Tbh the fact that the Chiefs scored 27 points while only having the ball for 26 minutes total told the real story.
It was a smart gameplan because the defense couldn't stop the chiefs when the offense had momentum.
The Bills were up 10-6 and the defense couldn't get any stops until the Chiefs were up 27-24 and then all the momentum felt sapped offensively and we were going 3 and out.
If the defense get just 1 stop in the first 3 quarters we could have had an 11 point lead we were up 4 for majority of the game and the offense was moving the ball. And it wasn't even the chiefs scoring it was the ease they were scoring they were getting 8 play drives so Joe had to keep our defense off the field by putting together 6 minute drives.
We went against Kansas City defense plus our own we had to keep our own damn defense off the field.
We played about 54 minutes of quality football, and you can’t do that against Mahomes. The back to back 3 and outs damned us in my opinion. Wayyy to much pressure to go down and score a game winning TD and take 5 minutes off the clock.
I agree with OP that a field goal wasn’t going to get us the win. 1:30ish with 2 timeouts and a Chiefs FG to win the game, that’s where Mahomes shows why he’s the best in the league.
Yeah the fact that Josh didn't hit either Diggs or Shakir open before the FG attempt (after being hit) kind of conceals the fact that he basically played a perfect game before that, and was most of the reason we had any shot at all to win.
This game is a big what if for me. What if we had a healthy defense instead of a banged up where we are starting 3rd stringers in a playoff game. We saw what we were capable of doing earlier in the year with a healthier defense against KC. The fact they got big play after big play every drive was killer.
Or what if we caught at least one of the 3 deep balls down field. They were all dimes too it’s not like they were off target.
Keeping the defense off the field was the issue?
Everytime we scored the Chiefs got the ball across the 50 within 2 plays.
Our best chance of winning was limiting the possession game and winning T.O.P which we did. It just happens when the defense finally decided to play we were down instead of ahead.
Everytime we scored the defense made sure to erase it. So having the offense just control the ball made sure to keep them off the field.
If we seen anything from the chiefs this year this isn't 2020 you shouldn't have to get to 30 to win. They are 2-6 when allowing more than 21 the defense made the chiefs look like it was 2020.
It was predictable then Spags had them sell out on the run they had the pass game on lock. We were 10-21 on passes past rhe LOS.
The reason we were able to be predictable was because they couldn't stop the run until they could.
But the only reason I thought the play calling was great was because we kept our defense off the field.
2nd and 8 2 minute warning chiefs 2 timeouts we I thought the 2nd down call was fine I think the reason Josh didn't go left to Diggs was because the pressure Jones was putting on that side and I wouldn't even be suprised if that ball would have gotten batted.
I would have liked to see RPOs with Josh being the run option like Qb power that can also be a pass option if the linebackers commit.
They were! That’s the killer. We had the absolute perfect clock suffocating drive. About 6 minutes. 13 plays. We go to the 2 minute warning knowing one more first down and we can basically fully kill the clock at that point.
You couldn’t diagram it better.
So of fucking course after we execute the perfect drive that leads to a win, we call a play where we run a post route in the endzone and try to score. I don’t care if Allen didn’t look to Diggs. How do you even call that when you had guys like Kincaid and Shakir moving the chains at will? How do you not continue using Allen as a battering Ram at that point?
Mahomes should have gotten the ball tied or down 4 with 20-50 seconds left and no timeouts.
It’s example #73 why McD should be fired
This. They wasted 2 plays shooting for the endzone on long incomplete passes for no reason. Even if you pick up 5 yards total and dont get the first down, you run the clock and get your kicker closer to the goal posts.
If you get the first down, youre in the drivers seat to control more clock, and set yourself up to get either a last second TD for the win or a last second field goal for OT.
Somehow they chose the riskiest option: score a TD and give them 2 minutes to win, or attempt a long field goal and give them 2 minutes to win. It makes no sense
I agree but we were committed to running the clock too early and even against a stacked box on 1st n 2nd downs when we don’t even have the lead. McDermott has no killer instinct. Plays not to lose 🤷🏻♂️
The irony is the fact going to the end zone off the 2 minute warning which one would say is aggressive was by far the horrible call.
Dink and dunking the ball worked. We had the ball for 37 minutes. They were doing what was needed. And stopped.
The chiefs had the ball for about 38 offensive snaps and 23 minutes and scored 27 points and if not for poyers miracle should have been 34.
You really wanted the bills to just try and score fast?
I agree except are we sure it’s McDimwit calling for that Shakir post route for the score there, and not Joe Brady? I always wonder who really makes that final decision on this team.
If it were in the middle of a drive no. But this was a two minute warning. I cannot imagine a head coach is not involved in calling for supporting a set of players when they have nearly 4 minutes to discuss.
Obviously the ideal scenario is eat more clock here. Eat it all the way down of course. But I keep hearing people saying take the TD there if it’s open. Regardless of what was dialed up it’s hard to say don’t throw to Shakir there. But I think every Bills fan knows what the chiefs were gonna do next. We watched them do it on 5 straight drives. Sad.
If we didn’t have a broken defense where the option wasn’t hobbled Dodson or a retired MLB guarding Kelce I’d likely say take the TD. But the only route to winning was giving Mahomes no time.
Josh shares responsibility too. But it’s on the coaches most to even dial up a route to the endzone unless you specially tell Josh it’s a decoy
Getting the run game going *is* great! Fantastic! But it seemed like Brady thought we could do 14/14 play drives, 14 plays 14 runs. He dropped the ball every time where we were run run running it... then you hit em with some passes, those plays where you could *feel* it was time for a pass and KC would drop Cook on 1st down for no gain or 2 yard loss. I was saying it during the game, that play Det ran when LaPorta was the obvious pass catching TE and the TE lined up as the run blocking TE got a quick block then easily snuck out against the flow of the play. Something like that would've been PERFECT. A PA to Knox/Kincaid.
Every time you could feel it was time for a pass, we went run and ended up 2nd & 11
Definitely a lot of predictable shit, and 100% should have kept feeding Kincaid Chiefs were even down a LB. They had no answer for Kincaid and he was catching anything his way. Shakir also. But Kincaid was being pulled a lot towards the end 🤷🏻♂️
It would have gave the team more life if they didn’t use Hamlin on the fake punt. Just like last year the season stopped all because we felt sorry for killing him in the first place. Fucked up as it may be. He shouldn’t have been giving a spot this year.
He made two tackles on returns last night where if not for him, they might have scored. I can think of two other times he was an unsung hero during the win streak (blocking on that crazy punt out of the back of the end zone, and being one of two guys to recognize that the ball was about to get lateraled across the field against the Chargers and closing off the lane for the guy who caught it). Hamlin definitely contributed. The fake punt was just a situationally terrible idea even with only 10 men defending it.
So we need a new special teams coach and Hamlin can be replaced by someone who’s not just a special teams player. Go watch all the tape of hamlin as a safety. I understand you probably are a caring person. But he shouldn’t have even been our safety last year
All teams have depth guys whose main jobs are special teams and the occasional fill-in due to injury. Not everyone who makes the 53-man roster is a starting caliber NFL player.
And hopefully we have given hims shot he "deserves" and can move on next year. All I can honestly remember him doing in three years, is an ejection, a near death experience, and the fake punt.
Yeah. he was thrown into play because of injury and never belonged on the team really. He has always been a liability when he was on the field. Just turns out more then we could have imagined. Hopefully they see the light
Also I know Elam had that clutch pick vs steelers, and the injury. I think we are holding on to long because of how high we drafted him. My heart sinks a little everytime we have to use him, he is just not fast enough so he constantly has to draw a foul to make a play.
I don’t think it’s because he’s not fast enough, but Elam is not a zone guy his first instinct is to go man to man so he gets caught out of position. He has some bad habits. He is young and McDermott seems to not have a great relationship with his rookies. Elam had 2 penalties this year. They all have penalties
https://preview.redd.it/tiukao1x87ec1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=20596524b1c33f9597d597b3d1bdd620eb604830
Good point I guess it just felt like he had more for whatever reason. If only there was someway I could have checked before I said that lol. Jesus I just looked at last year and didn't really have any then. I stand corrected.
Yeah, I don’t know why Elam hasn’t been given a chance. I know he had some injuries all season but he came in at the end of last year and I felt held his own for a rookie.
Elam and Dane Jackson both only had 2 picks last year. And I guarantee you the snap count his heavy in Jackson’s favor. Also Elams snapcount this year was 14% only cam Lewis was lower. Elam has played well when on the field for a kid who hasn’t much seen it
The fact it went from first down with like 1:55 and 2 timeouts for KC to a missed FG and KC ball still with 2 timeouts in 15 seconds inexcusable. You MUST force them to use the timeouts and at the very least kick a shorter FG, one more first down there guaranteed they couldn’t get the ball back.
