Buffalo Bills 2023 Thread

[SUFan44]

I was at the game yesterday. Great game to be at, terrible result obviously. Haven't read the thread but wanted to contribute my thoughts.

First half couldn't have gone better, except for we should have been up by at least two touchdowns. Only being up 10 after dominating them yardage-wise was a problem.

Josh Allen was by far the best player on the field. It wasn't even close. And every single time he converted on 3rd down, you could see the Eagles fans slump lower and lower. It was so fantastic to witness. It just really sucks that wasn't a win like it should have been.

Referees were atrocious all game. There was one play early in the game where a PI (I believe on Davis) wasn't called, even though the official was standing RIGHT THERE. It was so awful. One of many. OT drop/fumble was much closer than I thought at first live -- it looked pretty clearly like it was a pass breakup - but after watching the replay, it was very, very close. Much closer than the 2 second review made it out to be.

Eagles fans were overall fine - I was going at them pretty aggressively and they were giving it right back. It was a fun one. Except for the end of course. After the game, there was a Bills fan standing by a concession area waiting for a friend I presume, when an obliterated Eagles fan starts screaming in her face "YOU SUCK, YOUR TEAM IS CRAP" etc., except not crap. Unnecessary and a reason why Eagles fans get the rep they do. I'm not surprised the two DL went after the fan - security didn't do anything all night to anyone.

Last thing - my daughter is 4 and we live in Eagles country. It has been my life's work to make her into a Bills fan, against all odds down here. But I think it is sticking (maybe she'll hate me for it, I don't know). When I was putting her to bed tonight, I asked if she watched the game with her mom, and she said yes, and kind of had a sad look on her face. I told her that I was proud of the way they played, and they did their best (sans McDermott, but that's another story). That's all that you can ask for.

Then she said, as she put her head down on her pillow, in the perfect four year old voice "I just wish they could win a championship".

Don't we all.

 

[shandeezy7]

There are and the Bills are losing close games too much, but I don't think they're losing that many close games if that makes sense.

Idk this doesn't seem great:

Here are the numbers on the trend. The Bills are 2-6 this season in one-score games. They were 7-3 in one-score games last year, 0-6 in 2021, 6-1 in 2020, 4-6 in 2019, 3-3 in 2018 and 6-3 in 2017. Those records all include the playoffs. The totals: 28-28 under Sean McDermott. The Bills are 0-6 in overtime since 2020.

It is frustrating. Since 2020, Kansas City is 29-11 in one-score games.

Three questions: Where loss ranks on Bills Mafia Pain Meter? One score games? Now what?

Mark Gaughan answers three questions on his mind after the Buffalo Bills' 37-34 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

buffalonews.com

 

[syrBossHogg]

Idk this doesn't seem great:

Here are the numbers on the trend. The Bills are 2-6 this season in one-score games. They were 7-3 in one-score games last year, 0-6 in 2021, 6-1 in 2020, 4-6 in 2019, 3-3 in 2018 and 6-3 in 2017. Those records all include the playoffs. The totals: 28-28 under Sean McDermott. The Bills are 0-6 in overtime since 2020.

It is frustrating. Since 2020, Kansas City is 29-11 in one-score games.

Three questions: Where loss ranks on Bills Mafia Pain Meter? One score games? Now what?

Mark Gaughan answers three questions on his mind after the Buffalo Bills' 37-34 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

buffalonews.com

.500, not great but not awful

 

[upperdeck]

.500, not great but not awful

is the 1 score losses to NE and the Jets that killed this team.

 

[shandeezy7]

.500, not great but not awful

.500 for a supposed Super Bowl contender is bad, thought. Especially when you compare it against that KC number.

 

[syrBossHogg]

.500 for a supposed Super Bowl contender is bad, thought. Especially when you compare it against that KC number.

