Once, just once... Can we beat the Patriots? Please!?

[The King]

Everyone knows, I am smack in the middle of Pats country. Since 01' being a Bills fan here has sucked in major fashion. Lately it hasnt been as bad as we've actually been competitive with the Patriots, but we have still been choking away wins in epic fashion.

So this year, Im spending the day after Christmas with my family... Which means Bills vs Pats on the tv, and endless harassment for me. So, please, pretty frickin' please, don't choke this one away. Beat the Patriots, throw a little karma this way for Christmas.

No last second INT's, Fumbles or Special Teams ******ations. Just a complete game with the good guys up on the scoreboard.

I am in two Fantasy Football Championship games this weekend and I would glady take a loss in each for a W in Buffalo.

[Slim]

Pat's are hitting their stride right now. I think the Bills offense will be able to move the ball, but I see Brady having a monster day.

[Mr. Miyagi]

Pat's are hitting their stride right now. I think the Bills offense will be able to move the ball, but I see Brady having a monster day.
Not if we hit him so hard that he can't remember what country he's in.

[NOT THE DUDE...]

the pats love to run those wr screens and crossing patterns along with sit downs... i think playing man to man and rushing 5 constantly will help... with some luck, a few turnovers and running for 200 yards we have a chance...

i like our oline against there dline/front 7

[Mr. Miyagi]

Look at the Packers' game plan last night. They ran the ball most of the night right down the middle and the Pats DL was exhausted because they're really thin in depth with players injured.

If Green Bay could do it with Brandon Jackson, John Kuhn and Nance, we could do it better with Fred Jackson, Spiller, Ganther, and McIntyre.

[Slim]

Not if we hit him so hard that he can't remember what country he's in.

While I like what Moats is doing, he doesn't consistently apply pressure. Nobody on our team does. I think for the majority of the day Brady will sit back in the pocket and pick us apart.

[SquishDaFish]

I agree MBB. Im here in the middle of these crackbabies also. Im tired of hearing their ****. "Whos the best team in football now" Bla Bla Bla. **** those wastriot cheating mother frs.

[Extremebillsfan247]

Everyone knows, I am smack in the middle of Pats country. Since 01' being a Bills fan here has sucked in major fashion. Lately it hasnt been as bad as we've actually been competitive with the Patriots, but we have still been choking away wins in epic fashion.

So this year, Im spending the day after Christmas with my family... Which means Bills vs Pats on the tv, and endless harassment for me. So, please, pretty frickin' please, don't choke this one away. Beat the Patriots, throw a little karma this way for Christmas.

No last second INT's, Fumbles or Special Teams ******ations. Just a complete game with the good guys up on the scoreboard.

I am in two Fantasy Football Championship games this weekend and I would glady take a loss in each for a W in Buffalo. With "Lucky Charms" Fitzpatrick somewhere over the rainbow, maybe. Sorry, I don't do fantasy football, so I went pure fantasy there lol. We are 2-5 at home this year. Pats are hot, and they want this game to clinch home field for the playoffs. Its going to be a tough game for this Bills team.

[TigerJ]

Never say never, but beating the Patriots right now has to be considered just about the biggest long shot of the season for the Bills. If they don't do it this year, you may get your shot next season when the Bills will have added a little more 3-4 talent and have gotten more comfortable with the new schemes.

[Patti120]

I'm right in the middle of this mess as well but am heading back to Upstate NY for Xmas. Wish I could go to the game but can't make it. I will be watching and sending good vibes the Bills way per usual.

This game isn't going to be blacked out in the local market is it?

[BillyT92679]

I'm right in the middle of this mess as well but am heading back to Upstate NY for Xmas. Wish I could go to the game but can't make it. I will be watching and sending good vibes the Bills way per usual.

This game isn't going to be blacked out in the local market is it?
I am going to the game, but for giggles I called 877-BB-TICKS today... they told me they won't have an official count till Thursday (which tells me they are working hard to sell the tickets, but also tells me it's not a sell-out yet). I am hopeful, but not really optimistic, that the game sells out in time to lift the blackout. I expect a lot of walkup business though.

[NOT THE DUDE...]

i have a strange feeling about this game,

i think moats is going to give light some problems, i think we will get a couple picks...

i get the feeling we are going to run down their throat and pound the **** out of the ball...

keep the ball out of bradys hands...

[Ingtar33]

Everyone knows, I am smack in the middle of Pats country. Since 01' being a Bills fan here has sucked in major fashion. Lately it hasnt been as bad as we've actually been competitive with the Patriots, but we have still been choking away wins in epic fashion.

