Allen, Bass, McDermott, or “other”: Who’s to blame for the Bills lose?

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If you're a golfer and some people accept mulligans, you get maybe one mulligan a side or one, maybe you get a breakfast ball, maybe you get two off the first tee. Well, I need one. So it would have been a great story had Scott Norwood in 1991 lined up for a 44-yard field goal with 147 remaining to tie the game against the Giants in Super Bowl XXV because Tyler Bass lined up for a 44-yard field goal with 147 left in the game last night to tie the Kansas City Chiefs. But in fact, Scott Norwood lined up for a 47-yard field goal with seven seconds left to tie the Giants. So... Yeah. You were off just a wee bit.

Just a little. And my mistake was doing a search for Scott Norwood wide right and the story below it is about Tyler Bass. Of course. My fault. My fault.

I'm the dumb ass. It's a Monday. No, no excuse. No excuse. Will Brinson, senior NFL writer at CBSSports.com is joining us, pick six podcast moderator.

All right, let's get right to it. Is it fair, as great a game as he had, is it fair to lay that loss at the feet of Josh Allen? I probably wouldn't. I mean, I think, I mean, you can certainly find some blame with Josh Allen, but I don't think he's the number one guy I'm blaming. Tyler Bass isn't the number one guy I'm blaming either.

So let me explain why. The whole point of that last drive was to drain the clock, right? That's why they allowed the clock to run down to the two minute warning. The whole point should have been to score a touchdown and leave their time remaining on the clock. Right. But it was, to me, that was the plan to score a touchdown and leave Patrick Mahomes with zero. Right. Cause 13 seconds is too much.

We've already been down that road. Yes. So with two guys open underneath on second and nine on the first play out of the two minute warning, knowing that at that particular moment, you could argue that a first down is more important than a touchdown. Why didn't Josh accept the gift that he was given instead of throwing the ball into the end zone? I think he had Khalil Shakir coming around on the backside of the end zone.

Sort of. He got pressured. Chris Jones got in his face. You know, I think what the, if I'm penning anything on that last drive, I'm sort of looking at the holistic approach that I think the Bills take that's been maybe like, maybe you can sort of point to it as maybe like a larger theme for what the Bills issues are, which is they got that first down with two 43 remaining. They had, I mean, they had first and 10 at the 27th, 43 at the chief's 27 and they scored zero points, but that's a problem. Right.

They, they, they missed that. Right. I think what happened, well, yeah, but like you play for, you get, you get the ball that's first intended and she's 27. You're kicking a 44 or 46 yard field goal, whatever it was like, that's a problem. And I think, and I think, but that points to coaching. Like I don't put that on Josh Allen.

I put that on Sean McDermott and the way that they decided to approach, they're like, all right, let's not like, basically they wanted to lay up while also like, you know, it was like, all right, let's, let's lay up short of the water and just give ourselves a nice, a nice eight iron in. It's like, no, you have Josh Allen, go score a touchdown. Right. Like, even if you make the field goal with a minute, they were going to lose the game. Right.

Which, which is why I get back to this. That's why I think the first down was more important than the touchdown that if you pick up the first down right there and you've got a new set of downs and chiefs only had two timeouts because they wasted one, uh, on a, I think it was the previous possession right on the bogus, on the bogus passive defensive pass interference call in Buffalo, which ultimately didn't hurt them. Um, but if you pick up the first down, I mean, it only cost him time.

It costs them three more downs, which I guess is significant, but maybe not. Um, but the, if you pick up the first down, if you throw it underneath the digs, of course, Stefan Diggs might've dropped it, but that's another story altogether. Uh, if you throw it underneath the digs there and you pick up the first down, now you're at about the 15 and Kansas city's got to call their timeouts and you have the opportunity, but, but I mean, like, I think there's a chance that Josh Allen felt like his coaching staff was playing for the field goal and he wanted to get a touchdown to try to win the game. So it's about a decision, but don't they speak like that's my whole point is I think that right now that there's some, I think that you saw it, this off season, I think you saw it during, throughout the season.

And, um, you know, there was a controversial stuff, um, about during the bi-week that came out from Ty Dunn and, and they sort of kind of, it sort of rallied the troops and they played great down the stretch. And then they made this run and then you had the same, same spot losing to Patrick Holmes late in a great game on Sunday night on CBS. I mean, like, well, time is a flat circle for the Buffalo Bills. And I just wonder how long you could, how long, how long they will keep doing this before they say, we have this quarterback and Josh Allen, who is like Sean McDermott's done a great job of getting this team, elevating the floor for this team and putting this team in a spot where they're competitive for, you know, they're highly competitive year in and year out, but had they hit their ceiling under Sean McDermott? And is there a point in time where, you know, I mean, didn't, didn't the Bulls have to go out and get Phil Jackson in order to beat the Pistons? Are you calling Sean McDermott Doug Collins or, sort of, yeah. Or are you calling Sean McDermott Dan Reeves, who had John Elway early in his career and they needed Mike Shanahan to eventually win those two Super Bowls? Maybe I'm calling Jim Harbaugh, Phil Jackson. I'm serious. This coaching cycle, if you're the Buffalo Bills.