I'll deep dive into this later, looking at just one score results can be muddy since it may lack context of the games themselves. Like the Bills get credit for a one score win vs the Bucs this year, but they were in control for most of that game so was it really a one score win? The Chiefs record in these games is great, but is it really impressive if a lot of those wins are against a crappy AFC West team?

 

[NineOneSeven]

Really think Buffalo has to win out.

 

[chugg21]

Really think Buffalo has to win out.

Definitely do not need to win out. 4-1 would do the job.

 

[DannyRichD2]

6-11 should get us in

 

[NineOneSeven]

Definitely do not need to win out. 4-1 would do the job.

It’s possible, but it’s absolutely not certain. Several teams could and probably will finish 10-7 and have tiebreakers.

 

[shandeezy7]

It’s possible, but it’s absolutely not certain. Several teams could and probably will finish 10-7 and have tiebreakers.

Yeah 10-7 feels like it would leave too many tiebreakers that we would likely lose based on our losses to AFC teams. It's why 4-1 but that one loss is to Dallas ups our odds over if that one loss is to KC or Miami, etc.

 

[syrBossHogg]

Definitely do not need to win out. 4-1 would do the job.

Has to be all AFC wins, per NYT that would give them a 62% to make it. Still need help but there's a lot of football left

 

[bpo57]

I was at the game yesterday. Great game to be at, terrible result obviously. Haven't read the thread but wanted to contribute my thoughts.

First half couldn't have gone better, except for we should have been up by at least two touchdowns. Only being up 10 after dominating them yardage-wise was a problem.

Josh Allen was by far the best player on the field. It wasn't even close. And every single time he converted on 3rd down, you could see the Eagles fans slump lower and lower. It was so fantastic to witness. It just really sucks that wasn't a win like it should have been.

Referees were atrocious all game. There was one play early in the game where a PI (I believe on Davis) wasn't called, even though the official was standing RIGHT THERE. It was so awful. One of many. OT drop/fumble was much closer than I thought at first live -- it looked pretty clearly like it was a pass breakup - but after watching the replay, it was very, very close. Much closer than the 2 second review made it out to be.

Eagles fans were overall fine - I was going at them pretty aggressively and they were giving it right back. It was a fun one. Except for the end of course. After the game, there was a Bills fan standing by a concession area waiting for a friend I presume, when an obliterated Eagles fan starts screaming in her face "YOU SUCK, YOUR TEAM IS CRAP" etc., except not crap. Unnecessary and a reason why Eagles fans get the rep they do. I'm not surprised the two DL went after the fan - security didn't do anything all night to anyone.

Last thing - my daughter is 4 and we live in Eagles country. It has been my life's work to make her into a Bills fan, against all odds down here. But I think it is sticking (maybe she'll hate me for it, I don't know). When I was putting her to bed tonight, I asked if she watched the game with her mom, and she said yes, and kind of had a sad look on her face. I told her that I was proud of the way they played, and they did their best (sans McDermott, but that's another story). That's all that you can ask for.

Then she said, as she put her head down on her pillow, in the perfect four year old voice "I just wish they could win a championship".

Don't we all.

Was at the game as well. Been an Eagles' season ticketholder for 20 years (since the Linc opened) so I am interested in your perspective as a visiting fan.

100% agree with your assessment that Allen was the best player on the field. A few bad throws but overall thought he was outstanding.

Would agree that Philly def got the benefit of some close calls though I thought the right call was made on the AJ Brown catch/fumble and the Hurts throw that was not ruled a fumble. But there were def a few key PIs that should have been called on Philly. On the other hand the roughing the passer call on Morrow (#41) against Allen during OT was a bad call as a very slight shove led to a flop by Josh that would have made an EPL player jealous. That was a big call. One other call that was bad was when Phillips jumped into the neutral zone on the first tush push and absolutely crushed Jurgens across from him. No way to determine intent but that looked intentional. Either way that should have been unnecessary roughness.