So this year, Im spending the day after Christmas with my family... Which means Bills vs Pats on the tv, and endless harassment for me. So, please, pretty frickin' please, don't choke this one away. Beat the Patriots, throw a little karma this way for Christmas.

No last second INT's, Fumbles or Special Teams ******ations. Just a complete game with the good guys up on the scoreboard.

I am in two Fantasy Football Championship games this weekend and I would glady take a loss in each for a W in Buffalo.

I long ago vowed i wouldn't change this stupid sam adams pic until the bills beat the pats...

dear god... please give the bills a win in memorably epic fashion so i can have a new picture with an equally awesome moment immortalized... ideally something that makes Brady look foolish... more so then his hair already does.

[BertSquirtgum]

While I like what Moats is doing, he doesn't consistently apply pressure. Nobody on our team does. I think for the majority of the day Brady will sit back in the pocket and pick us apart.
name one player is who is in the backfield every play. lets try to be a bit realistic

oh yeah, puck the fats. i hate tom brady and i hate billy b's cut off sleeves on the sweater.

[G Wolly]

name one player is who is in the backfield every play. lets try to be a bit realistic


Kelsay.

Usually after he gets juked out by the QB.

[Bling]

Everyone knows, I am smack in the middle of Pats country. Since 01' being a Bills fan here has sucked in major fashion. Lately it hasnt been as bad as we've actually been competitive with the Patriots, but we have still been choking away wins in epic fashion.

So this year, Im spending the day after Christmas with my family... Which means Bills vs Pats on the tv, and endless harassment for me. So, please, pretty frickin' please, don't choke this one away. Beat the Patriots, throw a little karma this way for Christmas.

No last second INT's, Fumbles or Special Teams ******ations. Just a complete game with the good guys up on the scoreboard.

I am in two Fantasy Football Championship games this weekend and I would glady take a loss in each for a W in Buffalo.

Wow... this post was ***** made. Who are you whining to that can actually affect the outcome of the game?

[G Wolly]

Wow... this post was ***** made. Who are you whining to that can actually affect the outcome of the game?

Is this your first time around these boards?

[Ickybaluky]

I think the Bills have a decent shot. They are at home, and the Pats really don't have as much drive now that things are pretty much wrapped up. Brady is on an incredible run, but the defense is hurting. They have a bunch of DL missing, which along with Spikes getting suspended has hurt their ability to defend the run. They have struggled to defend the pass all season. The Bills should be able to score on the Pats.

It comes down to out-scoring Brady. He is playing great (70.7% Comp, 9.2 Yds/Att, 17 TD, 0 Int in his last 6 games), but if you can slow him down they become very beatable because they are struggling to contain people. ST can be huge as well.

The Pats have been winning because they are great on offense, are creating turnovers and haven't turned it over (+20 turnover ratio). It isnt' hard to figure what you need to do to beat them.

[The King]

Wow... this post was ***** made. Who are you whining to that can actually affect the outcome of the game?

The football gods.

[Dujek]

A Bills win would be the best Christmas present possible.

[Night Train]

I can still see Sam Adams high stepping the last 5 yards into the endzone in that 2003 opener. That was just awesome.

[Bills Juggernaut]

Are you guys smoking crack? Every year the same thing happens and it will happen again.

The Bills almost always play the Pats tight in their first meeting and then always proceed to get spanked in the second meeting.

This will most certainly happen this Sunday.

[psubills62]

I think the Bills have a decent shot. They are at home, and the Pats really don't have as much drive now that things are pretty much wrapped up. Brady is on an incredible run, but the defense is hurting. They have a bunch of DL missing, which along with Spikes getting suspended has hurt their ability to defend the run. They have struggled to defend the pass all season. The Bills should be able to score on the Pats.

It comes down to out-scoring Brady. He is playing great (70.7% Comp, 9.2 Yds/Att, 17 TD, 0 Int in his last 6 games), but if you can slow him down they become very beatable because they are struggling to contain people. ST can be huge as well.

The Pats have been winning because they are great on offense, are creating turnovers and haven't turned it over (+20 turnover ratio). It isnt' hard to figure what you need to do to beat them.

Is that you, Belichick?

I see this game being within around 2 TD's, but still not close. As much as Sunday night was a relative letdown, they're still at the top of their game, especially Brady. The only chance the Bills have is if we can generate a decent pass rush. From what I saw this past Sunday night, that's the main reason Green Bay was able to slow your offense.

I'm hoping for a win, but apologies to Bedard, I don't see it happening.