Yeah. Now we've seen, Jared Mayo and Antonio Pierce hired by the Patriots and the Raiders respectively. Bill Belichick and Jim Harbaugh are still out there. There are a lot of good coaching candidates. A guy like Dan Quinn has been to a Super Bowl. I'm not saying you'd fire Sean McDermott to go get Dan Quinn.

I would not do that. I mean, I think Dan, I mean, Dan Quinn's had more success in the post-season. I would fire Sean McDermott. I would move on from Sean McDermott to go get Jim Harbaugh and just win a Super Bowl with Josh Allen. I think that would happen within three years.

I would too. And Bill Belichick would be, I think an interesting choice for Buffalo. Belichick would love to work in the AFC East and destroy the Patriots multiple times per year. And he would still get a chance to beat the Jets every year. He would get to be the Jets with Josh Allen, Jets and Patriots with Josh Allen twice a year. I mean, you bring in, who was it, who was rumored to have, they're talking about, I've drawn a blank. There was somebody that was rumored to be like, like Belichick might hire him as the OC.

It's like, ah, I'm really going to unleash everything now. Well, I mean, you could, Josh McDaniels is still out there. I mean, he could, he could always reunite with Josh McDaniels, although whatever. Like again, I think that once the play, once the play call comes in and the ball is snapped, all the decisions come from the quarterback.

And I thought that was a choice. Well, we just don't know. We don't know what it, we don't know. I mean, you have to go back and look and then actually ask the players and ask the coaches, like, what were his, you know, what, which, which readers first, you know, what were they trying to get it to the end zone? You know, he got pressured. So that makes it a whole different ball game. It doesn't fit my narrative.

Well, if, if I have to blame somebody. I think ultimately Adam, that this was a game similar to the lions and the Rams game from last weekend in which it was a really, really good football game. Yeah. There were two teams and two quarterbacks who played pretty awesome football. Uh, there were a couple of key moments that were going to swing this game and it's easy to focus in on those because everything else felt like it was operated pretty pristinely. Um, you know, you had the fumble from McColl-Hardman, the DeMar Hamlin fake punt. Um, and then the sort of the clock management there at the end by the bills.

I think that's the stuff that you focus in on the same way, like Sean McVay's clock management. Um, you know, like one or two, but like, but by and large, it's an awesome football game. I expect we get a CBS press release at some point that talks about how good the ratings were.

Oh my gosh, be 50 million people have watched, uh, watched that game. Will Brinson joining us as he does every Monday. All right. Let's see a new contract coming up. There you go. Uh, let's talk about the other number one seed. Is it fair to say that for at least three quarters, maybe more Green Bay was better than San Francisco? Didn't get quite enough out of that. I mean, they got enough. They should have won the game. Uh, but Jordan Love made two mistakes in the fourth quarter. The first gave San Francisco hope and the second one ended the game.

Yeah. Um, you know, I think, uh, I look at this game and look at similar to the Baltimore game where maybe the, just, just a good reminder that, you know, when you have to, when you sit out week 18 and then have a bi-week, it's awesome. Cause you get to rest everybody and you're healthy, but very clearly like both the Ravens and the 49ers came out a little rusty. Um, San Francisco got Green Bay's best shot. They, Jordan Love played awesome. He did until the fourth.

Yeah. Until the fourth. I mean, yeah, 32 picks, but 21 to 34, buck 94, two touchdowns, Aaron Jones has been running the ball great down the stretch. Uh, Green Bay could have easily won that game, the line to be hosting the NFC championship game, which good God. Green Bay. Like I joked before the NFC North could be the best division in football next year. Uh, yeah. I mean, my takeaway from the 49ers Packers game is that Green Bay is going to be Green Bay's youngest roster in football by a significant margin.

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See website for details. Their average age is like 17. I mean, they're all first. Aren't they all first or second year receivers with Jordan Love? I mean, yeah. Romeo Dobbs, Jayden Reed, uh, the Melton kid from Ole miss.

Yeah. The kid from UVA. I mean, they're Chris Watson. Maybe third or Watson second year. Cause he was a rookie last year with, um, aircraft.

Tucker crafts. They are, they are incredibly talented. Um, look, I think it's hilarious that they went out and spent all that draft capital on these young receivers who are going to block, like might blow really blossom next year. Like with Rogers, you're like, look, it's Aaron Rogers. Bless him with the jets. Um, it's pretty clear that green Bay knew what they were doing when they drafted Jordan Love.

I don't know if you're taking a chance, but they saw a lot. I mean, honestly, when you watch him, he looks a lot like Aaron Rogers when he plays. He, he does a lot.

Looks a lot like Farve Rogers. It's insane. He really does. I mean, if you're a Packers fan, you feel good. You don't, you don't.

