Reassessing the Over-Reactions to the Divisional Round

[Never NEVER Give-up]

Now that the Championship games are over, I'd like to hear opinions on:

1. Are the Bills inside or outside the top tier of the AFC?  (Did the Bills have a bad game against the Bengals or are the Bills clearly inferior to the Bengals & Chiefs?)
2. What's the take on the Eagles?  (Have they been tested yet?  Played the 5th string QB for SF!! (Purdy w/no arm!)  Now they will play the Chiefs - who are so banged up they are thanking God there is 2 weeks until the SB.)

 

My Take:

1. The Bills are in the conversation!  They played their worst game since the Indy game early in 2021.  They were 14-4 this year (not 4-14).  Unfortunately that last game will stay in our mouths until September.
2. The Eagles have had it easy this year and I honestly don't know if they're as good as the Chiefs, Bengals or Bills.  However, much like their season, they will be facing a diminished opponent in their next game (wounded Chiefs).  Maybe a healthier Bengals team would have been a more formidable opponent for them.  Can Mahomes work his magic one more week?

[Gregg]

The Eagles are really strong at the LOS on both sides of the ball. Hurts is playing as well as anyone from the QB position. I think they will beat KC by at least 10. The Bills are a good team obviously, but they need to improve the OL and DL if they ever want to get past the Chiefs or Bengals. Another playmaker at WR would also be nice. It can't just be Diggs as the only elite level WR.

[BillsShredder83]

5 minutes ago, Never NEVER Give-up said:

Now that the Championship games are over, I'd like to hear opinions on:

1. Are the Bills inside or outside the top tier of the AFC?  (Did the Bills have a bad game against the Bengals or are the Bills clearly inferior to the Bengals & Chiefs?)
2. What's the take on the Eagles?  (Have they been tested yet?  Played the 5th string QB for SF!! (Purdy w/no arm!)  Now they will play the Chiefs - who are so banged up they are thanking God there is 2 weeks until the SB.)

 

My Take:

1. The Bills are in the conversation!  They played their worst game since the Indy game early in 2021.  They were 14-4 this year (not 4-14).  Unfortunately that last game will stay in our mouths until September.
2. The Eagles have had it easy this year and I honestly don't know if they're as good as the Chiefs, Bengals or Bills.  However, much like their season, they will be facing a diminished opponent in their next game (wounded Chiefs).  Maybe a healthier Bengals team would have been a more formidable opponent for them.  Can Mahomes work his magic one more week?

Eagles are this good imho. both ol & dl are disgustigly big and talented. hurts causes enough probs and aj brown/d. smith are the nfc's version of higgins/chase.  theyre going to snuff out kc hard

 

were good. really just takes plugging few holes on OL and josh can carry the team. we'll be fine, especially with a new DC if it happens

[boyst]

not to gang pile on the dead horse...

 

1. we are in it as among the best but as long as this coaching staff is together as it exists today - then we are only pretenders with the finesse and skill to beat anyone.

A) we are designed to beat the chiefs.

b) that does not align to teams like cinci, miami, nyj, phili and a few others who can capitalize on on a 3 or 4 man rush on defense

 

2. the chiefs are what we are not. they have skill and so much that we have but they have focus, direction, coaching, and a scheme in place that has rhythm.

 

 

[H2o]

Build a top tier OL, get Josh 2 more legit weapons, and watch what happens. If the defense can just be in the top 10-12 at that point then we'll bring home a Lombardi. Protect Josh, get him some help, and it's a done deal. 

[BillMafia716ix]

The Bills are a good team but until they improve the lines on both sides of the ball, we will never get to where we want to go.

[BillsFanSD]

10 minutes ago, Never NEVER Give-up said:

Now that the Championship games are over, I'd like to hear opinions on:

1. Are the Bills inside or outside the top tier of the AFC?  (Did the Bills have a bad game against the Bengals or are the Bills clearly inferior to the Bengals & Chiefs?)

2022: In the top tier.

 

2023: Hard to say without seeing how FA goes, but I'm inclined to guess that the Bills are just outside the top tier.  (Playoff team but not championship contender).  

[Awwufelloff]

Bengals, Chiefs, and Bills can all beat each other on any given Sunday. 

[Realist]

At this point, Bills are outside those 3 teams. I kept watching the AFC game and thinking what would the Bills be doing in this game? I just don't see how their defensive philosophy could have stopped either of those teams. Bills have no rush without Miller and playing the Bengals receivers 10-12 yards off the line of scrimmage is just insanity. Probably would not have been able to stop Kelce either.

 

On the offensive side of the ball, can you imagine the Bills OL against those pass rushes last night? Disaster in the making, Allen would have been our only offense as he would have been running for his life.

