Ok on to Detroit....

[LABILLBACKER]

5 hours ago, RunTheBall said:

Oh no doubt he could. I agree the D has to show some sign of life because we’ve already proven a few times that even in God Mode we can lose because the D is so horrific.

 

5 hours ago, Big Turk said:

 

I have no doubt in the playoffs Josh COULD actually go God Mode for 4 games...he was about to do just that in 2021.

 

The problem is, as always, the defense when we get to the divisional/championship round that can't stop a nosebleed.

Josh can put up points against any afc playoff team we face. But honestly y'all we're not built to defensively stop anyone in the playoffs.  There's not 1 game wrecking player on this defense. Just a bunch of zone scheme dependent Jags trying to bend rather than break. At least Josh will win his 1st MVP this year.

2 hours ago, strive_for_five_guy said:

Yes, last thing he does after saying good night to Hailee and going to bed 😎

Don’t know, but if a wrestling match between coaches occurs, McD is confident he can take Campbell.

 

 

Now if he could only wrestle between the ears.

[Nitro]

Key to the game, IMO, is the defensive line.  Need to put in more stunts, pressure up the middle and gap control.  If they allow the Detroit O line to have the edge it will be a long game for the Bills.  

[Peace Frog]

5 hours ago, Bob Chandler's Hands said:

Week 1 vs. Arizona he took out Taron Johnson for a few games. From the D&C:

 

"The injury occurred when Johnson went to wrap up Cardinals receiver Greg Dortch a yard behind him. As Johnson brought his right arm in front of Dortch, Bills safety Taylor Rapp had already launched toward the receiver, with Rapp’s helmet connecting straight with Johnson’s forearm."

 

Rapp is a menace to his own team. 

I like Taylor's aggressiveness on D. He's getting a bad rap.  Get it?

[Kelly to Allen]

2 hours ago, LABILLBACKER said:

 

Josh can put up points against any afc playoff team we face. But honestly y'all we're not built to defensively stop anyone in the playoffs.  There's not 1 game wrecking player on this defense. Just a bunch of zone scheme dependent Jags trying to bend rather than break. At least Josh will win his 1st MVP this year.

Now if he could only wrestle between the ears.

 

 

Greg Rousseau, Ed Oliver, Von Miller just on the dline can take a game over 

 

How do I know that? Because we've literally seen each of them do it

 

I'm more concerned about the defensive scheme and McDermott, not the individual talent 

 

Edited December 14 by Kelly to Allen

[NewEra]

10 minutes ago, Kelly to Allen said:

 

 

Greg Rousseau, Ed Oliver, Von Miller just on the dline can take a game over 

 

How do I know that? Because we've literally seen each of them do it

 

I'm more concerned about the defensive scheme and McDermott, not the individual talent 

 

It’s both-  

 

the talent HAS won in the past- 💯 

 

It has also failed in every playoff loss.  You can say that coaching is the reason our defense has failed in the playoffs-and I wouldn’t argue with you- but you must also say that our defensive line hasn’t won in any of our ending losses.  The DL not making plays hasn’t been because of our coaches. It’s been because they aren’t winning their 1 on 1’s.  They have been getting smacked
 

 

 

[BigDingus]

Well, looks like we gotta find a way to hold down the fort in the 2nd quarter. Lions have an insane +131 point differential in that quarter, while the Bills have a +50 differential in the 4th. 

 

The 4th quarter is also the Lions' weakest quarter, but I'm guessing a lot of that is due to blowing so many people out by halftime & letting up after that. 

[Kelly to Allen]

32 minutes ago, NewEra said:

It’s both-  

 

the talent HAS won in the past- 💯 

 

It has also failed in every playoff loss.  You can say that coaching is the reason our defense has failed in the playoffs-and I wouldn’t argue with you- but you must also say that our defensive line hasn’t won in any of our ending losses.  The DL not making plays hasn’t been because of our coaches. It’s been because they aren’t winning their 1 on 1’s.  They have been getting smacked
 

 

 

 

 

Possibly. I think McDermott's schematic game plan has failed. 

