So....what's up with the D?

[US Egg]

2 hours ago, MJS said:

Their offense is really good when it clicks. Tua played the best game I've ever seen him play (and still lost to us).

You’re talking like they were the #1 ranked offense last year.

[BillMafia716ix]

It’s a long season. Defense is not going to be lights out every week. They’ve been more good than bad.

[HardyBoy]

The dolphins offense is good, especially when they can stay on script? I mean can't it just be as simple as that? 

[Saxum]

3 hours ago, MJS said:

It is a week to week league. The Dolphins offense is DESIGNED to attack our weaknesses (short passes, strong run game, insane speed, lots of screens, etc.) Their offense is really good when it clicks. Tua played the best game I've ever seen him play (and still lost to us).

 

So what you are saying is he needs the Bills under a magnifying glass trying to burn them to win....

..

Edited Monday at 04:53 AM by Saxum
Duplicate post

[HardyBoy]

3 minutes ago, Saxum said:

 

So what you are saying is he needs the Bills under a magnifying glass trying to burn them to win....

 

If they had gone down 10, like last game they would have been in huge trouble, just like last game 

[Sierra Foothills]

Lots of great takes here...

 

2 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

Tua was amazing today, and McDaniel put on the ultimate coaching clinic vs McDermott’s D. They had answers on virtually every play, and the only game I can think of that compares in the Allen era was the January 2021 AFC championship, where KC jumped out to a 38-9 lead. Miami’s D was also terrible, which is why the Bills squeaked it out. If Coleman holds onto the ball and Torrance doesn’t get the ridiculous holding penalty, the Bills score 38 (because they wouldn’t have needed the 61 yarder).

 

Yes, sometimes the other team plays well. The Bills D has generally outplayed Miami's O but not today. Tua was superb and McDaniel planned and called a masterpiece. It happens.

 

2 hours ago, Big Turk said:

The Bills typically play with light boxes preferring to play two high shells. They also usually play a nickel over front aligned to the strong side almost exclusively on D, meaning teams can find ways to attack it early on before the Bills adjust and do different things within that to help. In typical form, people are going to freak out and overreact.

 

It happens. Typically the Fins have success running the ball but the Bills shut the passing game down. They didn't today. Benford being out probably hurt some, but Fins stayed patient and kept taking what the Bills gave them, which isn't usually what happens.

 

Bills D has a lot of new pieces and they are probably still working thru some things. They haven't been up to their really good form we expect in most games. Likely they don't have the right pieces they want to run it as well as they normally do, but they are making due. Would expect them to continue to get better thru the end of the year.

 

Yes, the Bills play light boxes and invite you to try to run the ball at them... and dare you to throw deep. The Bills stayed patient in their defensive scheme. We're not gonna dominate the Dolphins every time we play them but we won.

 

2 hours ago, PoundingDog said:

So are we missing the rookie Carter?

 

Actually a bit, yes. He'd been improving and playing well and showing out on a weekly basis.

 

2 hours ago, gobills404 said:

What’s up is they’re still a top 10 defense, but some of y’all have become spoiled from watching an elite defense each of the last 3 years.

They’re objectively better than the 2018 and 2020 defenses.

 

As pointed out, this team does have a few weaknesses, particularly at interior DL. Also the injuries have hurt. But the goal is always to be playing your best at the end of the season. Miami played an excellent game today. Unfortunately for them it wasn't enough.

 

2 hours ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

Agreed. I actually think the game plan worked like it was supposed to. Hill really only beat us deep once. Waddle was MIA. 
 

You force them to run and keep everything short, and play for a timely stop or turnover. Miami just didn’t make that many mistakes. Tua was basically

flawless. 

 

Agreed. The Miami offense is pretty accomplished. Very few teams have the skill players that they do and their scheme is very challenging. Also they've been running the ball really well. The Bills weren't gonna shut down the running game. But them handing the ball off was preferable to them attacking downfield.

 

2 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

I honestly like the game plan because it's what we usually do against Miami, and it usually works well. It didnt today, for whatever reason, and McD/Babich didnt have answers for Miami's adjustments. That's my bigger concern.

 

As is usually the case, this was our opponent's Super Bowl. And to add even more fuel Miami must be so sick of losing to us. They played a great game.

 

2 hours ago, CircleTheWagons99 said:

Need to get healthy. Missing alot of pieces. 

 

Yes, missing Benford hurt though I was pleased that Elam got more game reps under his belt and I thought he did just fine. It would be great to get Milano back at some point and like many here, I'm still wishing and hoping for one more trade.

 

1 hour ago, Shortchaz said:

The dolphins got the game they wanted, they did a better job dictating how things went. The difference in this game was josh didn’t force anything and our defense was able to generate a turnover. 

