The Bills Have a Playoff Problem…But It’s Not Josh Allen (detailed breakdown)

[billsfan714]

Im always amazed at how many young guys started for KC after they re-hauled their secondary a few years ago and other positions on D.  None of that weak Buffalo  sauce about well he's a young guy and still learning, he'll get better hopefully.   No, these get went out and performed.

[90sBills]

1 hour ago, MikePJ76 said:

yes they did and last year they missed a game tying kick with a few minutes to go.

 

now imagine if the defense was injury free and not having to try and protect players and just run their scheme.  They probably would have been running clock in those moments or looking to score to take a 2 score lead and seal the game.

 

 

And this year they couldn’t even get to midfield with their opportunity. You’d like to be injury free in the playoffs but that’s just not realistic. Every team deals with injuries. 
 

What I rather imagine is for one of the most efficient offenses in the league with an elite qb to close out a playoff game when the opportunity presents itself. I know. It’s too much to ask so let’s keep blaming the defense. 

[GunnerBill]

I think we all know it's not Josh. It is that against KC in the playoffs we have not been good enough on defense. Some of that is coaching and gameplan (the plan this year was particularly bad) and some of it is lacking playmakers. Then the last two years at the end on offense when you need a play and you gotta have it... Josh doesn't have that guy. 

[Brand J]

Just now, billsfan714 said:

Im always amazed at how many young guys started for KC after they re-hauled their secondary a few years ago and other positions on D.  None of that weak Buffalo  sauce about well he's a young guy and still learning, he'll get better hopefully.   No, these get went out and performed.

Also makes a difference that they play their rookies and don’t have them sitting behind marginal NFL players (looking at you, Hamlin, Klein, and Dane Jackson).

[GunnerBill]

3 minutes ago, billsfan714 said:

Im always amazed at how many young guys started for KC after they re-hauled their secondary a few years ago and other positions on D.  None of that weak Buffalo  sauce about well he's a young guy and still learning, he'll get better hopefully.   No, these get went out and performed.

 

The difference isn't age. It's talent. They have picked better young guys than we have. McDuffie is better than Elam. Hicks is better than Bishop.

 

You could play Elam and Bishop all you want this past year. They were just bad out there.

Edited 19 hours ago by GunnerBill

[MikePJ76]

2 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

I think we all know it's not Josh. It is that against KC in the playoffs we have not been good enough on defense. Some of that is coaching and gameplan (the plan this year was particularly bad) and some of it is lacking playmakers. Then the last two years at the end on offense when you need a play and you gotta have it... Josh doesn't have that guy. 

The post directly above this one is blaming Josh!  

[billsfan714]

11 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

The difference isn't age. It's talent. They have picked better young guys than we have. McDuffie is better than Elam. Hicks is better than Bishop.

Im not arguing age at all.   Im just saying it was ballsy to run and start with that many young guys.   Something I doubt McD would do.  It was way more than one corner they changed.   I guess Im getting tired of hearing crap like 'he showed flashes", it takes time, when it comes to our young guys.   What i saw from Bishop and Carter was underwhelming.  

Edited 19 hours ago by billsfan714

[90sBills]

2 minutes ago, MikePJ76 said:

The post directly above this one is blaming Josh!  

Seems like you’re a little sensitive relative to Allen if that’s what you took from my post. I’m a Bills fan. I root for Allen because he’s the leader of the team. Some people have it backwards sometimes. 

[GunnerBill]

4 minutes ago, billsfan714 said:

Im not arguing age at all.   Im just saying it was ballsy to run and start with that many young guys.   Something I doubt McD would do.  I guess Im getting tired of hearing crap like 'he showed flashes", it takes time, when it comes to our young guys.   What i saw from Bishop and Carter was underwhelming.

 

McDermott has never been scared to play young guys. Hell he started Christian Benford (a 6th round rookie) week 1. When McDermott doesn't play young guys it is eithet because there is a stud infront of them or because they are not ready. And for those in the latter camp when they get on the field they always struggle. He doesn't play the ones who are not ready to play. 

 

The Bills told you in their end of season pressers they are disappointed with Keon (in a pretty direct way for them) and they hinted they were disappointed in Bishop too. This idea that you just play the guys and they magically become good. It is for the birds.

[SoTier]

1 hour ago, Sweats said:

 

 

 

 

Then perhaps our D depth is the issue cause if a couple of players go down then the whole D ***** the bed?!?........i'm not buying it.

 

Or maybe the Bills have just had a run of bad luck.  Do you really think that the Commanders would have beaten the Lions in the Divisional Round if they don't have 16 players on IR for that game, including their best defender, Aidan Hutchinson?

