AFC Championship Game Week Thread - Bills at Chiefs

[Carptom1]

36 minutes ago, Buffalo4Life01 said:

Just took a quick peek at The Chiefs message board.  Here is a snippet of one fan's post and this really seems to embody what 75% of the fans on that website think about Sunday's game.  They are expecting KC to blow us out.  The funny thing is, all they dare to bring up is the players they were missing for that game.  They don't mention the bevy of key players Buffalo was missing which includes Keon Coleman, Dalton Kincaid, and Spencer Brown.

Anyways, here is some content from their board.  Enjoy and Go Bills!!!!

 

"Guys, Buffalo beat us last time because Shakir and Cooper owned Conner and Johnson.

Having Josh Williams playing good ball, having Watson back and McDuffie being able to play the slot on Shakir is a HUGE difference.

Then you talk about adding Omenihu to the pass rush.

Then you add Pacheco and Hollywood to the offense.

Wanya Morris isn’t lining up at LT this time.

Kelce looked ancient in the first matchup and was possessed Saturday…

They had NO ANSWER for Xavier Worthy in the first matchup, and you KNOW he will have a chip on his shoulder because of the draft.

Buffalo is going to get beat by 2 scores and we will have a chance to blow them out if Pat is sharp out there."

 

"I mean, don’t get me wrong, if we are that strong against the run AND we get a serious boost from having Jaylen back in the lineup.. yeah, that’s grounds for us giving them an ass beating."

 

 

And here is one poster already looking ahead to playing the Eagles in the Super Bowl:

 

 

"Anyone know how the Bills defensive scheme compares to the Eagles?

If they are dramatically different, we might be seeing a situation where Andy can empty his bag ENTIRELY on Buffalo.

Vic Fangio is Philly's DC now and has had success against Mahomes, albeit unable to beat him" 
 

I have lived in the Kansas City area my entire life and have been a Chiefs fan since the early 70’s. Don’t judge us real fans by the shitshow in that message board. Most of them came on board about the time Mahomes got here and I suspect many will leave when this run is over. Anyone who thinks this game will be a blowout either way is delusional. Each team has flaws and it will come down to who exploits them the best. I suspect it will be close in the 27-24 range. If you guys win I hope you go on to win the Super Bowl as no fan base deserves it more.

[Negan]

They're starting Joe Thuney at tackle.  He's a good guard, but God he's not a good left tackle.  Our DE's need to eat him alive on Sunday.

[Buffalo4Life01]

5 minutes ago, Carptom1 said:

I have lived in the Kansas City area my entire life and have been a Chiefs fan since the early 70’s. Don’t judge us real fans by the shitshow in that message board. Most of them came on board about the time Mahomes got here and I suspect many will leave when this run is over. Anyone who thinks this game will be a blowout either way is delusional. Each team has flaws and it will come down to who exploits them the best. I suspect it will be close in the 27-24 range. If you guys win I hope you go on to win the Super Bowl as no fan base deserves it more.

Classy post and much respect for you and the Chiefs.  May the best team win on Sunday!

Go Bills!!!!

[Beck Water]

1 hour ago, mjt328 said:

If you want to know what happened with Stefon Diggs, just look at Amari Cooper's production.

He is currently in the spot that Diggs would have been occupying.

 

Last year, Diggs saw his usage/numbers completely fall off a cliff when Joe Brady took over as coordinator.  He clearly saw the writing on the wall that it was going to be the same in 2024, and he wanted no part of it.  The offense was shifting into a more balanced attack, more checkdowns, less downfield passing and most importantly, no more forcing him the ball.  

 

Based on how Brandon Beane approached free agency and the cheap compensation we got back, I don't think he ever planned on trading him. Diggs forced his way out the door.  The Bills were mostly willing to deal with the temper tantrums, cryptic posts, blow-ups and degrading relationship with his quarterback.  They excused his toxic behavior as just being an emotional player who really wanted to win.  