The dolphins offensive game plan and execution accentuated our defense’s weakness. they were masterful, it just wasn’t enough.

This was not a game the Bills would’ve won in the recent past. I was impressed they stayed patient and pulled it off. 

 

GREAT post. Yes, I was telling people that this is a game the Bills would have lost before this year. The freak INT, the trio of epically poor calls, Miami's stubbornness... but like you said, the Bills were patient on both sides of the ball and that was the difference.

 

1 hour ago, BillsFan130 said:

Ya I think this was the game McDaniel finally learned from his past mistakes against McDermott .

 

Kind of reminds of that 2021 patriots game in New England when belichick dared Josh to be patient all game long, and he was and Just torched them.

 

It seemed like McDermott /Babich kept the same game plan for the most part and were betting on McDaniel being impatient at some point, but this time he was patient and just took what was there all game long

 

Yes, not only were the Bills patient but McDaniel also remained patient. It was really a great game, made even better by the final outcome.

 

1 hour ago, MJS said:

No other team has that much speed, though. Or as versatile of a run scheme. And besides, they basically played a perfect game against our defense, didn't get to 30 points, and lost the game.

 

I think the game would have been different with Benford. Plus, Milano is coming back later in the year. He is a real difference maker.

 

It's funny reading this board, how many glass half empty people there are... as if Miami sucks and the game shouldn't have been close.

 

I really enjoyed this game because it was so competitive and both teams played so well. Of course I'm super happy that we won too.

 

[Saxum]

5 minutes ago, Sierra Foothills said:

As is usually the case, this was our opponent's Super Bowl. And to add even more fuel Miami must be so sick of losing to us. They played a great game.

 

I want to see how much fuel there will be when Bills beat them 20 in a row like what happened to Bills but I doubt it will happen as long as Miami has an imbalanced stadium environment not like any other team in league.  Clearly this helps (inflates) their home record and some smart inventor could make money helping teams visit there counter it. 

[GunnerBill]

My take on it:

 

1. The Bills do not trust either of their safeties to play single high against explosive offenses. This has been a common thread all year. They are playing a lot more two deep and a lot less single high than previous years. The last two weeks before this against Tennessee and a Metcalfless Seahawks that has changed a bit and Rapp has played in the box some more but not today, they resolutely stayed in light boxes even when getting gashed in the run game.

 

2. With Benford out last night and Elam in they felt even more that they needed to protect the secondary and were not willing to play closer to the line of scrimmage. They were saying to Miami "if you want to run it, run it". 

 

3. Part of that is no doubt that in previous meetings the Bills coaches have got the bettet of McDaniel by forcing him to be patient and him losing his patience and trying to force things down the field which has led to mistakes and miscues. Last night, give him credit (I think possibly the injury to Tua means he feels he can't call a ton of deep shots that require holding the ball anyway) but he stayed patient and just kept running and the odd quick pass into the flats and it worked. 

 

4. So largely I think the Bills stayed entirely intentional in their plan I think they would just say there are a handful of plays they wish they'd made. The two most obvious being 3rd and 11 Dolphins side of the field on their first touchdown drive where Tua checked down over the middle to Mostart for a gain of 12. Tackle him short there, drive over. And obvious Tua's conversion on 4th down in the Dolphins final touchdown drive where they did a good job messying his pocket and taking away the quick throw but ultimately had nobody with eyes on the QB when he began to scramble. Stop them there that is 7 that never happens. Literally those two plays are 14 points. The Bills D always wants to capitalise on your mistake to get you off the field. When you get those bits of mistakes, penalty or a tackle for loss and have a chance at a 3rd and long or a 4th down someone has to make a play.

 

5. The reason I think at the moment the Bills are using such passive plans and, ultimately, failing to make those extra few plays that end scoring drives early comes down to talent. Daquan Jones is done. Gone. Finished. He has been a tough man for offenses to move his first couple of years with the Bills and their run defense as a result has been better than it often was in the Star Lotulelei days. But he looks like Star in his final year with us at the moment, totally ineffectual at the point of attack. Dorian Williams, as has already been touched on, has never seen a misdirection he doesn't want to bite on. The Bills defense is do your one 11th. Williams sometimes does someone else's part well, but rarely his own. And then it comes back to where I started... the two safeties suck and the Bills know they suck. Hamlin knows where he needs to be most of the time but he is so physically limited he is late often. Jusy a borderline NFL level football player. Rapp is a little better. He is the best of a bad bunch at the moment but his positional discipline remains a weakness and they just don't trust either one to be where they should be in single high. Added to that today Elam who they also clearly think has the potential to be a weak link. 

