I swear, this team is going to kill me someday. I can remember the first Bills game I watched on TV. 1964. We used to get the AFL games on NBC (Channel 2 in Buffalo, NY) and NFL games on CBS (Channel 4). The Bills were only on TV during away games at that time so we only got to see them half of their games. The Cleveland Browns, however, were on TV every week because we were in their zone. Jimmy Brown, Gary Collins, Frank Ryan and crew were, at the time my favorite team. We were all told that the NFL was so much better than the AFL. While I loved the Bills, the Browns were my first love. I can remember the weekend in December of 1964. On Saturday, the Bills were huge underdogs to the Keith Lincoln/Paul Lowe/John Hadl/Lance Alworth led San Diego Chargers. Mike Stratton’s hit on Lincoln early in the game changed everything and the Bills won 20-7. The next day my Browns were going up against a heavily favored Baltimore Colt team that was let by Johnny UnitisRaymond Berry, Lenny Moore and HOF coach Don Shula. The Browns, behind three Frank Ryan to Gary Collins TD passes and 100+ yards rushing from Jim Brown crushed the Colts 27-0.
The next year wasn’t much different. The Bills beat the Chargers again for the AFL crown while the Browns lost the NFL championship game to 23-13 at Green Bay’s Lambeau field. Still, as an eight year old life as a Bills/Browns fan was looking up. Fifty-Eight years later I’m still looking. 58 years of the Bills (no longer a Browns fan since merger) ripping my heart out. From Ronnie “short arms” Harmon dropping a game winning pass from Jim Kelly against the Browns to Scott Norwood’s wide-right to end Super Bowl 25 to Thurman Thomas losing his helmet in SB 28 to four straight Super Bowl losses to 13 seconds to Damar Hamlin, this team has broken my heart more times that all of the girls I dated through out my life. It’s like every time they come close and I get my hopes up they come back to rip by heart out. With that said in a Jim Carey/Dumb and Dumber voice: So you’re telling me there’s a chance???
Part 1: the good things.
a. They Won. When push comes to shove all that really matters is that the Bills won. McDermott was very aggressive in going for it on fourth an one early on and not taking a field goal. That risk was awarded a few plays later when Josh did Buffalo’s version of The Brotherly Shove by scoring from the 6 yard line. Up 7-0 in KC and facing a 4th and 1 he went for it. I remember him kicking a FG when down 14 points v the Chiefs just before halftime of the AFC Championship game in 2020 when faced with a fourth and goal from the KC 2 yard line. Maybe he’s starting to learn from past mistakes (or maybe the pressure from fans and media over the past year is starting to make him realize he was way too conservative).
b. The offense looked good for sustained periods. Two straight TD drives in the first half balancing run and pass.
c. They got James Cook involved in the game early and he produced. Big TD reception as well as other nice runs/catches.
d. Josh is amazing. The throw he made to murray while .2 yards from the sideline which went for 21 yards on a huge 3rd and 9 from their own 26 was just amazing. Allen is the only QB to complete a pass this year when throwing within 1 yard of the out-of-bounds line: and he’s done it five times!!!
e. McDermott pushed up the pressure on the Chief’s last possession forcing bad throws by Mahomes and eventually winning the game. Sean didn’t play lax coverage like we’ve seen him do multiple times this year. He blitzed and got pressure when it counted.
f. Von Miller: had two QB hits and was actually a force in the fourth quarter. Did anyone else notice, however, that both of his pressures came when he was lined up on the right side of the defensive line? Every time he rushed from the left side he was easily pushed out of the play (and the TV Picture). Those two rushes from the right side, however, were huge. Maybe he’s got something left to give the final four games.
2. The Not so good:
a. Josh Allen: Up 14-0, on the road with all of the momentum on their side. Having stopped the Chiefs on four straight possessions we had the ball at our own 7 yard line, first and 10 with 8:26 left in the half. After two first downs the Bills now had the ball on their own 37 with 5:32 left in the half and knowing that they get the ball at the beginning of the second half. On first and 10 Josh gets sacked for a five yard loss. For some unknown reason the Bills then called their first TO stopping the clock with 4:32 left. On second and 15 Josh completes an 11 yard pass to Cook. It’s now 3rd and four from the bills 43 with less than 4 minutes left in the half, A first down here should allow the Bills to hold onto the ball for most of the rest of the half. A punt here and the Chiefs, who at this point have punted the last three times they had the ball and who had a total of 89 yards of offense the entire half, would het the ball with about three minutes left deep in their own territory. Here, as we’ve seen way too many times this year and in the past, Josh forces a ball to a covered receiver and it turns into an interception. This is where he has to learn that a punt, in this situation, isn’t terrible. He has to stop playing hero ball. In his defense it seems like the only way the Bills win is when he is doing amazing things so maybe it’s in his head that he HAS TO MAKE A BIG PLAY EVERYTME. Here, he gives Mahomes a short field and voila, it’s 14-7.
