Buffalo Bills 2025 Thread | Page 94 | Syracusefan.com

Buffalo Bills 2025 Thread

JeremyCuse said:
From a playoff perspective here's where we stand with 2 weeks to go.

Were currently the 6th seed as we have the same record as the Chargers but they hold some random tiebreaker. The Texans have the 7th seed.

Houston is at the Chargers on Saturday. So obviously one of them is going to fall back a game. If your Buffalo you get the break of seeing who wins on Sat and then depending on who you prefer to face in the 1st round you can see how much the Eagles game means.

Let's assume the Chargers win, under that scenario Buffalo can do no worse then the 6th seed unless they somehow lose out. The bad news in that scenario is that if we lose to Philly we have no shot at the 5 seed as the Chargers would then be a game up and have the tiebreaker so Week 18 would come down to the 6th or 7th seed.

In a scenario where the Texans win the Philly game takes on massive importance. A win would give us the 5 seed and all we would need to do is beat the Jets to lock that in vs Pitt. If the Texans win and we lose were in the 7th seed by virtue of the tiebreakers with both teams.

Going into Week 18 the Chargers at Denver with Denver needing a win for the 1 overall seed. I'd like to think they are going to win that game so again that would bump Buffalo back up to the 6th seed (assuming Hou beats the Colts).

I think it's highly probable were looking at the 6th seed and at Jaxville for the WC round of the playoffs unless we win out which if that occurs were highly likely to get the 5th seed as we only need the Chargers to lose one of the next two which seems highly likely.
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Eric15 said:
I can't even imagine what the tailgating scene will be like with Eagles and Bills fans coming together. I would probably activate the National Guard to be on the safe side.
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Well the Bills are the only team in NYS. Do you know what New York State's motto is? Excelsior.
 
Miami is a disaster right now. Only way it could happen is if Achane runs for 3 long TD's and Drake Maye has a stomach bug. There's no way NE is losing the rest of the way, and therefore the Bills I think are resigned to the 5-6-7 seed.

That being said, the Bills are a disaster right now. The offense has zero consistency at WR, which makes it damn near impossible for Allen to gain any sort of comfortability. Add to that the drops lately, and his misses (which every QB has, but are really heightened due to the small margin for error), and it's a dreary outlook even though the running game and running back are elite.

Defense is certainly a talent issue, but it's also scheme as well. How can you just sit back and play zone against that team? Did they just want to run vanilla stuff as to not get anything on tape for future games? I'm not sure how it will all play out in the playoffs, but I do know that allowing TD drives to start every single game is not a recipe for any success.
 
SUFan44 said:
Miami is a disaster right now. Only way it could happen is if Achane runs for 3 long TD's and Drake Maye has a stomach bug. There's no way NE is losing the rest of the way, and therefore the Bills I think are resigned to the 5-6-7 seed.

That being said, the Bills are a disaster right now. The offense has zero consistency at WR, which makes it damn near impossible for Allen to gain any sort of comfortability. Add to that the drops lately, and his misses (which every QB has, but are really heightened due to the small margin for error), and it's a dreary outlook even though the running game and running back are elite.

Defense is certainly a talent issue, but it's also scheme as well. How can you just sit back and play zone against that team? Did they just want to run vanilla stuff as to not get anything on tape for future games? I'm not sure how it will all play out in the playoffs, but I do know that allowing TD drives to start every single game is not a recipe for any success.
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McDermott does tend to play vanilla at times against teams he thinks Buffalo will just out talent/class. This difference in D coverages between NE and CLE was about a 180. Bills were throwing all sorts looks at Maye in the 2nd half including using mixed and odd Mirror coverages against NE and way less zone that Maye was clearly not prepared for. Milano was used as a spy in a lot of the odd mirror looks and Buffalo ran a lot of blitz's in their normal alignment they don't normally call. I didn't see nearly as much of that yesterday although we did call some more blitzes from what I saw in the 2nd half including a safety one that took about an hour to develop and was useless.

My assumption is they probably didn't want to show all that much in advance of the Eagles game but that run D seems unfixable, it's horrific. We also fall for every misdirection or screenplay ever created, especially our DE's. Hopefully Shaq Thompson is healthy, he's been oru best LB by far and the D fell apart a bit when he went out. Milano is starting to show flashes of his old self again. I think if your Bufalo your roll with THompson and Milano as the starters in Nickel because Bernard is not healthy, he looks lost out there.

I don't have an answer for the run D. The DT spot has been hit or miss since ED went down. Walker has played pretty well but beyond that it's been a mess. They really need to get that shored up next year. Gonna need some reinforcements either via the draft or FA as Daquan, Ogunjobi and Phillips will all surely be gone.
 