Speaking of Phillips - my seats are behind the Buffalo bench - he was jawing with fans all game long. Not worth it. He should just focus on the game.

Eagles fans can def be obnoxious but I haven't seen a fight in that stadium in well over a decade. One probable reason for that is that opposing fans are aware of the rep of Philly fans and tend to tread lightly. The only time I see real tension is when Dallas comes to town. Natives def get restless. There were several Bills fans in my section and there were no issues at all. I think Philly fans turn on their team way too quickly. They booed them off the field at halftime. Yeah they played poorly but c'mon they were 9-1. Idiots.

 

[BuffOrange]

I'll deep dive into this later, looking at just one score results can be muddy since it may lack context of the games themselves. Like the Bills get credit for a one score win vs the Bucs this year, but they were in control for most of that game so was it really a one score win? The Chiefs record in these games is great, but is it really impressive if a lot of those wins are against a crappy AFC West team?

I suspect you'll see they're below .500 after you adjust for that context. There are more of the Bucs games (2020 especially games in Miami & Vegas they sealed with onside kick recoveries) than there are of the reverse.

 

[BuffOrange]

I was at the game yesterday. Great game to be at, terrible result obviously. Haven't read the thread but wanted to contribute my thoughts.

First half couldn't have gone better, except for we should have been up by at least two touchdowns. Only being up 10 after dominating them yardage-wise was a problem.

Josh Allen was by far the best player on the field. It wasn't even close. And every single time he converted on 3rd down, you could see the Eagles fans slump lower and lower. It was so fantastic to witness. It just really sucks that wasn't a win like it should have been.

Referees were atrocious all game. There was one play early in the game where a PI (I believe on Davis) wasn't called, even though the official was standing RIGHT THERE. It was so awful. One of many. OT drop/fumble was much closer than I thought at first live -- it looked pretty clearly like it was a pass breakup - but after watching the replay, it was very, very close. Much closer than the 2 second review made it out to be.

Eagles fans were overall fine - I was going at them pretty aggressively and they were giving it right back. It was a fun one. Except for the end of course. After the game, there was a Bills fan standing by a concession area waiting for a friend I presume, when an obliterated Eagles fan starts screaming in her face "YOU SUCK, YOUR TEAM IS CRAP" etc., except not crap. Unnecessary and a reason why Eagles fans get the rep they do. I'm not surprised the two DL went after the fan - security didn't do anything all night to anyone.

Last thing - my daughter is 4 and we live in Eagles country. It has been my life's work to make her into a Bills fan, against all odds down here. But I think it is sticking (maybe she'll hate me for it, I don't know). When I was putting her to bed tonight, I asked if she watched the game with her mom, and she said yes, and kind of had a sad look on her face. I told her that I was proud of the way they played, and they did their best (sans McDermott, but that's another story). That's all that you can ask for.

Then she said, as she put her head down on her pillow, in the perfect four year old voice "I just wish they could win a championship".

Don't we all.

I was there as well. Eagle fans were alright. Totally felt the bolded part. The "thirrrd dowwwn" announcer sounded so lame after a while because they knew they couldn't stop him.
A lot like :13, the faces of defeat and helplessness in that stadium after the "game winning" TD...
Smash cut to the current "not clutch" narrative you see from mouth-breathers due to epic McD chokes or 60yd FGs that would have a 0.0% chance of being made vs a charm'd team like Pittsburgh. It's not fair man.

 

[BuffOrange]

Was at the game as well. Been an Eagles' season ticketholder for 20 years (since the Linc opened) so I am interested in your perspective as a visiting fan.

100% agree with your assessment that Allen was the best player on the field. A few bad throws but overall thought he was outstanding.

