A Few Thoughts about the Jaguars Game, in no particular order

[Virgil]

"It's only week 3.  We've only played the Jags, Dolphins, and Cards who are 2-6 so far.  We've played two games at home."

-Things I'm repeating to myself as we open up on a monster away stretch

 

1 - Benford - I don't know that I've ever started one of these talking about Benford before, nor can I say that I've ever really noticed his play as much as I did this week.  This is not to say that I've ever thought poorly of Benford or his play, just that he never jumped out at me like he did against the Jags.  And jump out at me he did.  Benford was an absolute game wrecker out there.  He was flying towards the ball, batting down passes, and just hitting people in the open field.  Benford was screaming DB1 to the entire game and I'm loving every second of it.  He even started to jaw at the Jags receivers alongside Douglas there for a bit.  The attitude and confidence is really starting to show.

 

2 - J Brady - Sorry, I can't only type the name Brady or else I vomit in my mouth a little bit.  With that being said, Brady called an absolutely fantastic game and I really don't know how opposing teams are supposed to prepare for us as of now.  While our offensive identity was pretty mixed in game one, then run heavy in game two, Brady calls a primary passing attack in game 3.  Not only did he call primary passes, he seemed to know exactly where the Jags wouldn't be all game.  Those first few swing passes (credit to Josh for hitting guys in stride), really opened up the entire field early.  The Jags defense had no answer for us and I can only imagine how bad the score would have been if our defense didn't also shut down the Jags offense.  Another game where you feel like this team will score every time we have the ball.

 

3 - Josh - Remember turnover Josh?  Remember sugar high Josh?  Yeah, neither do I.  I can't remember a season where Josh has looked this accurate, calm, but also terrifying all at once.  When we get to 4th and short, he doesn't even look at the sideline anymore because we are simply going for it.  The wheel route throws, the slants in stride, everything Josh threw seemed to be exactly where it needed to be.  And yes, he even slid on every run. Yes, it's only week 3, but this feels different.  This feels like a MVP Josh year.  The only negative thought in my head, and not about Josh as much as the entire team, is that we've been here before on some level and the only thing that matters is playoff wins.  

 

4 - You know what I wanna mess around with? The belief that I matter… regardless of what I do or don’t achieve. Or the belief that we all deserve to be loved, whether we’ve been hurt or maybe we’ve hurt somebody else. Or what about the belief of hope? Yeah? That’s what I want to mess with.

 

5 - LB's - When Milano and Bernard went down, I kept waiting for us to get torn apart over the middle or watching our LB's get free piggy back rides from opposing backs.  I was shocked when we didn't sign a FA LB to create depth.  And with Spector's injury history, I was holding my breath on most of his tackles.  However, Spector and Williams have been playing quite admirably in their spots.  Williams is absolutely flying to the ball.  His ability to make up yardage and cover Etienne in the end zone on that wheel route was impressive.  These guys are both hitting the holes quick and getting their hands on people.  We let up a bit in the 4th quarter for some Etienne plays, but we weren't really showing anything besides base looks.  However, I am very curious to see who these guys do against the Derrick Henry test this Sunday night.

 

6 - AJ - I know it was only one play, and we did send extra pressure, but did you catch the sack he had in this game?  Knowing he had support, AJ pinned his ears back and absolutely manhandled the Jags LT.  It wasn't even a contest for AJ and he was the first to the QB even with another free rusher beside him.  Considering he's named the starter, I'm hoping this is the start of him getting going, as I feel like he's been somewhat quiet so far.  

 

7 - Hamlin - Can we just appreciate how special a full circle moment this game was.  Monday night, starting, and first career interception.  I mean, when we win the SB, I expect this moment to get it's own segment.  Most post-game shows focused more on that play than the rest of the game.  On a team that has a lot of heartbreak, we need to remember to embrace the good when it happens.

 

8 - O-Line - Is this unit really that elite? I've heard multiple stories talking about how the Bills have the best offensive line in football.  Don't get me wrong, they have looked great these past two weeks and Josh seems to have all day to throw, but I guess it's just crazy for me to accept the notion that this line is that good.  It's not a knock on anyone, just hard to accept after our offensive line not really being our strength in the past.  Credit to Beane for sticking with our guys and making the right moves.  Even more, credit to Kromer for bringing them all together.  Of all the matchups I'm looking forward to, our line against the Jets and Ravens is going to be interesting.

