Bills vs Ravens Divisional Round

[Special K]

Everyone bringing up that the Ravens blew out the Bills in week 4, but failing to mention 4 Defensive starters were not playing in that game.

 

Everyone trying to STEAL yet another MVP from Josh Allen and give it to Lamar for "reasons".

 

The absolute insult of a team that is 9-0 at home this year being a home underdog in a PLAYOFF game!!!!!

 

I'm angry as a fan......but if I was a player on the Bills, and my team was being disrespected by the above reasons, I would not just want to win this game, I would want to destroy them.

 

I hope the Bills use these slights as fuel, and play this game with an "out for blood" mentality.

 

They should be looking at the Ravens on the other sideline and thinking this:

 

(okay, maybe this goes too far🤣🤣)

 

 

Go Bills!!!!

[GunnerBill]

4 minutes ago, Richard Noggin said:

 

Looked like the Steelers D had its share of guys making similar business decisions last week, and not even just later in the game. I thought Patrick Queen was downright avoiding contact on at least 2-3 impactful plays. Hamlin, and whoever is at DE opposite Rousseau, need to step up and fill their damned gaps/set their edge Sunday night. 

 

Hoping for a defensive gameplan similar to what the Bills did against the 49ers back in 2020, with some 5 DL/2 LB alignments. Those 2 LBs, Milano and Bernard, would be the lynchpins on those snaps. Have to correctly and quickly diagnose and get to depth (on passes and especially play-action) or get downhill (on runs). Maybe Smoot and Rousseau would rotate through DE and that 3rd DT spot, with Miller and Epenesa also aligning on the other edges.  

 

 

The piece Belichik did on inside the NFL on the Steelers vs the Ravens run game really brought home to me how much this comes down to execution. Pittsburgh had its big guys in there. But they lacked patience, their eye discipline was poor and they were doing way too much guessing. 

 

Remember when Chan Gailey said "plays are more fun that fundamentals, but fundamentals are more important than plays"? He was talking about offense but it applies to defense this week. This game does not come down to "are the Bills in nickel or base?" It will not come down to big people vs little people. It will come down to eye discipline, lane discipline, patience, angles and tackling fundamentals. The coaching that has happened in the classroom and on the training field all week will count for more than whatever Bobby Babich sends into Bernard's helmet each play.

[Scott7975]

9 hours ago, wppete said:

This is great news for tge Bills defense. I don’t think he plays. He hasn’t practiced in 12 days! 

 

Harbaugh did say that he doesnt need to practice this week to play. I think that was a smoke screen though. But I mean, if he knows the offense, he knows the offense.

[DapperCam]

9 minutes ago, Richard Noggin said:

 

Looked like the Steelers D had its share of guys making similar business decisions last week, and not even just later in the game. I thought Patrick Queen was downright avoiding contact on at least 2-3 impactful plays. Hamlin, and whoever is at DE opposite Rousseau, need to step up and fill their damned gaps/set their edge Sunday night. 

 

Hoping for a defensive gameplan similar to what the Bills did against the 49ers back in 2020, with some 5 DL/2 LB alignments. Those 2 LBs, Milano and Bernard, would be the lynchpins on those snaps. Have to correctly and quickly diagnose and get to depth (on passes and especially play-action) or get downhill (on runs). Maybe Smoot and Rousseau would rotate through DE and that 3rd DT spot, with Miller and Epenesa also aligning on the other edges.  

 

In Patrick Queen's defense, he had a terrible illness and got 4 IV bags before the game. I don't know who their backup is, but he probably shouldn't have even been playing. This weekend might come down to who really wants it more. Who is willing to get run over by Henry a few times to make sure he only gets 8 yards instead of 87 yards and a TD.

[Scott7975]

9 hours ago, bills742 said:

It's become completely insufferable, to the point that I don't want to watch or hear any national media. I usually consume everything during a week like this, but it's so one-sided that I'm stunned. It's like we barely snuck into the playoffs and have no business being on the same field. 

 

And I live in the Baltimore area which makes it 10x worse! We have to win because I can't take all the crap the Ravens people will say to me all offseason. 

 

Agree. Its completely one sided from what I have seen thus far and I watch a lot of stuff.

9 hours ago, strive_for_five_guy said:

Right, but he was talking about the Bills and how tough a challenge it is to defend Josh, and then for some reason brought up Lamar being good in the same sentence.  It was just weird, like he couldn’t say Josh was good without saying Lamar is good too.  Most objective observers can appreciate that Lamar has been awesome this year too, but it doesn’t need to be pointed out when discussing topics not involving him.

 

Because Ravens fans would hang the dude. They are ruthless when it comes to Lamar. Say anything good about Josh and they practically send death threats. Some did to Dan O.

[Johnnieo64]

2 hours ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

Question to Bills fans or football fans in general - does anyone get anything useful out of ESPN football analysts besides Orlovsky or Cosell? 
 

Does Mina Kimes say anything about the Bills that fans don’t already know? 

No. Total DEI. Why should I listen to anything she says. How much more does she know than me or anyone else. Anybody can just give their opinion. ESPN has bought into the work culture way too much. I hardly ever watch it anyone. Sad. 

