Game Day Thread SPECIAL GAMEDAY THREAD: Tampa takes on the Buggalo Billdos

[RIpats88]

No, 2 games. The Bills are far from out of this. They have to win at NE, and also beat the Panthers, Falcons and Jets (all at home, and they should easily win those 3 home games). Meanwhile we could lose at either Indy or Miami, those are not gimme's and we should probably assume one L there. So it will all boil down the Bills game, which would leave us both at 11-6 if we lose it, and the tiebreaker would go to them.

Gotcha. I'm actually feeling pretty decent about our game against them in foxboro. Most likely we will pass more than 3 times. And if they couldn't stop us running when that's all they did. Not sure how they will when we open up the pass game

 

[VJCPatriot]

Analytics sez:



Also says BUF's odds of winning were 5% at the half and as low as 2% early in the 4th quarter...

NFL Week 14's biggest decisions: Bills right to kick for OT; 49ers, Bengals miss on fourth-down calls

Why were the Bills right to kick for overtime? How did playing it safe cost the 49ers and Bengals? The NGS team evaluates several of the biggest decisions from Week 14.

www.nfl.com

I'm ok with the Bills decision to kick the FG. The momentum was all on their side and they felt they would win it in OT. In fact they did win the coin flip. The only problem is that the Bills turned back into the Pumpkin with all the chips on the table. They choked and did nothing with that crucial first possession of OT.

Tom Brady then went on to do Tom Brady things and nailed down yet another OT/4th quarter game winning drive to end the game. A 94 yard TD drive at that! The Buffalo Bills of 2021 just became another notch on his already legendary resume. Kind of expected in hindsight. But the Bills probably made the right decision even in hindsight. At least they got the first bite at the apple, they just failed to CASH in. Problem for the Bills is that TB12 is CASH $$$ in those situations.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Gotcha. I'm actually feeling pretty decent about our game against them in foxboro. Most likely we will pass more than 3 times. And if they couldn't stop us running when that's all they did. Not sure how they will when we open up the pass game

I do wonder if they called the game specifically that way so as not to reveal too many card for the rematch in Foxboro? BB is the kind of evil genius to do just that. Play just well enough to win for game 1 to ensure an even better chance to win in game 2?

 

[RobertWeathers]

Green Poop is the Chuck Todd of Bills Mafia.

 

[SVN]

Bills are in the same spot TB was last yr when they lost to KC and were 7-5 or something. Lets see if Bills can turn it on in a murky afc.

 

[Jlaff]

I didn't catch any post game questions. Did any reporter ask the Bills players if they were embarrassed losing to a 45 year old quarterback?

 

[Joker]

Reporters asked the idiot McDumb-mutt if GreenStoolgobblerCow would be handling team rah rah sessions after losses to perpetuate the NEW Bills philosophy "We''re #1 because we say so!"...McDumb-mutt muttered something about their mothers and then threatened to beat up the entire reporter contingent covering the post-game.

 

[denverpatsfan]

So walking boot for a QB with 2 weeks before the big game? Where have we seen this before?

 

[rochrist]

Noticed McDermott was way more under control in this game, which kind of proves that the issue really is that Bill is so far inside his head he's mooring his boat there in the summer.

 

[Simpelton]

Gotcha. I'm actually feeling pretty decent about our game against them in foxboro. Most likely we will pass more than 3 times. And if they couldn't stop us running when that's all they did. Not sure how they will when we open up the pass game

They also won't be quite so amazingly snakebit in the red zone

 

[Ivan]

Hmm.. was @GreenCow here during the game?

Easy to find out, just look for dozens of green poops.

 

[Sicilian]

Tom Brady then went on to do Tom Brady things and nailed down yet another OT/4th quarter game winning drive to end the game.

Tom deserves a ton of credit throughout his career for things like this, but there's something weird about giving a guy credit for a 4th qtr/OT game winning drive when that same guy was part of the team that blew a 4th quarter lead ahead of that. It's like when a pitcher gets credit for a win after blowing a save. Never quite liked that one.

 

[RIpats88]

They also won't be quite so amazingly snakebit in the red zone

The bills? Some of that was sid defense. Pass breakups and sacks.

But same can be said for the Patriots in the RedZone. If they open up their whole offense other than just running up the middle.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I'm ok with the Bills decision to kick the FG. The momentum was all on their side and they felt they would win it in OT. In fact they did win the coin flip. The only problem is that the Bills turned back into the Pumpkin with all the chips on the table. They choked and did nothing with that crucial first possession of OT.

