Conference Championship Games

 The AFC side of things is pretty straightforward.  Without Bo Nix it is just too much of a stretch to pick the Broncos.  That said, if Denver's defense can force some turnovers and hold New England reasonably, anything is possible.  The Patriots offense hasn't been great in the post season.  They do have a good defense, and I assume they'll try to make Stidham throw the ball and blitz him when he does.  Stranger things have happened, but I have to go with New England.

The NFC is where it really gets tough.  The Seattle Seahawks have a complete team whereas it's hard to bet against MVP favorite Matthew Stafford.  I think I will go with Seattle even though they are dealing with injuries at running back.  I like their defense more than LA's as well.  This should be a fun game.  That's the hope anyway.

Buffalo Bills Lose 33-30 In OT to the Denver Broncos - AFC Divisional Playoffs

 

Buf 30 - Den 33: Another tough loss for Buffalo yesterday.  That game was so stressful.  I'm fine with the late calls.  It really was turnovers and penalties that did them in.  And it's a shame.  The defense played so well in the second half and most of overtime.  As did the offense.  In the second half, it felt like they would win even though it was so close.  These will continue to hurt.  Year after year it feels like wasted opportunities.  The loss isn't on any one player or group really.  Just came up short.  Again.  Hopefully they can come up with some moves to help the defense and the receiving corps this offseason.  Sorry to hear about Bo Nix being out for the rest of the offseason.  They had a real shot of playing in the Super Bowl.

2025 Buffalo Bills Season Preview

The Buffalo Bills were 13-4 last season and won the AFC East.  But again, they didn't meet expectations.  The offense did really well while the defense struggled at times.  Things looked ripe for them to buck their playoff failures against KC but again lost again to the Chiefs in a heart breaking 32-29 loss in the Conference Championship.

While the team's ground game came to play last season with James Cook leading the league in rushing touchdowns, the receiving corps is struggling to find a true #1.  It's really something that has needed to be addressed since Stefon Diggs left the team.  Plenty of good receivers but I wouldn't say it's a group I have a ton of confidence in.  The defense just wasn't great, especially in pass defense, and it seemed like any close game late in a game was a nail biter.  And you really didn't want to see a great QB like Mahomes across the ball from the defense.  

Buffalo had minimal cap room to maneuver with so I'm not sure what kind of upgrades to expect this year.  I see 12 wins this year as a smart bet.  Josh Allen has been pretty consistent in his abilities, and the addition of a stable run game last year kept him in the pocket more which bodes well for his health.  I do think this team can get to a Super Bowl, but they have to learn to beat Kansas City in the playoffs while also assuming they may have to play teams like Baltimore or Cincy to get there.  Hope isn't a good plan but as good as this team has been for past six seasons I'm not sure what else fans can do.

2025 Atlanta Falcons Preview

The Atlanta Falcons came off a year filled with turmoil after taking Michael Pennix in the first round of the draft and alienating starter Kirk Cousins, whom they had just signed to a big contract.  Cousins went on to a horrible season and was benched.  Somehow Atlanta won 8 games and was very close to winning a very bad division.  But they were not good.  Let's make no mistake.

Their defense, in particular their rushers, were bad and they hopefully addressed that through their offseason free agent pickups and the draft.  Atlanta gave up a lot to draft James Pearce in the second round so a lot is riding on the moves.  It's a lot to ask for but they gave up the 23rd most points per game in the league (31st in touchdowns given up).  I do think they can make a leap forward but I'm not sure how much.

The offense now belongs to Michael Pennix.  We only saw him in three games as a starter and so far I haven't seen anything that makes me think he's the guy to take us to the next level.  I hope I'm wrong.  They still have a great running game, but the receiving corps isn't excellent.  I like Drake London but I'm not sure the rest of the receiving corps is consistent enough to help out the young QB.  The team has made the offensive line a priority which is always a good thing.

