Can I Get an Amen!?!: 2022 Buffalo Bills Preview and Tuesday Open Thread

2021 PREDICTION: 13-4, AFC Champions

2021 REALITY: 11-6, Divisional Round loss in an instant classic

It is dark times for the Buffalo Bills faithful. It’s not just Eric from Lackawanna putting his injury settlement on the line picking them to go to the Super Bowl. It’s everyone. The Bills are currently 7:2 favorites to win the AFC and 6:1 favorites at Caesars to win the whole fucking thing.

There is nothing more depressing to a Bills fan than an expectation of success. We can’t cope with it, because of our near-religious faith in The Narrative.

The Narrative has taught us that we can’t have nice things.

The Narrative holds that even after the other shoe has dropped, there will somehow be a third, larger shoe that kicks us squarely in the balls.

The Narrative is God, if the only version of God was the asshole “Trading Places” one in the Book of Job.

So being favored in anything feels like a death sentence. A guarantee that Josh Allen’s right shoulder will spontaneously combust in garbage time of Week 5, even after he’s been pulled from the game, or that Putin will launch his missiles with 2 minutes left in the AFC Championship and the Bills up by 10.

Western New York is the land of the underdog, the Puncher’s Chance, the Impossible Dream. Sneaking into the playoffs? Yes! Starting from the pole? Nooooo!

I understand the optimism on everyone else’s part. The team is returning the core of its most successful team in decades for a third season, and added pieces to shore up weak points (notably Von Miller and Rodger Saffold). Conversely, their three biggest rivals lost key pieces: Tyreek Hill from the Chiefs, AJ Brown from the Titans and The Suspension of All Laws of Nature from the Bengals.

If there are weak points remaining, they are at cornerback and punter. The cornerback situation is that Tre’Davious White is out at least 4 games recovering from last year’s horrendous knee injury, leaving us with Dane Jackson and rookie Kaiir Elam starting on the outside. The punter situation is that we drafted what appears to be a monsterous human being and were forced to retreat when his alleged monstrosity was made public. No doubt this means our season will end on a botched punt.

The biggest off-season change was Everyone’s Slob Uncle Brian Daboll leaving our offensive coordinator’s box for the gray fields of northern New Jersey. As always when you break up a successful coordinator-young QB pairing, there are questions whether one or both will suffer without the other.  While Daboll’s failure is likely assured (because Giants), the Bills tried to stave off any decline by elevating QB coach Ken Dorsey to coordinator. In limited preseason action with the starters, it looked like the offense was clicking on all cylinders.

Which of course means that credible reports will surface about Dorsey being a cannibal around Week 11.

All is not lost. Frankly, if the Bills can hold serve in the AFC East and survive the first seven games (which includes @Rams, Titans, @Chiefs and Packers) they should be well on their way.

But we don’t believe that. Because the Narrative hates us.

2022 PREDICTION: 9-8. Pain, that old familiar friend…

WHAT’S ON TONIGHT:

WNBA Playoff action!

Chicago Sky vs. Connecticut Slot Jockeys (ESPN2, 8 pm Eastern, 7 pm God’s Time)

The Sky continue their inevitable march toward a repeat championship, as is their right as Chicago basketballers.  There is only one real professional franchise in Connecticut now that the Whalers have left, and that is UConn.

Las Vegas Aces vs. Seattle Not-Sonics (ESPN 2, 10 pm Eastern, 9 pm DFO)

Aces coach Becky Hammon is the Realest of Deals, although she is a naturalized Russkie. I am confident that she will be the first female head coach in the NBA once Gregg Popovich hangs up his whistle, and having a WNBA Trophy would help quiet a few of the Haters. HOWEVA: that would involve owner Mark Davis hoisting hardware, and that’s just not going to happen.

 

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The Right Reverend Electric Mayhem
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Doktor Zymm

I should spend some time watching/rewatching all the Jet LI movies from the early 90s

Rikki-Tikki-Deadly

Kyrgios won that game in less time than it took me to pour a beer.

Doktor Zymm

With a name like Kyrgios he should get to have O Fortuna as his entry music

ballsofsteelandfury

Never forget

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Doktor Zymm

Such a good fanbase

Rikki-Tikki-Deadly

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Dunstan

Happy Steve Bannon Indictment Day, everyone!

Remember to wear the traditional five layers of polo shirts.

WCS

Damn, I forgot to bathe for a week in advance to celebrate.

