Champions make plays when the game is on the line.
It's easier to turn a pick six when you're already up by 27...quite a bit different when down by four and the play could be the difference between winning and losing.
This team has a lot of winners that are capable of making plays, but if they truly want to be champions they need to make those plays when the game is on the line.
YardRat Wall of Fame
#56 DARRYL TALLEY #29 DERRICK BURROUGHS#22 FRED JACKSON #95 KYLE WILLIAMS
BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Yeah...that means that Josh Allen is for **** then, huh? And cannot considered a “champion”
HE was the one that screwed up the sure TD at the end of the game.
Jesus. So quick to spew out the crap.
The Bills lost a game. They will lose more games this year. It’s a long, long season. Too many supposed Bills ”fans" seem to give up so ****ing easily and sure looks like they take joy in ****ting on the this fantastic team.
Chill
no ones ‘giving up’
some of us are noticing a disturbing pattern of close losses in the last 2 years. It doesn’t mean we are ****ting on the team. I still think (if they remain reasonably healthy) they will win it all this year. I just wish they could figure out a way to win the close ones and not just the blow outs
I came.
I saw.
I conquered.
YardRat (09-25-2022)
notacon (09-26-2022)
There are some positives that can be drawn from yesterday.
The Bills completely dominated the game, with primarily backups in the entire secondary, and half of the O-line. Yes, they lost, which is all that matters, but if you sit back and look at it, they really should not have even been in this game.
Josh took the team on his back, playing with backup TEs and WRs, and handled just about every blitz they threw at him. Yes, he missed that easy TD at the end, and I'm not making excuses for him, but I'm pretty sure he couldn't feel his throwing hand at that point because he smashed it on a facemask the play before.
Rousseau is an absolute beast.
Let's hope they can get healthy, and learn from this loss. The training staff especially. I've never seen so many guys go down with cramps. Why wasn't the entire team given IV fluids before the game? I don't understand.
Agreed. And again, as we all sit in our A/C or cool Buffalo climate, yesterday's heat on the players cannot be blamed enough for some of the play at the end of the game. I think the game action these back-ups saw in this game will prepare these back-ups for later in the season. I think later this year all of us are going to be glad that these back-ups got these game reps.
notacon (09-26-2022)
YardRat (09-26-2022)
Yesterday after the game, my son said this game reminded him of last year's Jag game....no matter what the Bills did, it wasn't enough. (Footsteps Falco called it quicksand in the movie)
I agree with him.
Every year, the Bills have a clunker of a game like that, and they lose despite being favored to win, and being a better team.
I get that we've lost some close ones, and hopefully that trend begins to reverse as the season wears on, but what I think is even more disturbing, is the clunker game.
That's where the Bills play down to the level of the competition, and trust me, they have been doing it for decades.
McDermott and Company have somehow gotten this team to quit ****ting the bed when in the national spotlight, MNF, Thanksgiving Day, etc.
They now need to instill a killer instinct when playing lesser teams.
Yes its only one game....we weren't going to win all 17, yadda yadda, I'll concede that.
But if you're favored to be the presumptive World Champion in the eyes of the 'experts'....you win this game.
Period.
Come hell or high water or heat.
Because you just dug yourself an early hole, and the schedule gets no lighter until November.
And in January, we may in all likelihood looking back on this game the same way we looked at last year's Jag game: The difference between a second round playoff exit, and a Super Bowl.
Last edited by Historian; 09-26-2022 at 12:50 AM.
