Most stressful 1 minute 45 seconds

[MJS]

1 hour ago, NewEra said:

I expected Miami to go for two on that last TD.  Better chance of converting that one play than any other way imo.  

I think getting the tie and hoping for overtime was the right call. And it would have worked if Poyer didn't have that blatant helmet hit. And they forced Bass to make a franchise record distance kick.

[Brand J]

53 minutes ago, dave mcbride said:

I think Miami would definitely have gone for two if there had been, say, 20 seconds on the clock when they scored. With 1:38 left, they had to kick the XP because even if they make the 2P conversion, you're giving the Bills four chances to get ten yards instead of three (assuming the Bills would have punted on a fourth down and not in FG range). With Allen, that one extra down is one too many chances. McDaniel said as much. They also could have failed the 2P conversion, and bear in mind that going into yesterday the success rate on 2P conversions this season across the NFL is 31 percent.

I swear I didn’t see this before sharing my opinion 😅

[Rubes]

56 minutes ago, NewEra said:

Yeah I hear ya.  I just think that was their best chance to win the game in Buffalo.  

 

Watching that video made me realize, on that 2nd and 14 where Allen had the ball batted down, Cook was wide open on the right side and would have gotten very close to the first down.

 

Not that it ended up mattering with the Poyer penalty, but holy cow. When it was 3rd and 14 (and later 3rd and 9) I was pretty nervous about going 3 and out and giving the Fins another chance.

 

[SoCal Deek]

Anyone know why the Bills let so much time run off the clock at the beginning of the last drive? It felt like they weren’t completely committed to being able to drive the ball down the field and instead chose to bleed clock so as to make sure Miami couldn’t. Pretty risky strategy in my opinion. 

[Rubes]

2 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

Anyone know why the Bills let so much time run off the clock at the beginning of the last drive? It felt like they weren’t completely committed to being able to drive the ball down the field and instead chose to bleed clock so as to make sure Miami couldn’t. Pretty risky strategy in my opinion. 

 

Not sure, but I was pretty concerned about a quick 3 and out in that situation, which would give the Fins time along with 2 timeouts. I was okay with bleeding some time off the clock, apparently trying to make sure only they would have a chance at a winning FG.

 

[GunnerBill]

1 hour ago, dave mcbride said:

I think Miami would definitely have gone for two if there had been, say, 20 seconds on the clock when they scored. With 1:38 left, they had to kick the XP because even if they make the 2P conversion, you're giving the Bills four chances to get ten yards instead of three (assuming the Bills would have punted on a fourth down and not in FG range). With Allen, that one extra down is one too many chances. McDaniel said as much. They also could have failed the 2P conversion, and bear in mind that going into yesterday the success rate on 2P conversions this season across the NFL is 31 percent.

 

As I always suspected would happen as the rate of going for 2 goes up the frequency of making it is going down. 

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

3 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

Anyone know why the Bills let so much time run off the clock at the beginning of the last drive? It felt like they weren’t completely committed to being able to drive the ball down the field and instead chose to bleed clock so as to make sure Miami couldn’t. Pretty risky strategy in my opinion. 

 

Playing for a FG, you don't want to give miami time to do anything.  

[PoundingDog]

7 minutes ago, Rubes said:

Watching that video made me realize, on that 2nd and 14 where Allen had the ball batted down, Cook was wide open on the right side and would have gotten very close to the first down.

That's why I said he needs to talk to Tom Brady, who has shown consistently able to pick the "obvious" - well part of the reason is that he never had the bazooka Allen/Mahomes have. Allen has come a long way and really, I mean he truly did, this season to not forcing the ball. But from time to time, he still shows that tunnel vision. I'm sure defense coaches are telling their guys to follow Allen's eyes and throw arms up. I want to see the Allen in Seattle's game, step back and fire decisively, short or long passes. You can tell in the start of the last drive, as well as the end of Houston game, Allen is not comfortable in seeing what he saw. Maybe something for Joe Brady to call some easy short passes to get the yip out of him to begin the drive - heck even a run with the way Cook/Davis is getting big runs.

[GunnerBill]

7 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

Anyone know why the Bills let so much time run off the clock at the beginning of the last drive? It felt like they weren’t completely committed to being able to drive the ball down the field and instead chose to bleed clock so as to make sure Miami couldn’t. Pretty risky strategy in my opinion. 

