AFC East Division Race (10/13 - Patriots Now on Top After Bills Loss)

[TommyD4207]

Sure, but BUF is established. They have track record to fall back on. The Pats are new. People are questioning whether their "arrival" is genuine or just a blip. It only goes back to this season so there's nothing to fall back on. You have to make the call of if they're for real entirely on the 8 games they've played so far. With BUF, there's such a long track record now of them being a deep playoff run kind of team. So weak schedule or not, no one really questions whether they're good enough to be there at the end as of right now. With us, people are still feeling out if the start is for real.

Is winning one playoff game a year a 'deep playoff run'?

People want Buffalo to be so much better than they actually are.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

Is winning one playoff game a year a 'deep playoff run'?

People want Buffalo to be so much better than they actually are.

No one here "wants" BUF to be better than they are. Stop the victim complex and strawman arguments.

In the last 5 years they've been to 2 Conf. Championship games. In the 3 years in between they lost two very competitive divisional round games vs. KC and kind of laid an egg vs. CIN one year. BUF has earned a reputation as a team capable of making a deep playoff run. People can question whether they can get over the hump (I see cracks in the armor and think they stalled out) but no one questions that they're good enough to win divisions and go on a playoff run. With us, it's all new so it's natural for some people to have reservations about if it's legit or just a hot streak against bad teams. People are going to look at us with more scrutiny which is the same as they do for any other team in this position.

 

[TommyD4207]

No one here "wants" BUF to be better than they are. Stop the victim complex and strawman arguments.

In the last 5 years they've been to 2 Conf. Championship games. In the 3 years in between they lost two very competitive divisional round games vs. KC and kind of laid an egg vs. CIN one year. BUF has earned a reputation as a team capable of making a deep playoff run. People can question whether they can get over the hump (I see cracks in the armor and think they stalled out) but no one questions that they're good enough to win divisions and go on a playoff run. With us, it's all new so it's natural for some people to have reservations about if it's legit or just a hot streak against bad teams. People are going to look at us with more scrutiny which is the same as they do for any other team in this position.

Been to 2 Conference Championship games in five years. Lost both. The last one at home.
The Chiefs on the other hand have been to the last...7? THAT is a team that has 'deep playoff runs'.

It's not a victim complex or a strawman argument. It's just reality. They're 6-5 in the playoffs the last 5 years.

That's a good, not great team.

 

[p8ryts]

GMFB did a piece on the Patriots. They gushed a little too excessive for my liking. The interesting thing was Buffalo's schedule is much more difficult than ours.

 

[rkarp1]

GMFB did a piece on the Patriots. They gushed a little too excessive for my liking. The interesting thing was Buffalo's schedule is much more difficult than ours.

Buff playing a 1st place schedule and Pats playing a last place schedule. no surprise Buff has a more difficult road.
hate to jinx and look to far ahead, but getting a playoff bye would be huge, as well as a home game.
of course, health would be key. Buff apparently lost Ed Oliver for the season yesterday

 

[Huckleberry1]

I don't want to say this out loud, yet.

But I don't see a definite loss on the schedule anymore.

Other than Maye's unreal performance the most encouraging thing is that they are 6-2 and haven't played their best football yet.

 

[Triumph]

Ed Oliver is hurt again and it don't sound good.

 

[Triumph]

Bills DT Ed Oliver has torn biceps, out indefinitely - ESPN Bills DT Oliver has torn biceps, out indefinitely

 

[A Defiant Goose]

GMFB did a piece on the Patriots. They gushed a little too excessive for my liking. The interesting thing was Buffalo's schedule is much more difficult than ours.

I wouldnt call it "much" more difficult though. Between the 3 different opponents only KC and PHI blow their equals out of the water. And we've already lost to LV so it's not like it's given us an advantage

 

[Ring 6]

Is winning one playoff game a year a 'deep playoff run'?

People want Buffalo to be so much better than they actually are.