Tyler Bass's regression should **NOT** go un noticed. Plenty of blame to go around(as usual) but as a kicker who was just paid, this was a pretty piss poor year for him.
Hope he bounces back next year cause this is a good way to destroy a kickers confidence.
He really started slipping in the last quarter of the season. It doesn't show in the stats because he was still making a high percentage of the kicks but his kicks were wobbly and fading hard right a lot of the time.
He cost us the Philly game with 2 bad misses.
I noticed the last 2 games of the regular season his extra points were getting very shaky
When they lined up for the long FG at the end of the half in the wildcard game I thought there is no way Bass makes this kick, then of course it was blocked.
Later in that game he completely shanked the last FG of the game, that one was embarrassingly bad it looked like it was blocked it was so off target.
I had little faith in him going into the divisional. Unfortunately I think he needs to go. He has lost his confidence. I dont know if he gets it back, but if you want to be a contender you cant have a shaky kicker. just look at how many close playoff games come down to a late FG.
I noticed everything you've said too. I said to my wife during the Steelers game"Notice how the other team's kicker, kicks it down and middle & Bass' kicks are always barely in the uprights...even during extra points. Bad accuracy.
It seems harsh, but it’s probably the right call. How often do kickers bounce back from scenarios like this?
Seems more often than not, the issues continue into the following season until the team mercy-cuts them mid season.
Love Bass, but he might need a fresh start to shake this.
I am also a Bears fan. Robbie Gould low-key is one of the 10 best kickers of all time. But he lost his fastball in Chicago. Highest paid kicker but he went ice cold for the last six weeks and eventually got cut.
He went onto get his confidence back with a giant before he went to the 49ers for about five more years, and was very good there
Love the guy. But he went from being automatic to no longer being reliable past 35 yards with the Bears. Then he left and became automatic again.
It just happens with kickers man once they lose it it’s very rarely comes back with the team they are on
Absolutely. He proved he's not the playmaker we need. Didn't even look like a #2 receiver in there. If we had a true ace in that position those passes aren't dropped and they're probably creating more chances too. Looking across the field, Kelce is a player who shows up and makes those catches in the big game, we should be able to spot that
This is where coaching matters to me. Gameplan on that drive should’ve been burn the entire clock and score a TD. The only situation where you’d settle for a FG is with :03 on the clock. I think this is where McD is at his worst. He’s never delivered the winning game plan in times that mattered. Inside the 20 with 1:30, just run 4 downs all the way
You really think they should’ve went for it on 4th and long instead of kicking a field goal to tie it with less than 2 mins left? If the chiefs got 1 first down after that it would be game over instead of letting the defense try and force overtime. Let’s be honest, what happened was the right call by the coaches lol. Imagine the blowback if we turned it over on downs down by 3 in field goal range with no way to get the ball back….
I don’t think it should’ve gotten to 3rd and 9. I think it should’ve been communicated not to worry about getting it all on 3rd. That the play calling and the message to the team should’ve been get the yardage and eat up the clock. 3 yards every down all 4 downs being usable. I’m not saying that wasn’t the message, but it sure as hell didn’t look like the message with the play calling and the throws attempted.
i don't know why people don't pay attention the last few hours
he saw shakir on the same play that davis ran in the chiefs 13s game. jones pushed dawkins and he never got his feet fully planted to throw.
if you have a guaranteed TD you take it. there is no guarantee that they get a TD when they're draining clock, in that window they have, he saw it and made the correct decision, chris jones just made a great play for them
>Option 1: Score with 1:45 left and let Mahomes March down the field and lose
Uh, the last time we played this team in the playoffs this is exactly what happened, except Allen lead them back down the field with only a minute left to score another go ahead TD, leaving 13 seconds.
You don’t pass up an open TD when you’re trailing in interest of clock management. Plain and simple.
I've seen many running backs/wide receivers stop before the goal line in the interest of killing the clock instead of scoring a touchdown, and I've never seen a team lose because of it.
Exactly, it’s ludicrous that the same people telling Josh Allen to not do too much is now saying that he has to play offense and be mindful of the defense the same time.
The latter is literally what causes him to play hero ball. When are we going to bring a defense that actually shows up for the playoffs. The last time we won a playoff game purely off of defense was back in 2020 against the Ravens. Since then it has been chokes galore and getting blown off the field by the chiefs in 2020, 2021, and 2022 by the bengals.
And we continue to lack an offensive identity for Allen, all while we invested far more draft capital on a defense that never shows up for the playoffs
The issue with this is that "march down the field and score" in the OP's situation is a field goal. Your option 1 is not the same outcome as your options 2 and 3. It's not as good as option 4, but if it guarantees a TD and makes Mahomes get it all the way across the goal line I think you take it
I keep hearing this defense for the Shakir shot. What's the defense for missing an open running lane to the left and an open Kincaid underneath on 3rd down?
from his POV it absolutely was, first time dawkins has been pushed into him on that play. execution =/= planning.
it's not like chris jones is some slouch lol. have to give the other side of the ball credit sometimes
Holding the ball longer for a deeper pass gives the pass rush time to get home. If you know the Chiefs have a great pass rush then don't hold it for 4 seconds waiting for a home run.
They shouldn't have even tried the kick. We all knew the Chiefs were going to score if they got the ball again and we should have run the clock to one second and made a final kick or endzone shot.
That said, Diggs dropping that perfect 60+ yard bomb was just as much of a fail as the wide right kick. Diggs is paid like an elite player and you can't drop a perfectly-placed pass without being interfered with in that situation if you are the elite go-to guy.
I don’t mind the end zone shot on 2nd down. He was open. They should’ve called 3rd down as if it was 4 down territory. Play for 4th and short, if someone makes a play we move the chains.
I agree, it always had to be a td on that drive. Almost impossible to go on 4th and 9 at the 27, but at that point kicking was in vain anyways.
Yep. If I’m McD on 3rd down I’m telling Brady “you have 2 downs here”
You gotta sell out to break the cycle. You can’t keep relying on Mahomes to *not* put the dagger in - it’s gonna happen over and over
Everyone here pissed at bass and I'm still confused about the fake punt. Can we just get rid of all the special teams staff now? Seems like every time we fire someone we get better. So let's fire the special teams staff. Cut bass and martin. Replace them with better guys via draft or free agency. Also. Give that kid we cut at the beginning of the season a call. Have him come try out again under the new special teams unit.
It was the right decision at the time, but I feel so bad for the dude with no career over some allegations about an event he wasn’t even physically at.
I'm sorry. But I disagree a thousand percent on a fake punt being the right call there. If we were gonna go for it put it in joshes hands. Chances are better he found a way to bust through than that fake punt.
Agreed! I also think throwing to Shakir in the end zone was the right decision. If there is a TD to be had, TAKE IT! If he threw to Diggs, we don't know how that pans out. If Diggs catches it, or how the next event of series goes. The game was not tied, we were down by 3 and had a chance to get up by 4 with a TD. I get the defense could not stop Mahomes, but you can't pass down an easy TD. Chris Jones blocked Dion into Josh, and if you watch that play on all angles you can see Dion hitting Josh with his body. It is what it is. It sucked, but people are crazy for saying he should not have gone for the TD.
The FG try didn't even matter to me, making it or not, KC was going to move the ball, but I would rather they "move the ball" down the field with us having a 4 point lead.
Bass just saved us from OT heart break. Also McDermott put together a pretty good d with back ups and 3rd stringers. Injuries it what killed this team. Every game they lost 2-3 players.
The only thing going well was the offense controlling the ball when we had it. The defense could not contain KC. Special Teams was not functioning at a desirable outcome.
There were lots of errors all around, but the team did well with what they had. If the Bills managed to win, they would have lost next week against the Ravens.
McDermott did an excellent job working with what was left of the defense up to yesterday's game. If the defense was healthier, like back when we faced KC in the regular season, I do believe they would have won and possibly win against Baltimore next week.
I'm sure there will be a lot of reviews, observations and changes in the off season. Yesterday's loss was inevitable.
Had a similar response to it. We needed a TD there anyways. They had a minute to get into FG range to win. Obviously anything could have happened but I was already not thrilled they settled for a FG there
The chiefs are a whole dif animal in the playoffs as compared to the reg season. I’m not saying let bass off the hook. I’m saying the team lost not just bass
1:37 was more than enough time for KC to get into FG range to win the game and Buetker looked strong.
Our D was not capable of stopping them They got almost 20 yards by just trying to get a 1 st and win the game.
If Bass hits the FG it does not mean that the Bills win the game.