 

I think that is just good clock management. In that scenario I want 3 to be a game winner. So I want to leave no more than a pitcheroony opportunity. Now granted I'd like that FG to be a 41 yarder rather than a 61 yarder but that was about execution not clock.

[Kaenon]

1 hour ago, MJS said:

I felt fine. The Bills weren't even down. They were tied.

The beers helped too 😆 

🍻 

[SoCal Deek]

5 minutes ago, Bleeding Bills Blue said:

 

Playing for a FG, you don't want to give miami time to do anything.  

Assuming that’s true it would seem you’d want bleed the clock AFTER you’d gotten some momentum started, no? 

[JP51]

1 hour ago, Gregg said:

 

The way they were moving the ball I wouldn't have been surprised if they went for two.

Heck the way they were RUNNING the ball, that would have been a high percentage play. 

6 minutes ago, Kaenon said:

The beers helped too 😆 

🍻

Beers always help... Bourbon however fixes everything LOL 

[Buffalo716]

2 hours ago, Allen2D̶i̶g̶g̶s̶TBD said:

This is why the long Bass kick was so risky. We would have given Miami back the ball with great field position if he missed.l and they had time to get into field goal range for the win.

They were on their side of the 50.. there was five seconds left 

 

They would have needed the world's fastest pass play which would not have gotten them many yards...

 

Or try to ridiculous 70 yard field goal

[Bobby Hooks]

I’m actually happy that the offense didn’t get more yards. I’m not convinced it would’ve been easier for Bass. 
 

He missed a PAT so being closer wouldn’t have made a difference, imo. In fact, I think being as far out as it was made it almost a little less stressful on him as no-one would’ve blamed him for missing that one. 

[msw2112]

3 minutes ago, Bobby Hooks said:

I’m actually happy that the offense didn’t get more yards. I’m not convinced it would’ve been easier for Bass. 
 

He missed a PAT so being closer wouldn’t have made a difference, imo. In fact, I think being as far out as it was made it almost a little less stressful on him as no-one would’ve blamed him for missing that one. 

 

Correct.  He was just able to let 'er rip.  If it was from 47, a kick he's expected to make, the demons might have gotten into his head.  At 61, he just kicks the hell of out it without much thought.  That ball would have been good from 70.  He absolutely drilled it.

[Mikie2times]

2 hours ago, Bills!Win! said:

The only point I was afraid, was at the end of the game when the dolphins could have gone for two, But chose not to

 

2 hours ago, Allen2D̶i̶g̶g̶s̶TBD said:

This is why the long Bass kick was so risky. We would have given Miami back the ball with great field position if he missed.l and they had time to get into field goal range for the win.

 

2 hours ago, Gregg said:

I expected it to be a tough game. The Dolphins were desperate and playing to save their season. Give them credit as they played well and made plays yesterday. Tua really played well but the Bills found a way to get the win and that was all that mattered.

All three of these takes are spot on

[TBBills Fan]

2 hours ago, HansLanda said:

 

Not going for two, and not icing Bass when they had two time outs was some questionable late game decision making by McDaniel. 

Agree. Seeing as how they didn't stop us at all in the second half, not going for 2 there was surpising

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

27 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

They were on their side of the 50.. there was five seconds left 

 

They would have needed the world's fastest pass play which would not have gotten them many yards...

 

Or try to ridiculous 70 yard field goal

 

They get it at the spot of the kick so the 49.  Either a 66ish yard FG attempt or a hail mary.  Not sure the timeouts are really in play with 5 seconds - you have to give yourself up and hope the ref blows the whistle fast enough because a bills player is either not touching you, or holding you from touching the ground.  

 

They'd probably have opted for the hail mary.  66 is tough in any conditions - and if you're short you're open to a return in a scenario where you don't have coverage lanes, and 9 football players (plus 2 kickers) trying to stop 11 football players.  A lot of kickers kick low trajectory on their long kicks, which puts you at a greater risk of a block, which is potentially a game ender as well.  

[ticketssince61]

1 hour ago, Saxum said:

 

Bills would love for Phish to ice with two timeouts - it is an unsportsmanlike penalty and would make kick shorter.

 

We won a game in 2007 in Washington when Joe Gibbs called 2 timeouts in a row

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/sports/63173/timeout-times-two-makesfor-late-game-blunder/

[Success]

I've been watching the Bills since the '80s.  I think this 1:45 wouldn't make my top 100 stressful moments.