Yeah. I guess like you don't, I mean, yeah, of course you feel good, but it's also like, dude, you, you're not, you're not someone who's lived the life of a football fan. You just had a quarterback your entire life. Like that's not, that's not what rooting for a football team is like.

You're supposed to be, I mean, at least they're not, not, not, not, not according to what I've dealt with pain, pain, suffering. They did have to live with Dan Mikowski to live with Dan Mikowski for, uh, for a couple of years, magic man. He wasn't terrible. Uh, but man, since you say did have Phillip Rivers, Mike Lennon and Russell Wilson. So there you go.

All right. So, uh, let's get to these two games to meet Baltimore. Once the halftime rolled around, Baltimore just squashed Houston. They were dominant in the second half, um, 44 passing yards for studio shroud in the second half.

Yeah. I mean, look, um, it was good. That's pretty hard to do when you're down 24 points, man. Like that's how good, that's how good Baltimore was though. I mean, and we have to give them credit for that. Um, Baltimore now will host Kansas city. Somehow. I think that the pressure just gets higher on the Ravens. Like it's not a relaxed, we thought we won a playoff game. I think he wants to do that.

I don't, I don't know. He was awesome. He was tremendous. He talked about it before the game. He's like, look, I understand this. Everyone's talking about it. I'm one, three in the playoffs.

Everybody keeps bringing it up and keeps making it up. I get it. You go 16 to 22, a buck 52, two touchdowns, no picks rushes for a hundred yards and carries for two, two more touchdowns. Um, I don't think that it's not, it's not fair to ascribe additional pressure to Lamar. Like, all right, Lamar's got now that's moving the goalpost.

If we're saying now Lamar, all right, now Lamar has got to beat the chiefs or else, or else he's a playoff loser. Like he, like he is a playoff loser. He's a playoff loser. Or else he's a playoff loser. Like he, like he has won. He's performed the way he had to perform in a playoff game. Of course it's, it's the AFC championship game.

It's a huge game. To me, I don't view it as he's got to win or else we question this. Um, I, I do view it though, as man, I mean, my Holmes is going in there. That's never great. When you got to host Patrick Holmes. Right. Certainly.

Yeah. I've been saying for weeks, I know I've been saying for weeks, what if the chiefs flip the switch on offense and they're just good at the playoffs and well, I'm still not buying. I think Baltimore will win the game because I think Baltimore's defense will not allow a two receiver team to beat them. Baltimore sat all their players in week 18 and still finished in the top five, all time in historical DVOA for the season. Like this is potentially a, like if the Ravens could win the super bowl and get to the one seed. So, I mean, like it wouldn't be that shocking, but I mean, like it really shouldn't be surprising that the Ravens are really good. I'm a little surprised that the Ravens are favored by three here. I haven't seen if it's moved, um, up.

It was minus three, minus one 22. And I went to bed says, yeah, so my three, um, I think that what's interesting about that is I would expect that everybody's betting the chiefs there. I don't know. I like the Ravens. I just think you pick a winner.

Don't worry about covering a spread. Pick a winner. I like the Ravens to win that game. How do you look at San Francisco and Detroit? Detroit's catching six and a half, was seven last night, juiced up six and a half for San Francisco. It feels like a bit much.

Um, here's the thing about Detroit. It could be heavy dog. They're a heavy underdog this week. You're seven points almost full touchdown. They're going to be a heavy underdog in the super bowl. If they beat the 40, even if they beat the 49ers, they will be a big dog to the chiefs of the Ravens.

But there is one factor for the lions that goes in their favor in terms of changing, in terms of like being, making them live to be a, to upset somebody. And that's Dan Campbell. Because Dan Campbell on fourth and three from his own 20, we'll go for it. And Dan Campbell will go for it from, you know, like he's going to kick feel like he kicked the field goal early yesterday.

He was like fourth and fourth and nine, maybe like the five or something like that. I mean, like he's going to kick the field goal in the spots, but, but like if you get a game or two games in this small sample size with these high variance, uh, aggressive moves by Dan Campbell, AKA PC principle, where he's rolling the dice and going forward on fourth down and picking those up and converting those at a high rate, just because like they have great, great play calls in or, um, they're the Davidson ready for them, or they just get, you know, like the various swings wildly their way they can beat anybody. So, um, you know, the secondary is a big problem for, for the lions. I think that game probably a shootout total 51. Uh, but, um, I don't think, I don't think the lions will go quietly here. I like Detroit to, to, to play potentially play the role of spoiler.

To win the game. Would you take them outright on the money line? Will Brinson? I'm, I'm thinking about it. Okay. There you go. Will Brinson, senior NFL writer, CBS sports.com.

Pick six podcast moderator. My friend. Uh, we just sorted the Saturday and Sunday pile together. Uh, there you go.

Blast from the past. Uh, I'll talk to you on Monday. My friend. All right, buddy. You got it.

Will Brinson here on the Adam gold show. Okay. Round two.

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