Atlanta has to beat bad teams which is something they didn't do consistently last season.  Maybe Pennix can get them to the next level.  That said I don't see them making the playoffs.  Too many teams better than them and I expect the Bucs don't falter this season like they did in 2024.  Looking at the schedule I see 7 wins.  That could really fluctuate based on the play at QB.  It all begins and ends at QB.  If that isn't figured out, they'll struggle.

Eagles Win Super Bowl 40-22

Phi 40 - KC 22:  Not much to say about this one.  I knew the Eagles defense was really good but wow.  They dominated the line of scrimmage and made life a nightmare for Patrick Mahomes.  Good on Philly.  Huge win for the Eagles who get their second Super Bowl victory.  You have to be happy for all these guys.  They had a great year and were pretty dominant when it mattered most - the playoffs.   

 

Bills lose to Chiefs 32-29 in AFC Championship Game

Buffalo lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.  Just ugh.  So close to winning.  After Buffalo got the touchdown late in the 2nd quarter, I thought they were there.  But KC had an answer for every score.  They executed really well in big moments.  Overall, the team stats were very similar.  Felt like I kept thinking Kansas City had the right play at the right time.  

I know Buffalo converted 4-6 fourth down conversions but the story is they put themselves in that situation too much.  And the failure to convert their last two fourth down conversions were huge.  They only converted 5 of 14 third downs.  Again, making them go for it on 4th.  The old guy in me was saying "kick the field goal" a few times.  I know what the metrics say different but big what ifs.  Give KC's defense credit too.  They stopped two of Buffalo's two-point conversions which, in the end, were huge.   

KC just seemed to have the right play call so many times on offense.  It was frustrating to watch.  The blitz on Buffalo's 4th down play was another perfect call.  The drop by Kincaid was huge.  It would have been a really good play but still it felt like he could and should make that catch.  Buffalo was in that situation because I think Kansas City was better and put themselves in a position to win.  It was a really good Bills play too.  It could have been a big gain if the KC defense doesn't get to Josh Allen like they did.  Their defense made it a struggle for Buffalo.  I know the Bills scored 29 points, but it rarely felt easy.  I'm always guarded as a fan, but I had bought into this iteration of Buffalo being able to win it all.  But KC was better. 

Washington - Philly was all about turnovers.  It really was that simple.  The game got away from the Commanders at the end but what can you do when you keep handing over the ball.  They were within 10 points at the end of the 3rd but the turnovers were maddening for anyone rooting for Washington or just wanting a good game.  Washington has lots of good things to take into next season and Jayden Daniels wasn't the reason they lost yesterday.  On the other side the Philly offense looked really good.  They could run, pass whatever they needed to do.  

  

Buffalo Bills beat Denver Broncos 31-7

 Den-Buf: The first half of the Den-Buf game was perplexing.  Felt like Buffalo was dominating the game but only had 10 points.  I get that the Denver touchdown was a breakdown of coverage and the D played great after that.  And an aboration.  Still seeing it was only 10-7 had me wondering.  The Bills real offense showed up in the second half.  The offense were bailed out by the great touchdown catch by RB Ty Johnson on 4 and 1.  I still don't think they should have gone for that.  But really, I can't complain.  Any time the Bills rush more than they throw it is a good day.  Allen was very efficient and patient.  I love seeing that.  They also handled the strength of the Broncos, their pass rush, much by just rushing the ball 44 times and really good O-line play.  

Next week is the big test, right?  Can they beat Baltimore?  They'll play a veteran stud quarterback in Lamar Jackson.  He can make life miserable in so many ways.  And now Baltimore have Derrick Henry.  What a beast.  It should be a great game, but it'll take a great game by the Bills' defense.  It's that time of the year where the defense will have to show who they really are.  And the Ravens aren't the Broncos.  Can the defense be good enough to allow the Buffalo offense to run the ball like they want?  The Bills don't want to play from behind big deficits.  

And what a matchup. The two top MVP candidates going head-to-head.  Sure, I'd rather see an easier opponent, but this has been one of the knocks against Buffalo - not getting past top teams in the post season.  It should be a great game.  It worries me but Buffalo has shown they are good enough to beat anyone.  

