Patriots Pregame Thread Bills - Pats line (Patriots vs Bills Pregame Thread)

[Triumph]

3 goals:

1. Win Division
2. Host playoff games
3. Win SB

#1 happens Sunday night.

The Bills will be in turmoil if they lose this Sunday.

 

[Tunescribe]

The Bills will be in turmoil if they lose this Sunday.

Impressive insight via superior football acumen! Astounding prognostication!

 

[neuronet]

Taking the Division away from Buffalo in the Pats house speaks volumes.

Sure, but this isn't a championship or a playoff game. Bro needs to chill. This is the first time I felt he could have just been a bit better at handling his messaging something simple like "I was just referring to the championship mindset don't be so literal **** off" or something gruff like that. Now we are in a championship game this weekend? Come on...now the Bills have bulletin board material, blah blah blah

Anyway, I also don't want to make that big a deal out of this. Actions over words he isn't Mayo. He's a great coach, so I don't really care that much.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Ted Johnson said on the breakdown that they should definitely use Mayes legs more inside the 20. They seem to be very risk averse in the red zone. Seems like all passes are of the type that only the Pats receiver can catch it (fades to diggs, boutte). Teddy J notes a play vs Miami where Maye rolled out in RZ and hit Hollins.
I've been saying for years that they screw themselves bc McDaniels runs on first and goal or first down inside red zone almost every time. It's like clockwork - first and goal from the 8...Stevenson for no gain....first and 10 from the 15... Stevenson for -1...unleashing Maye will be the key to improving this horrid RZ offense

L Jackson and P Mahomes do not look the same. Both beaten up after 10 years. Maye running more is not the solution if you want him around for the long term.

 

[ViperGTS]

The Bills will be in turmoil if when they lose this Sunday.

Fixed it. I just can't see a Vrabel led team losing to that Bills team, at home after a bye. I just can't.

 

[Triumph]

Sure, but this isn't a championship or a playoff game. Bro needs to chill. This is the first time I felt he could have just been a bit better at handling his messaging something simple like "I was just referring to the championship mindset don't be so literal **** off" or something gruff like that. Now we are in a championship game this weekend? Come on...now the Bills have bulletin board material, blah blah blah

Anyway, I also don't want to make that big a deal out of this. Actions over words he isn't Mayo. He's a great coach, so I don't really care that much.

Vrabes wants it all.

But, I can see if this game goes South not pulling out all the stops to win.

 

[ViperGTS]

L Jackson and P Mahomes do not look the same. Both beaten up after 10 years. Maye running more is not the solution if you want him around for the long term.

It's not the running, it's more the boots etc that get him on the move. I have seen him take care of himself much better the past few weeks. He is taking less and less hits and that I am sure is being drilled into him by McD every single day multiple times. They know what running QBs look like in the end. Get a legit line and Maye will be a legit pocket passer and will dice up any defense there is. He is that good.

 

[ViperGTS]

Sure, but this isn't a championship or a playoff game. Bro needs to chill. This is the first time I felt he could have just been a bit better at handling his messaging something simple like "I was just referring to the championship mindset don't be so literal **** off" or something gruff like that. Now we are in a championship game this weekend? Come on...now the Bills have bulletin board material, blah blah blah

Anyway, I also don't want to make that big a deal out of this. Actions over words he isn't Mayo. He's a great coach, so I don't really care that much.

It is a championship weekend. Everyone knows that, so what that he said it out loud. He isn't BB, he is doing things his own way. So no, it's not bulletin board material in the least.

 

[Triumph]

Fixed it. I just can't see a Vrabel led team losing to that Bills team, at home after a bye. I just can't.

A few concerns that I have are Pats OL and DL.

 

[jal]

Bills WR don't scare you at all, but Cook, Allen's legs, and Kincaid should scare us. I'd play a lot of single high and crowd the box - maybe even play a 5 man line like we did against the Rams in the 2018 SB. We need to bracket Kincaid and just bottle up anything up front including Allen. The weakness of this strategy would be screens so we will have to tackle well and have awareness. We can man up their WR with our corners without much worry. The Bills will try to put 2-3 TE on the field to get more of our linebackers on and pass against that - we have to play more safeties or just hope Marcus Jones doesn't get demolished in the run game if we have numbers upfront. We can't let the Bills dictate personnel to us and make it a TE vs. LB pass game.

 

[TheRainMaker]

I don't love him doubling down on this nonsense. This isn't Indianapolis. I guess whatever works to get the players motivated. This is a regular season game that means very little. I'd rather lose now and beat them in the playoffs, if I had to choose one.

Sure, but this isn't a championship or a playoff game. Bro needs to chill. This is the first time I felt he could have just been a bit better at handling his messaging something simple like "I was just referring to the championship mindset don't be so literal **** off" or something gruff like that. Now we are in a championship game this weekend? Come on...

Anyway, I also don't want to make that big a deal out of this. Actions over words he isn't Mayo. He's a great coach, so I don't really care that much.

Nah, this is a biggest game NE has had for years. Buffalo has controlled this division since 2020. People have been talking all year about how NE's had an easy schedule. Well, here's their chance to send a message by sweeping Buffalo and reclaiming the division. But it's bigger than Buffalo as NE is keeping pace with Denver for the #1 seed. This is 1996 all over again where Buffalo was in control of the division since the late 80's. Had NE lost to Buffalo at home, Buffalo would've won the tie breaker and again taken the division at 10-6. This is not time for a home let down against a divisional opponent.

Taking the Division away from Buffalo in the Pats house speaks volumes.

