment that prevented them from being completely effective. This game, they are all much healthier and should make a difference.

[Kwai San]

As always @Virgil an excellent recap.  Ya had me chuckling a lil bit on the women and children comment!

 

Aside from the comeback game this is definitely the best game I ever watched as a Bills Fan......the 51-3 AFC Championship against the Raiders is right up there as is the dismantling of the Squealors on MNF was also good but not as good as Saturday nite was.

 

I look forward to a HEALTHY Bills team on Sunday nite.....Andy and Patsy have to be worried!!!

 

GO BILLS!!!!

[section122]

Great job as always @Virgil here are a couple extra:

 

Dumb point but here is as good a place as any, I feel like the Chicken Broth is not getting enough love.  What an absolutely brilliant idea.  As soon as it was mentioned I thought about it.  Warm beverage with sodium to assist hydration, and who doesn't love chicken broth?  It really spoke to me about the absolute level of preparation this team had for the night.

 

This game was a dream come true.  There wasn't even time to get nervous.  After the first td drive, Hyde made one of the best int's I have ever seen (no hyperbole), the Bills marched right back down the field and made it 14-0.  Then it snowballed from there.  No wondering or worrying about the patriots doing patriot things.  Those days are over.

 

Josh's run on that first drive I think helped a ton.  He has stated previously he likes to get hit to get in the flow of the game.  With this run, he got his blood pumping, what better way to get warm than run for 25+ yards?

 

I loved that at the end of the game all of the talk immediately became that none of it mattered anymore and it was on to next week.  They are locked in.  Jerry Hughes was angry still at the end of the game and in the press conference.  We go play football, you talk about it was the quote I believe.  They have payback to give this week and everyone is counting them out again.  Time to get payback for last year's AFCCG!

 

 

[folz]

1 hour ago, Warcodered said:

They did do angry runs Knox was on it but didn't win. To be fair though the one that did was a Chiefs lineman just ***** tossing T.J. Watt and then catching a TD it's hard to top that.

 

Great post as always Virgil! Loved the shout out for Reggie.

 

To the KC play, did anyone else think that should have been a foul on the KC O-Lineman? That's what I thought in real time watching the game. I mean if that was a receiver vs. a DB, and a yard or two off the ball, the receiver just grabs the DB's shoulder pads and throws him to the ground, wouldn't that be a penalty? If not, why don't receivers/TEs try that more often. It's kind of like tackling a man without the ball. Am I wrong here? Everyone seems to be ok with that play for some reason.

[Rocky Landing]

I posted this in the post-game thread, but it’s worth reposting here. How rare is it to get two plays by opposing quarterbacks where they throw the exact same route from literally the exact same spot on the field (42 yard hash mark) to the same corner of the end zone? And look at the difference between these two throws:

 

 

[Clark Rotary]

Thanks Virgil, the game is not complete until your write-up comes out, helps me process everything. 

 

I agree with people in this string who say that this is their favorite win ever. Last year we escaped the gulag, this year we put the Warden in stripes (ok he can have a hood on his) and let him taste some hard labor out on the taiga. 

 

I try to pick one play per game that brings me way more joy than it should - this game really, it was overwhelming but I chose the Jerry Hughes sack on the fake spike - ridiculous on so many levels!  

[Virgil]

32 minutes ago, Clark Rotary said:

Thanks Virgil, the game is not complete until your write-up comes out, helps me process everything. 

 

I agree with people in this string who say that this is their favorite win ever. Last year we escaped the gulag, this year we put the Warden in stripes (ok he can have a hood on his) and let him taste some hard labor out on the taiga. 

 

I try to pick one play per game that brings me way more joy than it should - this game really, it was overwhelming but I chose the Jerry Hughes sack on the fake spike - ridiculous on so many levels!  

 

Oh yeah! I completely forgot about the fake spike.  I had it in my notes and then wrote almost all of this from memory.  That really was a great, albeit strange, play!

 

[hemma]

Your very best, which is only fitting.

[Rochesterfan]

4 hours ago, Rocky Landing said:

I posted this in the post-game thread, but it’s worth reposting here. How rare is it to get two plays by opposing quarterbacks where they throw the exact same route from literally the exact same spot on the field (42 yard hash mark) to the same corner of the end zone? And look at the difference between these two throws:

 

 

 

Totally agree.  
 