Super Bowl LVIII: San Francisco at Kansas City

SB LVIII:  Great Super Bowl to look forward to this year.  I'll be rooting for Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers.  I really want McCaffrey, my favorite player in the league today, to get a ring.  Hard betting against Mahomes though.  He seems to burn you when you do that.  That said the Chiefs offense has struggled at times this year including doing nothing in the second half of the AFC Championship.  That said, the Ravens D is excellent against the pass where the 49ers D can struggle against the pass.  The 49ers just feel more even across the board.  This could end up being a slugfest.  The fun is we won't know until tomorrow night.  I'm rooting for the 49ers and I'll take them to win it.  Maybe 23-20.

 

2023 NFL Hall of Fame Class

2023 NFL Hall of Fame:  I always enjoy NFL Hall of Fame selections and all the talk that goes with it.  The 2023 class was released this week.  No arguments with any of them.  I don't always think about every players as a Hall of Famer when I watched them play but that's why there are smarter guys than me helping vote these guys in.  This year's class was defense heavy but Joe Thomas headlined the class in my opinion.  Elected his first time on the ballot he was a six-time All-Pro, Pro Bowl selection every year he played and a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team.  I always got a good vibe from the guy and no matter how bad Cleveland was he was a class act and a beast on the offensive line.

Zach Thomas waited a while for his induction but he was a 2000s All-Decade team pick, five-time All-Pro, and seven-time Pro Bowl selection.  Happy to see him get in as well and well deserved.  Just took too long.

Ken Riley is a guy I knew about growing up.  He was always talked about amongst the best corners but somehow never made a Pro Bowl but was selected as an All-Pro once.  Still talked about as one of the greats I'm happy to see him join elite.

I could say a lot about all these guys.  I watched Joe Klecko growing up and wow how is Don Coryell just now getting in?  Such an innovator and many offenses can thank him for where the league has gone.  Again, no issues with any of the selections this year.  I know these selections don't mean as much to others but I always enjoy it.  Congratulations to all those who made it into the NFL Hall of Fame.

Bills Lose to Bengals in NFL Division Playoffs

The Bills lost to the Bengals 27-10 in a tough loss.  Tough watching them play so poorly.  Allen never looked comfortable, and the defense struggled whether it was against Joe Burrow's passes or getting beat in the trenches.  On offense the team couldn't rely on a running game when they struggled through the air.  It wasn't fun to watch.  It felt like Cincy had this game in hand early and Buffalo struggled in all but one drive in the game.  

It'll be interesting to see what happens this offseason.  This is a talented team but needs tweaked.  They feel so close to getting it all together with a dynamic passer and great defense.  Coaching changes?  Where to they put their focus?  The receiving corps?  A running back?  On D?  They really could go anywhere.  Again this team is really good and should only need to be tweaked.  How they do that could make a big difference.  

 

Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins - Wild Card Weekend

 

The Bills play a depleted Miami Dolphins team today who is down to their third string quarterback.  But don't take anything for granted.  San Francisco is playing great with Mr. Irrelevant at QB and we saw what happened to the Chargers last night.  Yes I think Buffalo wins but I wouldn't say I'm confident. I'll be out of town with family and won't be able to see the game but I'm hoping for a win today.  Buffalo is too good to lose.

2022 Buffalo Bills Preview

The Buffalo Bills come into the season with lots of expectations.  They now contend

at the highest levels in the AFC and with a few breaks could have been

really close to a Super Bowl appearance or two.  That goes to one of my main

concerns.  The lack of big plays when needed especially in the

playoffs.  I'll always harp on needing a run game to take pressure off Josh

Allen as well as keeping him from having to run so much.  Overall the

offense will look exactly as it did last year.  A few minor changes at WR

and on the o-line.  I expect the offense to again be one of the best in the

league and should be able to compete with any offense out there. 

