Why the 2021 Bills Are Better than the 2020 Bills

[ParanoidAndroid]

There are several positive developments, especially over the last several weeks, in favor of Buffalo being a better team this time around compared to the AFCCG. Before I start that list, I will mention the one major strikes against us and that is the loss of Tre White. Here we go.

1. Josh Allen is playing smarter with the football and not taking huge sacks.

2. The receivers are all healthy and peaking.

3. We have the #6 rushing attack and that is on fire at the right time.

4. Dawson Knox is much improved.

5. Our RG and LG positions are much improved.

6. We have learned how to weaponize McKenzie.

7. We have learned how to defend vs Mahomes.

If we hold true to these trends and play like we are capable of, we have a real shot at not losing another game this season.

[sukie]

Missed a big one… a massive one.

we have a much more dominant D not just against Mahomes. The pass rush is disruptive and Star is back causin trouble.

[The last buffalo fan]

Good vibes here, nothing else to say!

[Woodman]

Good vibes here, nothing else to say!

Let's keep it going!!!!

[jimmifli]

Defense is much better and Josh is playing a lower variance style of game. They're also experienced enough that no game is too big for the now.

Sean has more balls this year. And the roster is deeper.

Most importantly, our top 3 WRs aren't seriously injured heading into the playoffs.

The only thing that's worse is Tre White, and that's a big step down especially against pass heavy teams with good WRs.

[ParanoidAndroid]

Defense is much better and Josh is playing a lower variance style of game. They're also experienced enough that no game is too big for the now.

Sean has more balls this year. And the roster is deeper.

Most importantly, our top 3 WRs aren't seriously injured heading into the playoffs.

The only thing that's worse is Tre White, and that's a big step down especially against pass heavy teams with good WRs.

That is the one thing that worries me. Have our CBs faced a team with superstar receivers and an All Pro QB since losing Tre? I have some trust that Poyer and Hyde can minimize the damage but Wallace and Jackson must be sticky and make their 1 on 1 tackles.

[ghz in pittsburgh]

If you watch the Oct game again, the difference is that Allen made a few big plays in the first half and the defense eliminated big plays from Mahomes - no 20+ yard play all game. The Bills offense didn't execute consistently that well and the Chiefs offense even worse.

The big key to me is whether the Bills can run the ball on them, both Singletary and Allen, to dominate them on the line. We ran on the them to started that game with Allen. If we can continue that approach along with Singletary, I think Allen can enjoy the same kind of time when he's back to pass like the last 5 games. And that will limit the Mahomes possessions while score points.

Mahomes and their offense are going to score points, especially without White. And I think KC defense, looking back at Oct game, will try to limit the big plays from Allen. But I think the Bills offense (O-Line, Singletary) showed that they can be more consistent now and they have done a lot of drives running play after play. If Allen can stay patient, take what they give, we are likely to keep up Mahomes' offense and wear down their D at the same time. At the end, we can run through their tired D and force Mahomes into pressing, hopefully a mistake or two to seal the deal.

[Skooby]

#1 defense changes everything for us, that can win championships outside of Josh’s talent.

[ParanoidAndroid]

#1 defense changes everything for us, that can win championships outside of Josh’s talent.

Not to rain on my own parade, but since that win over KC, the Chiefs allowed 200 pts. The Bills allowed 222 points. They have been quietly playing very good defense.

[notacon]

There are several positive developments, especially over the last several weeks, in favor of Buffalo being a better team this time around compared to the AFCCG. Before I start that list, I will mention the one major strikes against us and that is the loss of Tre White. Here we go.

1. Josh Allen is playing smarter with the football and not taking huge sacks.

2. The receivers are all healthy and peaking.

3. We have the #6 rushing attack and that is on fire at the right time.

4. Dawson Knox is much improved.

5. Our RG and LG positions are much improved.

6. We have learned how to weaponize McKenzie.

7. We have learned how to defend vs Mahomes.

If we hold true to these trends and play like we are capable of, we have a real shot at not losing another game this season.

Excellent post.

As others have chimed in, the defense improvement has been amazing.

Last season, then Josh took that huge leap and the offense was on fire....we all knew a better defense was holding us back.

In 2019 when the defense was ranked #3 in the NFL, but Josh was still learning and Diggs not on the team yet....we all knew that an improved offense was holding us back.

Same in 2018, when the Bills defense was ranked #2 in the NFL but the offense was ranked a dismal #30.

THIS year it’s ALL come together at the right time.

If the Bills play up to their capacity, no one can beat them.

[ghz in pittsburgh]

The Chiefs play the highest Dime in the league. Last season's AFC championship, the play the entire game on Dime.