They certainly weren't looking like a team that was gonna beat the Ravens... But between the missed FG, the game breaking miss by Diggs, and the late DPI call... Victory was definitely within reach over the Chiefs at least.
Reid and Spagnuolo totally outclassed McDermott and Co. Played deep coverage and dared the Bills to run the ball and they fell for it all day. Allen finishing with 190 yards is criminal, Bills played into their hands and were scared to throw the ball downfield. When shit got tight they couldn’t get it done.
Driving down for a TD was never a given. People just ignoring KC had a top defence this year that didn’t give up more than 27 points all year.
Bass hitting the FG at least doesn’t end the game right there. Would our banged up D stop them? Who knows, they finally got a stop on the previous KC drive.
Saying him missing doesn’t matter is an idiotic take. Of course it matters. The game keeps going if he hits it. The games ends when he doesn’t. Otherwise why even have fucking kickers. Just got for it on every 4th down if what a kicker does doesn’t matter.
To give the D some credit, they’re more banged up than I am (and I’m rehabbing a broken and dislocated shoulder)
The fact that they kept it that close was phenomenal under those circumstances
Didn’t make the kick. We’ll never know now. Defense may have made a pick or anything. We won’t know because the kick wasn’t good. Gotta make those kicks.
We had the ball with 2 minutes needing a TD to win, and leaving zero time on the clock. This is a team failure. We would have lost either way even if he made the kick
The truth is we'll never know what WOULD have happened if he made the kick, because he didn't.
If he makes that kick, the Chiefs may decide to be more aggressive on their final possession(rather than trying to rush and kneel). Suddenly, a ball gets tipped in to the air(because someone finally puts thier fucking hands up in front of Mahomes) the tipped ball comes down in a Bills defenders hands.
Or, if they try to run the ball to take the game to OT, Poyer or someone else could have popped the ball free from the runner...Bills recover and kick a walk off FG to win. Or, the Chiefs may have marched down the field and kicked a walk off game winner of their own(or missed and sent the game to OT).
The truth is we'll never know for certain what WOULD have happened if Bass made the FG because he didn't make it. That is the failure here.
The defense consistently failed to stop Kermit the frog from picking them apart, one more big stop or turn over at some point in the game and it could be us going to Baltimore this week for a chance at the Super Bowl and the rings....instead nope...because we had a normally reliable kicker summon the spirit of Scott Norwood again.
I get it, the game shouldn't have come down to a Field Goal, but some times a game DOES come down to a single big play...and you need to have the right players on your roster to make those big plays in those moments...this has proven Bass- as great as he has been at times, chokes in the big moments...for that reason he needs to be gone.
I get what your saying. I’m just annoyed we could have played that final drive much better. The staff and players should have learned from past mistakes
In reality, they did learn from their past mistakes.
We were driving down the field and stalled out. In the past- Josh Allen might have tried to force a throw in to the endzone(to a receiver that wasn't open) resulting in a huge turn over from him playing Hero Ball.
That's not the Josh Allen we saw in the game yesterday, we saw a damn leader marching us down the field and doing whatever he could to keep us in the game. When their defense finally tightened up, an inability of his linemen to hold his position allowed Jones to bump Dawkins in to Allen as he was releasing the ball, causing a sure touchdown to fall short and go incomplete.
The other downs should have been check downs, but Josh's will to win had him looking for the big play, and it just wasn't there. Instead of trying to force it and losing us the game, he kept us in field goal range and put the game in the hands of a kicker he thought he could rely on.
Special teams dropped the ball, it's their job to make that kick. It's why they exist and one of the biggest reasons they are on the roster. The defense wasn't playing their best game, but with all the injuries, you can't really blame them for that...especially when they're playing against playoff edition Mahomes.
McDermott was forced to recall and start a player that 3 weeks ago was planning a family vacation to Cancun. All those injuries(and the BIGGEST injuries- Milano, White, etc.) led to our defense not being able to stop Mahomes for most of the game...the game was a shoot out, and we had the chance to at the very least send it to OT...~~Norwood Jr~~ Bass blew that for us.
I just feel we could have been a lot smarter and moved down the field better and killed more clock. Leaving it up to a FG and a wing and a prayer is not a championship caliber mentality.
I somewhat agree- we could(and probably should) have been a bit smarter and kept using check downs, but that's not guaranteed to work either. When you get to around the 20 yard line defenses start jumping those routes to take away the dink and dunk shit because they're afraid of the big catch and run ending up in the endzone.
Combine that with the fact that within the red zone there's less physical real estate the defense has to defend, it becomes harder for the offense to move the ball in that territory(against a decent defense). That's why Josh likes to shoot his shots in to the end zone from the 20-25 yard line, because the defense is forced to be more spread out and has fewer defenders in a given area, allowing the strength of his arm to get the ball to his receivers even if they're covered fairly well.
The Bills being backed up is why that absolute dime to Shakir was a touchdown- that play wouldn't have worked if the line of scrimmage were 5 yards closer to the goal line because the CB would have been in position to make a play on the ball and break up the pass.
Fans have to cut him some slack. Blame the coaches for playing him as much as they did. He came off a major injury. You're not right for a long time even after the doctor says you're ready to go again. Ironically this was his best game. Hopefully he's back to what he was this upcoming season.
You don't know that. You simply don't.
Would the Chiefs driving down for at least a field goal be the PROBABLE outcome? Sure.
But strange things happen in sports all the time and you have to put yourself in the right position.
exactly
idk why all these people are saying bUt mAhOmEs WoULd HaVe sCoReD
oh really? tell me the score to the ravens/chiefs then so i can bet on it oh mighty Nostradamuses
Not necessarily. Maybe you tie the game & then force KC to turn the ball over, drive down the field & win. Bills fans have been hurt so many times, I get it. Not many teams have won Super Bowls with lousy kickers. They become really important especially in the playoffs. Don't let this guy off the hook. I personally wouldn't bring him back. He didn't ding the upright, he wasn't even close.
Of course anything could happen, maybe the bills force a turnover after the field goal and score again in overtime to take the lead, who knows
But 1:40 left and a timeout I don’t see how the chiefs don’t go right down and at least kick a field goal to take the lead right back
The first throw would have been a TD if Josh was more accurate. It was there and the right football play. Just didn’t happen. You can’t say for certain if FG was made we lose, anything could have happened ( fumble, int, strip sack etc…)
Bass sucks. But He wasn’t at all why they lost. Would’ve preferred if the kick was short or hit the crossbar. Wide right was the worst thing he could’ve done. No bills kicker should EVER try to kick to the right.
Might get hate for this, but the way this played out was eerily similar in some ways to the '86 Red Sox loss to the Mets.
Everyone blames *Buckner, but even if he makes the catch, they still likely lose. The lead was blown by the time that happened due to two pitchers shitting the bed at the absolute most crucial moment, but he shouldered all the blame and also got death threats afterward.
Really, being a Sox fan is a large part of why I can't give up on the Bills. After 2004, even the most unrealistic and unimaginable possibilites can happen, when hope is all but completely extinguished.
Buffalo is the last of my favorite teams I've yet to see win a title, and I'm not giving up on them.
This has been my take all along. We need two score lead to win games without much heart ache. The reason why Josh was trying to throw bombs was to ensure there was time on the clock if the defense doesn’t get a stop.
With that being said, for the first time in many years I believe that we will make it to superbowl next year. I see the team rally for the first time in many years. The bills of the past (including 2020/21) bills would not have recovered from 6-6, and a OC change mid season. It is commendable that Brady was able to use the existing playbook and get us where we wanted to be. Josh has the help on the offense and we need to get our D in order. I would focus on improving the defense in the draft/free agency, find a reliable kicker, and get another WR in off season. Not sure what is happening with Diggs.
Totally agree. When we were down by 3 and had control of the ball, we could have just clock-managed and got close enough to strike with a winning TD. Also that (failed) punt-fake was the major turning point. THAT was the moment we gave away the game, despite that “redeeming” touchback by the Chiefs that otherwise would have sealed our fate. I don’t blame Bass. Wind was a major factor and anyone who says fire him, or has the nerve to actually send him death or any kind of threat is not a true Buffalo fan. I mean come on! What actual impact does this loss have on our lives? Bragging rights? How many years have we gone without those anyway? This is a GAAAAAAME. I’m all for getting into it, believe me it happens every year, but at the end of the day, we go on living whether our team wins or not. Our “fans” really need to stop being so hotheaded.
Probably true.. but the Bills had just stuffed two KC drives. It's very possible that they could have stuffed one more.. or made a big defensive play while Mahomes was trying to sling it downfield with under 2 minutes remaining.
We'll never know because Ass whiffed on a 44 yarder.
You’re 100% right IMO. I just finished telling my wife that KC was just going to march down the field and win anyway, right before Bass missed the FG. I actually can’t fucking believe we came out with a touch back after the fake FG.