Tom Brady then went on to do Tom Brady things and nailed down yet another OT/4th quarter game winning drive to end the game. A 94 yard TD drive at that! The Buffalo Bills of 2021 just became another notch on his already legendary resume. Kind of expected in hindsight. But the Bills probably made the right decision even in hindsight. At least they got the first bite at the apple, they just failed to CASH in. Problem for the Bills is that TB12 is CASH $$$ in those situations.

In retrospect so glad Billdoes won the coin toss. They can only blame themselves. No excuse about OT rules.
I'm still wicked pissed that BB didn't go for it on 4th & 3 vs Tamper instead trying a long bad weather FG. Jones was doing OK.

 

[VJCPatriot]

In retrospect so glad Billdoes won the coin toss. They can only blame themselves. No excuse about OT rules.
I'm still wicked pissed that BB didn't go for it on 4th & 3 vs Tamper instead trying a long bad weather FG. Jones was doing OK.

A 56 yard FG in the driving rain wasn't my idea of a good decision either. Mac Jones was red hot, give him a chance to win the game. This same cowardly play-calling plagued the Pats during Dallas loss. Fortunately it seems the coaching staff now trusts Mac a lot more. I expect to see Mac unleashed against the Colts this Sunday.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Tom deserves a ton of credit throughout his career for things like this, but there's something weird about giving a guy credit for a 4th qtr/OT game winning drive when that same guy was part of the team that blew a 4th quarter lead ahead of that. It's like when a pitcher gets credit for a win after blowing a save. Never quite liked that one.

The analogy doesn't quite work for me. All a reliever does is make sure the other team doesn't score. Tom Brady put points on the board in an epic 94 yard OT game-winning drive after the Bills made an excellent punt.

For me it would be more like a batter who strikes out with the bases loaded in the 8th or 9th inning. But comes out in extra innings and hits the walk-off homerun. Brady was a lot more involved in the win than any 'relief pitcher' would be.

 

[Sicilian]

The analogy doesn't quite work for me. All a reliever does is make sure the other team doesn't score. Tom Brady put points on the board in an epic 94 yard OT game-winning drive after the Bills made an excellent punt.

For me it would be more like a batter who strikes out with the bases loaded in the 8th or 9th inning. But comes out in extra innings and hits the walk-off homerun. Brady was a lot more involved in the win than any 'relief pitcher' would be.

That's a fair point, but I'm not sure your analogy is much better either (surprise, surprise, football and baseball are very different), because in baseball the offense and defense are almost entirely independent. Whereas in football, Tom Brady isn't playing defense, but he (and the offense) is still integral in holding on to a lead. If you aren't able to control the clock and put a game away when you're up 17 with 11 minutes to go, you still bear some responsibility in blowing that lead. It's why some perverse credit for the comeback against the Falcons in SB51 has to go to Matt Ryan for failing to sustain drives and taking untimely sacks.

In the end, as a QB, you get credit for winning a game, because that's job # 1, 2, and 3 for that position. But I'll bet even Brady would tell you the better thing to do there would be to control the final drives in the 4th and not allow the game to get to a point where you have to be heroic at the very end. That's more sustainable than counting on an OT stop from your defense which just allowed 17 points in the 4th quarter.

 

[VectorPrime]

Well I can’t find a pregame thread for the Colts game but Harris is out with a hamstring. I freaking knew this was a problem during the Bills game.

 

[sb1]

A 56 yard FG in the driving rain wasn't my idea of a good decision either. Mac Jones was red hot, give him a chance to win the game. This same cowardly play-calling plagued the Pats during Dallas loss. Fortunately it seems the coaching staff now trusts Mac a lot more. I expect to see Mac unleashed against the Colts this Sunday.

And even a made FG gives the ball back to the GOAT with plenty of time left on the clock. It was a bad decision.

Oh well hopefully that's all in the rear view mirror now. The playoffs aren't that far away it's time to see what Mac's got and I think we will.

 

[amfootball]

Tom deserves a ton of credit throughout his career for things like this, but there's something weird about giving a guy credit for a 4th qtr/OT game winning drive when that same guy was part of the team that blew a 4th quarter lead ahead of that. It's like when a pitcher gets credit for a win after blowing a save. Never quite liked that one.

Tampa was up 24 to 3. The bills came back in the game not because Brady and the offense turned the ball over, they didn't have any turnovers. The defense got trucked in the second half and blew the lead which forced Brady to have to win the game in overtime which is pretty much the Hallmark of his career- saving his defense's butt.