The Buffalo Bills have endured a few terrible losses this season, but just one more of those will mean the end of the 2021-22 season. We are a day late with the #humpdaycheckdown.. but we are here, and we are here because, well, it could be over on Saturday! Let’s break down what we need to know heading into an absolute bone-chilling wild card weekend.
Scuba Mac
Last time around, Patriots QB Mac Jones donned an actual scuba suit. It was decently cold that night, but the wind was the real issue. As we all know, the rookie played little loop hand off dummy, but the Pats punished the Bills with leverage and scheme in the rungame. This time around, it’s going to be even colder in Buffalo, and though it was quite impressive how well New England was able to run the ball, it can’t be assumed they would think they could win that way again… or could they?
Which Josh Do We Get?
The subzero temperatures will again bother Maccy Boi, who has said since how he does not like the cold, but what version of JA17 will we get on Saturday night? Will we get the Josh we saw in Houston in 2019? Josh in KC in 2020? Or will we see a new version of Josh Allen on Saturday? A ROBOQB hybrid?
My initial vision for Josh circled around 2 players in his intital moments of glory in 2019, Big Ben, Cam Newton.
His pocket presence evolved, and in the end of 2020 I saw a new version of him, tall and toweresque and stable like a statue, and a level of leadership that showed shades of Tom Brady.
In both years however, he still ended up finishing the final game as what Kyle Brandt would famously coin, “Sugar HIgh Josh Allen.”
I fully expect Josh to leave it all on the field on Saturday, how could you not? What I will be looking for personally is poise, confidence, and patience.
QB Poise
A QB having poise means they are calm in the eye of the storm. Despite any circumstance or weather pattern, a poised QB remains balanced and engaged on one thing, a W.
QB Confidence
QB Confidence comes from experience, and experience winning can grow confidence exponentially. A confident QB can swiftly help his team move down the field with grace, and leave the defense wondering what happened?
QB Patience
QB Patience doesn’t just mean not throwing the deep ball everytime. It means patience when things aren’t going right. It means knowing that the game is never over until it’s over, and crazier things can always happen. A Patient QB knows that without putting the foot on the throat, anyone can come back to life.
Because Josh Allen has lived a long life in NFL QB Dog Years already, he has no excuse to not play poised, confident, and patient, and show us all that he is still not finished evolving, or getting better.
Kill or Be Killed
One thing that I love about 17 is his kill or be killed mentality, and that I hope he never changes. This mentality has overtaken the entire team, the offense, defense, specials and coaching staff. Even Sean McDermott seems to have a different edge this season. This team has done what it needs to, even if there were a few disapointments along the way. For the first time in my life, we are the hunted. I think this team can continue to rise under the leadership of Beane, Mac, Josh, and that 3 headed monster will have us claiming our territory in the NFL for a long time, win or lose on Saturday.
I am itching with anticipation for how this game will go, but I imagine the Bills will want to blow this team out as early as possible.
Stay tuned for the BLEUMAFIA Pregame Show this Saturday AM! Get my final notes heading into the game and I will give you my final prediction there! GOBILLS!