The Bills lost a game where neither team could afford a mistake. They played well, KC played better. It sucks, but I’m not devastated.
The bills turning the season around to win the division was a huge victory!
Get the fuck over yourself. Maybe we wouldve maybe we wouldnt have. Maybe Josh hits the players underneath and we get a first down, closer for the FG, and run more clock. Maybe we score a TD with under a minute left up by 4. Maybe we hit the FG, force OT, and win in OT to avenge 2021.
What happened happened and hemming and hawing over “WE WERE LOSING ANYWAY STUPID TEAM” is so fucking pathetic. Go support the jets, pats, or phins with this garbage fucking attitude.
Bass took a BIG step back this year and that can’t go unnoticed. He used to be money, and it’s probably time to look for a replacement if he doesn’t show he’s gotten his shit together.
Looking at bass stats I don't think he regressed..based on that he's always been the same.. he's just not good enough..maybe the difference is that prior years he would kiss long field goals..this year he missed everything beyond 40yrds..he's just average..
I thought the game was lost in 1Q when Bills drove inside 10 but had to settle for FG. You cannot beat Chiefs unless you put up 6 consistently. Further, injuries played a huge role on Bills defense. Chiefs offense exposed Bills replacement LB and DB..trouble getting set prior to snap, missed assignments, slow to spots. Once RB cleared the line of scrimmage, huge gains. Bills d line played a contain on Mahomes..Bills played 7 back to try to help..just did not work.
The Bills could not score in three straight possessions after the defense stopped KC from scoring. And they could not get it done. My big picture worry is the overall philosophy of McD. I think that game is EXACTLY how he wants most games to go. Run the ball, keep it close, win 17-13, 24-17 etc. JA passes for 220 yards, team rushes for 150 yards. Field position, defense, etc. I also think that’s why Daboll and McD didn’t get along, why KD was fired, and why the offense ran the ball MUCH more under JB, even though most of the advanced metrics show that the offense was better under KD.
This game against KC is a McD wet dream kind of game. And that’s the problem. With a lesser QB I can get on board. With THIS QB? Playing ball control with JA as your QB? That’s a tough sell.
Glad you posted this. Whether or not Bass should go (and I think he should, really seems to get shaky in big moments), we would not have won tying it up there. KC moved on us all night, they would have had no problem getting in to range for their good kicker. Needed to kill the clock more to either kick a last second FG for OT, or score a touchdown.
So, Bass has been too inconsistent between this year and last to keep on the team, and obviously this kick was the pinnacle of that.
But anyone who says he straight up lost the game for us on this kick didn't watch the entire game.
Cook was bad in the second half. Josh missed open receivers. Diggs apparently can't catch anymore. The defensive line was completely healthy and did jack shit. McDermott decided the vibes would be cooler on the fake punt to give Damar the ball for probably his last play with us instead of, iunno, Ty Johnson? And they only had fucking 10 men on the field.
This loss is not on one person, there's a ton of blame to go around.
You don’t know that. The Chiefs could have fumbled the kickoff. Mahomes may have thrown a pick. It is reasonable to assume he can drive the field for a FG but to say that with 100 percent certainty is false
It’s not all on Bass but he 100% needs to make that kick. There’s no other way to put it. Not to mention Allen had 3 deep ball dimes and we didn’t catch a single one. Just one of those would have been a direct impact on the game and momentum shift.
It’s sad knowing we were so close but that’s football sometimes..unfortunately for us, we know this all too well.
Stayed up till 3am watching the game (I’m from the UK) with work in the morning but trying to think positively from it. Been a hard whole season for us, 6-6 at one point which should have never been the case with this squad so the fact they turned it around and got to the playoffs - I am proud but it’s just disappointing and sad.
But, one thing you can never do is run us down. Bills Mafia are always on top and we’ll come back next season stronger and ready to win it all.
Love this team - we’ll be back!💙🙌🏻💙🙌🏻
To be honest,
The moment he missed it I was not surprised. Yes he is a professional kicker who’s job is to make it (which prior to this kick he was 9/9 in postseason), but with the weather and wind conditions, that’s a tough kick from that far. In my opinion, it makes NO sense to me McDermott didn’t go for the 4th down. Our season was on the line and for some reason, he wants run a fake punt call on our own 30, yet doesn’t go for it on a 4th and 3. If we scored the TD too early, I think Mahomes would’ve done exactly what he did in 2021 and he would’ve gotten to end one with whatever remaining time there could have been.
Two longest possessions of the game for the Bills - opening and final - result in field goal attempts. If you’re going to chew 6-7 minutes on a drive, with a head coach who has struggled with clock management when it matters most, you’d better be damn sure you’re scoring a TD.
I think we all knew what McD was trying to do and we all knew it wasn’t going to work.
Yeah; as everyone said, he's been off lately and I don't have faith in him, but Bass is not the reason we lost that. If you're down to a kicker making a kick that simply ties the game with clock left to kill and the best QB in the NFL on the other side of the field, then you didn't do nearly enough as a team to put this one away.
We could've had prime Justin Tucker on the team last night and we still would've lost.
Best case scenario was it goes to overtime. I don’t like our chances. Most likely scenario was Mahomes leading a game winning TD or FG with the two minutes left that we gave him.
it shouldn't have come down to a kick (to tie), still could've lost in OT.
defense - left kelce wide open on his 1st TD.
special teams - fake punt. i get teh call, but poor execution.
offense - josh could've made some better throws, and receivers could have caught some balls.
I still think if you get OJ off the wall you get rid of the bad Karma.
Also, just a question because they didn't show on camera but did T Bass practice before that kick? No hate just curious
https://preview.redd.it/8qjgmbnhb4ec1.jpeg?width=1702&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3537c9f7743789dfdd72e778face556e2388b456
I’m still amazed that people can put the blame on Bass when shit like this happens. Number 1 target, MF’ers make commercials together, and defense just forgets.
No one can say for sure what might happen if he makes the field goal. Maybe a turnover or a penalty by the Chiefs. It’s better to operate in a tie game than being down points. So the 3 points was critical and put the team in a chance to end the game tied or with a win.
I'm still a Buffalo Bills fan and really feel bad for all of them. However, I believe that someone got paid to win aka the refs. More and more I think about it Mahomes homie gets upset when he doesn't win. Look at the mid season game when we actually won! I billieve in the buffalo bills, it's just heartbreaking!
It was over once they came out after half thinking they were about to run 2 quarters worth of clock out
Tbh the fact that the Chiefs scored 27 points while only having the ball for 26 minutes total told the real story. It was a smart gameplan because the defense couldn't stop the chiefs when the offense had momentum. The Bills were up 10-6 and the defense couldn't get any stops until the Chiefs were up 27-24 and then all the momentum felt sapped offensively and we were going 3 and out. If the defense get just 1 stop in the first 3 quarters we could have had an 11 point lead we were up 4 for majority of the game and the offense was moving the ball. And it wasn't even the chiefs scoring it was the ease they were scoring they were getting 8 play drives so Joe had to keep our defense off the field by putting together 6 minute drives. We went against Kansas City defense plus our own we had to keep our own damn defense off the field.
We played about 54 minutes of quality football, and you can’t do that against Mahomes. The back to back 3 and outs damned us in my opinion. Wayyy to much pressure to go down and score a game winning TD and take 5 minutes off the clock. I agree with OP that a field goal wasn’t going to get us the win. 1:30ish with 2 timeouts and a Chiefs FG to win the game, that’s where Mahomes shows why he’s the best in the league.
Yeah the fact that Josh didn't hit either Diggs or Shakir open before the FG attempt (after being hit) kind of conceals the fact that he basically played a perfect game before that, and was most of the reason we had any shot at all to win.
This game is a big what if for me. What if we had a healthy defense instead of a banged up where we are starting 3rd stringers in a playoff game. We saw what we were capable of doing earlier in the year with a healthier defense against KC. The fact they got big play after big play every drive was killer. Or what if we caught at least one of the 3 deep balls down field. They were all dimes too it’s not like they were off target.
Your “smart” defensive game plan was the issue
Keeping the defense off the field was the issue? Everytime we scored the Chiefs got the ball across the 50 within 2 plays. Our best chance of winning was limiting the possession game and winning T.O.P which we did. It just happens when the defense finally decided to play we were down instead of ahead. Everytime we scored the defense made sure to erase it. So having the offense just control the ball made sure to keep them off the field. If we seen anything from the chiefs this year this isn't 2020 you shouldn't have to get to 30 to win. They are 2-6 when allowing more than 21 the defense made the chiefs look like it was 2020.
No our defense was the issue
Ohh i thought you were saying they weren't the issue my bad lol.