 

9 - Everyone Eats, until they don't - I've talked about winning covering up insecurities, and right now we are 3-0.  McDaniels in Miami is a great example of a system built around personality and it's great while you win, but then can get really old when you lose.  You see that fall from grace happen far too often and quickly.  I say that because, I would think most receivers wouldn't be happy with only 2-3 catches a game, especially if they are in a contract year.  For now, everyone seems good with it and almost everyone is getting touchdowns.  But I do have to wonder how that will play over time if we start taking losses.  Granted, we keep hearing that Kincaid is being taken away by opposing defenses and Shakir seems to be our defacto #1 receiver as of now.  I'm hoping that Hollins and MVS are just happy to be on a team and winning, and we can keep this up.

 

10 - Trust the Process - I admit that I'm nervous about these next three games.  All three are on the road to potential playoff teams.  If we lose two of them, the narrative will quickly shift to our 3-0 being more about who we played than how we played.  However, I have to say, between Brady's game plans, Josh's performance, and McD having these guys ready out the gate,  I think we are in as good a position as we can be.  Baltimore might be our biggest test against their defense and being a bigger bodies rushing team.  The Texans are more a matter of not wanting to give Diggs the satisfaction and them just being an overall solid team that can score at any time.  The Jets, I just want them left for dead, but we know that their defense can throw us fits at times, and Rogers looked good last week.  If we somehow go 3-0 over the next three, prepare for a hype train to the likes of which we have never seen. 

 

Sorry, not my best this week.  These blow-outs make it a little tough 😜

 

Go Bills!

Edited September 25 by Virgil

[Peace Frog]

17 minutes ago, Virgil said:

4 - You know what I wanna mess around with? The belief that I matter… regardless of what I do or don’t achieve. Or the belief that we all deserve to be loved, whether we’ve been hurt or maybe we’ve hurt somebody else. Or what about the belief of hope? Yeah? That’s what I want to mess with.

 

 

 Enjoying the Ted Lasso quotes.  So many to choose from. Like this little gem.  

 

Edited September 25 by Peace Frog

[Don Otreply]

To some degree or another we Bills fans suffer from various degrees of BBFS, especially when we are at a point like we are now, the joy of being 3-0, but with three tuff road games on the agenda, makes me a little anxious, but there is something new in the way we are planning for and playing the games that gives me confidence in the outcomes, one game at a time fellow fans, I think we got this! 

[Beck Water]

1 hour ago, Virgil said:

"It's only week 3.  We've only played the Jags, Dolphins, and Cards who are 2-6 so far.  We've played two games at home."

-Things I'm repeating to myself as we open up on a monster away stretch

 

My mantra.  "It's only week 3.  It's only week 3.  It's only week 3."

 

1 hour ago, Virgil said:

1 - Benford - I don't know that I've ever started one of these talking about Benford before, nor can I say that I've ever really noticed his play as much as I did this week.  This is not to say that I've ever thought poorly of Benford or his play, just that he never jumped out at me like he did against the Jags.  And jump out at me he did.  Benford was an absolute game wrecker out there.  He was flying towards the ball, batting down passes, and just hitting people in the open field.  Benford was screaming DB1 to the entire game and I'm loving every second of it.  He even started to jaw at the Jags receivers alongside Douglas there for a bit.  The attitude and confidence is really starting to show.

 

This is where I am.  People tend to focus on Elam as a 1st round bust.  But what if (work with me here) Elam can actually play at a decent level....and Benford is keeping him on the bench because he started out better and is on his way to genuinely elite?

 

1 hour ago, Virgil said:

2 - J Brady - Sorry, I can't only type the name Brady or else I vomit in my mouth a little bit. 

 

"Man, I never thought I'd see the day that the Bills and their fans got excited about Brady."