 

As the year has progressed, I think we are now seeing Diggs exit as a blessing in disguise.  Despite his talent, his attitude was a cancer to the locker room.  There were moments when we missed his ability early in the year, but Cooper has now filled that role.  He is perfectly happy to draw away defensive coverage, and just make the clutch plays when he's called upon.  Doesn't need 100 catches and 1200 yards receiving.  Just wants a ring.

 

 

There's a bit more to unpack there I think.  Some media guys who know ball, like Greg Cosell, were saying that Diggs simply wasn't a #1 WR in the league any more by the end of last season (in terms of his ability to release and his speed downfield).  Whether he started the season that way and physically wore down, can't say. 

But it's a fact that by the end of 2022 under Dorsey and with Diggs being force-fed (for example) we weren't seeing the production the latter half of the season.  Was that Allen's UCL?  Was that Diggs wearing down?  Dunno - but Diggs started the season with 7 of 9 games being over (or close to) 100 yds.  He finished the season with 2 of 7.  And that's under Dorsey.

 

Last season under Brady, Diggs was still targeted 11 times each against Philly and KC.  He caught 6 (55%) and 4 (36%)

Some posters here with some connections were saying it was an "open secret" as far back as the Senior Bowl last year that the Bills were trying to trade Stefon Diggs.

As far as Amari Cooper goes, I think the Bills expected to get more production from him albeit not "Diggs as a focal point" levels.  Out of his 8 games with us, he's had 4 over 50 yds and I think that's what the Bills were banking on, 3-4 receptions a game for 50+ yds.  He has missed 3 games, 2 with injury and returned playing in a cast.  I do wonder if he's still dealing with nagging injuries that are slowing him down.  

 

Or maybe at age 30, like a lot of players, he's finding that all the bruises and dings add up during the season.

 

It's hard to tell from the televised broadcast, but I believe I've seen him open at times when Josh went elsewhere with the ball.  The throw to Shakir over the middle of the field vs the Ravens, wasn't Cooper beating his guy down the R sideline?

Edited 7 hours ago by Beck Water

[That's No Moon]

I just noticed that Grable was dressed over Van Demark last week. Was Van Demark hurt or was that coaches choice? 

[Toledo Bill]

2 hours ago, buffblue said:

Not that it matters, but it's legitimately funny how much Maurice Jones-Drew seems to dislike the Bills. I've never seen him pick Buffalo or say one positive thing about them lol. He's on a Keyshawn level of hate. Seth Wickersham from ESPN is similar in his weekly picks as well. He consistently goes against Buffalo no matter the opponent. Of course, I'm pretty sure he's a Pats fan.

MJD is an ignorant clown

[billieve420]

First game against KC too many 3rd and longs for my liking. Puts a lot of pressure on the QB to convert. Need to get the running game established which should open up the passing game. Would like to see Brady use the RBs more in the passing game this go around.

[SCBills]

Actually surprised at the legitimate Bills/Chiefs discussion on First Take today.  

 

SAS & Saturday saying the pressure is on Allen, but acknowledging that he's always stepped up against Mahomes.  Mad Dog (correctly) pointing out how this game is pressure packed for McDermott, because it's been our Defense & Coaching that has let us down against this team in the past. 

 

All in all, a decent conversation, especially for ESPN.  Probably because Mad Dog and Jeff Saturday are actually intelligent football analysts and not biased cheerleaders like RC and Cam. 

[finn]

I'm tuning out the media coverage about the KC game just like I did for the Baltimore game, but I'm still curious. Are the talking heads picking KC? And did most of them pick Baltimore? 

[Straight Hucklebuck]

12 minutes ago, That's No Moon said:

I just noticed that Grable was dressed over Van Demark last week. Was Van Demark hurt or was that coaches choice? 

Grable won the swing tackle job out of camp, had a groin injury that put him on IR for a large chunk of the season, as has since reclaimed his roster position. 