 

Unless something major is done in the offseason, I can see Bills passed by Dolphins for the division. Probably still make playoffs, but could see out in Wildcard round.

[SoCal Deek]

We have seen pretty much all we’re going to see from the Bills. A good team but an organization that’s completely unwilling to make the necessary moves. Unfortunately. 
 

As for the Eagles, and Chiefs, I marvel at how Philadelphia rebuilt everything so quickly. I honestly thought it was much longer ago that Wentz was their guy. The Chiefs legacy is very much so on the line in two weeks. They’ve hosted five straight Championship games and we’re going to see whether they’ve got enough left for anything more than a late fourth quarter comeback win this time. 

[colin]

philly has a sick roster that covers up for hurts.  he's not a good passer, i kinda over rated him before seeing more of him this season.  solid overall guy, top12 at the qb position, but not due to his passing acumen at all.

 

kc and cinci both built their teams similarly, but kc has a sick qb and a sick OL, which always gives them the advantage in the playoffs.  both have risk taking Ds that do better in big games than week to week.

 

we have too much breadth and depth, not enough stars, and our coaches need to wake up.  playing the same schemes based on good regular seasons but bad playoffs just doesn't make sense in teh playoffs.

 

our team quits one game a year because they see the corches just calling plays from the dusty old textbook when it's not working.  every team has bad days but our coaches need to have good ones in the playoffs.

 

i do think a new DC (even mcd taking over) and a little talent can get us there.  allen diggs cook knox and our pieces on D are solid.

[Dr. Who]

Our lines are soft, the Oline is fair on a good day, bad most often. The coaching scheme on D is tired and gets exploited against top-tier teams in the playoffs. We need to add a real #2 to the Wr room. Changes in approach and personnel are needed. I don't think it's an insurmountable gap, but I don't see any indication of urgency in the FO and it will be difficult with the cap minimizing FA resources and picking at the back end of the draft.

Edited January 30, 2023 by Dr. Who

[Lost]

17 minutes ago, Never NEVER Give-up said:

Now that the Championship games are over, I'd like to hear opinions on:

1. Are the Bills inside or outside the top tier of the AFC?  (Did the Bills have a bad game against the Bengals or are the Bills clearly inferior to the Bengals & Chiefs?)
2. What's the take on the Eagles?  (Have they been tested yet?  Played the 5th string QB for SF!! (Purdy w/no arm!)  Now they will play the Chiefs - who are so banged up they are thanking God there is 2 weeks until the SB.)

 

My Take:

1. The Bills are in the conversation!  They played their worst game since the Indy game early in 2021.  They were 14-4 this year (not 4-14).  Unfortunately that last game will stay in our mouths until September.
2. The Eagles have had it easy this year and I honestly don't know if they're as good as the Chiefs, Bengals or Bills.  However, much like their season, they will be facing a diminished opponent in their next game (wounded Chiefs).  Maybe a healthier Bengals team would have been a more formidable opponent for them.  Can Mahomes work his magic one more week?

 

 

Bills have clear TOP tier QB and WR.   Those are really the biggest core building blocks to getting a team to a championship.   They clearly need help on the OL and WR2 positions but every teams has a few holes somewhere.   At this point it's the coaching that's holding them back.   For Josh Allen to go all the way through his prime years and never get a ring would be a criminal waste of talent.  

[K D]

Bills took a step back and Cinci moved ahead of them. I think that pretty much sums up what has happened here. Before the season it was Bills and Chiefs and can Buffalo take 1 more step further after Chiefs lost their best offensive weapon. But Bills took a step back and Cinci was the ones that took a step forward and Chiefs pretty much showed they could do it without Hill so they stayed the same.

 

Not sure yet how far Bills will fall. It will depend on who they lose and who other teams that are close gain. Miami and NYJ could take a big leap with better QB's and NE getting a real OC. I would still have Bills as #1 in AFC East but I wouldn't be surprised if they came in 3rd. It's going to be a big off-season and we won't know how it shakes out until training camp most likely.

 

So to summarize

1. KC +0

2. Cinci +1

 

3. Buffalo -1

And 4-8 is pretty close and Bills might be closer to that group than to the top 2.

[jletha]

The Bills are not clearly inferior to the Bengals and Chiefs. They played their worst game in 2 years at the worst time. Their lines are clearly inferior, specifically O-line. The D-line, while not great, was missing its two most important pieces in Jones & Miller. So I am willing to chalk it up to that and know that it should be better next year assuming they arent injured again. Evidence that we are not clearly inferior to the Chiefs is that we beat them at full strength this year. OF course its no guarantee we would beat them in January but to say we are *clearly* inferior is wrong. Same with the Bengals.