 

But obviously every facet of the defense is responsible, ( personnel and coaching) when it's been that bad in the playoffs 

 

I really hope they pull through. 

One thing that the rams did a lot was chip our des in passing situations. We need to adjust to that better 

2 hours ago, Nitro said:

Key to the game, IMO, is the defensive line.  Need to put in more stunts, pressure up the middle and gap control.  If they allow the Detroit O line to have the edge it will be a long game for the Bills.  

 

I wonder if Solomon opposite Von Miller would be a thing they try. 

 

Epenesa was really good rushing inside at Iowa. 

 

Rousseau needs to get more reps on the left side imo

[NewEra]

9 minutes ago, Kelly to Allen said:

 

 

Possibly. I think McDermott's schematic game plan has failed. 

 

But obviously every facet of the defense is responsible, ( personnel and coaching) when it's been that bad in the playoffs 

 

I really hope they pull through. 

One thing that the rams did a lot was chip our des in passing situations. We need to adjust to that better 

 

I wonder if Solomon opposite Von Miller would be a thing they try. 

 

Epenesa was really good rushing inside at Iowa. 

 

Rousseau needs to get more reps on the left side imo

McDermotts scheme has failed for sure….but if defensive lineman win their matchups - schemes look MUCH better.

 

It’s not “possibly”-  It’s a fact that our defensive lineman have played poorly in every season ending loss since we’ve been contenders.  

[Kelly to Allen]

1 hour ago, NewEra said:

McDermotts scheme has failed for sure….but if defensive lineman win their matchups - schemes look MUCH better.

 

It’s not “possibly”-  It’s a fact that our defensive lineman have played poorly in every season ending loss since we’ve been contenders.  

 

The rams game was confusing. 

 

I understand it's hard to bring the juice in every game but ugh. 

 

Rousseau looks like Sean Jones or frickin Charles Haley in some games and doesn't play to that level in others 

 

Same thing with Oliver 

 

Heck even epenesa will flash moments of being a dominant de

 

Frustrating 

 

I really hope they make a statement against the lions. I really want to win the super bowl this year 😔

Edited December 14 by Kelly to Allen

[SoCal Deek]

2 hours ago, BigDingus said:

Well, looks like we gotta find a way to hold down the fort in the 2nd quarter. Lions have an insane +131 point differential in that quarter, while the Bills have a +50 differential in the 4th. 

 

The 4th quarter is also the Lions' weakest quarter, but I'm guessing a lot of that is due to blowing so many people out by halftime & letting up after that. 

Thanks for sharing the chart. I’ve never seen that one before. Some interesting observations:

 

The Bills and the Vikings are the only teams that have won every quarter. 

 

The Bills have more positive quarters than the entirety of the AFCE.

 

There's no way anyone would predict the Chiefs to be 12-1 looking at their quarterly point performance and with as many close finishes as they’ve had it’s hard to imagine they’re only +16 in the fourth quarter. Mind boggling. 

[ChasBB]

22 hours ago, mbowman14 said:

I think game script is a huge deal.  I have always been a proponent of deferring the ball until the 2nd half to try and double-dip.  The Bills had the double-dip opportunity and failed on both ends which is when the game really went sideways and forced them into chase mode.  The Bills seem to have done a poor job this year of scoring drives when they do get the ball first (Ravens game comes to mind as that set the tone).  That said, the way the Rams took it to the Bills on the opening drive last week has me re-thinking the coin toss philosophy.  It seemed like that drive set the tone and perhaps the Bills would be better off taking the ball and hoping the O can get points on the board first and play from ahead.  I think the Bills are very tough when leading and a huge part of the defense being successful is getting ahead and having game situation dictate or play a role in the opponents' playcalling.

I agree.  We have arguably THE best offensive weopon in the entire league in Josh Allen.  Why not just go ahead and get him on the field right away and take your chances that he puts points up and immediately puts the Lions in catch-up mode.  And if the defense can rise to the occasion and provide a stop afterwards, it could get ugly fast for Detroit.  Also gets time-of-possession in our favor from start of game, but MUST avoid 3-and-out.  That's the key right there.  Got to have points and also got to use up some clock doing so.