 

1 hour ago, Virgil said:

9 - Everyone Eats, until they don't - I've talked about winning covering up insecurities, and right now we are 3-0.  McDaniels in Miami is a great example of a system built around personality and it's great while you win, but then can get really old when you lose.  You see that fall from grace happen far too often and quickly.  I say that because, I would think most receivers wouldn't be happy with only 2-3 catches a game, especially if they are in a contract year.  For now, everyone seems good with it and almost everyone is getting touchdowns.  But I do have to wonder how that will play over time if we start taking losses.  Granted, we keep hearing that Kincaid is being taken away by opposing defenses and Shakir seems to be our defacto #1 receiver as of now.  I'm hoping that Hollins and MVS are just happy to be on a team and winning, and we can keep this up.

 

I think that Hollins is just happy to be starting on offense, and not relegated to ST.  

Shakir had 6 targets for 72 yards Monday night.

 

Here's one I didn't notice before.  Shakir is...perfect?  I haven't been able to verify the targets on official NFL stats, but pro-football-reference has him at 14 targets, for 14 receptions and 168 yds. (For what it's worth, that's 4 more yards than Stefon Diggs has to date, but his came on 24 targets.)

 

MVS might like to be fed more, but he's had 5 targets and has only caught 2 of them.  The answer to him is simple if he beefs: want more yards? catch more balls.

 

I think Josh will keep finding Kincaid more and more often, because Man! does Kincaid look smooth when he catches the ball.  

 

 

Edited September 25 by Beck Water

[Virgil]

4 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

MVS might like to be fed more, but he's had 5 targets and has only caught 2 of them.  The answer to him is simple if he beefs: want more yards? catch more balls.

 

I think Josh will keep finding Kincaid more and more often, because Man! does Kincaid look smooth when he catches the ball.  

 

 

 

The only thing I'll say in defense of MVS is that two of those throws were deep shots that were off the mark, for one reason or another.  It's only a matter of time before one hits.  We also seemed to use MVS over the middle this past game, so I think his role is still being ironed out

[boater]

1 hour ago, Virgil said:

3 - Josh - Remember turnover Josh?  Remember sugar high Josh?  Yeah, neither do I.  I can't remember a season where Josh has looked this accurate, calm, but also terrifying all at once. 

 

Putting his portrait on the side of a building really had a positive impact. We should do it every week. We're going to run out of buildings.

[Buffalo716]

3 minutes ago, boater said:

 

Putting his portrait on the side of a building really had a positive impact. We should do it every week. We're going to run out of buildings.

Josh is the king of Buffalo 

 

It's his city 

[Virgil]

30 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

Josh is the king of Buffalo 

 

It's his city 

 

Thankfully he's dating a 10 in Hailee, or else he could get in trouble around here.  Josh could literally walk into any Buffalo bar, ask women to form a line, and take home his top ten.  Married, engaged, doesn't matter

[strive_for_five_guy]

2 hours ago, Virgil said:

4 - You know what I wanna mess around with? The belief that I matter… regardless of what I do or don’t achieve. Or the belief that we all deserve to be loved, whether we’ve been hurt or maybe we’ve hurt somebody else. Or what about the belief of hope? Yeah? That’s what I want to mess with.

 

 

[Coach Tuesday]

1 hour ago, Virgil said:

 

Thankfully he's dating a 10 in Hailee, or else he could get in trouble around here.  Josh could literally walk into any Buffalo bar, ask women to form a line, and take home his top ten.  Married, engaged, doesn't matter

I mean isn’t that basically what (is rumored to have) happened?

[billsfan89]

There were literally no negatives in the blowout win. Josh was great, the offensive line was great, Cook and the RB's were great, Kincaid was great, the WR's were great, all defensive units were fantastic, and even the Special Teams unit was good (only negative was a block on the first Bass Extra point but Bass made all his other kicks, Martin nailed his punt for a 49 yard net, and the coverage units were solid). 

 

The Bills are just rolling right now. The only things that concern me as a fan are the quality of competition has been not the best especially the fact that the Bills have not faced a good defense, my other concern is special teams. The special teams unit has been shaky. Week 1 they let up the TD and Week 2 Bass missed a kick that was fairly short that's in addition to the ST unit and Bass coming off a generally shaky season in 2023. Hopefully Bass making most of these chip shots helps his confidence.