Besides arm talent - the biggest difference was the route combos.  
 

The Pats couldn’t pressure Hyde deep - so he was keyed on the WR and the pump fake to that side did not move him - just held him a second.

 

The Bills had a deep post/over route to occupy the safety.

 

The results speak for themselves.  Better Arm and better Route won.

 

 

[Coach Tuesday]

5 minutes ago, Rochesterfan said:

 

Totally agree.  
 

Besides arm talent - the biggest difference was the route combos.  
 

The Pats couldn’t pressure Hyde deep - so he was keyed on the WR and the pump fake to that side did not move him - just held him a second.

 

The Bills had a deep post/over route to occupy the safety.

 

The results speak for themselves.  Better Arm and better Route won.

 

 

Contrast it with Josh’s throw to Sanders.  Basically the same throw from the same distance.  Pats were in 2 deep instead of single high so in theory they should’ve been in even better position to defend that throw, but Allen makes the defense respect every inch of the field and so somehow Sanders was wide open.

[Dopey]

10 hours ago, Virgil said:

Indifference can be either a really good or bad thing.  I've had football Sunday's where I didn't realize I was watching a Bills game until well into the 2nd quarter.  Obviously, I'm watching the game, but it just feels like I'm watching any other program.  Typically, I wake up on a football Sunday and I'm already mentally planning my morning around pregame shows, food, and whatever else I have to do that day.  But some days, like Saturday, I was alarmingly non-nonchalant and didn't have a single worry about the game.  I knew we could beat them, but also knew a season ending game to the Pats would stick with me all off-season.  Regardless, I was cool as a cucumber going into what would become a perfect game and arguably the best Bills game of the past 25 years. 

 

1 - Seven - There's been a lot of stats being thrown out about this game to represent just how historic it was.  For me, the stat that really defines this game is that we only had 7 third down plays.  Not only that, but I don't believe any of them were longer than 4 yards.  I mean, seriously?  There's blow out wins, there's imposing your will, then there's just doing whatever you want and basically running a practice against another team.  Seven total third downs, including the kneel down?  It makes no sense how any team should be able to do that to another professional NFL team.  But man, if it was going to happen, aren't you glad it was against the Pats?

 

2 - Star - There were a lot of moments that made me yell out and wake my daughter up, but none more so than the sack by Star.  Holy ***** did he destroy Mac Jones.  Star absolutely destroyed his blocker, thought he was running the 40, and launched himself at Jones.  I almost felt bad for the rookie and wouldn't have been surprised if the play hurt him.  That sack was probably my favorite defensive play of the season, and yes, I saw the Micah Hyde interception.  Honestly, I have no idea how Hyde caught that ball.  His closing speed and tracking on that pass, I saw it live and still thought it was a Pats touchdown.  These guys were just playing out of their mind.

 

3 - Knox - I don't know if GMFB did angry runs this week, but Knox deserved the scepter this week.  I don't know who the play was against, but Knox stiff armed this poor man into the New Era basement.  Knox was a monster in this game and almost had 3 touchdowns.  He was the definition of a red zone threat, but even if he had all 7 touchdowns, that stiff arm was just disrespectful on so many levels and he owes that players neighbors an apology.

 

4 - Once divided, nothing left to subtract
Some words when spoken can't be taken back
Walks on his own with thoughts he can't help thinking
Future's above, but in the past he's slow and sinking

 

5 - Gilly - One of the biggest unsung heroes of this game was Reggie Gilliam.  In previous games, I felt like Daboll was being a little too transparent with his play calling based on where Gilly was lined up.  In this game, Gilly was pulling, motioning, and even caught a pass.  Gilly made some fantastic next level blocks and was instrumental in some of Josh and Motor's run.  Bates and Morse also had some great pull blocks, but Gilly was a big factor in this game that won't show up on the stat sheet.

 

6 - Josh - Was anyone else surprised at how fast Josh looked in this game?  We all know he can run, but I almost wonder if he took that Viagra recommendation a little bit too much to heart.  Inspired by Barry Sanders, Josh absolutely demoralized Pats defenders with stiff arms, juke moves, and pure speed.  He made Judon look like he was stuck in quick sand and absolutely broke the ankles of another defender.  Josh wasn't in sugar high mode, he was in raid the villages and hide the women and children mode.  I think most of the fans wanted our next QB to be able to do two things, destroy the Pats and the Hoodie, and win a Super Bowl.  He's absolutely proven the first one as he plays like someone shoved a game genie up his ass and put him in God Mode.