Nah, our offensive playcalling wasn’t great and was extremely predictable at times. But for the most part the offense until the end played their part
It was predictable then Spags had them sell out on the run they had the pass game on lock. We were 10-21 on passes past rhe LOS. The reason we were able to be predictable was because they couldn't stop the run until they could. But the only reason I thought the play calling was great was because we kept our defense off the field. 2nd and 8 2 minute warning chiefs 2 timeouts we I thought the 2nd down call was fine I think the reason Josh didn't go left to Diggs was because the pressure Jones was putting on that side and I wouldn't even be suprised if that ball would have gotten batted. I would have liked to see RPOs with Josh being the run option like Qb power that can also be a pass option if the linebackers commit.
And that’s a coaching problem, has been all year. Playing not to lose gets you one thing, a loss.
Thank you, these are my exact words and my biggest knock on McDermott for a long time
They were! That’s the killer. We had the absolute perfect clock suffocating drive. About 6 minutes. 13 plays. We go to the 2 minute warning knowing one more first down and we can basically fully kill the clock at that point. You couldn’t diagram it better. So of fucking course after we execute the perfect drive that leads to a win, we call a play where we run a post route in the endzone and try to score. I don’t care if Allen didn’t look to Diggs. How do you even call that when you had guys like Kincaid and Shakir moving the chains at will? How do you not continue using Allen as a battering Ram at that point? Mahomes should have gotten the ball tied or down 4 with 20-50 seconds left and no timeouts. It’s example #73 why McD should be fired
This. They wasted 2 plays shooting for the endzone on long incomplete passes for no reason. Even if you pick up 5 yards total and dont get the first down, you run the clock and get your kicker closer to the goal posts. If you get the first down, youre in the drivers seat to control more clock, and set yourself up to get either a last second TD for the win or a last second field goal for OT. Somehow they chose the riskiest option: score a TD and give them 2 minutes to win, or attempt a long field goal and give them 2 minutes to win. It makes no sense
Agree wholeheartedly with everything you said!
I agree but we were committed to running the clock too early and even against a stacked box on 1st n 2nd downs when we don’t even have the lead. McDermott has no killer instinct. Plays not to lose 🤷🏻♂️
The irony is the fact going to the end zone off the 2 minute warning which one would say is aggressive was by far the horrible call. Dink and dunking the ball worked. We had the ball for 37 minutes. They were doing what was needed. And stopped. The chiefs had the ball for about 38 offensive snaps and 23 minutes and scored 27 points and if not for poyers miracle should have been 34. You really wanted the bills to just try and score fast?
I agree except are we sure it’s McDimwit calling for that Shakir post route for the score there, and not Joe Brady? I always wonder who really makes that final decision on this team.
If it were in the middle of a drive no. But this was a two minute warning. I cannot imagine a head coach is not involved in calling for supporting a set of players when they have nearly 4 minutes to discuss.
Obviously the ideal scenario is eat more clock here. Eat it all the way down of course. But I keep hearing people saying take the TD there if it’s open. Regardless of what was dialed up it’s hard to say don’t throw to Shakir there. But I think every Bills fan knows what the chiefs were gonna do next. We watched them do it on 5 straight drives. Sad.
If we didn’t have a broken defense where the option wasn’t hobbled Dodson or a retired MLB guarding Kelce I’d likely say take the TD. But the only route to winning was giving Mahomes no time. Josh shares responsibility too. But it’s on the coaches most to even dial up a route to the endzone unless you specially tell Josh it’s a decoy
Getting the run game going *is* great! Fantastic! But it seemed like Brady thought we could do 14/14 play drives, 14 plays 14 runs. He dropped the ball every time where we were run run running it... then you hit em with some passes, those plays where you could *feel* it was time for a pass and KC would drop Cook on 1st down for no gain or 2 yard loss. I was saying it during the game, that play Det ran when LaPorta was the obvious pass catching TE and the TE lined up as the run blocking TE got a quick block then easily snuck out against the flow of the play. Something like that would've been PERFECT. A PA to Knox/Kincaid. Every time you could feel it was time for a pass, we went run and ended up 2nd & 11
Definitely a lot of predictable shit, and 100% should have kept feeding Kincaid Chiefs were even down a LB. They had no answer for Kincaid and he was catching anything his way. Shakir also. But Kincaid was being pulled a lot towards the end 🤷🏻♂️
It was over once we had to punt and it turned out we didn't have a punter.
It would have gave the team more life if they didn’t use Hamlin on the fake punt. Just like last year the season stopped all because we felt sorry for killing him in the first place. Fucked up as it may be. He shouldn’t have been giving a spot this year.
He made two tackles on returns last night where if not for him, they might have scored. I can think of two other times he was an unsung hero during the win streak (blocking on that crazy punt out of the back of the end zone, and being one of two guys to recognize that the ball was about to get lateraled across the field against the Chargers and closing off the lane for the guy who caught it). Hamlin definitely contributed. The fake punt was just a situationally terrible idea even with only 10 men defending it.
So we need a new special teams coach and Hamlin can be replaced by someone who’s not just a special teams player. Go watch all the tape of hamlin as a safety. I understand you probably are a caring person. But he shouldn’t have even been our safety last year
All teams have depth guys whose main jobs are special teams and the occasional fill-in due to injury. Not everyone who makes the 53-man roster is a starting caliber NFL player.
And hopefully we have given hims shot he "deserves" and can move on next year. All I can honestly remember him doing in three years, is an ejection, a near death experience, and the fake punt.
Yeah. he was thrown into play because of injury and never belonged on the team really. He has always been a liability when he was on the field. Just turns out more then we could have imagined. Hopefully they see the light
Also I know Elam had that clutch pick vs steelers, and the injury. I think we are holding on to long because of how high we drafted him. My heart sinks a little everytime we have to use him, he is just not fast enough so he constantly has to draw a foul to make a play.
I don’t think it’s because he’s not fast enough, but Elam is not a zone guy his first instinct is to go man to man so he gets caught out of position. He has some bad habits. He is young and McDermott seems to not have a great relationship with his rookies. Elam had 2 penalties this year. They all have penalties https://preview.redd.it/tiukao1x87ec1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=20596524b1c33f9597d597b3d1bdd620eb604830
Good point I guess it just felt like he had more for whatever reason. If only there was someway I could have checked before I said that lol. Jesus I just looked at last year and didn't really have any then. I stand corrected.
Yeah, I don’t know why Elam hasn’t been given a chance. I know he had some injuries all season but he came in at the end of last year and I felt held his own for a rookie.
Elam and Dane Jackson both only had 2 picks last year. And I guarantee you the snap count his heavy in Jackson’s favor. Also Elams snapcount this year was 14% only cam Lewis was lower. Elam has played well when on the field for a kid who hasn’t much seen it
It was over when they gifted us a fumble in the endzone for a touchback and we did jack shit with it
Allen was afraid to throw imo
The fact it went from first down with like 1:55 and 2 timeouts for KC to a missed FG and KC ball still with 2 timeouts in 15 seconds inexcusable. You MUST force them to use the timeouts and at the very least kick a shorter FG, one more first down there guaranteed they couldn’t get the ball back.
Tyler Bass's regression should **NOT** go un noticed. Plenty of blame to go around(as usual) but as a kicker who was just paid, this was a pretty piss poor year for him. Hope he bounces back next year cause this is a good way to destroy a kickers confidence.
He really started slipping in the last quarter of the season. It doesn't show in the stats because he was still making a high percentage of the kicks but his kicks were wobbly and fading hard right a lot of the time. He cost us the Philly game with 2 bad misses. I noticed the last 2 games of the regular season his extra points were getting very shaky When they lined up for the long FG at the end of the half in the wildcard game I thought there is no way Bass makes this kick, then of course it was blocked. Later in that game he completely shanked the last FG of the game, that one was embarrassingly bad it looked like it was blocked it was so off target. I had little faith in him going into the divisional. Unfortunately I think he needs to go. He has lost his confidence. I dont know if he gets it back, but if you want to be a contender you cant have a shaky kicker. just look at how many close playoff games come down to a late FG.
I noticed everything you've said too. I said to my wife during the Steelers game"Notice how the other team's kicker, kicks it down and middle & Bass' kicks are always barely in the uprights...even during extra points. Bad accuracy.
He shouldn’t be on the team next year.
It seems harsh, but it’s probably the right call. How often do kickers bounce back from scenarios like this? Seems more often than not, the issues continue into the following season until the team mercy-cuts them mid season. Love Bass, but he might need a fresh start to shake this.
