Week 9 thread - We’re on to Cincinnati

[Low Positive]

2 minutes ago, newcam2012 said:

Since when has a McD defense come through in a big game? 

 

Last year at Arrowhead? This year against Miami? 

[MasterStrategist]

1 hour ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

Make no mistake about it...this is as close to a "must-win" game as it gets in the NFL for the Bills this year. 

• There are currently 9 AFC teams with 4 to 6 wins, Bills are sitting at 5-3.  
• If Bills lose this game, they suddenly are a fringe playoff team with all 4 losses in the AFC
• A Bills loss gives them a record of 2-3 in their last 5 games (which were 1 play away in both wins from being 0-5) and having Chiefs, Eagles, Cowboys, Jets, Miami, Chargers, and Jets still on the schedule to play. 

The Bills can not afford to fall behind in the AFC wildcard race, and 4 losses in the AFC really puts them in a bad spot with a difficult remaining schedule.  The margin of error will be almost zero moving forward if they don't beat the Bengals.  

 

So...whether some people realize it or not, this weeks game is the most pivotal game of the season for the Bills on the likelihood of them making or missing the playoffs.

 

 

I'd call it a big game/measuring stick...not must-win (yet).

 

Fact is alot of those other Afc teams play each other, specifically Afc North, and have tough schedules too.

 

Realistically, we need to get to 10-7 for a "very strong" chance at playoffs. 

 

That's 5 more wins....Broncos, Jets, Pats, Chargers.  Those are basically must wins.

 

Then a win against either Bengals/Boys/Eagles/Chiefs/Fins.  Gets us to 10-7, likely a wild card.

 

If we only win 9, then we will likely lose the conf record tiebreaker-unless we get fortunate.

 

I'm with ya its a big game, and team needs to treat it as a  must win.  But this is just one of 5 remaining games, we might not be favored but need to find a way to win 1.  I think our best chance is against Miami week 17, Eagles/Cowboys tougher than this one and Chiefs a bit more favorable matchup.

[Success]

37 minutes ago, newcam2012 said:

Since when has a McD defense come through in a big game? 

 

 

 

At the time, the Miami game was huge.

 

That D shut down the Phins after a couple of early drives.

 

Sure, they are banged up since then. But the replacements have had time & are getting acclimated.  You can't make up for a loss like Milano - but Von Miller getting back to form would go a long way toward that.  

 

[90sBills]

3 hours ago, Franco_92 said:

The Bengals do not have an AFC win through 8 weeks of the NFL season. Their fans should be worried about EVERY AFC game.

Except that’s not how fans think. Especially with the given recent history between the two teams. 

[buffblue]

1 hour ago, FrenchConnection said:

Last year at Arrowhead? This year against Miami? 

I would add the 2020 Divisional round against Baltimore

57 minutes ago, MasterStrategist said:

I'd call it a big game/measuring stick...not must-win (yet).

 

Fact is alot of those other Afc teams play each other, specifically Afc North, and have tough schedules too.

 

Realistically, we need to get to 10-7 for a "very strong" chance at playoffs. 

 

That's 5 more wins....Broncos, Jets, Pats, Chargers.  Those are basically must wins.

 

Then a win against either Bengals/Boys/Eagles/Chiefs/Fins.  Gets us to 10-7, likely a wild card.

 

If we only win 9, then we will likely lose the conf record tiebreaker-unless we get fortunate.

 

I'm with ya its a big game, and team needs to treat it as a  must win.  But this is just one of 5 remaining games, we might not be favored but need to find a way to win 1.  I think our best chance is against Miami week 17, Eagles/Cowboys tougher than this one and Chiefs a bit more favorable matchup.

If the Bills could somehow win, we would effectively bury the Bengals with owning the head to head and dropping them to 0-4 in the AFC. They would be in dire straits for both the division and wild card race. For that reason you can easily argue the game is at least as big for them as it is for us 

[CNYfan]

This is a game the Bills can win.   I am optimistic about this one.  I feel that the Bills have played poorly, have had bad injury luck, the ball hasn't really bounced their way, but the tide is going to turn on Sunday Night and a tough resilient Buffalo Bills team will actually be victorious.  

[Coffeesforclosers]

Man, reading this thread, you'd think the Ohio Kittens were 8-0 and cruising towards Joe Burrow's 5th straight Superbowl. 