Would agree that Philly def got the benefit of some close calls though I thought the right call was made on the AJ Brown catch/fumble and the Hurts throw that was not ruled a fumble. But there were def a few key PIs that should have been called on Philly. On the other hand the roughing the passer call on Morrow (#41) against Allen during OT was a bad call as a very slight shove led to a flop by Josh that would have made an EPL player jealous. That was a big call. One other call that was bad was when Phillips jumped into the neutral zone on the first tush push and absolutely crushed Jurgens across from him. No way to determine intent but that looked intentional. Either way that should have been unnecessary roughness.

Speaking of Phillips - my seats are behind the Buffalo bench - he was jawing with fans all game long. Not worth it. He should just focus on the game.

Eagles fans can def be obnoxious but I haven't seen a fight in that stadium in well over a decade. One probable reason for that is that opposing fans are aware of the rep of Philly fans and tend to tread lightly. The only time I see real tension is when Dallas comes to town. Natives def get restless. There were several Bills fans in my section and there were no issues at all. I think Philly fans turn on their team way too quickly. They booed them off the field at halftime. Yeah they played poorly but c'mon they were 9-1. Idiots.

It's tougher to assess refs live imo, the only replay they ever showed was the Hurtz fumble/incompletion Lol I assume the 801 replays they didn't show weren't as convenient for the home team.
The Roughing call was lame but it was a 4yd completion on 2nd&10, not like it was a 3rd down sack.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Was at the game as well. Been an Eagles' season ticketholder for 20 years (since the Linc opened) so I am interested in your perspective as a visiting fan.

100% agree with your assessment that Allen was the best player on the field. A few bad throws but overall thought he was outstanding.

Would agree that Philly def got the benefit of some close calls though I thought the right call was made on the AJ Brown catch/fumble and the Hurts throw that was not ruled a fumble. But there were def a few key PIs that should have been called on Philly. On the other hand the roughing the passer call on Morrow (#41) against Allen during OT was a bad call as a very slight shove led to a flop by Josh that would have made an EPL player jealous. That was a big call. One other call that was bad was when Phillips jumped into the neutral zone on the first tush push and absolutely crushed Jurgens across from him. No way to determine intent but that looked intentional. Either way that should have been unnecessary roughness.

Speaking of Phillips - my seats are behind the Buffalo bench - he was jawing with fans all game long. Not worth it. He should just focus on the game.

Eagles fans can def be obnoxious but I haven't seen a fight in that stadium in well over a decade. One probable reason for that is that opposing fans are aware of the rep of Philly fans and tend to tread lightly. The only time I see real tension is when Dallas comes to town. Natives def get restless. There were several Bills fans in my section and there were no issues at all. I think Philly fans turn on their team way too quickly. They booed them off the field at halftime. Yeah they played poorly but c'mon they were 9-1. Idiots.

The officiating was the worst all season that I've seen, without question. For 1 pro team to have 10 penalties in a half, compared to 1 for the other, is essentially impossible.

The worst call being the intentional grounding (it wasn't), AFTER the obvious horse collar was missed. That completely changed the entire game because it almost certainly eliminated points. Right in front of an official. And tackling a QB. Stuff like that is what people go to when they say the NFL is rigged (and I am not one of those people at all).

 

[bpo57]

It's tougher to assess refs live imo, the only replay they ever showed was the Hurtz fumble/incompletion Lol I assume the 801 replays they didn't show weren't as convenient for the home team.
The Roughing call was lame but it was a 4yd completion on 2nd&10, not like it was a 3rd down sack.

True but 15 yards further into Philly territory (and into FG range) is helpful.

You make a good point about replay in the stadium. I don't know how it is in other stadiums but at the Linc they often will not show a replay if it is beneficial for the visitor. This is really annoying when it's an automatic replay related to a TD, turnover, etc. Not like withholding that from the visiting team is going to matter.

 

[bpo57]

The officiating was the worst all season that I've seen, without question. For 1 pro team to have 10 penalties in a half, compared to 1 for the other, is essentially impossible.

The worst call being the intentional grounding (it wasn't), AFTER the obvious horse collar was missed. That completely changed the entire game because it almost certainly eliminated points. Right in front of an official. And tackling a QB. Stuff like that is what people go to when they say the NFL is rigged (and I am not one of those people at all).

