Eagles 37, Bills 34, OT

"To Davis for the win''..... Jim Nantz has a flare for the dramatic call. After all, he is the lead play-by-play voice of CBS television sports for good reason. And if Gabe Davis had turned to his right in the endzone early in overtime at a wet and cold Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia yesterday evening rather than to his left as he did, Nantz's call would have been perfect. But the pass fell incomplete, the Bills settled for a field goal and went on to lose their sixth game of the season to once again even their record at .500. Since the NFL changed the regular season overtime rules from "first score wins" to "each team will have a chance to possess the ball unless there is a touchdown or a defensive score", I can't recall a game where a field goal by one team was surpassed with a touchdown by the other. It's probably happened but not in a game involving the Bills. 

The game was highly entertaining for those with no rooting interest and was easily the best game on the NFL's week 12 slate. Sean McDermott's Bills seem to have developed a knack for finding themselves in these "instant classic" games but seem never to come out on the winning end of any of them. "Another devastating loss for Buffalo" is a recurring post-game comment which I have grown weary of - literally and figuratively. Not that I would have felt better had they lost 37-10 but as these razor-thin losses in critical games pile up, it can be a bit disheartening. Maybe they can lose another overtime in Kansas City in two weeks time.

I can not recall a four day period where I watched more football games (or parts of games) than I did this past American Thanksgiving weekend. Not that they were all good close games but I did see parts of each of the three games on Thursday, the Friday game where the Jets offence looked even worse than it did a week ago, a full state of very important college games on Saturday, the Vanier Cup also on Saturday (but not until the Michigan v. Ohio State game was over), yesterday's early games, the Bills nearly four hour game and then the Ravens and Chargers which I only managed to stick with through the first quarter. Football overdose is what I think I'm feeling the effects of this morning.

Montreal finds itself firmly on top of what remains of the world of Canadian football in 2023. After the Alouettes captured the Grey Cup last weekend, the Universite de Montreal Carabins outlasted the UBC Thunderbirds in the Vanier Cup played at Queens University in Kingston. I saw only the last few minutes. The contrast between Michigan Stadium with more than 110,000 on hand and Richardson Memorial Stadium in Kingston with an announced attendance of 7,109 for the championship game of Canadian University football is pretty stark. I would have watched the Vanier Cup from the beginning had the Michigan game not also been on. Canadian football has experienced a bit of a renaissance in Quebec over the past decade so for Montreal to capture both the Grey and Vanier Cups this month seems fitting.

In Ann Arbor, the game was competitive and close with the Wolverines outlasting the Buckeyes for the third consecutive year. This was the 116th meeting between the schools and the pre-game hype on FOX about how this rivalry game was the most important thing in the world was a bit much especially considering the one or two other events unfolding in the world today. The ad featuring former Wolverine Charles Woodson and former Buckeye Eddie George about how Michigan has never had a live mascot was quite amusing. Reminded me of David Letterman often saying that, pound-for-pound, the wolverine is the toughest and fiercest animal in the world. I don't know why Dave liked to say this but he did. On to the Big Ten Championship Game for the Wolverines against the Iowa Hawkeyes in Indianapolis next Saturday. Michigan is favoured by 23 points. Should they not stumble, they will earn a spot in the four-team college football playoff for the third straight year. Ohio State will probably not get a spot in the playoff as they did a year ago, even after losing to Michigan. Georgia, Washington and Florida State will likely be the other three teams. Both semi-final games will be played on New Year's Eve and the National Championship Game is set for January 8th in Houston. The first Bowl Game of the season is the Myrtle Beach Bowl on December 16th. As Stephen Brunt once said, "I'll watch any football game which they bother to broadcast". It will be a busy next five weeks for him. And for me too.

For the Bills, their bye week comes quite late in the season but it is finally here. Most of the key injured players are out for the season but the opportunity for the others to rest and re-energize is surely welcome after 12 straight weeks of games. At 6-6, they are not out of playoff contention but they are headed in that direction. Yesterday's game showed that they are still a good team which could have and probably should have beaten an Eagles team which is now 10-1. It doesn't get any easier with a trip to Kansas City on December 10th, once again in the late afternoon time slot. Time for another instant classic but the Bills need to make it up to Jim Nantz by executing the way he calls it.    

     

Bills 32, Jets 6

Jets quarterback Zach Wilson unwittingly created a meme last night at Highmark Stadium which encapsulated his team's season in one unassisted stumble. Wilson, jogging backwards from the sideline to to the huddle and receiving last-second instructions from the coaching staff in the third quarter, somehow went ass-over-tea-kettle and landed on his back with no other player within ten feet of him. The video clip was making the rounds last night as a perfect example of the ineptitude of the Jets quarterbacking in 2023. Coach Robert Saleh finally benched Wilson in favour of someone named Tim Boyle whose bust will certainly not end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. 

It made me wonder how much better the trainwreck which is the Jets offence would have been this season with Aaron Rodgers under centre as planned. There can be little doubt that things would not have played out as poorly as they have for Gang-Green but the question which will never have an answer is how much of an improvement would Rodgers presence have made? Persistent issues with the offensive line, as Tony Romo pointed repeatedly last night, would obviously not have been solved by Rodgers, nor would the weak wide receiver play or the lack of creativity in passing schemes (where have we heard that before?). But it seems safe to say that Rodgers would have lifted the Jets offensive production, limited the devastating turnovers (where have we heard that before?) and generally willed his team-mates to a better showing than Wilson, and now maybe Boyle, have been able to deliver. The Jets have built one of the best defences in the league and they have somehow managed to squeeze out four wins with a historically anemic offensive output. Rodgers recovery and rehab has been going well buy all accounts and he has a theoretical chance to return late next month. But why would he if the team has no shot at the playoffs? 