[Awwufelloff]

3 minutes ago, KDIGGZ said:

Bills took a step back and Cinci moved ahead of them. I think that pretty much sums up what has happened here. Before the season it was Bills and Chiefs and can Buffalo take 1 more step further after Chiefs lost their best offensive weapon. But Bills took a step back and Cinci was the ones that took a step forward and Chiefs pretty much showed they could do it without Hill so they stayed the same.

 

Not sure yet how far Bills will fall. It will depend on who they lose and who other teams that are close gain. Miami and NYJ could take a big leap with better QB's and NE getting a real OC. I would still have Bills as #1 in AFC East but I wouldn't be surprised if they came in 3rd. It's going to be a big off-season and we won't know how it shakes out until training camp most likely.

 

So to summarize

1. KC +0

2. Cinci +1

 

3. Buffalo -1

And 4-8 is pretty close and Bills might be closer to that group than to the top 2.

Bengals were in superbowl last year. Not sure how they weren't already ahead of Chiefs/Bills last year. 

[BuffaloRebound]

The Eagles O-Line and D -Line are scary good.  They would destroy us unless Josh played out of his mind.  I think the Eagles are much better than KC but if KC can keep it close, you can never count out Mahomes.  Cincy with a healthy O-Line would’ve given Eagles the best game.    

[Gregg]

4 minutes ago, KDIGGZ said:

Bills took a step back and Cinci moved ahead of them. I think that pretty much sums up what has happened here. Before the season it was Bills and Chiefs and can Buffalo take 1 more step further after Chiefs lost their best offensive weapon. But Bills took a step back and Cinci was the ones that took a step forward and Chiefs pretty much showed they could do it without Hill so they stayed the same.

 

Not sure yet how far Bills will fall. It will depend on who they lose and who other teams that are close gain. Miami and NYJ could take a big leap with better QB's and NE getting a real OC. I would still have Bills as #1 in AFC East but I wouldn't be surprised if they came in 3rd. It's going to be a big off-season and we won't know how it shakes out until training camp most likely.

 

So to summarize

1. KC +0

2. Cinci +1

 

3. Buffalo -1

And 4-8 is pretty close and Bills might be closer to that group than to the top 2.

 

The AFCE is going to be a pain in the ass. Miami is good and they seem to match up well with the Bills. The Jets get a QB and that will be a problem. I would take the Jets defense over the Bills right now. They are a physical group up front, and their secondary is solid as well. The Pats are the weakest team in the division but even they are capable of being a tough out.

[78thealltimegreat]

Josh Allen makes this one of the best teams in the AFC the pro football focus grades about how good he is with the crud he plays with is utterly amazing. 
 

If we can upgrade the oline and add 2 WRs or 1 TE and 1 WR. We can beat anyone in any stadium.

 

Yesterday showed the Chiefs have no more talent then the Bills on D in many spots less…but what they do have is a terrific coordinator who maximizes their talent.

 

This off season is on Beane and McDermott as these two because of Josh Allen have gotten a little too comfortable with their jobs…now they have a little pressure which is good 

[stlbills13]

If you asked me to rank the 3 AFC teams, I would put the Bills at 3rd but they're still close enough in my mind that the Bills can jump them. Honestly, the one seed is incredibly important but it will be a real challenge to get that next season.

 

My rankings:

QB: 1) Chiefs 2) Bills 3) Bengals - Obviously you can go any order here but Mahomes has the Super Bowl and Burrow has postseason wins but he hasn't done a ton

WR/TE/RB: 1) Bengals 2) Chiefs 3) Bills - Chase/Higgins are incredible. Boyd is probably better than Gabe. For now, the Chiefs get the nod at #2 but Kelce is getting up there in age

OL: 1) Chiefs 2) Bengals 3) Bills - The Chiefs and Bengals rebuilt their lines after being exposed in the big games. Will the Bills do it too?

 

DL: 1) Chiefs 2) Bengals 3) Bills - This one is interesting though because none of the 3 are particularly impressive but Chris Jones carries the Chiefs here. The Bills would be 2 with a guaranteed healthy Von Miller

LB/Secondary: 1) Chiefs 2) Bills 3) Bengals - Grouping these together because teams run different systems. The Chiefs have drafted really well here and are the best across the board even though I think the Bills have the best individual player

 

Coaching: 1) Chiefs 2) Bengals 3) Bills - Andy Reid is probably going to be #1 in a lot of lists if you rank coaching. Bienemy may be a product of Mahomes but at least he plays to Mahomes' strengths. The Bengals get the nod at #2 due to their superior coordinators and that they've reached a Super Bowl