the last time a healthy McVay-led healthy Rams offense played a healthy Bills defense (2020)

[dave mcbride]

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202009270buf.htm

 

The Bills gave up 478 yards and allowed 7.25 yards per play. They blew a 28-3 lead and in the second half, and the Rams moved the ball at will. In the second half, the Rams ran 23 plays on four straight TD drives for 201 yards (with the longest playing being 31 yards). That is 8.74 yards per play. Two of the plays were one-yard TD runs, so take those successful plays out, and they gave up 203 yards on 21 plays (9.7 yards per play).

 

Clearly, McVay knows how to attack this defensive scheme. 

 

(In the September 2022 game, Stafford was dealing with an elbow injury, Van Jefferson was out, and their o-line had gotten banged up during preseason.)

Edited December 9 by dave mcbride

[hondo in seattle]

Bills players - as well as some retired players and coaches - mention that the Bills defense is complicated and adept at disguises.  

For lesser QBs and coaches, it can be a hard puzzle to figure out.  So we often look good.

But McVay and other smart coaches and QBs understand what they're looking at.  At the same time, we know what they're trying to do on offense.  Neither team has a distinct scheme advantage because each side understands the other.  

 

But if their players are better than our players, as is sometimes the case, they'll move the ball.   Yesterday, the Rams OL was better than our DL.  Their receivers were better than our DBs.  They won.  

[Ethan in Cleveland]

Rinse and repeat. Same story for 8 years. McD feasts on bad QBs and can't stop the above average ones. 

[transient]

Food for thought - the Bills are 2-3 against playoff level competition this season. Maybe they are who we thought they'd be at the beginning of the season, but the level of competition across the league is so bad that they didn't sink as far as we were expecting them to. 🤷‍♂️

[corta765]

McVay is the best offensive mind in the NFL imo... He is creative beyond boundaries and has done it with multiple QBs while rotating pieces in and out.

 

Buffalo and McD got him good in 2022 which is rare, great game with a bummer outcome but I really have no concerns and in a way like the fact they got some attrition to toughen them up.

[Jauronimo]

3 minutes ago, corta765 said:

McVay is the best offensive mind in the NFL imo... He is creative beyond boundaries and has done it with multiple QBs while rotating pieces in and out.

 

Buffalo and McD got him good in 2022 which is rare, great game with a bummer outcome but I really have no concerns and in a way like the fact they got some attrition to toughen them up.

And yet his team is 6-6 and struggles to score points most weeks. 

[dave mcbride]

4 minutes ago, Jauronimo said:

And yet his team is 6-6 and struggles to score points most weeks. 

7-6, btw. They did have some serious injury issues in the early part of the season. Both Nacua and Kupp have only started 8 games, and they had o-line injuries earlier too. Last season, they were 8th in points and 7th in yards. 

Edited December 9 by dave mcbride

[ProcessTruster]

1 hour ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

Rinse and repeat. Same story for 8 years. McD feasts on bad QBs and can't stop the above average ones. 

welcome to the NFL.  that's how you go 13-4 . 

win all the games your supposed to win,

lose a few to loaded, healthy top teams who are just as good/bad as you are, usually on the road

Get in the tournament and hope your team is healthier and luckier than the other guy;  enough to advance since all the teams are good

Pretty simple

No team is some kind of dynasty anymore 

 

Stop whining you big bunch of babies; you had McD in the HoF two weeks ago and now you want him hung from the goalposts

Edited December 9 by ProcessTruster

[GunnerBill]

1 hour ago, dave mcbride said:

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202009270buf.htm

 

The Bills gave up 478 yards and allowed 7.25 yards per play. They blew a 28-3 lead and in the second half, and the Rams moved the ball at will. In the second half, the Rams ran 23 plays on four straight TD drives for 201 yards (with the longest playing being 31 yards). That is 8.74 yards per play. Two of the plays were one-yard TD runs, so take those successful plays out, and they gave up 203 yards on 21 plays (9.7 yards per play).

 

Clearly, McVay knows how to attack this defensive scheme. 

 

(In the September 2022 game, Stafford was dealing with an elbow injury, Van Jefferson was out, and their o-line had gotten banged up during preseason.)

 

I mean Van Jefferson being out, whoopie do, he's crap anyway. The Bills shellacked them that night. But it was probably peak talent in terms of Bills rosters. Agree though the second half of the 2020 game did have parallels to last night. 