The defense is one of the best in the league but last season it will be

remembered for their epic collapse in the final second of their playoff game

against KC.  The defensive line has been revamped with many players leaving

and other filling in.  It'll be interesting to see how that plays out.  They made a

big splash signing Von Miller but that was a head scratcher for me.  I don't

know if he has enough in the tank to be a difference maker.  They do have a

great defensive back group which comes back healthy.  That'll include Tre'Davious

White who was injured most of last season. 

Last year they were 11-6 including a maddening loss to Pittsburgh to open the season and a lost to Jacksonville in which they only scored nine points.  There was also the crazy wind game loss against New England.  Some will say see those could have been three wins.  I say "why did they lose them?".  Their offense can be erratic at times and it disappeared in the playoffs scoring a total of 19 points against the Patriots and Chiefs.  Yes, New England had a really good defense and the Chiefs were top 10 in points allowed but this offense has to be better against good defenses and score in big moments.

I'm hoping Buffalo can use their experience in the playoffs (4 of last 5

seasons) and build on those losses.  Maybe get their game to the next level.

I know expectations are high.  I have some hope they can come through this

year but as a fan it's pretty guarded optimism.  Still there's no reason not

to be happy with this team.  Excellent quarterback and defenses aren't easy

to come by and they make games much more fun to watch. Really tough schedule this year but I can still see them winning 11 games though there will be plenty of tough games.

 

Buffalo Bills defeat New England 47-17

The Bills destroyed the Patriots last night 47-17.   I was really worried about New England.  As much as any other team.  Playing them and Bilicek a third time seemed like trouble but the Buffalo offense shook off the inconsistency seen at the end of the season and dominated the Patriots.  I loved that Devin Singletary was the focus of the run game and he responded.  Allen did have a masterful game as well throwing for 300 yards while only throwing four incompletions.  He also added 66 yards on the ground.  And the Bills' defense was as good as advertised.  The Bills will need all of this going for them in the Divisional round.  They'll play in KC which isn't a surprise.  I figure they would have to play them sooner or later.  Hopefully they are firing on all cylinders.

2021 Atlanta Falcons Preview

 

The Falcons were just bad last year.  And the defense was horrible.  Just horrible.  The offense was average but had no running game leaving everything to Matt Ryan.  He can only do so much and the offense struggled to score when it needed to.  Outside of taking TE Kyle Pitts with the #4 pick in the draft Atlanta did go defense heavy the rest of the draft.  It's hard to see there being major improvement this year but they can't be as bad as last year.  I hope.  Ryan is 36 this year so you have to wonder how much longer we have of him.  I get he's not an elite quarterback but it's not like there are better options readily available.  I see them getting to six wins this year but anything past that would mean big improvements over last year.  It can happen but we'll see.  Right now I just hope for improvements.  The Falcons have to give us hope.  Go Falcons!

2021 Buffalo Bills Preview

The 2020 Buffalo Bills had a great season making it to the AFC Championship Game before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs.  Josh Allen came in to his own and was rewarded with a big contract extension.  The defense was average but with the offense as good as it was they made up for some of those deficiencies.  Hopefully the defense can improve and Josh Allen can continue to make strides.  They went defense in rounds one and two of the draft while going offensive line with their next two picks.  I like the thinking.  

Many teams seem to make one year strides.  Sustaining it is always harder.  I like Allen though and expect this season to be another good one even if they don't reach last year's mark of 13 wins.  Kansas City and Tennessee in weeks 5 and 6 will be really good tests of where they are at.  Not saying anyone before that, including week one opponent Pittsburgh, are pushovers but by that point in the season those games should show us a lot.  I like how Buffalo's schedule plays out.  They definitely have a shot at 13 wins but will need have the consistency we saw last year late in the regular season.  I'm excited to see this team in 2021.  Go Bills!

 

Tampa Bay Wins the Super Bowl!