It is if you also have the bye

 

[A Defiant Goose]

It is if you also have the bye

I wish the 1 and 2 seeds still got byes. Something about the current setup feels goofy

ETA: Allen's Bills have never had a playoff bye. The NFL went to 7 playoff teams in 2020 and the Bills havent had the 1 seed since

 

[Pape]

Tried with AI but no dice.. Anyone good with photoshop wanna replace mac's head with Drakes?

 

[jdlboot14]

With our schedule, we should certainly keep it close with the Bills.
I'm not even that worried about the Bucs - who were thought to be a SB contender, but look very inconsistent.
Bengals, Ravens & Bills could be tough, but the way the Bungles & Ratbirds have played, even if they have Burrow & Lamar, I don't know how physical or imposing they really are. It seems we should have a shot in every game we play from here out.

 

[TheRainMaker]

People want Buffalo to be so much better than they actually are.

No one here "wants" BUF to be better than they are. Stop the victim complex and strawman arguments.

In the last 5 years they've been to 2 Conf. Championship games. In the 3 years in between they lost two very competitive divisional round games vs. KC and kind of laid an egg vs. CIN one year. BUF has earned a reputation as a team capable of making a deep playoff run. People can question whether they can get over the hump (I see cracks in the armor and think they stalled out) but no one questions that they're good enough to win divisions and go on a playoff run. With us, it's all new so it's natural for some people to have reservations about if it's legit or just a hot streak against bad teams. People are going to look at us with more scrutiny which is the same as they do for any other team in this position.

People have had low expectations for teams going on 5 years now. If NE was rolling out the same teams Buffalo had, we'd be furious at BB. Josh Allen has been dragging that bad roster for years, but swept under the rug because the overall quality of the NFL has taken a nosedive. The Bills didn't suddenly take over the division because they were that good. They did because NE lost the greatest QB and TE of all time followed by other key players. In fact, if Buffalo and even 22-25 KC teams time traveled into the early 2000's, they aren't even making the playoffs. The 2024 Chiefs team was the worst 15-1 team I've ever seen and made the 2008 Titans team look legit.

Fast forward to today, NE is threatening the Bills for the division with Josh Allen as QB. Bills had their window and NE is already looking to shut it. Watch when NE beats them again at Gillette, the media will turn on the Bills and jump on the Pats bandwagon.

 

[obgod3]

I dont think the media will jump on the Pats bandwagon other than to bring up past lies and ********.

 

[n1997y]

I dont think the media will jump on the Pats bandwagon other than to bring up past lies and ********.

That will come later, after they finish pumping the tires.

 

[Real fan 02]

Right, having your STAR QB BEFORE he makes his first big contract is the 'sweet spot'.

Aside from this past off season we've been at or near the bottom in cash spending.. Vrabel said emphatically he wants to get guys to second contracts... first up Marcus, Gonzo then Drake. Having to pay your QB is a great thing.

 

[mgteich]

For all the talk about our easy schedule, let's not forget the Bills play the exact same schedule, of course with only 3 different opponents based on a first place schedule.

Buffalo's opponents:
KC, PHI, HOU

Patriots' opponents:
LV, NYG, TEN

Patriots have already lost to LV, so if Buffalo loses to KC that's basically a wash. Houston and Tennessee are both bad. The biggest differential is Philly and the Giants. By my count, that's only a 1 MAYBE a 2 game advantage in our SOS. If the Patriots win the division, it'll be because they earned it not because of an easier schedule

1-2 game advantage is certainly an advantage. Would you rather play PHI and HOU or NYG and TEN?

If we switched schedules, would you say that BUF "earned" if they do better in these two games?

We have an advantage. Great!

 

[mgteich]

I dont think the media will jump on the Pats bandwagon other than to bring up past lies and ********.

Only pats fans will jump on the wagon and think that we are better than KC, BUF AND IND.

 

[Gumby]

I wouldnt call it "much" more difficult though. Between the 3 different opponents only KC and PHI blow their equals out of the water. And we've already lost to LV so it's not like it's given us an advantage

Of course their schedule is much more difficult; Jill’s have to play the NE Patriots, …TWICE!!!

We don’t play those guys at all…