Edited December 14 by ChasBB
add content

[Casey D]

18 hours ago, The Jokeman said:

Yet would they had gone for it again if it was 4th and 10 when closer to the endzone when the refs missed the false start?

Good question.  I don't know.  It would have been nice to find out though. 

But that also was the gamble McD took when he accepted the penalty.  Just did not work out.

Edited December 14 by Casey D

[The Firebaugh Kid]

Playing defense is an attitude as much as it is scheme. This dline was great against KC, they played with fury and controlled aggression. Im confident that they can do that again. 

[BearNorth]

People hoping to have a DLine break out vs. the Lions should consider:

 

Ragnow is the 3rd highest graded center in the league, Zeitler is the 2nd Highest graded guard on the league, Sewell is the 4th highest graded tackle in the league. 

 

If the Lions get an early lead, expect those three will be pounding our Dline and LB's to keep Josh off the field. 

 

We saw how that worked for the Rams, and the Lions have two top 10 RB's in Gibbs and Montgomery, and we will be missing our best tackler in Rapp.

[Straight Hucklebuck]

Where is @MasterStrategist with all the inside injury information? 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

4 hours ago, BigDingus said:

Well, looks like we gotta find a way to hold down the fort in the 2nd quarter. Lions have an insane +131 point differential in that quarter, while the Bills have a +50 differential in the 4th. 

 

The 4th quarter is also the Lions' weakest quarter, but I'm guessing a lot of that is due to blowing so many people out by halftime & letting up after that. 

that is a wild and weird distribution for point differential. 

[Desert Bills Fan]

I know folks like Babbich, but are there thoughts that the D’s poor performance is on him?

lack of creative pressure: stunts, etc on DL, safeties blitzing, man coverage..

I have heard and agree the buck stops with McD but the coordinator is the planner and play caller (for now)

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

McDermott has to stop being so stubborn. The best part of this team every year is the offense. (Something he has nothing to do

with) The reason we haven’t won a Super Bowl is because of his defense and of his game-day decisions. We need to be willing to come off of the nickel. Everyone loves Tarron Johnson, I get it. But when a physical team can line up and have discipline to stick to the run, it puts us on skates. Get creative and leave Johnson out there and drop the other Safety if you have to but get a 3rd LB on the field. Certain teams will kill us if we don’t.

 

This guy also has to be willing to come out of zone every once In a while. The good QBs figure it out during the week and they have whatever they want all day. It’s been the same story since McDermott got here. If we are playing from ahead, or we are turning teams over we can throttle them. If you are playing a physical team or an accurate QB that’s willing to take what we give them…we can’t get off the field on 3rd down. No pressure, no adjustments and the QB just finds the hole in the zone to move the chains.
 

It’s been the most obvious rerun script imaginable. Immediately I can see how the game will play out. This coach is holding us back. If we aren’t turning people over, we aren’t stopping them. That is not sustainable. We need our offense to be on every single game or we are in trouble. Thats also not sustainable and completely unfair. This coach needs to change his philosophy on defense because it’s not good enough. It’s NOT the players. We have excellent talent on defense. It’s the coaches unwillingness to come off of the predictable BS he runs every week no matter what.

Edited December 14 by Brianmoorman4jesus

[Straight Hucklebuck]

The narrative about the Bills defense being potentially poor was on the edges of conversation, but the 7-game win streak masked a lot of that conversation in my mind.

 

Off the top of my head: 

 

Bills / Jets - 23-20 - Rapp makes critical pass breakups and tackles, Taron Johnson with a Int late.

 

Bills / Titans - Offense starts slow, ends up easy win.

 

Bills / Seahawks - Defensive performance was about how well they shutdown the run. 111 to 3 graphic. 
 

Bills / Dolphins - This was the closest one to worry, Bills did a good job on Hill and Waddle, but Achane scored and the Dolphins moved the ball consistently. 
 