[Mr. Pink]

I think the Bills have a decent shot. They are at home, and the Pats really don't have as much drive now that things are pretty much wrapped up. Brady is on an incredible run, but the defense is hurting. They have a bunch of DL missing, which along with Spikes getting suspended has hurt their ability to defend the run. They have struggled to defend the pass all season. The Bills should be able to score on the Pats.

It comes down to out-scoring Brady. He is playing great (70.7% Comp, 9.2 Yds/Att, 17 TD, 0 Int in his last 6 games), but if you can slow him down they become very beatable because they are struggling to contain people. ST can be huge as well.

The Pats have been winning because they are great on offense, are creating turnovers and haven't turned it over (+20 turnover ratio). It isnt' hard to figure what you need to do to beat them.

What do the Pats have wrapped up?

The Jets can still win the East.

[Ickybaluky]

What do the Pats have wrapped up?

The Jets can still win the East.

I said "pretty much" wrapped up.

The only way the Jets can win the East is if they win both their games and the Pats lose both of theirs. If they lose this week and NY beats Chicago then the last home game against Miami becomes bigger, but really I don't think anyone is worried about it.

[Ickybaluky]

I see this game being within around 2 TD's, but still not close. As much as Sunday night was a relative letdown, they're still at the top of their game, especially Brady. The only chance the Bills have is if we can generate a decent pass rush. From what I saw this past Sunday night, that's the main reason Green Bay was able to slow your offense.

I disagree. Green Bay was able to slow the Pats offense by running the ball and keeping Brady on the sidelines. The Pats weren't able to get into a rhythm until the end of the game when they went no-huddle to change tempo. The Pats have given up 9 sacks in the last 3 weeks, but that didn't slow them down. Brady has been getting rid of the ball quickly before the rush can get there anyway.

Stopping the Pats run game, which is better than people realize, and keeping them from getting good first down yardage is a key. When they are balanced on offense, they are real hard to defend. Stopping the run gets the Pats in longer 3rd downs, forcing them to run deeper routes and have Brady hold the ball longer.

If the Pats get a lead they are tough because they put pressure on the other team to score points and keep up. If the other team is running and dominating the clock, that slows them down and keeps the game close. Green Bay was able to run the ball, use play-action and get a lead. When they don't have the lead, the Pats defense has more trouble hiding weaknesses.

I know the Pats had a couple of huge blowouts against good teams, but they aren't that dominant. They are a great offensive team that does a good job of not making mistakes while generating turnovers. They allow the other team to make mistakes to beat themselves, and they pressure them by scoring a lot. Green Bay played well enough to win, but were un-done by a few mistakes. Woodson dropped a potential int, they let up a long kick return and they mismanaged the final drive. Otherwise, they win that game.

[HAMMER]

Hit them in the mouth....repeatedly. No Buffalo turnovers, a couple of FitzMagic lasers and bingo, Christmas in Buffalo.

[justasportsfan]

If there is one pats player I wouldn't mind seeing go down to injury it's Wilfork. I hope Wood beats the crap out of him.

[Mr. Pink]

I said "pretty much" wrapped up.

The only way the Jets can win the East is if they win both their games and the Pats lose both of theirs. If they lose this week and NY beats Chicago then the last home game against Miami becomes bigger, but really I don't think anyone is worried about it.


And they're also still playing for home field.

A win over Buffalo gives them both the division title and home field advantage in the playoffs.

If you really think Buffalo has any chance in this game, you're delusional.

They'll likely come out and smack Buffalo in the mouth, early and often, so they can rest guys next week in a completely meaningless game.

[psubills62]

I disagree. Green Bay was able to slow the Pats offense by running the ball and keeping Brady on the sidelines. The Pats weren't able to get into a rhythm until the end of the game when they went no-huddle to change tempo. The Pats have given up 9 sacks in the last 3 weeks, but that didn't slow them down. Brady has been getting rid of the ball quickly before the rush can get there anyway.

Stopping the Pats run game, which is better than people realize, and keeping them from getting good first down yardage is a key. When they are balanced on offense, they are real hard to defend. Stopping the run gets the Pats in longer 3rd downs, forcing them to run deeper routes and have Brady hold the ball longer.

If the Pats get a lead they are tough because they put pressure on the other team to score points and keep up. If the other team is running and dominating the clock, that slows them down and keeps the game close. Green Bay was able to run the ball, use play-action and get a lead. When they don't have the lead, the Pats defense has more trouble hiding weaknesses.

I know the Pats had a couple of huge blowouts against good teams, but they aren't that dominant. They are a great offensive team that does a good job of not making mistakes while generating turnovers. They allow the other team to make mistakes to beat themselves, and they pressure them by scoring a lot. Green Bay played well enough to win, but were un-done by a few mistakes. Woodson dropped a potential int, they let up a long kick return and they mismanaged the final drive. Otherwise, they win that game.