Edited November 1, 2023 by Coffeesforclosers

[CNYfan]

1 minute ago, Coffeesforclosers said:

Man, reading this thread, you'd think the Ohio Kittens were 7-0 and cruising towards Joe Burrow's 5th straight Superbowl. 

Right, might as well mail it in?   No way, watch how tough the Bills put it out on Sunday. 

 

Big day, time to rise from the slumber and stomp.     

[Fan in Chicago]

4 hours ago, uninja said:

 

You installed those plays during practice and you gotta keep the other team honest.

That's what I am questioning. Williams was ruled out prior to the game. That sort of stuff gets Dorsey roasted over here 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

57 minutes ago, CNYfan said:

This is a game the Bills can win.   I am optimistic about this one.  I feel that the Bills have played poorly, have had bad injury luck, the ball hasn't really bounced their way, but the tide is going to turn on Sunday Night and a tough resilient Buffalo Bills team will actually be victorious.  

we are trending in the right direction. I can guarantee you that our team will be clicking on all cylinders. I really think we are going to destroy these guys. 

[Shortchaz]

32 minutes ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

we are trending in the right direction. I can guarantee you that our team will be clicking on all cylinders. I really think we are going to destroy these guys. 

If we are clicking on all cylinders we will win, I have zero faith that will be the case but love the optimism. 

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

2 hours ago, newcam2012 said:

Since when has a McD defense come through in a big game? 

 

Lately, the coach has had the team less ready then ready.

 

I don't see you as the bad guy. 

 

Lastly, I think the Bengals are a very tough match up for the Bills. Burrow shredded the Bills zone defense last year. They have an excellent WR core. The Bills pass rush is often negated by Burrow's quick passing. 

 

Lou A blew up the Bills pass protection last year. He called several blitzes that the Bills couldn't stop. This looks to be a long day for Spencer Brown. 

 

The home crowd will make things difficult for the Bills. Will the Bills suffer any kind of PTSD going back to Cinci? 

 

A lot has to go right for the Bills to win. It's possible but the path seems pretty narrow. 

Dolphins game this year, 1st dolphins game last year, chiefs regular season games last two years, ravens playoff game, rams game last year, pats playoff game sorry I’m out of order now cuz these are randomly popping into my head lol 

Not saying we win and I can absolutely understand the negativity but I think we’ve reinforced the trenches on both sides of the ball quite a bit from that playoff game vs cincy…I think that’s more than a fair statement at the least
 

 

[Fan in Chicago]

36 minutes ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

we are trending in the right direction. I can guarantee you that our team will be clicking on all cylinders. I really think we are going to destroy these guys. 

To do that we need to be firing on all cylinders. Clicking ain't going to do that. 

[Alphadawg7]

3 hours ago, MasterStrategist said:

I'd call it a big game/measuring stick...not must-win (yet).

 

Fact is alot of those other Afc teams play each other, specifically Afc North, and have tough schedules too.

 

Realistically, we need to get to 10-7 for a "very strong" chance at playoffs. 

 

That's 5 more wins....Broncos, Jets, Pats, Chargers.  Those are basically must wins.

 

Then a win against either Bengals/Boys/Eagles/Chiefs/Fins.  Gets us to 10-7, likely a wild card.

 

If we only win 9, then we will likely lose the conf record tiebreaker-unless we get fortunate.

 

I'm with ya its a big game, and team needs to treat it as a  must win.  But this is just one of 5 remaining games, we might not be favored but need to find a way to win 1.  I think our best chance is against Miami week 17, Eagles/Cowboys tougher than this one and Chiefs a bit more favorable matchup.

All true, and agree with you that our season isn’t over if we lose.  But if we can’t beat Bengals and coming off bad performances against Jags, Pats, Giants, and Bucs to where we lost or nearly lost, it’s hard to have confidence in them winning 5 games over the last 8 with how tough our schedule is, and that is assuming 10 wins is enough where we don’t lose out on a tie breaker.  
 

That is why I feel like it is as close to a must win as it gets without actually being an absolute must win.  

 

[appoo]

3 hours ago, newcam2012 said:

Since when has a McD defense come through in a big game? 

 

Lately, the coach has had the team less ready then ready.

 

I don't see you as the bad guy. 

 

Lastly, I think the Bengals are a very tough match up for the Bills. Burrow shredded the Bills zone defense last year. They have an excellent WR core. The Bills pass rush is often negated by Burrow's quick passing. 

 

Lou A blew up the Bills pass protection last year. He called several blitzes that the Bills couldn't stop. This looks to be a long day for Spencer Brown. 

