That was the Chargers Super Bowl

[Low Positive]

Just now, Big Turk said:

 

How important was the game for a terrible Colts team that had just fired Frank Reich and went off the beaten path to hire Jeff Saturday from ESPN's Gameday shows and who had never been a coach in the NFL and he promptly won his first game he coached...then didn't win another game the rest of the year. I'd put money that over the last 5 years teams that fire their coaches in season have a winning record in their first game.

The do. Interim coaches are 15-12 since 2010 in their first game.

[Big Turk]

4 minutes ago, Mikie2times said:

It was a dangerous combo for the reasons he pointed out, but one a team in a must win position with Super Bowl aspirations should overcome as you pointed out. Some will say we did in fact overcome it, but to me, I just don't see the big black and white differences that would make me think much has changed as so many other do. We are running the football more, sure. We are also going on long offensive droughts where we can't generate a first down. Defense is touch and go. We let a 2nd stringer with very few weapons move the ball pretty easily. I really don't see what so many are seeing as far as this team making some glorious playoff run. I don't know what evidence we have to lean on such a consideration. I don't put Dallas on the level the national media did especially on the road. They have had so many late season choke jobs against decent teams. Then we beat KC on a coin flipper. Same as SD. Good to see coin flippers go our way, but what is really making this iteration of the Bills better than previous ones? 

 

The Chargers averaged 4.1 yards per play and only got 273 yards of total offense.  I wouldn't call that "moving the ball with ease" exactly.

[Einstein]

1 minute ago, Big Turk said:

 

The Chargers averaged 4.1 yards per play and only got 273 yards of total offense.  I wouldn't call that "moving the ball with ease" exactly.

 

Yeah it was just turnovers that made it look like their offense did anything.

 

13 of their 22 points were off turnovers.

[Big Turk]

2 minutes ago, Low Positive said:

The do. Interim coaches are 15-12 since 2010 in their first game.

 

I'm not surprised.  There are huge advantages to having nothing to lose and no game film/tendencies their opponents can plan for.

[Warcodered]

I'd say less Super Bowl more like Job Fair.

[Rubes]

43 minutes ago, JJGauna said:

The Dorsey Bills would have lost, this was a big win regardless of the opponent. 6 more big wins to go!

FIFY

 

[Low Positive]

2 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

I'm not surprised.  There are huge advantages to having nothing to lose and no game film/tendencies their opponents can plan for.

And a new defensive play caller.

[Jrb1979]

1 minute ago, Einstein said:

 

Yeah it was just turnovers that made it look like their offense did anything.

 

13 of their 22 points were off turnovers.

What I hear is a bunch of Dick Jauron's in this thread. "It's hard to win in this league* 🙄

 

While they won their offense still has too many drives that do nothing. This team is not Super Bowl team or @Alphadawg7 an AFC championship team. They go a 2 week offensive bump with Brady and it's back to what they've looked like most of the season. Only difference is they run more. 

[Big Turk]

19 minutes ago, gobills404 said:

INCORRECT!
 

Let me try:

 

- A team whose HC has never even been a coordinator

- A team with a backup QB

- A team missing their top 2 WRs

- A team with of one the worst defenses in the NFL

- A team with nearly 0% chance of making the playoffs (nothing to gain)

 

Lmao quite possibly the least dangerous combo in the league

 

OK...and when Jeff Saturday took over a terrible Colts team when he never coached at ANY LEVEL of football at all and was on ESPN Gameday the week before,  THAT TEAM with THAT COACH won their first game...then didn't win again the rest of the year.  Discounting how much of an advantage it is to have a completely clean slate to operate with where a team has no tendencies and no real game film to prepare for what you like to do in certain situations is pretty silly, IMO.  It's obviously a huge advantage.  And clearly the players wanted to try and get a win for their new coach especially after getting embarrassed the week before.  In short, we got the best they could give with some extra prep time and it was close, but not quite good enough.  

 

Take the W and move on.  Pretty sure the Pats fans didn't say they should give back the Super Bowl Trophy when they were gifted the Tuck Game

[Paup 1995MVP]

57 minutes ago, Billznut said:

The Chargers played about as well as they could today considering their available personnel. I wasn’t surprised. What did surprise me was how badly the Bills played today, considering their personnel. Bills were lucky to escape today considering all their mistakes. 