[Beck Water]

35 minutes ago, DapperCam said:

Rewatching the highlights of our first matchup. A few thoughts, with an eye on how we might play differently this time. Warning, this is sort of stream of consciousness.

- Kincaid killed us with a drop on our first drive. We were moving the ball pretty well before that.
- I think in a playoff game, now that we know how dangerous the Ravens offense is, we probably go for it at 4th and 2 at the 50 yard line.
- Douglas majorly wussed out on the big Henry TD. He was in perfect position to get in the way and he 100% made a business decision there.
- Hamlin also should have been in pretty good position to slow Henry down on the TD run, but he took his sweet time getting over there and by then Henry had the angle.
- Two holding penalties on the same set of downs killed the Bills second possession. You can't recover from that. Didn't see a replay to see if they were bogus or not.
- Bills 3rd possession was stalled out on a 3rd and 1. We probably tush push now.
- A recurring theme this game is Spector and Cam Lewis getting picked on. Majority of plays seem to be targeting them.
- They sent an extra blocker to take out Ed Oliver's knees most running plays. They were obviously trying to eliminate him. Not sure how he can counter that, or if other guys just need to step up.
- Morrow wasn't on the field much, but he was noticeably slow and bad. Milano or Bernard in those same spots make stops.
- I'm noticing Casey Toohill getting burned some as well. He isn't even on the roster anymore.
- I just saw a defensive lineup against a big screen play that got a first down where they attacked the side of the field that had Toohill, Cam Lewis, and Spector. Just goes to show how different it will be.
- Ravens 2nd TD targeted Morrow and it looked like was running in sand.
- First drive of the second half the Bills stall out on 3rd and 1. We probably tush push now.
- First big play of the second half for the Ravens, guess who it's targeting? Our buddy Spector.
- Ravens convert a big 3rd and 11. The ball is placed between Cam Lewis and Spector.
- 3rd and 14 and the Ravens convert on a screen pass, wtf. Not exactly sure what happened here. I think a LBer needs to get off their block to prevent this, or Von Miller needs to be a hair less aggressive.
- Ravens 3rd TD targeting Williams in coverage on a wheel route. Decent chance Milano or Bernard can make the play there instead of being 3 steps behind.
- Poor recognition by Allen, or maybe poor play design in 3rd and long on the next Bills drive. Ravens bring the house and there is no hot route, everything is down the field and all the WRs still have their backs turned. Allen has to eat it.
- Bills get a fumble, huge! But on the next drive they are passing on 3rd and 2 and it's broken up. But Harbaugh is an idiot and gifts us a first down by called back-to-back timeouts.
- On the next 3rd and long the Ravens only bring 4 rushers, but steamroll the Bills offensive line. Really bad blocking here.

Okay, I'm not even going to do the second half. It's too upsetting to watch the Bills start to scratch and claw their way back into this game just to throw it all away on a trick play.

TLDR;

- Other than the first big Henry run, almost every big play for the Ravens was targeting a player that isn't even on the roster anymore, or isn't going to see the field much.
- Bills seemed to stall out on 3rd and short a very unusually high percentage. I think they were trying to avoid the middle of the defense. Hopefully they have something figured out here...
- DBs were making business decisions here. Hopefully that won't be true during a playoff game.
- There was very little passing the ball down the field. Everything was around the LOS. Curious to see if that changes in the rematch (I think it will).
- Cam Lewis, Williams, Morrow and Spector occupying the middle of the field basically ensured we had no chance of winning this game.

 

Good analysis.  There's a couple things on offense.  One is, Samuel was just coming back from being off a week and we didn't have Cooper on the roster yet.  Then, Shakir sprained his ankle in the 1st Q and tried to play through it until the 3rd Q.  We had absolutely no one the Ravens were scared of downfield and no one with the velvet hands that Shakir brings over the middle.  So they just flooded the middle of the field with defenders.

I don't know about the OL blocking.  They're the same guys.  I don't know if they hadn't gelled yet or if they'll just prove to be outmatched by the Ravens again.

 

Guess we'll see on Sunday.

[Scott7975]

9 hours ago, Big Turk said:

 

 

I dunno what that is but AWESOME!!!!!

9 hours ago, nbbillsfan said:

I think it is a Big deal if Zay Flowers doesn't play from a scheme/matchup perspective. It feels like with the bills personnel we need to play a bunch of Man with an emphasis on stopping the run. This is hugely problematic with a game breaker like Zay on the field.

 

If Zay does not play, I think the biggest challenge will be stopping the Tight Ends while being stout against the running game.

 

Them not having Zay is us like not having Shakir. IMO he is their most dynamic receiver. They do use their TEs better than we do though. They are both dangerous. Bateman is no slouch. Probably better than all our receivers. I wouldnt say that if we had Cooper from the beginning but we havent and we dont use him much. They also have like 7 300 pound blockers for a HoF running back that can break it to the house at any point and Lamar that can break it to the house at any point. 

 

Losing Zay makes them easier to defend but they still have a ton to defend.