The wideout stuff continues to be truly baffling. Sure, be a run first team. No problem with it given the talent at RB. Not being able to complete throws 15+ yards downfield with this QB, and this OL… this season of all seasons… baffling.

I’d bet in the next 10 years we will never see another postseason without Lamar, Burrow, Mahomes. And we can’t throw the ball to WRs downfield.

The fact we keep bringing in guys that seem to regress here should be a clear sign it’s a coaching/scheme issue, vs player issue (and there is always some crossover during the blame game).

It’s ridiculous though.

January will be about pass rush, and converting on obvious passing situations downfield. Obviously run D plays a role too but I am less concerned there.
 
NineOneSeven said:
The wideout stuff continues to be truly baffling. Sure, be a run first team. No problem with it given the talent at RB. Not being able to complete throws 15+ yards downfield with this QB, and this OL… this season of all seasons… baffling.

I’d bet in the next 10 years we will never see another postseason without Lamar, Burrow, Mahomes. And we can’t throw the ball to WRs downfield.

The fact we keep bringing in guys that seem to regress here should be a clear sign it’s a coaching/scheme issue, vs player issue (and there is always some crossover during the blame game).

It’s ridiculous though.

January will be about pass rush, and converting on obvious passing situations downfield. Obviously run D plays a role too but I am less concerned there.
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there’s just no way all wide outs are all this bad.. Palmer , the departed Moore, while not world beaters are proven nfl caliber receivers not out of their primes. Everyone just sucks all at once ? Not buying it. There is more to this issue than personnel . I mean shaqir was running down field routes under Dorsey with actual success . Did he also contract the suck bug?
 
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I do think Brady/McDermott have made the offense into one that is based on the running game. And to their credit, it’s one of the best in the NFL.

Overall, the offense has not been the issue on paper. 4th in overall yards per game and total scoring. It’s not at the elite level I think it was maybe 2-3 years ago, but it’s very good.

But if you watch every game, you’ll see the spamming of plays and some questionable play calls in key situations that put us behind the eight ball. It’s happened a little less as the season has gone on I think, but I do worry about the team’s ability to sustain drives if the running game is bottled up.

All of this said, the factor that will hold them back is the defense and that’s been a consistent theme in the playoffs since they’ve been good again. They need to change the approach and player archetype they go after. The secondary is trending in the right direction (still need a safety but have Hancock getting reps; also probably need to replace Johnson soon). If Oliver and Hoecht were healthy (even one honestly), I do think it would have a huge impact. The one spot that I don’t agree with their usage and value assessment is Bernard. He has not been good and the splash plays he made his first year as a starter masked the fact that he plays out of position all the time and is simply too small to play MLB - even when healthy. They really need to either change his position or cut him - he’s hurt way too much and looks more like a safety at a position that is critical to defensive success.
 
SUFan44 said:
I do think Brady/McDermott have made the offense into one that is based on the running game. And to their credit, it’s one of the best in the NFL.

Overall, the offense has not been the issue on paper. 4th in overall yards per game and total scoring. It’s not at the elite level I think it was maybe 2-3 years ago, but it’s very good.

But if you watch every game, you’ll see the spamming of plays and some questionable play calls in key situations that put us behind the eight ball. It’s happened a little less as the season has gone on I think, but I do worry about the team’s ability to sustain drives if the running game is bottled up.

All of this said, the factor that will hold them back is the defense and that’s been a consistent theme in the playoffs since they’ve been good again. They need to change the approach and player archetype they go after. The secondary is trending in the right direction (still need a safety but have Hancock getting reps; also probably need to replace Johnson soon). If Oliver and Hoecht were healthy (even one honestly), I do think it would have a huge impact. The one spot that I don’t agree with their usage and value assessment is Bernard. He has not been good and the splash plays he made his first year as a starter masked the fact that he plays out of position all the time and is simply too small to play MLB - even when healthy. They really need to either change his position or cut him - he’s hurt way too much and looks more like a safety at a position that is critical to defensive success.
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Although their defense hasn’t been good in the playoff losses to the chiefs and bengals, I would point out that the last two years they’ve given Josh the ball with a chance to close the game out with a walk off drive and the offense failed each time.
 
STEVEHOLT said:
Although their defense hasn’t been good in the playoff losses to the chiefs and bengals, I would point out that the last two years they’ve given Josh the ball with a chance to close the game out with a walk off drive and the offense failed each time.
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The offense didn’t doink a field goal off the post in the home game two years ago. Should have been a tie game. I agree, however, that I do think the offense was more to blame in that game. That was the Dorsey/Brady change year, and it wasn’t a cohesive unit.