Bills defense played well.  They gave  up one TD on the road.  The TO's were bad.  (Harty brings nothing to the team and is wasting a roster spot.)  And the penalties on Brown and Morse were like a 4th TO.  That being said, we still made some big plays and were the better team.  Diggs has become a possession receiver who can't get by guys deep so much anymore.  He seems beat up, and weary.  But ran some good routes in crunch time to make some important catches.  Need more from Kincaid down the field.  But Its Christmas weekend.  And we had to fly across country and play on a short week coming off two very big emotional wins.  Lets enjoy the win.  And now we control our destiny to the playoffs.  I like our chances going forward regardless of how close this game was.  

[Big Turk]

3 minutes ago, Jrb1979 said:

What I hear is a bunch of Dick Jauron's in this thread. "It's hard to win in this league* 🙄

 

While they won their offense still has too many drives that do nothing. This team is not Super Bowl team or @Alphadawg7 an AFC championship team. They go a 2 week offensive bump with Brady and it's back to what they've looked like most of the season. Only difference is they run more. 

 

Not understanding that when you have nothing you can actually prepare for and have to adjust to everything on the fly and not knowing anything tendency wise is actually important is kinda shocking but I guess I shouldn't be surprised.  The football IQ on these boards can be surprisingly low sadly.

[Mikie2times]

14 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

The Chargers averaged 4.1 yards per play and only got 273 yards of total offense.  I wouldn't call that "moving the ball with ease" exactly.

Imagine if we had Kyle Allen throwing to Shakir and Trent Sherfield at WR1 and WR2? So yes, even if the turnovers REALLY helped, they moved the ball a little too cleanly for my comfort level in an absolute must win for us.

 

Offense did it's no show thing AGAIN. Until Gabe and Josh connected, they were a complete no show. How many better teams can we spot 10 points and be ok? Which is basically the Bills offensive MO in a big time game. Did it against KC for the entire 2nd half.

 

Is the defense better than previous years because that almost seems silly to consider. The DL is probably better. But EPA we don't even rank top 10. We don't even rank top 10 in the last 3 weeks. 

 

I'm happy with the win. I just don't understand this narrative that somehow this is the year or that we are some playoff juggernaut. We have historically been worse in the postseason. We have not shown signs that we are somehow more dominant now. The narratives on McD figuring it out and Brady being our savior our horribly overdone.

 

Watch, hope, and enjoy like always but I just don't see the reasons to think what we are is not the same as what we have been all year. 

Edited December 24, 2023 by Mikie2times

[TFBillsfan]

Sorry the Bills played like crap and weren’t ready to go. For this coaching staff and veteran team to not come out ready is unacceptable. Harty, Cook and Allen with turnovers, the amount of self inflicted mistakes and lack of discipline continues to be a trend. 
 

Cook’s fumble and running out of bounds on the last drive with nothing in the passing game was not a good night for him.

 

Brady showed no creativity tonight.

[Einstein]

Just now, TFBillsfan said:

 

Cook’s fumble and running out of bounds on the last drive

 

This is one criticism I agree with.

 

Going out of bounds on back to back plays was pretty bad. How do the players not know to not do that.

[Jrb1979]

Just now, Big Turk said:

 

Not understanding that when you have nothing you can actually prepare for and have to adjust to everything on the fly and not knowing anything tendency wise is actually important is kinda shocking but I guess I shouldn't be surprised.  The football IQ on these boards can be surprisingly low sadly.

I can understand having issues on defense due to having no film on their offense. With the talent they supposedly have on offense and the Chargers missing talen on defense, they should have been able to put up more points and not have so many drives stall. 

 

 

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, Punch said:

I'm only sad Allen, Diggs and Cook didn't produce more fantasy points for me in a playoff game... but still much more happy that the Bills control their own destiny after an ugly win no one will remember in a week.

 

Go Bills!

 

 

Yeah that's the way it works.   People forget the facts quickly.  

 

They forget that they struggled offensively down the stretch in 2021 versus feeble Atlanta and Carolina teams.........they just remember the two playoff games against NE and KC and the fact they were on a winning streak and think they just caught fire offensively and stayed hot.