Mace (09-26-2022)
As for as preparing for the heat, there is only so much you can do when the heat index gets upwards of 100 degrees. Living for several decades in a climate where a heat index of 100 degree or more is common, there are a few things to keep in mind:
-If, as reported, the difference in temps between sidelines was 15 degrees, due to the stadium shading, that is a massive difference. You almost hit a wall with the HI of 100 or more. 90s is bad, but over 100 can be intolerable. This really can't be stressed enough. You go outside and you can feel the 10 degree difference. This is especially true when doing any type of outdoor activity;
-They did the right thing by hydrating immediately after the Titans game. You can't hydrate overnight;
-In terms of acclimation, it takes a week or 2 to acclimate to heat that high, if you can ever be acclimated to it. Some can't. This also can't be stressed enough. You can't show up there on...A Tuesday and expect to be acclimated by Sunday;
-High schools here aren't even allowed to practice outdoors when the HI is 100 or more, because the risk of heat exhaustion is too great. Even then, you still see a high school player or 2 dying of heat exhaustion each year;
-standing outside in heat that bad is one thing, moving in it is another, even if it is something as simple as walking. Take some 300+ plus lb. guys trying to push other 300+ lb plus guys around, or WRs basically running wind sprints for 90 minutes, guys WILL go down. This is especially true when the other guys were in a shaded area that is 10-15 degrees cooler;
-Here, we are given high heat tolerance tips, almost ad naseum every summer. When you listen to them, staying hydrated, wearing light, loose clothing and limiting outdoor activity, you understand that you can only do so much. Heat is by far the highest weather related killer. Higher than floods, hurricanes and tornadoes;
-I guess what they could have/should have done was to bring some Official Buffalo Bills pop up gazebos to provide shade on the sideline. It might have helped. Of course, the NFL could have scheduled the game in Buffalo in Sept. and in Miami in Dec. But that would make too much sense.
idk..I didn't have many expectations after the injuries accumulated in the defensive backfield. And yeah, it hurts losing another close game, realizing how even one miscue would have won the game. On the other hand, Damn, that was a valiant effort.
I really don't see how you could possibly say Allen played poorly. He missed one throw at the end. He had zero time and had to get rid of the ball 80% of the time he dropped back.
We pissed and moaned when he wasn't patient and didn't "take what was given". Now that he's doing it, we are going to complain about it? I thought he played very well, just made one horrible throw at the end. He shouldn't have even been in that position. If Dorsey didn't have his head up his ass, they would've run the ball straight ahead instead of pissing around down there.
imbondz (09-26-2022),John Doe (09-26-2022),notacon (09-26-2022),TacklingDummy (09-26-2022)
Fair enough.....but it’s still a ‘glass half empty’ mindset. I have 100% opposite ‘glass is half full’ stance.
What is very apparent is that this site has WAY too many sore losers. Every time the Bills lose, no matter how, the knee jerk reaction is to **** on the team.
And the toxicity of too many sore losers is very, very disappointing for a site that champions “BillsZone.com - Buffalo Bills Fan Zone”. This site is not a “fan” zone after any loss.
The Bills lost. It will not be the last time they will lose this year. No one wins a championship in September.
Here is much more realistic and measured response to this heartbreaking loss, filled with missed opportunities and the Bills beating themselves much more than the Fins beating a Bills team. A ghost of a team at that.
Here is the reality that the Bills team was not present in steamy Miami...
"Micah Hyde – S – Inured reserve
Jordan Poyer – S – Inactive
Ed Oliver – DT – Inactive
Jordan Phillips – DT – Inactive
Mitch Morse – C – Inactive
Dane Jackson – CB – Inactive
Jake Kumerow – WR – Left game in 1st Q – Did not return
Christian Benford – CB – Left game in 2nd Q – Returned to special teams only
Spencer Brown – RT – Left game in 2nd Q – Dis not return
Dawson Knox – TW – Left game in 3rd Q – Missed 11 straight plays
Isiah McKenzie – WR – Left game in 3rd Q – Missed 11 straight plays
Ryan Bates – RG – Left game in 4th Q – Dis not return
Greg Van Roten – C – Left game in 4th Q – Dis not return
The group accounts for nearly 25 percent of the team’s active roster, but it doesn’t even account for all the different players that they had to keep rotating due to the heat. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs looked especially exhausted, was cramping up and had to keep taking plays off to regenerate. The running back rotation likely would have favored Devin Singletary far more had the heat not been unbearable. And with three in-game injuries to the offensive line, the Bills had to go through the final 22 snaps of the game without a single backup available. They were also down to an undrafted rookie practice squad cornerback in Ja’Marcus Ingram, who took 55 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. It was the perfect storm of pre-game and in-game injuries. I don’t think we’ll see anything quite like what unfolded on Sunday, and it had a legitimate impact on the game, but somehow, the Bills still almost won.