b. McDermott’s prior TO use: Remember when the Bills took a TO when they had the ball with 4:32 left in the half aftr Josh was sacked? How nice would it have been here to have that unnecessarily wasted Time out here. 1:19 left in the half. Ball on our 25 WITH NO TO’S LEFT. Two short gains and a pass to Diggs and we’ve got the ball at the KC 48. Because of the incorrect ball spot which gave the Bills the first down 10 seconds were run off the clock. Had the Bills still had that TO they could have had second and inches from the Chief’s 48 with36 seconds left. Without the TO the Bills were left with 26 seconds left and needing to get out of bounds to stop the clock. From here, Brady’s play calling was seriously suspect. Deep pass to Davis (which never works), and then a Josh scramble for four yards. We needed just a few more yards. On 2nd and 10 Josh threw the ball away as soon as he received it (Not sure why). #rd and 10 from KC 44 and 3 seconds left do you let Bass, who has a strong leg, try a61 yard FG or do you throw a Hail Mary? To me there is no issue here. Let the kid kick and hope. How many Hail Mary’s (except against us) do you see successful? How many 61 yard FGs do you see successful? Many more. Sean chooses HM and we get nothing. Again, that one stupid useless TO when we had the ball with 4:32 left cost us an opportunity for points.
c. Pass Protection and how to stop a blitz: The entire second half the Chiefs brought blitzes. When they didn’t blitz our offensive line was dominated. Dawkins got called for a hold and minutes later gave up a sack. Josh spent the entire second half running for his life. While the Chiefs only had three sacks they pressured Josh the entire second half. For some unknown reason the Bills have no answers for pressure. The have no clue how to run a screen pass. The continually throw the ball horizontally rather than vertically. How many times is that wide receiver/Diggs screen not going to work before we figure something out? It’s maddening that with players like Josh and Cook we can’t ever complete a successful screen pass.
d. Bills defense on 3rd and 3 or 4: Why do we continually play off the receivers? Whey was it so easy for KC to make these short 3rd down pass conversions? Because our DBs are lined up 6 yards off the receiver. Something needs to be done here.
3. Over Aggressive or not???
a. Bills get the ball back and drive to the KC 22 with 2:12 left in the game. I heard a ton of people screaming that the Bills didn’t run the ball three times, forcing the Chiefs to use their last TO’s before kicking a FG with around 1:40 left. Instead, the Bills passes the ball three times unsuccessfully which left the Chiefs with the ball at their own 25 with 2 TO’s left and 1:57 left n the clock. Hindsight is always 20-20 but I’m glad the Bills played it aggressively. The first down pass that Diggs dropped should have been an easy completion and a 4-5 yard gain. This would have taken us to the two-minute warning. At second and 5 or 6 we could have run the ball in hopes of getting a first down. Remember what happened in the 13 second gave as well as last year when Mahomes drove his team down the field for a FG in 12 seconds. We needed to score a TD or take all the time off the clock before a FG. The Bills went for the TD and it was unsuccessful. Had they run the ball three times and had Mahomes got the ball back, down 3, with 1:40 left and taken the Chiefs down the field for a TD we’d be screaming. I’d rather the bills play aggressively.
4. Pure Luck: Well we’ve seen how good Sean’s defense is late in the games earlier this season. Bills had the lead late in Jets, Patriots, Broncos and eagles games and Sean’s “two-minute defense” collapsed every time. Yesterday we saw the exact same thing happen. Mahomes has the ball at his own 25 with 1:54 left and two TOs. First play gain of 7. Next a gain of 19. Next the play to Kelce/lateral to Toney and it’s the same story-Bills defense gives up lead (and probably game) in last two minutes. Here’s where the Bills entire season changed. Instead of being down four with 1:12 left we received a gift from KC;s WR Toney (and one also from the ref’s who RARELY make this call) who lined up offsides. Instead of another hearbreaking late TD the Chiefs were now in a 2nd and 15 situation at their own 46 (remember, their kicker made a 61 yards against us last year just before half time). It is here that McDermott said WHAT THE FUCK and played agressively again. He blitzed Mahomes three straight plays and on all three plays pressure was put on him. Von Miller on 2nd down hit him whille he was throwing. Ed Oliver hit him on third down and Floyd got to him on fourth down. All three passes fell incomplete. Bills Win!!!
SO HERE WE ARE. FOUR GAMES LEFT. WE WIN THEM ALL AND WE ARE IN. WE WIN 3 OF FOUR AND WE HAVE A CHANCE. THE SEASON HAS BEEN A ROLLER COASTER. LET’S HOPE FOR A GREAT HOME CROWD SUNDAY V THE COWBOYS. LET’S RUN THE TABLE. SO I’M SAYING THERE’S CHANCE!!! GO BILLS.