It was actually both - an intentional grounding and a horse collar. Should have been offsetting penalties.

 

[NineOneSeven]

It was actually both - an intentional grounding and a horse collar. Should have been offsetting penalties.

It wasn't a grounding.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

I'll deep dive into this later, looking at just one score results can be muddy since it may lack context of the games themselves. Like the Bills get credit for a one score win vs the Bucs this year, but they were in control for most of that game so was it really a one score win? The Chiefs record in these games is great, but is it really impressive if a lot of those wins are against a crappy AFC West team?

Not much of a deep dive needed. Not all one score games are equal. We’ve managed to lose FOUR games in about half a year where we’ve had a lead with under 2 minutes. Could have easily been 5 vs the giants

 

[bpo57]

It wasn't a grounding.

We disagree.

Dean Blandino has an excellent breakdown of the entire play on the web. He said clear horse collar and clear grounding. Josh threw the ball about five feet. There was nobody near the ball and he didn't get the ball back to the line of scrimmage.

 

[syrBossHogg]

Not much of a deep dive needed. Not all one score games are equal. We’ve managed to lose FOUR games in about half a year where we’ve had a lead with under 2 minutes. Could have easily been 5 vs the giants

I'm not finished but this is what I was getting at

Here is the combined record of the teams the Bills beat in 2022 in a "one score" game (regular season only)

56-46

Here is the combined record of the teams the Chiefs beat in 2022 in a "one score" game (regular season) only

36-65

I also looked at the Chiefs regular season in 2021, the combined record of the teams they beat in a one score game was 41-44, including a win over a 13-4 Packers team that was missing MVP Aaron Rodgers due to COVID.

This isn't a great way to examine it and I'm going off purely final box scores, but my point is the Chiefs "one score" overall record doesn't look as good when you look at the teams they've beaten.

 

[ForCuseSake]

The officiating was the worst all season that I've seen, without question. For 1 pro team to have 10 penalties in a half, compared to 1 for the other, is essentially impossible.

The worst call being the intentional grounding (it wasn't), AFTER the obvious horse collar was missed. That completely changed the entire game because it almost certainly eliminated points. Right in front of an official. And tackling a QB. Stuff like that is what people go to when they say the NFL is rigged (and I am not one of those people at all).

Gabe Davis, the WR who missed chipping Reddick on the line, is a few yards away from where the pass hit the ground.

That alone should’ve negated the grounding. I’ve seen nobody explain how an eligible receiver less than 5 yards away from where the ball hits the ground didn’t matter in this call.

How many times has a QB thrown a blown up screen play into the ground well before the RB/WR feet.

Those passes aren’t required to make it back to the LOS because the presence of an eligible receiver.

That play looked like that to me.

 

[bpo57]

Gabe Davis, the WR who missed chipping Reddick on the line, is a few yards away from where the pass hit the ground.

That alone should’ve negated the grounding. I’ve seen nobody explain how an eligible receiver less than 5 yards away from where the ball hits the ground didn’t matter in this call.

How many times has a QB thrown a blown up screen play into the ground well before the RB/WR feet.

Those passes aren’t required to make it back to the LOS because the presence of an eligible receiver.

That play looked like that to me.

If Allen had advanced the ball more than a few feet then grounding wouldn't have been called but he didn't get it anywhere near Davis' feet. Allen was on about the 16 yard line when he let go of the ball. Davis was on the ten yard line and the throw barely passed the 15 yard line. The horse collar was missed and a few PIs weren't called on Philly that should have been called. Overall Philly clearly got more calls their way than Buffalo. But the grounding call wasn't one of them imo.

There is also a difference between a QB that is upright quickly aborting a screen with a throw at the intended receiver's feet and a QB inches from getting sacked who wildly dumps the ball on the ground.