The Bills will be in turmoil if they lose this Sunday.

I agree. Buffalo has been hanging on for dear life this entire season and losing again to NE is going to send a message to management that big changes are going to need to be made. It's not like they've had major injuries, it's more that their team is getting passed up by NE. I also see Buffalo slipping up and losing at least one more game. I could see Buffalo getting bounced in the first round if they don't win the division.

 

[Gumby]

Dear Santa,
All I want for Xmas is a 5 degree temperature drop on Sun, 14 Dec….

 

[patchick]

Slightly selective stat use:
Why 22 points for ‘team D’ and 13 of 32 teams, because that lets you exclude Bills at 22.6. Going 23 and 16 teams means you faced 3 of 16.

Why 9 at 25 vs 16 at 23.6+; because that allows you to exclude cincy at 24.2; instead of again 3 of 16 with a 4th due in coming weeks ( out of top 16 teams).

And oh by the way you have to take one off each of those did not face numbers because NE is one of those 13 Ds and those 9 Os. How are they supposed to face themselves?

That doesn’t even get into that those are overall team metrics. how many of those points were ST or turnover generated versus a true O or D measurement. If you compare vs our O performance vs avg D performance of opponents and our D performance versus opponents avg O performance; I BELIEVE (w/o facts ready) that NE would look like they faced better competition than posited.

Personally I have no problem with the argument that a weak schedule makes a successful team harder to assess, it’s logical enough. What’s interesting about the Patriots is that they’re also hard to assess because they’re changing so quickly. New coaches, new schemes, highest roster turnover in the league, young QB, relying on tons of rookies…far more than most teams, their first few games bear no resemblance to who they are now.

So yeah, the soft schedule may mean 11-2 is illusory. Or it may be just the beginning of something big.

 

[Tunescribe]

Dear Santa,
All I want for Xmas is a 5 degree temperature drop on Sun, 14 Dec….

Why? Speaking as someone who will be sitting in it for three hours and walking 30 min. each way to/from the stadium, a modicum of compassion would be appreciated.

 

[ViperGTS]

Why? Speaking as someone who will be sitting in it for three hours and walking 30 min. each way to/from the stadium, a modicum of compassion would be appreciated.

You guys who go the games, freeze your ass off and still cheer the team on are the true fans and what you do makes a world of difference. Being in TX I can't do that, but man I do appreciate you guys who do.

 

[Gumby]

Why? Speaking as someone who will be sitting in it for three hours and walking 30 min. each way to/from the stadium, a modicum of compassion would be appreciated.

WHY? I was thinking something iconic and everlasting like……



The benefit to you is: you get to say: “I was there”

 

[A Defiant Goose]

Why? Speaking as someone who will be sitting in it for three hours and walking 30 min. each way to/from the stadium, a modicum of compassion would be appreciated.

I go to games maybe once a year or two. If I could pick any condition it'd be snowy cold and dark everytime. Wish this was a 4:25PM game with a 100% chance of snow

 

[JMC00]

There are 14 teams in the NFL this year with eight or more wins and the Patriots have somehow only faced one of those teams (They beat the Bills 23-20 back in Week 5).

Weird how this guy said he's not surprised about the Bills being favorites and focused on the Pats when the Bills have only played 2 teams with 8 or more wins Pats and Texans, they lost both.

Then look at the common opponents so far

Bills- Miami x2, Jets, Saints, Bucs, Panthers, Falcons, Bengals and Steelers- 7-2
Pats- Miami, Jets, Saints, Bucs, Panthers, Falcons, Bengals, Steelers- 7-1

There are nine teams averaging more than 25 points per game this year, the Patriots have faced exactly one of them (The Bills). There are 13 defenses in the NFL giving up less than 22 points per game and the Patriots have faced ZERO of them. I think what I'm trying to say here is that the Patriots haven't really been tested."

Of the 9 teams averaging more than 25 points per game this year Bills have faced 1, Patriots.
Of the 13 defenses giving up less than 22 points Bills have faced 3- Pats, Texans and Chiefs and went 1-2 and the team they beat is 6-7

Pats held Bills offense to 8.9 points under their season average.

The point cut offs are idiotic as well

From the offense side Bengals are at 24.2 and they held them to under that. Also can't use the "Flacco was the QB not Burrow" in the 5 games before playing the Pats Bengals with Flacco averaged 28.6 with Flacco. In the 3 full games Burrow has played this year they've averaged 27.6

The defensive one is more idiotic since Pats have faced these defenses that are just out of that 22 point line
Bills 22.5 (Pats scored 23)
Dolphins 22.8 (Pats scored 33)
Panthers 22.8 (Pats scored 42)
Browns 23.2 (Pats scored 32)
went 4-0

So the Pats offense is why those teams are out of the 22 point cutoff this guy went by. He's basically saying Pats beating those teams by 11, 20 and 9 more points than their avg is a knock against the Pats

 

[mgteich]

The Bills will be in turmoil if they lose this Sunday.

I suppose that wish is important to you.

BUF and its fans would focus on the playoffs. The division is unlikely for them even with a win. They are truly better off losing and moving forward. BUF has controlled the division for 5 years. Losing the division once is unlikely to put the team in turmoil.

IMO, if we win, Vrabel will NOT want to face BUF a 3rd time in the playoffs.

 

[VrabelJr]

Why? Speaking as someone who will be sitting in it for three hours and walking 30 min. each way to/from the stadium, a modicum of compassion would be appreciated.

If you can afford to go to a NFL game these days you can afford a Moncler goose down jacket to dry your tears on the sleeve with