[Logic]

12 minutes ago, That's No Moon said:

I just noticed that Grable was dressed over Van Demark last week. Was Van Demark hurt or was that coaches choice? 

They've been dressing Grable over a healthy Van Demark for a few weeks now. He seems to have overtaken him on the depth chart.

It is my hope that Grable can be the heir apparent to Dion Dawkins after the 2027 season. He's a dude.

[Beck Water]

16 minutes ago, That's No Moon said:

I just noticed that Grable was dressed over Van Demark last week. Was Van Demark hurt or was that coaches choice? 

 

Van Demark wasn't on the injury report. 

Of course the injury report ends Friday, there's always the chance he developed an illness on Friday night or something.

Edit: Van Demark was inactive for the Denver game as well, so not illness.
 

Edited 7 hours ago by Beck Water

[Straight Hucklebuck]

Just now, SCBills said:

Actually surprised at the legitimate Bills/Chiefs discussion on First Take today.  

 

SAS & Saturday saying the pressure is on Allen, but acknowledging that he's always stepped up against Mahomes.  Mad Dog (correctly) pointing out how this game is pressure packed for McDermott, because it's been our Defense & Coaching that has let us down against this team in the past. 

 

All in all, a decent conversation, especially for ESPN.  Probably because Mad Dog and Jeff Saturday are actually intelligent football analysts and not biased cheerleaders like RC and Cam. 

RC, Cam, Stephen A, Shannon, Foxsworth, Taylor are all still running with the Lamar got robbed segments. 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

6 minutes ago, billieve420 said:

First game against KC too many 3rd and longs for my liking. Puts a lot of pressure on the QB to convert. Need to get the running game established which should open up the passing game. Would like to see Brady use the RBs more in the passing game this go around.

agreed. People forget that Josh made some unreal like 3rd and 9 conversions last time around. That is not sustainable. We can’t be in 2nd and 11’s all the time this game, and definitely can’t be running on 2nd and long. 

[Beck Water]

4 minutes ago, Logic said:

They've been dressing Grable over a healthy Van Demark for a few weeks now. He seems to have overtaken him on the depth chart.

It is my hope that Grable can be the heir apparent to Dion Dawkins after the 2027 season. He's a dude.

 

Just playoffs.  Regular season it was Van Demark still active last 2 games.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

Is this the game the national media starts making this Andy Reid vs Sean McDermott?

 

There is so much history between these two coaches but for whatever reason they kind of ignore it. 

[Process]

This whole Milano situation is so strange and makes very little sense. I had seen McDermotts comments but just saw Babichs response. The way they both responded makes it seems like he took himself out of the game, which is hard to believe. Very curious to see if he is practicing today. 

[Carptom1]

5 minutes ago, billieve420 said:

First game against KC too many 3rd and longs for my liking. Puts a lot of pressure on the QB to convert. Need to get the running game established which should open up the passing game. Would like to see Brady use the RBs more in the passing game this go around.

This would concern me more than anything. Our safeties and cornerbacks are as good as any. Where we struggle is covering backs and TE’s . I suspect that this will be a big part of the Bills game plan. Those throws are going to get out quickly before any pressure gets there.

 

 

[Warriorspikes51]

1 minute ago, Process said:

This whole Milano situation is so strange and makes very little sense. I had seen McDermotts comments but just saw Babichs response. The way they both responded makes it seems like he took himself out of the game, which is hard to believe. Very curious to see if he is practicing today. 

 

Maybe he had a stomach issue.....? 

[Logic]

5 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

Just playoffs.  Regular season it was Van Demark still active last 2 games.

Have to wonder if Grable was still working his way back from injury.

Either way, the fact that Grable is active over Van Demark in the PLAYOFFS speaks even louder volumes.

For this Bills staff to willingly make a 6th round rookie active over a third year player in the playoffs, they must like and trust him, and he must have truly and genuinely beat out the competition.