[Low Positive]

10 minutes ago, Special K said:

Everyone bringing up that the Ravens blew out the Bills in week 4, but failing to mention 4 Defensive starters were not playing in that game.

 

Everyone trying to STEAL yet another MVP from Josh Allen and give it to Lamar for "reasons".

 

The absolute insult of a team that is 9-0 at home this year being a home underdog in a PLAYOFF game!!!!!

 

I'm angry as a fan......but if I was a player on the Bills, and my team was being disrespected by the above reasons, I would not just want to win this game, I would want to destroy them.

 

I hope the Bills use these slights as fuel, and play this game with an "out for blood" mentality.

 

They should be looking at the Ravens on the other sideline and thinking this:

 

(okay, maybe this goes too far🤣🤣)

 

 

Go Bills!!!!

They're home dogs because people bet that way, not due to some conspiracy. If the Ravens win, the Chiefs will be home dogs too. The Ravens, with Henry, are seen as unbeatable right now. 

[Beck Water]

2 hours ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

Question to Bills fans or football fans in general - does anyone get anything useful out of ESPN football analysts besides Orlovsky or Cosell? 
 

Does Mina Kimes say anything about the Bills that fans don’t already know? 

 

I mean, that's kind of where it is with most of the analysts on all the networks, right?  Orlovsky, Cosell, Chris Simms sometimes - they know something.

 

The rest of them are just paid to yap.

[benderbender]

We could go the Joe Mixon route and manufacture our own disrespect. 

It was dishonest and not fact checked by anyone. But it worked. 

 

[Scott7975]

8 hours ago, Beck Water said:

"I Wish It Were Colder", Ravens edition

 

It's 33 degrees in Baltimore today

 

8 hours ago, DapperCam said:

Ha, what is even the point of opening the doors? There is no way that comes even close to simulating the conditions.

 

Too risky of injury to practice on frozen fields. Playing a game on one is one thing. Practicing on them is another.

[YattaOkasan]

3 hours ago, Comebackkid said:

i dont want to see cam try to tackle anyone

It was a dumb way of me saying I want to see them drop back passing. I would be shocked if Cam is on the field the same time as Henry in this game.  But would love to see Cam get some run cause we’re up multiple scores late in the game. 

[Scott7975]

8 hours ago, zow2 said:

 

Lamar said he's not going to wear a throwing glove this week.  He did it once and didn't like how it felt.  I'm saying he has no idea how his hand will feel on Sunday evening in that icebox.  Wasn't there a clip on Hard Knocks a few weeks ago where Lamar was complaining about the cold and it was like 35 degrees out. 

 

 

 

Yep I think he is going to regret not practicing with one because I think he gonna be putting one on. His hand is going to be frozen solid.

8 hours ago, Big Turk said:

 

 

"Cornered, surrounded, outgunned....and still wins..."

 

The guy you hear say "if the Bills go to the playoffs, Josh Allen needs to win MVP" is the same guy that argued passionately all season that its Lamar.

[Mike in Horseheads]

4 minutes ago, benderbender said:

We could go the Joe Mixon route and manufacture our own disrespect. 

It was dishonest and not fact checked by anyone. But it worked. 

 

Surprisingly spelled correct

[Scott7975]

8 hours ago, VaMilBill said:

Dang. They practiced outside?

 

I think he just did some stuff outside. Pretty sure they practiced inside.

[Low Positive]

8 minutes ago, benderbender said:

We could go the Joe Mixon route and manufacture our own disrespect. 

It was dishonest and not fact checked by anyone. But it worked. 

 

The Burrow-led Bengals have been the kings of manufactured disrespect. The rest of the team just follows his lead. 

[nbbillsfan]

19 minutes ago, Scott7975 said:

 

I dunno what that is but AWESOME!!!!!

 

Them not having Zay is us like not having Shakir. IMO he is their most dynamic receiver. They do use their TEs better than we do though. They are both dangerous. Bateman is no slouch. Probably better than all our receivers. I wouldnt say that if we had Cooper from the beginning but we havent and we dont use him much. They also have like 7 300 pound blockers for a HoF running back that can break it to the house at any point and Lamar that can break it to the house at any point. 

 

Losing Zay makes them easier to defend but they still have a ton to defend.

100% agreed, I just think them not having Zay gives the bills a clearer strategy on what to prioritize defending.

[Scott7975]

5 hours ago, Real McClappy said:

Really great breakdown / preview by Gruden here. The end is worth the wait....

 

 

 

Love Grudens stuff. Thanks missed this one.

4 hours ago, paulmm3 said:

I was at the game in Baltimore earlier this year and got probably more sh*t talking than any other opposing stadium I have been to. If you're going to this one, do not be hospitable to Ravens fans. You don't need to scream in the faces of little kids or anything, but Ravens fans should not feel welcome or comfortable. 

 

We dont need to stoop to their standards and give ourselves a bad name. We already get a bad name without deserving it.

[Ralonzo]

6 hours ago, eball said:

I realize your name is probably Gordon G but every time I see a post from you I read it as:

 

Gor-DONGGGGGG

 

Sorry bro 😂