 

The home crowd will make things difficult for the Bills. Will the Bills suffer any kind of PTSD going back to Cinci? 

 

A lot has to go right for the Bills to win. It's possible but the path seems pretty narrow. 

Bills are close to leading the league in wins, lead the league in Point Differential, and have at least one playoff win in every season since 2020. 
 

Tired of this reductive trope .weve had great teams under MvDermott, and has won a bunch of “big” games. You don’t get to pick and choose crap just to tailor it to your agenda 

I mean it’s absurd the Bills have walloped the Chiefs for last 2 years IN Arrowhead and both games the Bills D has come up big. But that doesn’t count as a big simply because the Bills played well?

[appoo]

3 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

And why can't they be?  This is the argument I always have.  We have a supposed defensive guru as HC and DC, yet whenever the Bills play a good team fans then are happy to give up on the D or make excuses for them.

 

And of course I'm the bad guy here when I say anything saying McD should have them ready.

Think McDermott is a great coach but this sport comes down to matchups, ultimately, and the Bills have a terrible matchup with the Bengals O. Bills D is built to pressure and play zone combos behind a 4-5 man rush. Burrow only really struggles against Intense pressure + man coverage. He gets the ball out super quick.

 

However he’s basically a better version of Tua, and McDermott had a fantastic game against the Dolphins, so maybe he can come up with a way to contain Cinncy just enough for his offense to take the game.

 

But bottom line is that he can call a great game, his defense can execute, and that offense can still get a bunch of points just based on talent matchups 

[BigDingus]

4 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

And why can't they be?  This is the argument I always have.  We have a supposed defensive guru as HC and DC, yet whenever the Bills play a good team fans then are happy to give up on the D or make excuses for them.

 

And of course I'm the bad guy here when I say anything saying McD should have them ready.

 

"Should" isn't the same as "will" though. 

 

You'd think after losing to the Jags, then barely escaping with a win against one of the worst teams in the league, the Bills SHOULD have been ready against an awful divisional opponent. 

 

Nope. Three straight games they came out flat yet again, and this time the defense let Mac Jones have his best game of the season. 

 

Now the same, injury-depleted unit with no top tier CBs, struggling on the DL, and missing their best defensive player overall, is going to have a good game vs Chase/Boyd/Higgins?

 

They looked bad against this game team at home last year, and that's even with the Bengals OL all beat up. 

[Big Turk]

4 hours ago, newcam2012 said:

Since when has a McD defense come through in a big game? 

 

Lately, the coach has had the team less ready then ready.

 

I don't see you as the bad guy. 

 

Lastly, I think the Bengals are a very tough match up for the Bills. Burrow shredded the Bills zone defense last year. They have an excellent WR core. The Bills pass rush is often negated by Burrow's quick passing. 

 

Lou A blew up the Bills pass protection last year. He called several blitzes that the Bills couldn't stop. This looks to be a long day for Spencer Brown. 

 

The home crowd will make things difficult for the Bills. Will the Bills suffer any kind of PTSD going back to Cinci? 

 

A lot has to go right for the Bills to win. It's possible but the path seems pretty narrow. 

 

Did they not defeat KC on a Taron Johnson INT to end the game last year?

 

Did they not take a pick 6 101 yards to the house against Baltimore in the playoffs?

 

 

 

Do you remember cursing and swearing at the TV as Johnson ran this back all the way as the rest of us(except your friend @Airseven
) were jumping up and down screaming our heads off in jubilation?

 

Seems like people have very selective memories...usually the posters who pretend to be Bills fans but are actually trolls. 

Edited November 1, 2023 by Big Turk

[newcam2012]

11 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

Did they not defeat KC on a Taron Johnson INT to end the game last year?

 

Did they not take a pick 6 101 yards to the house against Baltimore in the playoffs?

 

 

 

Do you remember cursing and swearing at the TV as Johnson ran this back all the way as the rest of us(except your friend @Airseven
) were jumping up and down screaming our heads off in jubilation?

 

Seems like people have very selective memories...usually the posters who pretend to be Bills fans but are actually trolls. 

It's pretty easy to cherry pick some regular season wins over a six year period of time. The statement wasn't meant to be taken literally. More of a general statement and thesis especially in the post season. 

 

I think the consensus around the football world is McD can't get it done. Similar to the Chargers always blowing it. 

[Jeffbigalls]

Bengals win this one