[dave mcbride]

12 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I mean Van Jefferson being out, whoopie do, he's crap anyway. The Bills shellacked them that night. But it was probably peak talent in terms of Bills rosters. Agree though the second half of the 2020 game did have parallels to last night. 

Stafford was hurt (elbow; he missed a large portion of that season because of it) and if memory serves a couple of o-linemen went down early in the game, which opened the floodgates.

[corta765]

33 minutes ago, Jauronimo said:

And yet his team is 6-6 and struggles to score points most weeks. 

His team has had injuries and Sunday was literally the first time they've been fully healthy all year. He is the youngest head coach to be in a SB, win a SB, his teams are generally well coached and if he were ever a free agent teams would be lining trucks worth of cash for him.

[Matt_In_NH]

2 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

Van Jefferson was out

we all fear this guy

[Cray51]

1 hour ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

Rinse and repeat. Same story for 8 years. McD feasts on bad QBs and can't stop the above average ones. 

I think that's a bit of a generous criticism.  McD struggles to stop the ELITE offenses.  Teams who have scored more than 35 points against the Bills in the last 4 years:

 

2024:

Rams - Elite WRs and Top 7 QB in the league (all healthy too)

Ravens - Elite RB and Top 5 QB

 

2023:

Eagles - Elite O-Line and WR Weapons and a Good QB (Hurts has regressed under his new system but last year he was pretty dang solid)

 

2022:

None

 

2021:

KC - Divisional Game, need I say more

Colts - Most damning team on this list, they had Taylor running mad that game

 

So in the last 4 years, they have had 5 teams score 35 or more against them in a game.  The list is comprised of 4 of the top 10 QBs in the game, and 8-10 All Pros at other positions on the offensive side of the ball.

 

McD wins games he should win.  He does OK stopping elite teams.  Shocker, elite teams are good and win games.  Combined record of the teams that have put 35 or more on us in the years that they did (taking 2024 to date): 39-19

[Freddie's Dead]

2 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202009270buf.htm

 

The Bills gave up 478 yards and allowed 7.25 yards per play. They blew a 28-3 lead and in the second half, and the Rams moved the ball at will. In the second half, the Rams ran 23 plays on four straight TD drives for 201 yards (with the longest playing being 31 yards). That is 8.74 yards per play. Two of the plays were one-yard TD runs, so take those successful plays out, and they gave up 203 yards on 21 plays (9.7 yards per play).

 

Clearly, McVay knows how to attack this defensive scheme. 

 

(In the September 2022 game, Stafford was dealing with an elbow injury, Van Jefferson was out, and their o-line had gotten banged up during preseason.)

 

The infamous interception that wasn't.  Rams bitching about the holding at the end was rich, considering the refs gifted them 7 points with that bull#### INT call.  Pufnstuf came down with the ball and the Rams DB ripped it away after he was down.  Complete joke.

[GunnerBill]

19 minutes ago, dave mcbride said:

Stafford was hurt (elbow; he missed a large portion of that season because of it) and if memory serves a couple of o-linemen went down early in the game, which opened the floodgates.

 

Noteboom went down early. He was pencilled in as their LT but ended up being a dud anyway. I honestly think they were just outmatched that night by the Bills. I remember Poyer being absolutely everywhere in coverage. He was terrific.

 

The first 6 or 7 games of that year the Bills were what the Lions have been this year. They looked unquestionably the best team in football they were monstering people. Sadly it didn't last.

Edited December 9 by GunnerBill

[strive_for_five_guy]

7 minutes ago, Cray51 said:

I think that's a bit of a generous criticism.  McD struggles to stop the ELITE offenses.  Teams who have scored more than 35 points against the Bills in the last 4 years:

 

2024:

Rams - Elite WRs and Top 7 QB in the league (all healthy too)

Ravens - Elite RB and Top 5 QB

 

2023:

Eagles - Elite O-Line and WR Weapons and a Good QB (Hurts has regressed under his new system but last year he was pretty dang solid)

 

2022:

None

 

2021:

KC - Divisional Game, need I say more

Colts - Most damning team on this list, they had Taylor running mad that game

 

So in the last 4 years, they have had 5 teams score 35 or more against them in a game.  The list is comprised of 4 of the top 10 QBs in the game, and 8-10 All Pros at other positions on the offensive side of the ball.