 

And last year they entered the Cinci playoff game on a 9 game hot streak where they averaged 30 points per game but all everyone remembers is how they got shut down versus Cinci.   

 

The disturbing trend is that they can't get a second play maker to step up.    Last week it was just Cook.   This week,  just Gabe Davis.   They lack a 1-2 punch and are rather winning 1 matchup each week.   

[Big Turk]

Just now, Mikie2times said:

Imagine if we had Kyle Allen throwing to Shakir and Trent Sherfield at WR1 and WR2? So yes, even if the turnovers REALLY helped, they moved the ball a little too cleanly for my comfort level in an absolute must win for us.

 

Offense did it's no show thing AGAIN. Until Gabe and Josh connected, they were a complete no show. How many better teams can we spot 10 points and be ok? Which is basically the Bills offensive MO in a big time game. Did it against KC for the entire 2nd half.

 

Is the defense better than previous years because that almost seems silly to consider. The DL is probably better. But EPA we don't even rank top 10. We don't even rank top 10 in the last 3 weeks. 

 

I'm happy with the win. I just don't understand this narrative that somehow this is the year or that we are some playoff juggernaut. We have historically be worse in the postseason. We have not show signs that we are somehow more dominant now. The narratives on McD figuring it out and Brady being our savior our horrible overdone.

 

Watch, hope, and enjoy like always but I just don't see the reasons to think what we are is not the same as what we have been all year. 

 

None of this actually matters. It's a week to week league and having a mtachup against a team that has a clean slate with no tendencies and no game plans on tape to study is a pretty big disadvantage.  Let's be real, that Chargers D has a LOT of talent on it and has badly underperformed and that fell directly on Staley.  So it's no surprise they actually looked much better and players were being used differently like Derwin James at the LOS more and them havign double spies on Allen at times.  

 

I'd say the Chargers game plan was excellent and it's not they have a lack of talent on that side of the ball, if anything their head coach that got fired and called the defensive plays was holding them back.  Tip the cap to them,  Brady made some adjustments and the Bills made plays when they needed to.

1 minute ago, Jrb1979 said:

I can understand having issues on defense due to having no film on their offense. With the talent they supposedly have on offense and the Chargers missing talen on defense, they should have been able to put up more points and not have so many drives stall. 

 

 

 

The Chargers have a LOT of talent on defense which is one of the reasons Staley got fired, because they were getting shellacked and players weren't being used properly.  Their defense significantly underachieved all year, and really since Staley had been there.  They made some significant changes like putting Derwin James at the LOS more and using double spies on Allen at times...the defensive gameplan was excellent, far better than they would have had with Staley and the players did a very good job attacking the ball and trying to get TO's.  

 

 

[HappyDays]

2 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Yeah that's the way it works.   People forget the facts quickly.  

 

They forget that they struggled offensively down the stretch in 2021 versus feeble Atlanta and Carolina teams.........they just remember the two playoff games against NE and KC and the fact they were on a winning streak and think they just caught fire offensively and stayed hot.

 

And last year they entered the Cinci playoff game on a 9 game hot streak where they averaged 30 points per game but all everyone remembers is how they got shut down versus Cinci.   

 

The disturbing trend is that they can't get a second play maker to step up.    Last week it was just Cook.   This week,  just Gabe Davis.   They lack a 1-2 punch and are rather winning 1 matchup each week.   

 

Also worth noting that this is now three consecutive games with poor pass protection... It's forgotten in the Cowboys game because one drive was extended by a questionable RTP and another by an amazing one handed catch from Diggs, but Allen was moved off his spot a lot in that one too. The run game was just so good it didn't matter.

 

A lack of great skill players combined with poor pass protection, it's no wonder our passing offense has been maddeningly boom or bust the past few weeks. Nobody should use the interim head coach excuse or say we got caught in a trap game, this has been an ongoing trend.

[Joe Ferguson]

Cook was utter dog ***** tonight. Probably read too many press clippings thinking he's all that.

[Sestak4ever]

Like I said in another post, the refs kept this from being an easy Bill's win. If that call on Morse for holding is legit then there should be 20 times more holding calls in these games than there are.