Having an extra possession with that onside kick helped in keeping Brady on the sideline and starting the Packers off with momentum. I mentioned the pressure on Brady because I specifically remember a couple times where NE seemed poised early to step up and make it a double-digit lead, but Raji came in on 3rd down with a sack.

I agree that the Patriots run game is better than advertised. That will be very significant. The Bills have done better against the run lately (relative to horrible still isn't good though), and it will be interesting to see if they can still do well while defending a really good QB as opposed to mediocre to bad QB's.

The Bills seem to play to the level of their opponents, so I can see this being a back-and-forth for a little bit, but I think NE breaks it open in the 3rd or early 4th quarter.

[Ickybaluky]

And they're also still playing for home field.

A win over Buffalo gives them both the division title and home field advantage in the playoffs.

They already have the tie-breaker over everyone else. They beat Pittsburgh and Baltimore, so with a 2-game lead those teams can't pass them. The Jets are the only team that could catch them, but it would require Pats to lose 2 while the Jets win 2. Even if the Pats lose this week they get the #1 seed if they beat Miami at home next week or the Jets lose either of their last 2 games.

[HAMMER]

And they're also still playing for home field.

A win over Buffalo gives them both the division title and home field advantage in the playoffs.

If you really think Buffalo has any chance in this game, you're delusional.

They'll likely come out and smack Buffalo in the mouth, early and often, so they can rest guys next week in a completely meaningless game.

This post sucks, can you just root for Cleveland and leave the Bills to the real fans please.

[Mr. Pink]

This post sucks, can you just root for Cleveland and leave the Bills to the real fans please.


It's the reality of the game.

It would be great to play spoiler but that's just not gonna happen with what is at stake.

[Ickybaluky]

I mentioned the pressure on Brady because I specifically remember a couple times where NE seemed poised early to step up and make it a double-digit lead, but Raji came in on 3rd down with a sack.

I agree that the Patriots run game is better than advertised. That will be very significant. The Bills have done better against the run lately (relative to horrible still isn't good though), and it will be interesting to see if they can still do well while defending a really good QB as opposed to mediocre to bad QB's.

The Bills seem to play to the level of their opponents, so I can see this being a back-and-forth for a little bit, but I think NE breaks it open in the 3rd or early 4th quarter.

Don't get me wrong, it is always important to get pressure on the QB. However, I don't think you get a shot to do that if you don't stop the run because it keeps the Pats on schedule. If they are executing their offense they usually get rid of the ball before the rush can get there.

Brady does a good job of reading the blitz and checking his protection, and rushing 6 guys does no good if they keep 7 guys in to block. However, if you get them in 3rd-and-long, then you can tee off because he has to hold the ball longer. That is all I am saying, it is critical to limit first down yardage because it ruins the rhythm of the offense. When they are running and using play-action, they are deadly.

The key to the improvement in the run game is Mankins returning and their TE. The flexibility of guys like Gronkowski and Hernandez really makes them able to have a big front to run while still being able to threaten in the passing game. That versatility is what makes them hard to defend.

Green Bay kind of neutralized that by getting them in longer 3rd downs early on. They allowed the Pats to convert a 3rd-and-17 on the first drive (before the Green-Ellis TD run), but got stops the next three series after a 3rd-and-13, 3rd-and-13 and 3rd-and-11. The Pats lucked out after that because they got the Connolly return inside the 5 to get a TD right before the half. Then in the second half they got the Arrington Pick-6, but the next drives were stopped on 3rd-and-9 (punt), 3rd-and-8 (Edelman drop before FG). The final two drives of the game were a no-huddle drive where they got into a rhythm and drove down for a TD and the 3-and-out deep in their own territory where they couldn't convert a 3rd-and-6 (after a Welker drop).

Really, Green Bay did an excellent job on early downs, forcing the Pats into longer down-and-distance situations. The TEs really don't matter if it is 3rd-and-9, because you aren't going to run the ball.

[justasportsfan]

It would be great to play spoiler but that's just not gonna happen with what is at stake.
gay sharks thought the same thing

[Mr. Pink]

gay sharks thought the same thing


Hey, I had that game pegged as a W for the Bills.

There's a big difference between a team in disarray like the Fish and a team firing on all cylinders like the Pats.

[justasportsfan]

Hey, I had that game pegged as a W for the Bills.

There's a big difference between a team in disarray like the Fish and a team firing on all cylinders like the Pats.

"The Chan" is gonna pour sugar into those cylinders.