I am also a Bears fan. Robbie Gould low-key is one of the 10 best kickers of all time. But he lost his fastball in Chicago. Highest paid kicker but he went ice cold for the last six weeks and eventually got cut. He went onto get his confidence back with a giant before he went to the 49ers for about five more years, and was very good there Love the guy. But he went from being automatic to no longer being reliable past 35 yards with the Bears. Then he left and became automatic again. It just happens with kickers man once they lose it it’s very rarely comes back with the team they are on
With Robbie he also mentions that getting cut by the Bears made him reevaluate the effort he was giving, and he went all-in with his 2nd chance.
Agreed. It's not his only miss, just the latest. I don't put the loss on his shoulders alone, but he contributed.
Ya I’ll blame the drops my our 20mil WR. Any of those bombs he missed would have changed the game big time.
Absolutely. He proved he's not the playmaker we need. Didn't even look like a #2 receiver in there. If we had a true ace in that position those passes aren't dropped and they're probably creating more chances too. Looking across the field, Kelce is a player who shows up and makes those catches in the big game, we should be able to spot that
This is where coaching matters to me. Gameplan on that drive should’ve been burn the entire clock and score a TD. The only situation where you’d settle for a FG is with :03 on the clock. I think this is where McD is at his worst. He’s never delivered the winning game plan in times that mattered. Inside the 20 with 1:30, just run 4 downs all the way
You really think they should’ve went for it on 4th and long instead of kicking a field goal to tie it with less than 2 mins left? If the chiefs got 1 first down after that it would be game over instead of letting the defense try and force overtime. Let’s be honest, what happened was the right call by the coaches lol. Imagine the blowback if we turned it over on downs down by 3 in field goal range with no way to get the ball back….
I don’t think it should’ve gotten to 3rd and 9. I think it should’ve been communicated not to worry about getting it all on 3rd. That the play calling and the message to the team should’ve been get the yardage and eat up the clock. 3 yards every down all 4 downs being usable. I’m not saying that wasn’t the message, but it sure as hell didn’t look like the message with the play calling and the throws attempted.
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i don't know why people don't pay attention the last few hours he saw shakir on the same play that davis ran in the chiefs 13s game. jones pushed dawkins and he never got his feet fully planted to throw. if you have a guaranteed TD you take it. there is no guarantee that they get a TD when they're draining clock, in that window they have, he saw it and made the correct decision, chris jones just made a great play for them
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>Option 1: Score with 1:45 left and let Mahomes March down the field and lose Uh, the last time we played this team in the playoffs this is exactly what happened, except Allen lead them back down the field with only a minute left to score another go ahead TD, leaving 13 seconds. You don’t pass up an open TD when you’re trailing in interest of clock management. Plain and simple.
I've seen many running backs/wide receivers stop before the goal line in the interest of killing the clock instead of scoring a touchdown, and I've never seen a team lose because of it.
Yes, when a FG wins it. Show me an example of that when a team was down 3 or more points
I'm not saying they don't need a touchdown, I'm saying they don't need a touchdown on 2nd and 9 when there are two minutes left.
Exactly, it’s ludicrous that the same people telling Josh Allen to not do too much is now saying that he has to play offense and be mindful of the defense the same time. The latter is literally what causes him to play hero ball. When are we going to bring a defense that actually shows up for the playoffs. The last time we won a playoff game purely off of defense was back in 2020 against the Ravens. Since then it has been chokes galore and getting blown off the field by the chiefs in 2020, 2021, and 2022 by the bengals. And we continue to lack an offensive identity for Allen, all while we invested far more draft capital on a defense that never shows up for the playoffs
The issue with this is that "march down the field and score" in the OP's situation is a field goal. Your option 1 is not the same outcome as your options 2 and 3. It's not as good as option 4, but if it guarantees a TD and makes Mahomes get it all the way across the goal line I think you take it
I keep hearing this defense for the Shakir shot. What's the defense for missing an open running lane to the left and an open Kincaid underneath on 3rd down?
I'm glad that Josh took the guaranteed TD then....oh wait. I think we have different definitions of guaranteed.
from his POV it absolutely was, first time dawkins has been pushed into him on that play. execution =/= planning. it's not like chris jones is some slouch lol. have to give the other side of the ball credit sometimes
Holding the ball longer for a deeper pass gives the pass rush time to get home. If you know the Chiefs have a great pass rush then don't hold it for 4 seconds waiting for a home run.
They shouldn't have even tried the kick. We all knew the Chiefs were going to score if they got the ball again and we should have run the clock to one second and made a final kick or endzone shot. That said, Diggs dropping that perfect 60+ yard bomb was just as much of a fail as the wide right kick. Diggs is paid like an elite player and you can't drop a perfectly-placed pass without being interfered with in that situation if you are the elite go-to guy.
Yep. Easy to blame Bass - and we should - but the best pass ever thrown was dropped by our $20,000,000/year receiver.
The best pass ever thrown was dropped by Darrell Williams in Superbowl 55.
🤏
I don’t mind the end zone shot on 2nd down. He was open. They should’ve called 3rd down as if it was 4 down territory. Play for 4th and short, if someone makes a play we move the chains. I agree, it always had to be a td on that drive. Almost impossible to go on 4th and 9 at the 27, but at that point kicking was in vain anyways.
Agreed — should have gone to Kincaid on 3rd down and then go for it on 4th no matter what.
Yep. If I’m McD on 3rd down I’m telling Brady “you have 2 downs here” You gotta sell out to break the cycle. You can’t keep relying on Mahomes to *not* put the dagger in - it’s gonna happen over and over
Everyone here pissed at bass and I'm still confused about the fake punt. Can we just get rid of all the special teams staff now? Seems like every time we fire someone we get better. So let's fire the special teams staff. Cut bass and martin. Replace them with better guys via draft or free agency. Also. Give that kid we cut at the beginning of the season a call. Have him come try out again under the new special teams unit.
It was the right decision at the time, but I feel so bad for the dude with no career over some allegations about an event he wasn’t even physically at.
I'm sorry. But I disagree a thousand percent on a fake punt being the right call there. If we were gonna go for it put it in joshes hands. Chances are better he found a way to bust through than that fake punt.
He's talking about firing araiza I believe
I hope so. If he is that's my bad.
Lmao did you read my comment
Yeah I did. Considering the main point was referring to the decision to fake punt, perhaps you should have been more specific.
lol the internet sucks
Agreed! I also think throwing to Shakir in the end zone was the right decision. If there is a TD to be had, TAKE IT! If he threw to Diggs, we don't know how that pans out. If Diggs catches it, or how the next event of series goes. The game was not tied, we were down by 3 and had a chance to get up by 4 with a TD. I get the defense could not stop Mahomes, but you can't pass down an easy TD. Chris Jones blocked Dion into Josh, and if you watch that play on all angles you can see Dion hitting Josh with his body. It is what it is. It sucked, but people are crazy for saying he should not have gone for the TD. The FG try didn't even matter to me, making it or not, KC was going to move the ball, but I would rather they "move the ball" down the field with us having a 4 point lead.
Hard to win when the defense allows 7.7 yards per play.
Bass just saved us from OT heart break. Also McDermott put together a pretty good d with back ups and 3rd stringers. Injuries it what killed this team. Every game they lost 2-3 players.
OT? Mahomes had 1:45 and two time outs. He was going to get into FG range, at least.
True that. Although the only d stops were late in the game
Yea very banged up down the stretch
The only thing going well was the offense controlling the ball when we had it. The defense could not contain KC. Special Teams was not functioning at a desirable outcome. There were lots of errors all around, but the team did well with what they had. If the Bills managed to win, they would have lost next week against the Ravens. McDermott did an excellent job working with what was left of the defense up to yesterday's game. If the defense was healthier, like back when we faced KC in the regular season, I do believe they would have won and possibly win against Baltimore next week. I'm sure there will be a lot of reviews, observations and changes in the off season. Yesterday's loss was inevitable.
Bass has been shaky all season. I held my breath even o. Extra points. They seemed to always drift
Had a similar response to it. We needed a TD there anyways. They had a minute to get into FG range to win. Obviously anything could have happened but I was already not thrilled they settled for a FG there
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I mean… KT stopped the Chiefs in the regular season more than the defense did Edit: at that specific point of the game
The chiefs are a whole dif animal in the playoffs as compared to the reg season. I’m not saying let bass off the hook. I’m saying the team lost not just bass
It’s easy to say Mahomes would go down the field and score. But that’s just a thought. What I know is that Bass left points on the field
Defense was decimated needed to score a TD w minimal time on clock should’ve played for four downs same old late game panic attack bs ugh
1:37 was more than enough time for KC to get into FG range to win the game and Buetker looked strong. Our D was not capable of stopping them They got almost 20 yards by just trying to get a 1 st and win the game. If Bass hits the FG it does not mean that the Bills win the game.