[zow2]

9.  Any of these receivers have to be thrilled to be playing alongside the best QB in the league.  In my opinion, if certain guys are not getting the ball it’s because they aren’t getting open. It ain’t on Josh. Get open fellas.  Shakir seems to have no problem being an available open target for Allen on nearly every series of downs. 

[BillsVet]

3 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

Josh is the king of Buffalo 

 

It's his city 

 

Made me think of this:

 

"For over a thousand years Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of a triumph, a tumultuous parade.

 

In the procession came trumpeters and musicians and strange animals from the conquered territories together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments.  The conqueror rode in a triumphal chariot the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him.

 

Sometimes, his children, robed in white stood with him in the chariot, or rode the trace horses.  A slave stood behind the conqueror holding a golden crown and whispering in his ear a warning that all glory is fleeting."  

 

Patton (1970)

[Simon]

2 minutes ago, BillsVet said:

 

Made me think of this:

 

"For over a thousand years Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of a triumph, a tumultuous parade.

 

In the procession came trumpeters and musicians and strange animals from the conquered territories together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments.  The conqueror rode in a triumphal chariot the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him.

 

Sometimes, his children, robed in white stood with him in the chariot, or rode the trace horses.  A slave stood behind the conqueror holding a golden crown and whispering in his ear a warning that all glory is fleeting."  

 

Patton (1970)

 

Memento Mori

[smuvtalker]

Great write up man, enjoyed reading it.  A few things I came away with post game, apologies if I am redundant:

 

1) Josh Allen - I don't care who he's playing, he is playing out of his gourd.  Some of the throws he makes, he makes them look so easy.  He's throwing straight lasers to his receivers, and it's scary how accurate he's been.  I mean he's barely flicking the ball off his wrists and he's hitting receivers dead in stride.  If he keeps up this level of play, honestly, it wouldn't even be close in MVP voting.  He put on an absolute CLINIC out there vs the Jags.  My God.

 

2)Khalil Shakir - What can i say.  Not only does the guy catch literally everything thrown his way, his ability to get some serious YAC is unreal.  I honestly don't think I've seen a catch yet where he didn't have additional yardage.  I held my breath for a second on that touchdown pass when he got hit after his spin move.  Kid is tough as nails to boot.

 

3)Oline play.   On Josh's touchdown, it brought back memories...you guys remember the AFC Championship game in 1991, against the Raiders?  Kelly dropped the snap, had time to pick up the ball, dust it off, then throw a TD pass to I can't remember when...but I was simply amazed at all the time he had.  Our run blocking I do believe is playing well, but our pass blocking has been unbelievable.

 

It's too hard not to get excited about  this team's start.  So I won't....

 

LFG BUFFALO!!!  

[ganesh]

great write up as always Virgil.  on to Baltimore, the 1st of the three road games against teams with superbowl aspirations.  These are the teams we are likely to meet in the playoffs deep in January...It will be a good barometer on our own aspirations.  Go Bills !!!!

[Sojourner]

7 hours ago, Virgil said:

 

 

5 - LB's

7 - Hamlin

 

 

these two points are the biggest for me. spector and williams have actually been pretty decent. thankfully they’ve had quality play leading up to this game as henry and the baltimore running game is an absolute true test. let’s hope they stay disciplined and don’t overpursue what they see. 
 

hamlin as well has been solid. nothing amazing but sound and not the liability many made him out to potentially be. 
 

again, confidence from the first few games is key and always part of the success any player finds in their respective sport. hopefully it continues for all 3 of those guys and the rest of the team. 
 

GO BILLS! 🦬
 

 

Edited September 26 by Sojourner

[GASabresIUFan]

What no love for the D-Line?  Seriously?  Even Casey Toohill had a sack.  

 

They are the key to this defense.  Don't want to expose the young LBs, better successfully pressure the QB.  Don't want QB scrambles, the D-line had better containing them. Stop the run game, the D-line better fill the gaps.  All this has been happening.  

 

The Bills have allowed 1 rushing TD so far.  Von and Groot have 3 sacks each and 5 guys have 1 each.  Groot has 11 tackles.  

Edited September 26 by GASabresIUFan

[gonzo1105]

It’s  Kincaid and the RBs that make a difference in this offense with the fact  that Shakir is getting elite separation. 

[JROC INTEL]