 

7 - Motor - In previous games, Motor was utilized as a nice offset to the pass game to keep the defense honest.  In this game, there were drives where he was the offense.  I think it was the second or third touchdown drive, but Motor was the entire last 40 yards of the drive and capped it with a touchdown.  He was running tosses, counters, draws, and even helped as a check down.  On the big pass to Beasley, Motor picked up a crucial blitzer that allowed that pass to even get delivered.  This might have been the most complete rushing game plan and execution we've seen all season.  The Chiefs will not be able to dismiss Motor again, which will only help the passing game that much more.

 

8 - Gabe - It's tough to call out any specific receivers,considering how well Josh distributed the ball to everyone.  However, Gabe showed off great hands and body control on his limited catches.  His touchdown catch shows his potential as he caught a bullet pass at his knees with a defender draped on his back.  If I were to watch that play 10 times, I would expect and respect a drop on 9 of them.  Gabe just continues to impress and I hope to continue to see him take snap share away from Beasley and Sanders.

 

9 - Special Teams - At this point, I think Hyde should be the only player returning kicks or punts.  Hell, he almost returned a punt for a touchdown if not for a last minute trip.  You could see how much this team loves Hyde as Josh was giddy like a school kid thinking Hyde was going to take it to the house.  McKenzie almost had another whoopsie on a punt and we just can't risk it going forward.  I don't know what's going on with our returners, but I think we are starting to understand why Roberts had his roster spot.

 

10 - McD - I mean, any time you can make the Hoodie want to take his toys and go home is always a beautiful site for Bills fans.  The legends showed up, Kyle from GMFB was there, and the stadium was rocking in the 0 degree weather.  McD had his team ready, amped, and delivered a spectacle of a beating.  There was never a moment where you felt like this team wasn't prepared or outcoached.  Every button he pushed delivered a result.  Regardless of how we got here, the path now remains the same.  Yes, we would have like the next two games to go through Buffalo, but a rematch with the Chiefs was inevitable and the Titans/Bengals after was also likely.  We are where we need to be and playing at the highest possible level.

 

 

It's hard to not have high expectations of this team going forward.  I think we are all seeing the Bills play at a level we expected of them when the season started.  I mean, we beat the over/under in this game by ourselves!  We have a tough match-up this week with another team that recently found their defense and rushing attack in arguably one of the toughest stadiums in the league.  McD is winless on the road in the playoffs and there's work to do, but it's hard to not feel confident after this past weeks game.

 

Go Bills!

I want to add to #2. I noticed Star and Phillips on the field at the same time quite a bit. Made sense vs a run heavy team. 

[LABILLBACKER]

10 hours ago, JÂy RÛßeÒ said:

What stood out to me about Singletary while at the game was actually hit blitz pick-up.  Simply astounding.

His blocking along with Gilly was amazing.  Best all season. Sticking Bates at LG was brilliant. 

[HappyDays]

11 hours ago, Virgil said:

10 - McD - I mean, any time you can make the Hoodie want to take his toys and go home is always a beautiful site for Bills fans.  The legends showed up, Kyle from GMFB was there, and the stadium was rocking in the 0 degree weather.  McD had his team ready, amped, and delivered a spectacle of a beating.  There was never a moment where you felt like this team wasn't prepared or outcoached.  Every button he pushed delivered a result.

 

McDermott still doesn't get enough credit from Bills fans. Josh Allen is the most important man in the Bills organization, but McDermott is #2 and it isn't close. Three years in a row the Bills are playing their best football in December and January.

 

Think of all the issues we had early in the year. Offensive line was terrible, now it's arguably a strength. Our run game was non-existent, now the blocking and Singletary are looking championship level. Tre White went down and we thought it would kill our season, but our defense hasn't missed a beat. That's all McDermott's influence.

 

The Bills have a coach who has the stones to discredit Belichick in a post-game presser after a loss, and the coaching ability to live up to those words in two blowouts. Give the man his due. He has transformed this organization from laughing stock to perennial championship contender.