 

McD wins games he should win.  He does OK stopping elite teams.  Shocker, elite teams are good and win games.  Combined record of the teams that have put 35 or more on us in the years that they did (taking 2024 to date): 39-19

As bad as the D was yesterday and as good as the Lions have been on offense, I’ll be surprised if the team allows more than 35 points two weeks in a row.  Just think this loss will really sting and the team is going to come out with something extra to prove now.  Although I could be wrong, as I thought the Bills would stop the Rams yesterday just fine 🙃.

[Buffalo716]

2 hours ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

Rinse and repeat. Same story for 8 years. McD feasts on bad QBs and can't stop the above average ones. 

McDermott and his defense has held the Chiefs to 20, 20, 17 and 21 

 

They don't put up 35 every game

[Aussie Joe]

I would happily be up to play the Rams again in the SB over the Lions and Eagles .. perhaps even the Packers …

I don’t think two games is a trend , and the Bills pasting them in between shouldn’t be dismissed …..

on the other side of the coin.., they haven’t been able to stop Josh either in 3 games 

 

 

Edited December 9 by Aussie Joe

[Beck Water]

3 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202009270buf.htm

 

The Bills gave up 478 yards and allowed 7.25 yards per play. They blew a 28-3 lead and in the second half, and the Rams moved the ball at will. In the second half, the Rams ran 23 plays on four straight TD drives for 201 yards (with the longest playing being 31 yards). That is 8.74 yards per play. Two of the plays were one-yard TD runs, so take those successful plays out, and they gave up 203 yards on 21 plays (9.7 yards per play).

 

Clearly, McVay knows how to attack this defensive scheme. 

 

(In the September 2022 game, Stafford was dealing with an elbow injury, Van Jefferson was out, and their o-line had gotten banged up during preseason.)

 

You forgot to mention the result of that 2020 meeting

Bills 35 - Rams 32

 

That was the game that featured 

1) an interception on an Allen to Kroft pass, that everyone but the refs thought was a tie and thus by rule goes to the receiver

2) Aaron Donald horse-collaring Allen in the pocket resulting in a strip-sack AND an unsportsmanlike conduct against Allen - he couldn't believe what Donald did was legal

3) the 4Q "bar brawl" play, which is meekly scored as "Josh Allen pass incomplete short left. Penalty on Josh Allen: Face Mask (15 Yards), 15 yards (no play)".  In this play, Josh grabbed a Rams DB by the face mask, slung him into the path of an oncoming Rams LB knocking them both off their feet like bowling pins, backpedaled, stiff armed Aaron Donald, and turned what looked like a 30 yd sack into an incomplete pass that left the Bills with a chance (losing only 15 by penalty).  All the announcer could say is "That's One Strong Dude" about Josh Allen.

4) an opportune DPI on LA on 4th and 8, giving the Bills one more chance.  Otherwise we lose 28 -32.

 

In hard fought games between two great teams, victory often does depend on a handful of plays.

1 hour ago, strive_for_five_guy said:

As bad as the D was yesterday and as good as the Lions have been on offense, I’ll be surprised if the team allows more than 35 points two weeks in a row.  Just think this loss will really sting and the team is going to come out with something extra to prove now.  Although I could be wrong, as I thought the Bills would stop the Rams yesterday just fine 🙃.

 

Yes.  One of two things will happen.  Either the Bills D will come out fired up and ready to prove something.

 

Or this year's Bills aren't good enough to contend for a Championship.

Edited December 9 by Beck Water

[nedboy7]

1 hour ago, Cray51 said:

I think that's a bit of a generous criticism.  McD struggles to stop the ELITE offenses.  Teams who have scored more than 35 points against the Bills in the last 4 years:

 

2024:

Rams - Elite WRs and Top 7 QB in the league (all healthy too)

Ravens - Elite RB and Top 5 QB

 

2023:

Eagles - Elite O-Line and WR Weapons and a Good QB (Hurts has regressed under his new system but last year he was pretty dang solid)

 

2022:

None

 

2021:

KC - Divisional Game, need I say more

Colts - Most damning team on this list, they had Taylor running mad that game

 

So in the last 4 years, they have had 5 teams score 35 or more against them in a game.  The list is comprised of 4 of the top 10 QBs in the game, and 8-10 All Pros at other positions on the offensive side of the ball.

 

McD wins games he should win.  He does OK stopping elite teams.  Shocker, elite teams are good and win games.  Combined record of the teams that have put 35 or more on us in the years that they did (taking 2024 to date): 39-19

 

Thank you.  He ***** up yesterday.  And he has in the past.  But he is not someone who only feasts on bad teams.  The Chiefs lost one game this year.