[Turf]

At the end of the day, it's all about physicality and the players beating each other up. Chiefs 1147 - Bills -146.

[YardRat]

I hope we're better than KC tomorrow, that's all I ask right now.

[swiper]

Missed a big one… a massive one.

we have a much more dominant D not just against Mahomes. The pass rush is disruptive and Star is back causin trouble.

Um not exactly. To me, the key to this game is our DEs getting some pressure on Mahomes from the edge. Not just setting the edge or holding the edge, but getting hands on the mobile QB. Leslie Frazier can help this by calling a blitz every now and again.

This and they have to establish the run early. The run by someone not named Allen.

[Typ0]

The key to this game will be tackling the sums a *****es. This years KC team has all kinds of ways to get the ball to playmakers in short space where they run with it. Tackle them and we are well on the way to a win. If this years Bills team is better they have yet to prove it. I see the things being said in this thread but we need to beat the Chiefs and win next week before we consider we took that step. There still is a chance we could host the AFC Championship game -- that was a HUGE goal this season. No, we didn't really get the job done and make the path come through here but hosting that game in two weeks would be a big deal for the organization and not hosting it will be status quo.

We are clawing our way to the top. Every little movement forward is going to take more work, more dedication and more resilience. We have been in quarterback purgatory for decades. Getting here has not been easy. Moving forward from this point is harder. Little things can easily move us forward and/or backward. Looking forward, not a bad thing to shake things up either if you can maintain the consistency of vision. Our coaching staff is good I would agree with that but some change there could be the thing that puts us over the top as opposed to spinning our wheels.

GO BILLS.

[imbondz]

Experience > 2020

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If we had Tre I’d be way less worried

[notacon]

The Chiefs play the highest Dime in the league. Last season's AFC championship, the play the entire game on Dime.

Here is the observation and analysis from Joe B......

Chiefs defense going with man coverage?

If you’re looking for hints about what to expect from the Chiefs defense, using what they did throughout the season against specific opponents is an excellent place to start. The Chiefs had six games in the regular season against prolific passing attacks, but one of those was against a Jordan Love-led Packers team that relied on its run game in Week 9. As for the other five, the Bills, Bengals, Cowboys and Chargers on two occasions, there was a noticeable trend.


According to TruMedia and Pro Football Focus, those five games were among the Chiefs’ seven heaviest man-coverage game plans. If that trend holds, we could see a lot of man coverage in the Bills’ future. The Chiefs also called 22 plays of Cover 0 (rushing every player not in man coverage) across those five games. On 11 of those plays, the opposition did not gain a yard. On the other 11, opponents gained 11.4 yards on average. Allen completed three passes on five opportunities against that defense for 25 yards. When the Chiefs were in Cover 1 (single-high safety) through those five games, they allowed an average of 8.4 yards on 53 plays. The Bills went 3-for-6 against that defense for 77 yards and a touchdown. The Bills will want to see plenty of those two coverages.

And this....

The Bills WR room is much different than Week 5, too

We opened up discussing all the differences in the Chiefs defense since Week 5, but they only had to worry about four Bills pass catchers back then, too. With how the Bills’ season has developed with Gabriel Davis and Isaiah McKenzie stepping into more significant roles, they have six legitimate pass catchers in their offense, including tight end Dawson Knox, and each presents a different problem to a defense. The Bills have the most talented receivers group remaining in the playoffs, and if last week was any indication, the Bills aren’t afraid to mix and match.

Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll used 14 wide receiver combinations in the game, ranging from one to four on the field at a time. In 11 personnel, with three receivers, they used nine combinations, and the most frequent group (Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley and Davis) were together for only 10 plays. All five receivers can line up in each position, which means each cornerback must learn the tendencies of five receivers. That much change during a game puts a lot of pressure on the defenders. It was enough to keep the Patriots from getting comfortable all game. As long as their receivers are fully healthy, the Bills should continue mixing and matching to put the Chiefs on their heels.

Josh ALlen is going to eat the Chiefs’ defense alive.

[Woodman]

Experience > 2020

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If we had Tre I’d be way less worried

We missed him a ton.

[sukie]

Here is the observation and analysis from Joe B......




And this....



Josh ALlen is going to eat the Chiefs’ defense alive.

And he did… but Mahomes is Joey Chestnut on our D

[sukie]

Um not exactly. To me, the key to this game is our DEs getting some pressure on Mahomes from the edge. Not just setting the edge or holding the edge, but getting hands on the mobile QB. Leslie Frazier can help this by calling a blitz every now and again.

This and they have to establish the run early. The run by someone not named Allen.

None of this happened. Epic failure… Golf time boys.