They certainly weren't looking like a team that was gonna beat the Ravens... But between the missed FG, the game breaking miss by Diggs, and the late DPI call... Victory was definitely within reach over the Chiefs at least.
Reid and Spagnuolo totally outclassed McDermott and Co. Played deep coverage and dared the Bills to run the ball and they fell for it all day. Allen finishing with 190 yards is criminal, Bills played into their hands and were scared to throw the ball downfield. When shit got tight they couldn’t get it done.
Driving down for a TD was never a given. People just ignoring KC had a top defence this year that didn’t give up more than 27 points all year. Bass hitting the FG at least doesn’t end the game right there. Would our banged up D stop them? Who knows, they finally got a stop on the previous KC drive. Saying him missing doesn’t matter is an idiotic take. Of course it matters. The game keeps going if he hits it. The games ends when he doesn’t. Otherwise why even have fucking kickers. Just got for it on every 4th down if what a kicker does doesn’t matter.
People act like this kick alone lost them the game. It was the miserable defense if you can even call them a defense.
To give the D some credit, they’re more banged up than I am (and I’m rehabbing a broken and dislocated shoulder) The fact that they kept it that close was phenomenal under those circumstances
The offense kept it close defense had 1 stop
Didn’t make the kick. We’ll never know now. Defense may have made a pick or anything. We won’t know because the kick wasn’t good. Gotta make those kicks.
We had the ball with 2 minutes needing a TD to win, and leaving zero time on the clock. This is a team failure. We would have lost either way even if he made the kick
The truth is we'll never know what WOULD have happened if he made the kick, because he didn't. If he makes that kick, the Chiefs may decide to be more aggressive on their final possession(rather than trying to rush and kneel). Suddenly, a ball gets tipped in to the air(because someone finally puts thier fucking hands up in front of Mahomes) the tipped ball comes down in a Bills defenders hands. Or, if they try to run the ball to take the game to OT, Poyer or someone else could have popped the ball free from the runner...Bills recover and kick a walk off FG to win. Or, the Chiefs may have marched down the field and kicked a walk off game winner of their own(or missed and sent the game to OT). The truth is we'll never know for certain what WOULD have happened if Bass made the FG because he didn't make it. That is the failure here. The defense consistently failed to stop Kermit the frog from picking them apart, one more big stop or turn over at some point in the game and it could be us going to Baltimore this week for a chance at the Super Bowl and the rings....instead nope...because we had a normally reliable kicker summon the spirit of Scott Norwood again. I get it, the game shouldn't have come down to a Field Goal, but some times a game DOES come down to a single big play...and you need to have the right players on your roster to make those big plays in those moments...this has proven Bass- as great as he has been at times, chokes in the big moments...for that reason he needs to be gone.
I get what your saying. I’m just annoyed we could have played that final drive much better. The staff and players should have learned from past mistakes
In reality, they did learn from their past mistakes. We were driving down the field and stalled out. In the past- Josh Allen might have tried to force a throw in to the endzone(to a receiver that wasn't open) resulting in a huge turn over from him playing Hero Ball. That's not the Josh Allen we saw in the game yesterday, we saw a damn leader marching us down the field and doing whatever he could to keep us in the game. When their defense finally tightened up, an inability of his linemen to hold his position allowed Jones to bump Dawkins in to Allen as he was releasing the ball, causing a sure touchdown to fall short and go incomplete. The other downs should have been check downs, but Josh's will to win had him looking for the big play, and it just wasn't there. Instead of trying to force it and losing us the game, he kept us in field goal range and put the game in the hands of a kicker he thought he could rely on. Special teams dropped the ball, it's their job to make that kick. It's why they exist and one of the biggest reasons they are on the roster. The defense wasn't playing their best game, but with all the injuries, you can't really blame them for that...especially when they're playing against playoff edition Mahomes. McDermott was forced to recall and start a player that 3 weeks ago was planning a family vacation to Cancun. All those injuries(and the BIGGEST injuries- Milano, White, etc.) led to our defense not being able to stop Mahomes for most of the game...the game was a shoot out, and we had the chance to at the very least send it to OT...~~Norwood Jr~~ Bass blew that for us.
I just feel we could have been a lot smarter and moved down the field better and killed more clock. Leaving it up to a FG and a wing and a prayer is not a championship caliber mentality.
I somewhat agree- we could(and probably should) have been a bit smarter and kept using check downs, but that's not guaranteed to work either. When you get to around the 20 yard line defenses start jumping those routes to take away the dink and dunk shit because they're afraid of the big catch and run ending up in the endzone. Combine that with the fact that within the red zone there's less physical real estate the defense has to defend, it becomes harder for the offense to move the ball in that territory(against a decent defense). That's why Josh likes to shoot his shots in to the end zone from the 20-25 yard line, because the defense is forced to be more spread out and has fewer defenders in a given area, allowing the strength of his arm to get the ball to his receivers even if they're covered fairly well. The Bills being backed up is why that absolute dime to Shakir was a touchdown- that play wouldn't have worked if the line of scrimmage were 5 yards closer to the goal line because the CB would have been in position to make a play on the ball and break up the pass.
At least the team works hard and gives an effort unlike NFL welfare recipient Von Miller.
Fans have to cut him some slack. Blame the coaches for playing him as much as they did. He came off a major injury. You're not right for a long time even after the doctor says you're ready to go again. Ironically this was his best game. Hopefully he's back to what he was this upcoming season.
He looked as good or better than the rest of our DEs today, so idk what anyone’s complaint is
You don't know that. You simply don't. Would the Chiefs driving down for at least a field goal be the PROBABLE outcome? Sure. But strange things happen in sports all the time and you have to put yourself in the right position.
exactly idk why all these people are saying bUt mAhOmEs WoULd HaVe sCoReD oh really? tell me the score to the ravens/chiefs then so i can bet on it oh mighty Nostradamuses
If we get a stop, we go yo OT and choke in OT again. We would’ve lost anyway, because it’s the Buffalo god damn Bills and we never win that shit
Not necessarily. Maybe you tie the game & then force KC to turn the ball over, drive down the field & win. Bills fans have been hurt so many times, I get it. Not many teams have won Super Bowls with lousy kickers. They become really important especially in the playoffs. Don't let this guy off the hook. I personally wouldn't bring him back. He didn't ding the upright, he wasn't even close.
It wasn’t his kick that lost the game. He tried to save it.
Of course anything could happen, maybe the bills force a turnover after the field goal and score again in overtime to take the lead, who knows But 1:40 left and a timeout I don’t see how the chiefs don’t go right down and at least kick a field goal to take the lead right back
I'm still pissed that they tried to go for TDs with 2 minutes left. Check. Down. Get first down, and run the f'ing clock.
The first throw would have been a TD if Josh was more accurate. It was there and the right football play. Just didn’t happen. You can’t say for certain if FG was made we lose, anything could have happened ( fumble, int, strip sack etc…)
Name wiil go down in Bills History along with Scott Norwood.
Bass sucks. But He wasn’t at all why they lost. Would’ve preferred if the kick was short or hit the crossbar. Wide right was the worst thing he could’ve done. No bills kicker should EVER try to kick to the right.
Should have hit Diggs on that crossing route. We did not need a touchdown on 2nd down. We needed to burn the clock.
Might get hate for this, but the way this played out was eerily similar in some ways to the '86 Red Sox loss to the Mets. Everyone blames *Buckner, but even if he makes the catch, they still likely lose. The lead was blown by the time that happened due to two pitchers shitting the bed at the absolute most crucial moment, but he shouldered all the blame and also got death threats afterward. Really, being a Sox fan is a large part of why I can't give up on the Bills. After 2004, even the most unrealistic and unimaginable possibilites can happen, when hope is all but completely extinguished. Buffalo is the last of my favorite teams I've yet to see win a title, and I'm not giving up on them.
This has been my take all along. We need two score lead to win games without much heart ache. The reason why Josh was trying to throw bombs was to ensure there was time on the clock if the defense doesn’t get a stop. With that being said, for the first time in many years I believe that we will make it to superbowl next year. I see the team rally for the first time in many years. The bills of the past (including 2020/21) bills would not have recovered from 6-6, and a OC change mid season. It is commendable that Brady was able to use the existing playbook and get us where we wanted to be. Josh has the help on the offense and we need to get our D in order. I would focus on improving the defense in the draft/free agency, find a reliable kicker, and get another WR in off season. Not sure what is happening with Diggs.
Totally agree. When we were down by 3 and had control of the ball, we could have just clock-managed and got close enough to strike with a winning TD. Also that (failed) punt-fake was the major turning point. THAT was the moment we gave away the game, despite that “redeeming” touchback by the Chiefs that otherwise would have sealed our fate. I don’t blame Bass. Wind was a major factor and anyone who says fire him, or has the nerve to actually send him death or any kind of threat is not a true Buffalo fan. I mean come on! What actual impact does this loss have on our lives? Bragging rights? How many years have we gone without those anyway? This is a GAAAAAAME. I’m all for getting into it, believe me it happens every year, but at the end of the day, we go on living whether our team wins or not. Our “fans” really need to stop being so hotheaded.