While the injuries, Allen and some of the missed opportunities will be what everyone talks about, you have to give a lot of credit to a handful of players that helped the Bills stay afloat through the ridiculous heat. Left tackle Dion Dawkins and left guard Rodger Saffold played every single snap — all 93 of them — while the other six active offensive lineman had time on the sidelines. Wide receiver Gabe Davis, who came into the game with an ankle injury, wound up playing 96 percent of the snaps due to injuries. That was likely not the plan for him coming off an injury, but he stepped up when the team needed him. On defense, the Bills basically boiled down their defensive tackle rotation to DaQuan Jones (75 percent) and Tim Settle (66). Jones is their biggest defensive tackle, but they needed him, and Settle came in recovering from a calf injury. The Bills will have to hope some reinforcements and cooler temperatures are on the way for Baltimore.
And final thoughts....
“Although the Bills faced an uphill battle in many different ways, their overall performance was impressive despite losing the game. They were their own worst enemy at times, and very well could have flipped this game enough to claim a 3-0 record. But, whether it’s due to self-inflicted errors, the injuries up and down the roster or a combination of the two, the Bills get to learn a valuable lesson from this one. Their season is not derailed, and they aren’t ceding the AFC East to the Dolphins despite the temporary setback. And though it is a slight concern that they haven’t won a one-score game since Week 8 in 2020, I don’t think this specific outcome against the Dolphins is indicative of an organizational flaw to win close games.
What this game indicates more is that this Bills team nearly pulled off a game that, on paper, should have had no business winning. The Dolphins are a talented team and one that will likely contend for the playoffs this season. But the Bills, despite all of their injuries and errors, were a few yards from stealing a win on the road, on a short week and in unbearable heat. It’s a weird thing to be impressed by a loss, but that’s exactly what Sunday represented. It all comes back to Allen, who gave the Bills a gargantuan effort. He is the best quarterback in the league right now and nearly delivered a win that fans would have talked about for a long time. Most of the injuries will heal and they won’t be this injured forever, but if Allen keeps this level of play up, the Bills can beat any team, regardless of the situation.”
These observations (written by a profession writer who expresses my extremely similar reaction in a way that I cannot replicate....so....better to just use the better writing skills) are not meant as “excuses”.
This is simply REALITY of the situation. And come week #15 on December 17th or 18th (game time is TBD and will undoubtedly be a featured nationally televised game) when the Dolphins visit Buffalo, I expect the Bills to avenge this loss and have either wrapped up the AFC East crown by that time or will do so on that day.
Excelent post. I was thinking exactly the same observations concerning the disparity in the sidelines.
It is dangerous to be standing on the Bills side of the field in those conditions without the added stress of playing a professional football game.
The conditions....89 degrees with over 70% humidity resulting in heat index over 100 degrees....is exactly why I hate Florida’s climate and get sick most of the time I was forced to go there because of work.
Difficult to breath....dizziness....nausea....racing pulse....just by STANDING in the direct sun under those conditions is quite common.
And the home field advantage of Buffalo during the winter is not equal to the dangerous conditions in Miami yesterday.
Football is not a sport that is meant to be played in those conditions. It’s meant to be played in northern fall weather....60 degrees is the ideal.
More importantly, playing in the cold, like is usual in Buffalo in December is nothing even close to as difficult and dangerous as the heat and humidity.
The Bills held Tyreek Hill to 2 catches on 33 yards. They held Waddle to 3 catches on 60 yards, besides that 45 yard mishap.
They were playing with 4 guys who had combined to start 3 NFL games before this. By the end of the game, there were down to a dude off of the practice squad out there.
Those two WRs went off for about a bazillion yards vs Baltimore last week.
Am I the only one who sees a bit of encouragement out of that? Or no
notacon (09-26-2022)
We've been hearing...and repeating...the mantras for a few seasons now.
"We beat ourselves."
"We left a lot out there today."
"We've all got plays we'd like back."
"We didn't play up to expectations and that starts with me."
"I'm proud of how we battled today, even though we lost."
"We'll learn from this and be better next time."
It's getting old with the rationalizations. And they don't get better next time, if it's a single-digit game they lose.
Make a ****ing play that helps win the game and quit putting yourself in a position to have to make excuses. THAT'S the next step this team has to make, and they seem to be having a lot of trouble getting over that hurdle.
We know they can do it. I'm starting to wonder if they know they can too.