1 hour ago, Kelly to Allen said:

 

This regime had their guys. Elam and Bishop filling in were very high picks. 

 

Everyone else was healthy. 

 

Untrue.   They didn't have Rapp.  They didn't have Benford.

[FireChans]

1 hour ago, MikePJ76 said:

that is because they had a number of guys who were good enough to fill in and play at wr.

 

more importantly, the injury to rice didn't happen the week before, it happened months ago and he didn't play basically the whole year.

 

Apples and Oranges.  Had rice gone out vs houston and then worthy also and they didn't have hopkins then you could make this statement.  

 

Rice had nothing to do with the game played a few weeks ago.  

Chiefs offense in 2024 - 15th in points, 16th in yards.

 

Highest point total in 2024 - AFCCG against the Bills.

 

Man, did KC never play a game against a team with defensive injuries? Nuts.

[SinceThe70s]

1 hour ago, Sweats said:

D wins championships and i don't see how anyone can even argue this anymore.........McD and Beane need to get their house in order and start producing a championship D if we ever want to see a SB.

 

1 hour ago, Sweats said:

 

 

 

 

The injury excuse is getting old and stale........every team has injuries come playoff time, but it only seems to be a Bills problem.

 

Like, come on......

 

Beane took his swing - and missed - with an an aging Von Miller. In the games before Von's injury the defense looked formidable. 

 

And unless you think the Lions chances of winning a SB this year wasn't seriously compromised by injuries then perhaps its just a Bills problem.

 

 

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

Agree the issue isn't Allen, it's the defense and that needs to improve.  But also shows for everyone who wants coaching changes, the Bills have been the 2nd best team over the past 5 years and that does say something.  It also indicates that there's a very small window with changing coaches and improving as there's very little room.

 

So of the 6 teams to make a SB appearance or better are from the NFC which is pretty wide open, every year it's spin the wheel as to who goes that far it seems.  A couple teams may have 2 points on the wheel.

 

This article could have been titled the NFL has a playoff problem as the Chiefs are the outlier.  Unfortunately for the Bills and the rest of the AFC, they have to get through KC.  But for many also get through Buffalo too.

[finn]

13 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

I think we all know it's not Josh. It is that against KC in the playoffs we have not been good enough on defense. Some of that is coaching and gameplan (the plan this year was particularly bad) and some of it is lacking playmakers. Then the last two years at the end on offense when you need a play and you gotta have it... Josh doesn't have that guy. 

The facts speak for themselves: Allen has been carrying a deeply mediocre team. Replace him with, say, Tua, and you have just another 8-9 team that misses the playoffs. Alternatively, put him on any other 2024 playoff team and he wins the Super Bowl.

 

Beane and McDermott are wasting a generational talent in front of our eyes. 

[FireChans]

6 minutes ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

 

Beane took his swing - and missed - with an an aging Von Miller. In the games before Von's injury the defense looked formidable. 

 

And unless you think the Lions chances of winning a SB this year wasn't seriously compromised by injuries then perhaps its just a Bills problem.

 

 

If the Lions get bounced the next 3 years in a row by the Commanders, I don’t think anyone will be saying “everyone is great, it’s just the injuries.” Lol

[SinceThe70s]

1 minute ago, FireChans said:

If the Lions get bounced the next 3 years in a row by the Commanders, I don’t think anyone will be saying “everyone is great, it’s just the injuries.” Lol

 

So you don't think the Lions injuries had anything to do with how their season turned out?

[GunnerBill]

8 minutes ago, finn said:

The facts speak for themselves: Allen has been carrying a deeply mediocre team. Replace him with, say, Tua, and you have just another 8-9 team that misses the playoffs. Alternatively, put him on any other 2024 playoff team and he wins the Super Bowl.

 

Beane and McDermott are wasting a generational talent in front of our eyes. 

 

See with that I disagree. Tua on this team the Bills still win the AFCE unless you are putting Josh on the Dolphins in return. They probably lose in the first round of the playoffs though. 

[uticaclub]

Defense and coaching is absolutely terrible in the playoffs. Theres dozens of over threads discussing this

[MikePJ76]

1 hour ago, Kelly to Allen said:

 

Kc had all rookies in the secondary in the 22 AFC championship and held burrow, chase and Higgins to 20 pts ...

 

Numerous other examples 

Rookies playing and your starters injured is not the same thing.  Very different actually.

 

 

[uticaclub]

2 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

See with that I disagree. Tua on this team the Bills still win the AFCE unless you are putting Josh on the Dolphins in return. They probably lose in the first round of the playoffs though. 

We would challenge Tennessee for the top pick with Tua