Last year, 29 points on the road should’ve been good enough to win. You shouldn’t have to score 30+ to win a game in the NFL - especially against a Chiefs team that last year scored 30 points in regulation just one other time.
 
SUFan44 said:
The offense didn’t doink a field goal off the post in the home game two years ago. Should have been a tie game. I agree, however, that I do think the offense was more to blame in that game. That was the Dorsey/Brady change year, and it wasn’t a cohesive unit.

Last year, 29 points on the road should’ve been good enough to win. You shouldn’t have to score 30+ to win a game in the NFL - especially against a Chiefs team that last year scored 30 points in regulation just one other time.
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The home game had very few possessions, 7 or 8 I think. 27-24 is like 38-35 for a normal game.
 
SUFan44 said:
I do think Brady/McDermott have made the offense into one that is based on the running game. And to their credit, it’s one of the best in the NFL.

Overall, the offense has not been the issue on paper. 4th in overall yards per game and total scoring. It’s not at the elite level I think it was maybe 2-3 years ago, but it’s very good.

But if you watch every game, you’ll see the spamming of plays and some questionable play calls in key situations that put us behind the eight ball. It’s happened a little less as the season has gone on I think, but I do worry about the team’s ability to sustain drives if the running game is bottled up.

All of this said, the factor that will hold them back is the defense and that’s been a consistent theme in the playoffs since they’ve been good again. They need to change the approach and player archetype they go after. The secondary is trending in the right direction (still need a safety but have Hancock getting reps; also probably need to replace Johnson soon). If Oliver and Hoecht were healthy (even one honestly), I do think it would have a huge impact. The one spot that I don’t agree with their usage and value assessment is Bernard. He has not been good and the splash plays he made his first year as a starter masked the fact that he plays out of position all the time and is simply too small to play MLB - even when healthy. They really need to either change his position or cut him - he’s hurt way too much and looks more like a safety at a position that is critical to defensive success.
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Secondary looks to be in decent shape moving forward. Gotta replace Poyer obviously but Hancock has shown some decent stuff so far. I worry about Strong and that neck injury, he was really starting to come on. Hope he can make it back next year. Poyer has saved this team, he's clearly lost a step but I shudder to think where we would be without him.

WR I assume will be completely overhauled this offseason by either FA or a Trade and the draft. Jax wants to move Brian THomas Jr, I suspect the Bills may go after him hard.
 
SUFan44 said:
I do think Brady/McDermott have made the offense into one that is based on the running game. And to their credit, it’s one of the best in the NFL.

Overall, the offense has not been the issue on paper. 4th in overall yards per game and total scoring. It’s not at the elite level I think it was maybe 2-3 years ago, but it’s very good.

But if you watch every game, you’ll see the spamming of plays and some questionable play calls in key situations that put us behind the eight ball. It’s happened a little less as the season has gone on I think, but I do worry about the team’s ability to sustain drives if the running game is bottled up.

All of this said, the factor that will hold them back is the defense and that’s been a consistent theme in the playoffs since they’ve been good again. They need to change the approach and player archetype they go after. The secondary is trending in the right direction (still need a safety but have Hancock getting reps; also probably need to replace Johnson soon). If Oliver and Hoecht were healthy (even one honestly), I do think it would have a huge impact. The one spot that I don’t agree with their usage and value assessment is Bernard. He has not been good and the splash plays he made his first year as a starter masked the fact that he plays out of position all the time and is simply too small to play MLB - even when healthy. They really need to either change his position or cut him - he’s hurt way too much and looks more like a safety at a position that is critical to defensive success.
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Losing Oliver and Hoecht was a major hit. On the plus side, Poyer has been way better than expected as has White. Bishop has solidified his role. Hairston will hold down a CB spot for years to come. Finally, Thompson at LB has been a revelation.
 
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JeremyCuse said:
Secondary looks to be in decent shape moving forward. Gotta replace Poyer obviously but Hancock has shown some decent stuff so far. I worry about Strong and that neck injury, he was really starting to come on. Hope he can make it back next year. Poyer has saved this team, he's clearly lost a step but I shudder to think where we would be without him.

WR I assume will be completely overhauled this offseason by either FA or a Trade and the draft. Jax wants to move Brian THomas Jr, I suspect the Bills may go after him hard.
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They need to replace Taron as well.
 