[Solomon Grundy]

Just rewatched game and I swear I watched Vernon Butler play pat-a-cake with Pats lineman every time he was in the game. Lol 

[Rocky Landing]

3 hours ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Contrast it with Josh’s throw to Sanders.  Basically the same throw from the same distance.  Pats were in 2 deep instead of single high so in theory they should’ve been in even better position to defend that throw, but Allen makes the defense respect every inch of the field and so somehow Sanders was wide open.

If Allen's throw had the same trajectory as Jones', #33 Williams would have had the same chance of coming down with the ball as Sanders. Mac & Cheese's throw is lofted so high, it leaves the frame-- almost twice the altitude as Josh, and almost a second longer in the air. Micah Hyde covered about 20 yards of field after the ball left Mac's hand. 

 

Mac & Cheese's college highlight reel is filled with these lofted throws that drop out of the sky, right into the WR's bread basket. That's really impressive in college. In the NFL, it's tantamount to a Hail Mary. I strongly suspect that Hyde, and the rest of the secondary, have watched tape of these throws, and prayed they'd get to defend one.

 

 

Edited January 20, 2022 by Rocky Landing

[Rochesterfan]

6 hours ago, Rocky Landing said:

If Allen's throw had the same trajectory as Jones', #33 Williams would have had the same chance of coming down with the ball as Sanders. Mac & Cheese's throw is lofted so high, it leaves the frame-- almost twice the altitude as Josh, and almost a second longer in the air. Micah Hyde covered about 20 yards of field after the ball left Mac's hand. 

 

Mac & Cheese's college highlight reel is filled with these lofted throws that drop out of the sky, right into the WR's bread basket. That's really impressive in college. In the NFL, it's tantamount to a Hail Mary. I strongly suspect that Hyde, and the rest of the secondary, have watched tape of these throws, and prayed they'd get to defend one.

 

 

 

That is very true and in college at Alabama- these guys have 5⭐️ Recruits at WR going against lower level competition.  
 

I will say that I was darn impressed with the Mac and Cheese boys throw as it was spot on the WR (did not think he had it in him to get it that far) and what scares me a bit about it - is that if he had had a WR on the other side with an in cut or something deeper and pump faked away - that might have been a TD.  He pump faked to the same side as the throw - so didn’t move the safety with his eyes or motion - and there was only the 1 deep route giving Hyde only 1 player to stay deeper than.

 

Mac’s arm strength is just so limited he has to loft the ball at a much higher angle and it takes much longer to arrive compared to Josh, but his accuracy on the throw was actually better than the spot Josh put his.  I also think that was just about the absolute limit of what Mac can throw right now in his career.  
 

If you replace Mac with Josh on that play and he throws his ball - there is no way the Safety can get there - the ball gets there to fast - we have seen that first hand over and over.  The problem is the placement of Josh’s ball is about 2 yards to short as Sanders had to slow down - allowing the NE DB to get the hit.  That same throw with where Wallace was on the play may get batted down by Wallace as he was about 2 steps behind running in stride.  
 

The difference in Arm talent is night and day and the difference in pocket awareness and manipulation of safeties at this point is incredible because as was said - Josh makes teams defend every inch of the field and teams can’t cheat on routes.  The throws into tight windows - like the TD pass to Knox - thrown with anticipation and awareness of play design is just other worldly and is not something Mac Jones could do at this point.

 

 

[1ManRaid]

19 hours ago, Virgil said:

 

5 - Gilly - One of the biggest unsung heroes of this game was Reggie Gilliam.  In previous games, I felt like Daboll was being a little too transparent with his play calling based on where Gilly was lined up.  In this game, Gilly was pulling, motioning, and even caught a pass.  Gilly made some fantastic next level blocks and was instrumental in some of Josh and Motor's run.  Bates and Morse also had some great pull blocks, but Gilly was a big factor in this game that won't show up on the stat sheet.

 

On one play I actually turned to my friend and said "Oh look, Gilliam is going to block for an Allen run to the right here".  If an uneducated pleb like me can figure this out, surely a competent defensive coordinator will scheme something up.

 

My friend thinks I'm some kind of football wizard tho, which is cool.