Sharkbait

Currently plotting logistics for a Sharkbait and in-laws trip to Metlife for Giants-Clit Commanders in December. The burning question is do we take Sharkette? Or is that grounds for Child Services to get involved?

Wakezilla

I’ve been to that game in late December. It’s colder than a NFL owner’s heart.

Do you have immediate transportation after the game? The Mrs and I didn’t and it was awful waiting in line to get the bus that takes you back. I think we waited 2 hours.

Safety wise, you’re fine.

Sharkbait

We’d either take our own car, or ride in from the hotel with my Father In Law and tailgate that way.

Last edited 2 years ago by Sharkbait
BrettFavresColonoscopy

Let’s not act like the Bills are innocent here, they knew about the rape allegations and decided it was worth drafting that guy anyway.

BrettFavresColonoscopy

No but I’m not NOT gonna shit on the Bills.

Wakezilla

Guess they too wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Rikki-Tikki-Deadly

I hope Lea Michele never, ever, ever refutes this rumor that she can’t read.

Senor Weaselo

I would say “She only knows the alphabet up to G,” but all the singers I went to school with were shit at theory.

Horatio Cornblower

I have Josh Allen has my FF QB this year, so 9-8 is probably optimistic for the Bills.

Did I take Brady with the overall #1 pick the year Bernard Pollard got him? Yes. Yes I did.

LemonJello

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WCS

THEN WHY THE FUCK DIDN’T YOU DRAFT DREAMBOAT EVERY SINGLE YEAR AFTER??!

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Horatio Cornblower

I’ve had him on my team several times since. Apparently the monkey’s paw never uncurled after that first one.

WCS

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Gumbygirl

South Park Satan! I almost didn’t recognize him without Saddam.

Brick Meathook

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LemonJello

Does Micheal Irvin take his paycheck from NFL Network in bricks of cocaine, or is there a crypto currency that he gets and then exchanges that for cocaine?

Doktor Zymm

The problem with CocaCrypto is it’s too volataile. BelushiCoins were really big for a while before crashing, and everyone thought LenBiasCoin was gonna be huge but it didn’t even make it a week

Wakezilla

THESE BUFFALO BILLS FANS, I CALL A HETEROSEXUAL WOMAN’S SEX LIFE BECAUSE IT’S GOING TO BE FULL OF ANTICIPATION, LEADING TO DISAPPOINTMENT AND FOLLOWED BY DEBATING ON SWITCHING TEAMS.

Game Time Decision

Will the act of sex be over quickly too?

Wakezilla

Based on this wonderful prediction, yes.

Rikki-Tikki-Deadly

We finally went to the theater and saw Top Gun Maverick today. It was everything I wanted it to be.

Brick Meathook

Action-packed thrillfest or homoerotic bodice-ripper?

ballsofsteelandfury

Yes

Rikki-Tikki-Deadly

The Narrative holds that even after the other shoe has dropped, there will somehow be a third, larger shoe that kicks us squarely in the balls.

Love this.

Redshirt

I’m going to put that on my tombstone.

Horatio Cornblower

Tomorrow.

Wait, what?

Redshirt

Honestly I think the AFC is between the Chiefs, Bills, Bengals and Chargers, in that order.

The Bills match up with the the Chiefs with the talent but the match up with the Bengals because they haven’t fulfilled their potential when it matters.

scotchnaut

If the Bengals sweep the Steelers again this year, that’ll tell me all I want to know about Cincy. The Bengals caught Pitt unawares last year-Tomlin won’t let that happen again.

ballsofsteelandfury

I don’t think there’s a sweep this year either.

Redshirt

Me neither. Roethlisberger had no arm last year and the Bengals took advantage. I can see a sweep happening but odds are a split is more likely. Bengals will be circled on everyone’s schedule and that’s not factoring in Revenge Mode for the Steelers and Ravens. The Bengals will be sneaking up on no one this year.

Also, you can’t factor in a sweep to test a team. The Bengals swept the Steelers in 1998 and the whole damn division in 2009. All that counts for is a trivia answer.

Last edited 2 years ago by Redshirt
scotchnaut

[continues to read from The Book of Job]

“Still no offers from any team? Not even the veteran minimum? I hate this book!”

-Cole Beasley

Game Time Decision

Like Cole can reed.

LemonJello

This is his preferred Bible:

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ballsofsteelandfury

At least they’re not the Slut Jockeys…

Gumbygirl

That’s a great fantasy football name!