Bills / Colts - You had the Taylor run, but Bills defense had a pick-6, and multiple Flacco interceptions on bad balls. AD Mitchell and Josh Downs a little preview?

 

Bills / Chiefs - Pacheco was out, multiple picks on Mahomes, Worthy might be the one concern coming out of that game.

 

Bills / 49ers - Per carry the Bills defense was bad against the run, but so were the 49ers, but due to turnovers that game was over by halftime.

 

Bills / Rams - Wheels fall off. Defensive line, the zone scheme get exposed, delayed blitzes don’t work, can’t get off the field on 3rd down, everyone knew Stafford was going to Nucua and the Bills couldn’t stop anything. Trips and stacks and bunches over and over. 
 

I think you have to go back to the Baltimore game in Week 4 to get a solid dose of this Bills defense is bad narrative. 
 

At Detroit is the Final Boss level in the league right now. 

 

[Kelly to Allen]

9 minutes ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

The narrative about the Bills defense being potentially poor was on the edges of conversation, but the 7-game win streak masked a lot of that conversation in my mind.

 

Off the top of my head: 

 

Bills / Jets - 23-20 - Rapp makes critical pass breakups and tackles, Taron Johnson with a Int late.

 

Bills / Titans - Offense starts slow, ends up easy win.

 

Bills / Seahawks - Defensive performance was about how well they shutdown the run. 111 to 3 graphic. 
 

Bills / Dolphins - This was the closest one to worry, Bills did a good job on Hill and Waddle, but Achane scored and the Dolphins moved the ball consistently. 
 

Bills / Colts - You had the Taylor run, but Bills defense had a pick-6, and multiple Flacco interceptions on bad balls. AD Mitchell and Josh Downs a little preview?

 

Bills / Chiefs - Pacheco was out, multiple picks on Mahomes, Worthy might be the one concern coming out of that game.

 

Bills / 49ers - Per carry the Bills defense was bad against the run, but so were the 49ers, but due to turnovers that game was over by halftime.

 

Bills / Rams - Wheels fall off. Defensive line, the zone scheme get exposed, delayed blitzes don’t work, can’t get off the field on 3rd down, everyone knew Stafford was going to Nucua and the Bills couldn’t stop anything. Trips and stacks and bunches over and over. 
 

I think you have to go back to the Baltimore game in Week 4 to get a solid dose of this Bills defense is bad narrative. 
 

At Detroit is the Final Boss level in the league right now. 

 

You forgot the Jets 

23 minutes ago, Brianmoorman4jesus said:

McDermott has to stop being so stubborn. The best part of this team every year is the offense. (Something he has nothing to do

with) The reason we haven’t won a Super Bowl is because of his defense and of his game-day decisions. We need to be willing to come off of the nickel. Everyone loves Tarron Johnson, I get it. But when a physical team can line up and have discipline to stick to the run, it puts us on skates. Get creative and leave Johnson out there and drop the other Safety if you have to but get a 3rd LB on the field. Certain teams will kill us if we don’t.

 

This guy also has to be willing to come out of zone every once In a while. The good QBs figure it out during the week and they have whatever they want all day. It’s been the same story since McDermott got here. If we are playing from ahead, or we are turning teams over we can throttle them. If you are playing a physical team or an accurate QB that’s willing to take what we give them…we can’t get off the field on 3rd down. No pressure, no adjustments and the QB just finds the hole in the zone to move the chains.
 

It’s been the most obvious rerun script imaginable. Immediately I can see how the game will play out. This coach is holding us back. If we aren’t turning people over, we aren’t stopping them. That is not sustainable. We need our offense to be on every single game or we are in trouble. Thats also not sustainable and completely unfair. This coach needs to change his philosophy on defense because it’s not good enough. It’s NOT the players. We have excellent talent on defense. It’s the coaches unwillingness to come off of the predictable BS he runs every week no matter what.

I wonder if McDermott has thought about using Taron Johnson as a regular boundary CB on run downs. He can easily play it and be fine. This would allow more reps for Dorian Williams