 

 

Overall a combination of intentionally passive plan driven by concerns over some of their talent limitations, combined with an inability for the most part last night to make the critical plays. I expect next week vs the Colts they will play to take Taylor away the way they did Kenneth Walker last week and we will see a bit more single high. The Chiefs game will be interesting? Do they fear the Cheifs reputation and Mahomes? Or do they play the offense they actually are this year and play Hunt? At the moment with this personnel feels to me like the Bills very much think they have to pick their poison. 

[Dr.Sack]

Tua played one of his best games and our DTs were getting washed all day. When Hamlin is the first to a RB on a run b/n the tackles your first 2 levels were swallowed up. Never a good place to be. 

[bmur66]

Thats the kind of defense that gets eliminated quickly in the playoffs.

[Not at the table Karlos]

McDermotts defense usually leaves the flats open. If you want to march slowly up the field you can do it. The dolphins started to do it in the first game and would move the ball but would stop for some reason and their drives would stall. 

[thronethinker]

Miami stuck with the run all game  today unlike the first matchup where Miami abandoned the run game after gashing them early. If Buffalo had more early red zone success Miami may have stopped running this time ax well. 

[GunnerBill]

39 minutes ago, thronethinker said:

Miami stuck with the run all game  today unlike the first matchup where Miami abandoned the run game after gashing them early. If Buffalo had more early red zone success Miami may have stopped running this time ax well. 

 

Yea the way you get them out of the run is score. McDaniel tends to abandon it quickly.

[Drew21PA]

11 hours ago, Simon said:

 

Dorian Williams and Damar Hamlin are both problem spots and Miami spent the majority of their day attacking those two.

I hope that both of them are backups by New Years.

Yep been saying it all year Dorian Williams is NOT a starting caliber linebacker and it’s getting worse becuase like you said - teams are exploiting him

 

im Andy Reid - when I play Buffalo I’m attacking him all day

 

hes late on coverage 

he’s late on filling running gaps - I saw one that was terrible yesterday where our guys set the edge and mostert had the entire side of the field to cut back to - the edge guy was like wow where is my help!!!  Williams was 8 yards back - no where close 

[FireChans]

7 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

3. Part of that is no doubt that in previous meetings the Bills coaches have got the bettet of McDaniel by forcing him to be patient and him losing his patience and trying to force things down the field which has led to mistakes and miscues. Last night, give him credit (I think possibly the injury to Tua means he feels he can't call a ton of deep shots that require holding the ball anyway) but he stayed patient and just kept running and the odd quick pass into the flats and it worked. 

This 100%.
 

McDaniel lost to us week18 last year when they were getting 8 yards per carry on that stretch zone play because he never sticks with the run. This was probably the best game he’s called. 

[GunnerBill]

3 minutes ago, FireChans said:

This 100%.
 

McDaniel lost to us week18 last year when they were getting 8 yards per carry on that stretch zone play because he never sticks with the run. This was probably the best game he’s called. 

 

Agreed. And I think part of that is he knows he can't afford Tua holding it because one more hit that is his year done. 

 

I imagine though hard to stay patient with the run when on the other end his D has no answers to Josh Allen. They have spent a couple of year mixing blitzes and heavy man coverage outside. This year they went to barely blitz and a ton of zone coverage. Nothing works. The Bills got into the redzone every drive but the first one and the last one yesterday. They cannot stop this Bills offense at all.

[ganesh]

11 hours ago, Jerboski said:

The DL isn’t very good 

Williams is learning 

the safeties lack athleticism 

so overall in your humble opinion - the D sucks !

[JerseyBills]

11 hours ago, Simon said:

 

Dorian Williams and Damar Hamlin are both problem spots and Miami spent the majority of their day attacking those two.

I hope that both of them are backups by New Years.

Or this same group was the #1 offense last year and have weapons everywhere and other ds will continue to struggle to beat them..

 

Not to mention our CB1 was out

Edited Monday at 12:59 PM by JerseyBills

[SCBills]

8 hours ago, BillMafia716ix said:

It’s a long season. Defense is not going to be lights out every week. They’ve been more good than bad.

Fair, but we have to forecast to the Playoffs, and there are worries about how they would hold up against Baltimore, (playoff) KC is a different animal and if Cinci gets in, I’d like to see a better pass rush for once in my life come postseason. 
 

I think our Defense is ok.. Average to above average, and if they can get to the playoffs healthy, might be able to finally show up in the postseason. 
 

But it seems pretty evident that we need more out of the DL.  The obvious issue seems to be that this team isn’t getting what they need from Daquan Jones.   To the point that we might want to look at trading for a starter, if possible, and making Jones a rotational guy.

 

[DrDawkinstein]

37 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Yea the way you get them out of the run is score. McDaniel tends to abandon it quickly.

 

This is it. We were one Keon Coleman catch-and-score away from taking a lead and starting another blowout.