STEVEHOLT said:
Although their defense hasn’t been good in the playoff losses to the chiefs and bengals, I would point out that the last two years they’ve given Josh the ball with a chance to close the game out with a walk off drive and the offense failed each time.
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it wasn't even a walkoff drive... there were multiple drives where Josh had the ball and could have taken the lead and the offense had terrible drives. I'm not convinced that Brady Is gonna work when the pressure is on and defenses know they can key in on Cook, Kincaid and Shakir and spy on Josh and the bills offense is stuck,

In this Bills era, the Bills are probably the best regular season team in the league over the last 5 years. But when the playoffs come, they don't have enough difference makers on offense or defense to get over the hump. This includes players and coaches... it's literally Josh and now Cook versus the world and their own D.
 
OrangeFoo said:
it wasn't even a walkoff drive... there were multiple drives where Josh had the ball and could have taken the lead and the offense had terrible drives. I'm not convinced that Brady Is gonna work when the pressure is on and defenses know they can key in on Cook, Kincaid and Shakir and spy on Josh and the bills offense is stuck,

In this Bills era, the Bills are probably the best regular season team in the league over the last 5 years. But when the playoffs come, they don't have enough difference makers on offense or defense to get over the hump. This includes players and coaches... it's literally Josh and now Cook versus the world and their own D.
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The bills are only the 5th NFL team to have won 11 games or more in 6 straight seasons
 
So if the D keys in on the WR, the TE, the RB and spies the QB the bills are easy to stop? So like 8 guys and 4 rush and they dont cover the other 2 players its pretty simple.
 
People making a big deal about the starting qb’s in the AFC that arent going to be in the playoffs this year and I understand that but at the end of the day this is very average Bills team even with Josh Allen. Tough to see them winning 3 playoffs game in a row given the body of work that’s the 2025 season. They are consistently playing mediocre games and putting themselves in very difficult positions. Even with Josh it’s difficult to imagine them making a Super Bowl run considering the limitations. They should still be 12-5 at worst and obviously making the playoffs again is a solid accomplishment but going to be a tough road if they can’t get more consistent play from defense and generate some better production at wr at a minimum.

We shall see
 
IthacaBarrel said:
People making a big deal about the starting qb’s in the AFC that arent going to be in the playoffs this year and I understand that but at the end of the day this is very average Bills team even with Josh Allen. Tough to see them winning 3 playoffs game in a row given the body of work that’s the 2025 season. They are consistently playing mediocre games and putting themselves in very difficult positions. Even with Josh it’s difficult to imagine them making a Super Bowl run considering the limitations. They should still be 12-5 at worst and obviously making the playoffs again is a solid accomplishment but going to be a tough road if they can’t get more consistent play from defense and generate some better production at wr at a minimum.

We shall see
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If they get ed oliver back this js a very different D. They gave themselves a tough road with the unacceptable loss to the dolphins where they just didn’t show up. But the bills can get to a level no other remaining team can get to because of Josh…. Only Burrows and Mahomes have proven they can reach that level. Herbert is the guy who scares me the most of the guys left.
 
OrangeFoo said:
If they get ed oliver back this js a very different D. They gave themselves a tough road with the unacceptable loss to the dolphins where they just didn’t show up. But the bills can get to a level no other remaining team can get to because of Josh…. Only Burrows and Mahomes have proven they can reach that level. Herbert is the guy who scares me the most of the guys left.
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Problem is he has no one to throw to. It’s a running based offense. Playing in Denver or Jacksonville wouldn’t be easy. Nix is better than he’s given credit for. Pats and Bills are about even. And Houston is a bad matchup as well.
 
OrangeFoo said:
If they get ed oliver back this js a very different D. They gave themselves a tough road with the unacceptable loss to the dolphins where they just didn’t show up. But the bills can get to a level no other remaining team can get to because of Josh…. Only Burrows and Mahomes have proven they can reach that level. Herbert is the guy who scares me the most of the guys left.
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I felt better the last 4 years going into playoffs then I did this year
 
Cusefan0307 said:
Problem is he has no one to throw to. It’s a running based offense. Playing in Denver or Jacksonville wouldn’t be easy. Nix is better than he’s given credit for. Pats and Bills are about even. And Houston is a bad matchup as well.
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I think Nix will be the worst of the afc qb’s in the playoffs.
 
IthacaBarrel said:
I think Nix will be the worst of the afc qb’s in the playoffs.
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Nix has a higher QBR than Rodger’s and Lawrence and a higher PFF rating than Stroud and Rodger’s. Performance and reputation don’t align with Stroud and Lawrence vs Nix.
 

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