Super Bowl LV wasn't the game any of us were hoping for but come the end of it we had a definitive winner.  Really the Bucs defense deserved the MVP trophy.  The scheme worked perfectly.  Kansas City couldn't get anything deep and Tampa Bay's front four provided consistent pressure making life for Patrick Mahomes miserable.  Great coaching by the Tampa staff.  And yes Tom Brady and the offense were excellent.  I was rooting for Tom Terrific and he didn't let anyone down.  The Chiefs on the other hand didn't adjust to the defensive scheme of the Buccaneers.  I get that the defense was playing great but you had to think short quick passes would have helped.  I didn't see KC do that consistently.  Great win for the Bucs.  I'm happy for Brady and Gronk but also for Leonard Fournette and the Buccaneers players who helped make it all possible. 

2021 NFL Hall of Fame Class

The Pro Football Hall of Fame will induct Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson, Calvin Johnson, Drew Pearson, Alan Faneca, Bill Nunn, John Lynch, and Tom Flores as part of their 2021 class.  No arguments with any of these.  I love the Hall of Fames across all sports and the honor it is to be inducted so I look forward to this time of the year.  Manning, Woodson and Johnson were no brainers.  Superstars in the sport they probably took the least amount of debate.  I'm a big fan of Drew Pearson from my days growing up in New Mexico and watching the Cowboys every week.  You can see the video of him getting the news here and it was nice to see.  I know Flores' overall coaching record won't wow folks at first look but he won two Super Bowls with the Raiders while winning 61% of his games coaching in Oakland and Los Angeles.  I was a bit surprised Lynch got in but he was definitely one of best safeties in the game.  Faneca was excellent as well.  Seems like NFL players have to wait a long time to be inducted and this guy was one of those but none the less deserving.  Reading up on Nunn he sounds like he had a lot to do with those legendary Steelers teams that started in the seventies.  Great class this year.  I love Peyton Manning as much off the field as I did when he was between the lines.  Woodson is a Michigan alum who was so dominant.  Fun to go down memory lane during this time of year.  Congrats to all the inductees.

Buffalo Bills Lost AFC Championship Game

The Bills lost to the Chiefs 38-24 this Sunday.  It was no big surprise right?  The Chiefs are so good.  Now the off season starts and the Bills have some things they need to figure out.  I'd think the offensive line and running game would be tops on the list.  The line isn't bad but it needs to be better.  We'll see if they can make improvements on defense as well.  Don't get me wrong Buffalo is a really good team.  But to keep up with other teams who will also get better and to keep up against the elite teams they have to continually evolve.  For now I will enjoy the 2020 season.  It was great to see Josh Allen get it and take his game to another level.  Can't wait to see what he still has in the tank.  Stefon Diggs was also a huge revelation.  I wasn't ready to say he was a difference maker when he was acquired via trade.  Boy was I wrong.  So a good starting point for the Bills and I can't wait to see what the future holds.

 

 

Buffalo Bills to the AFC Championship Game

 Buffalo beat Baltimore getting to the AFC Championship this Sunday.  It wasn't the prettiest game as the Bills had zero rushing game and Josh Allen wasn't at his best.  Baltimore has a good defense so it was a struggle most of the game.  Buffalo didn't take control until late and obviously Lamar Jackson having to leave the game for the 4th quarter didn't hurt.  Still the Buffalo defense played really well with the 101 yard pick six as Baltimore was threatening being the turning point of the game.  I expect the Championship game to be tough but when Buffalo's offense is at it's best it can compete with anyone.  Their defense will also be key.  They showed they can contain good teams.  Just need them to keep it up.  Go Bills!  

Buffalo Bills Win a Playoff Game!

 That dude could literally be every Buffalo Bills fan.  I was wearing my Thurman Thomas jersey watching the game and man it was nerve wracking.  While it was a good win there are things Buffalo has to figure out.  Their running game has to get going and the defense can't be average like they were during the regular season.  Josh Allen can't be the running game.  Still you have to be excited about beating a very good Colts team with Phillip Rivers who has a ton of playoff experience.  We'll see who they play next week but this win felt good.  It helped feel like Buffalo has turned the corner.  Another building block like winning the AFC East.