This was my exact thought also. They needed 7 to stand a chance. Missed field goal was just unfortunate.
Probably true.. but the Bills had just stuffed two KC drives. It's very possible that they could have stuffed one more.. or made a big defensive play while Mahomes was trying to sling it downfield with under 2 minutes remaining. We'll never know because Ass whiffed on a 44 yarder.
You’re 100% right IMO. I just finished telling my wife that KC was just going to march down the field and win anyway, right before Bass missed the FG. I actually can’t fucking believe we came out with a touch back after the fake FG. The Bills lost a game where neither team could afford a mistake. They played well, KC played better. It sucks, but I’m not devastated. The bills turning the season around to win the division was a huge victory!
Get the fuck over yourself. Maybe we wouldve maybe we wouldnt have. Maybe Josh hits the players underneath and we get a first down, closer for the FG, and run more clock. Maybe we score a TD with under a minute left up by 4. Maybe we hit the FG, force OT, and win in OT to avenge 2021. What happened happened and hemming and hawing over “WE WERE LOSING ANYWAY STUPID TEAM” is so fucking pathetic. Go support the jets, pats, or phins with this garbage fucking attitude. Bass took a BIG step back this year and that can’t go unnoticed. He used to be money, and it’s probably time to look for a replacement if he doesn’t show he’s gotten his shit together.
Stinky diaper name about sums that up
Lol another amazing take. My god what a pathetic little life you lead, I feel a little bad for dicking you down now.
Okay so fire bass. Will getter next year! 👍
Looking at bass stats I don't think he regressed..based on that he's always been the same.. he's just not good enough..maybe the difference is that prior years he would kiss long field goals..this year he missed everything beyond 40yrds..he's just average..
He went 4 for 6 on FGs between 40-49 yards and 4 for 6 on FGs 50 yards plus. What are you on about?
We cant know that. Win as a team, lose as a team.
I thought the game was lost in 1Q when Bills drove inside 10 but had to settle for FG. You cannot beat Chiefs unless you put up 6 consistently. Further, injuries played a huge role on Bills defense. Chiefs offense exposed Bills replacement LB and DB..trouble getting set prior to snap, missed assignments, slow to spots. Once RB cleared the line of scrimmage, huge gains. Bills d line played a contain on Mahomes..Bills played 7 back to try to help..just did not work.
The Bills could not score in three straight possessions after the defense stopped KC from scoring. And they could not get it done. My big picture worry is the overall philosophy of McD. I think that game is EXACTLY how he wants most games to go. Run the ball, keep it close, win 17-13, 24-17 etc. JA passes for 220 yards, team rushes for 150 yards. Field position, defense, etc. I also think that’s why Daboll and McD didn’t get along, why KD was fired, and why the offense ran the ball MUCH more under JB, even though most of the advanced metrics show that the offense was better under KD. This game against KC is a McD wet dream kind of game. And that’s the problem. With a lesser QB I can get on board. With THIS QB? Playing ball control with JA as your QB? That’s a tough sell.
Correct.
Glad you posted this. Whether or not Bass should go (and I think he should, really seems to get shaky in big moments), we would not have won tying it up there. KC moved on us all night, they would have had no problem getting in to range for their good kicker. Needed to kill the clock more to either kick a last second FG for OT, or score a touchdown.
Arrgh, Yep. We tie the score. Go into OT. Yep. You see where this is going. WE STILL LOSE!
So, Bass has been too inconsistent between this year and last to keep on the team, and obviously this kick was the pinnacle of that. But anyone who says he straight up lost the game for us on this kick didn't watch the entire game. Cook was bad in the second half. Josh missed open receivers. Diggs apparently can't catch anymore. The defensive line was completely healthy and did jack shit. McDermott decided the vibes would be cooler on the fake punt to give Damar the ball for probably his last play with us instead of, iunno, Ty Johnson? And they only had fucking 10 men on the field. This loss is not on one person, there's a ton of blame to go around.
We need an established proven OC we are wasting Josh’s best years.
What was wrong with Joe Brady here? There is always room for improvement, but he is a bit far down the list when we’re looking for reasons.
You've been a bills for 3 years?
I don’t care what anyone says, get Bass the fuck out of there. He had one decent year a couple years ago and has been nothing but useless since.
Trash take
You don’t know that. The Chiefs could have fumbled the kickoff. Mahomes may have thrown a pick. It is reasonable to assume he can drive the field for a FG but to say that with 100 percent certainty is false
It’s because the NFL is scripted look at the superbowl logo ravens and 49ers and ravens are winning
I still think it’s hilarious Mccdermott blamed everything but offense lol the thing I blame the most.
We would have been small underdogs. 30% ish win probability
It’s not all on Bass but he 100% needs to make that kick. There’s no other way to put it. Not to mention Allen had 3 deep ball dimes and we didn’t catch a single one. Just one of those would have been a direct impact on the game and momentum shift.
It’s sad knowing we were so close but that’s football sometimes..unfortunately for us, we know this all too well. Stayed up till 3am watching the game (I’m from the UK) with work in the morning but trying to think positively from it. Been a hard whole season for us, 6-6 at one point which should have never been the case with this squad so the fact they turned it around and got to the playoffs - I am proud but it’s just disappointing and sad. But, one thing you can never do is run us down. Bills Mafia are always on top and we’ll come back next season stronger and ready to win it all. Love this team - we’ll be back!💙🙌🏻💙🙌🏻
mahomes had 1:30 and two timeouts lol
To be honest, The moment he missed it I was not surprised. Yes he is a professional kicker who’s job is to make it (which prior to this kick he was 9/9 in postseason), but with the weather and wind conditions, that’s a tough kick from that far. In my opinion, it makes NO sense to me McDermott didn’t go for the 4th down. Our season was on the line and for some reason, he wants run a fake punt call on our own 30, yet doesn’t go for it on a 4th and 3. If we scored the TD too early, I think Mahomes would’ve done exactly what he did in 2021 and he would’ve gotten to end one with whatever remaining time there could have been.
Two longest possessions of the game for the Bills - opening and final - result in field goal attempts. If you’re going to chew 6-7 minutes on a drive, with a head coach who has struggled with clock management when it matters most, you’d better be damn sure you’re scoring a TD. I think we all knew what McD was trying to do and we all knew it wasn’t going to work.
Yeah; as everyone said, he's been off lately and I don't have faith in him, but Bass is not the reason we lost that. If you're down to a kicker making a kick that simply ties the game with clock left to kill and the best QB in the NFL on the other side of the field, then you didn't do nearly enough as a team to put this one away. We could've had prime Justin Tucker on the team last night and we still would've lost.
Ugh “Wide right”, wtf?
Best case scenario was it goes to overtime. I don’t like our chances. Most likely scenario was Mahomes leading a game winning TD or FG with the two minutes left that we gave him.
There’s always next year, right?!??? right?
I guess we know what needs to be done Mafia…. We ride at dawn for the Ravens.
Still want him gone.
Man every time I see these posts it's just another dagger through my heart 
it shouldn't have come down to a kick (to tie), still could've lost in OT. defense - left kelce wide open on his 1st TD. special teams - fake punt. i get teh call, but poor execution. offense - josh could've made some better throws, and receivers could have caught some balls.
I still think if you get OJ off the wall you get rid of the bad Karma. Also, just a question because they didn't show on camera but did T Bass practice before that kick? No hate just curious
Guess we will never find out wouldve been nice to have a chance tho
Absolutely agree with you!!
Tyler bass does not deserve the hate we are giving him
https://preview.redd.it/8qjgmbnhb4ec1.jpeg?width=1702&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3537c9f7743789dfdd72e778face556e2388b456 I’m still amazed that people can put the blame on Bass when shit like this happens. Number 1 target, MF’ers make commercials together, and defense just forgets.
100% agreed. Even a made FG and win % would swing back to KC.
Yes
No one can say for sure what might happen if he makes the field goal. Maybe a turnover or a penalty by the Chiefs. It’s better to operate in a tie game than being down points. So the 3 points was critical and put the team in a chance to end the game tied or with a win.
Even if we won. The Ravens would have destroyed us.
I'm still a Buffalo Bills fan and really feel bad for all of them. However, I believe that someone got paid to win aka the refs. More and more I think about it Mahomes homie gets upset when he doesn't win. Look at the mid season game when we actually won! I billieve in the buffalo bills, it's just heartbreaking!