Speaking of maybe or maybe not having a shot at the playoffs, the Bills finally got the "re-set" game they have needed since things went off the rails in north London six weeks ago. Whether new offensive coordinator Joe Brady"s approach at scheming the offence made the difference or not, the production was obviously there last night and against a very good defence which has stifled the Bills for the last few games they have faced them. As Tony Romo pointed out, Josh Allen's clean and turnover-free game (he did have an interception on a Hail Mary at the end of the first half) was as much a product of the desperation throws which he didn't make as it was anything else. After the Miami game in week five, it has seemed like Josh Allen felt like he had to turn every busted play into a high stakes roulette wheel of forced and ill-conceived passes. James Cook ran well, Dalton Kincaid's production continues to ramp up and Khalil Shakir had the longest play from scrimmage this season for the Bills, an 81-yard touchdown catch and run which sealed the game. Rasul Douglas has a good shot at earning defensive player of the week honours as he recorded two interceptions, one fumble recovery, three pass break-ups and four tackles. With injuries in the defensive backfield continuing to pile up, adding him at the trade deadline was as fortuitous a mid-season move as the Bills have made possibly ever.

Yesterday's 110th Grey Cup game was reported to be a sellout with more than 28,000 in attendance at Tim Horton's Field in Hamilton. I regret to say that I saw not one second of the game live but, in typical CFL fashion, the game ended with a last-second touchdown to earn the Alouettes their championship rings. Also in typical CFL fashion, the league scrambled late in the week to add some French signage inside the stadium after a few Montreal reporters (and others) pointed out that with a Quebec-based team playing in the big game, it might be a good idea. Since my dad was a follower of the CFL (he was a high school class-mate of Danny Nykoluk who played for the Argos from 1955 to 1971), I try to follow it, try to watch it (without much success) and I generally hope that it finds a way to continue. It's dwindling fan base of old-stock Canadians won't be around forever but reports of the demise of the CFL have been around literally for decades - yet it endures. Good attendance at last week's Eastern Final in Toronto and yesterday in Hamilton is certainly encouraging. Too bad that Winnipeg, whose fan base remains strong and loyal, couldn't pull it out. 

In College Park, MD, the Michigan Wolverines held on to beat the Terrapins and finish the exhibition portion of their schedule at 11-0. It all comes down to Saturday's game in Ann Arbor against the Ohio State Buckeys who also finished their exhibition schedule at 11-0. This annual end-of-season match between these two has become known as "The Game" and I will be watching. The winner is pretty much guaranteed a spot in the four-team college football playoff.

Up next for the Bills is a trip to Philadelphia next week for another late afternoon game. The Eagles are the class of the NFC and will be favoured. I see two reasons why the Bills may have a better chance than the pundits and the point spread may indicate. The first is that the Eagles play their week 11 game tonight against the Chiefs in Kansas City and then, after playing the Bills, they face the 49ers at home. The combination of a short week to prepare (although the Bills themselves had no issue with that yesterday) after a tough road game and a big conference game the following week could make this a classic "trap game" for the Eagles.      

Broncos 24, Bills 22

As Wil Lutz's 41 yard attempt sailed wide right in the dying seconds last night, the sense of relief - a collective exhale - was palpable both in the stadium and in my own mind. But only for a moment. 12 men on the field for the attempt gave Lutz another shot from five yards closer and he didn't miss. A critical pass interference call against Taron Johnson on an underthrown Russell Wilson pass set the Broncos up for the game winning kick and they took full advantage...the second time around. Add in four turnovers which could easily have been six and the Buffalo Bills are now 5-5 with their hopes for a home playoff game probably gone and hopes for a berth in the playoffs fading fast. 

The knives are now officially out for Sean McDermott - at least amongst the angry post-game callers to WGR 550. I turned it off after a couple of calls. "I gave him the benefit of the doubt", lamented the first caller "after they blew a 16-0 lead in Houston. I gave him the benefit of the doubt after falling to the Chiefs in the AFC title game in 2021. I gave him the benefit of the doubt after 13 seconds. And I gave him the benefit of the doubt after his team didn't show up in the snow last year against the Bengals. After this game, he is out of chances and should now be fired". He will not be fired between now and January but maybe McDermott's time in Buffalo has an end in sight. I rarely question coaching decisions but benching James Cook for most of the first half after a fumble on the game's first play seemed like something out of junior varsity. I mean he's an NFL player - and a good one - who was stripped of the ball twice last night (and miraculously got the second one back without losing stride). He ran the ball well after returning. Benching him doesn't make him hold the ball tighter. Fumbles happen. He should have been in there all night. 

I'd say that one thing we have learned over the last two seasons is that Brian Daboll, who is suffering through a second season as Giants head coach which is as miserable as his first one was brilliant, was indeed a very good offensive play caller for Josh Allen and the Bills offence. It seemed like he always had a play or two in his back pocket which were going to work when they really needed it. I get no such sense with Ken Dorsey's playbook. They have good players at skilled positions. They bolstered the offensive line in the off-season. They should be better than they have shown. On a short week, I expect no changes before the Jets game.  

On Saturday, the Michigan Wolverines silenced the 110,000+ at Beaver Stadium in State College, PA with a strong running game and no need for head coach Jim Harbaugh to be on the sidelines. The Big Ten handed him a three game suspension as punishment to the Michigan program for what is alleged to have been a sophisticated and obviously illegal sign-stealing effort. Rather than deny the allegations, Michigan's response to the charges was to accuse three other Big Ten schools of doing the same. Three corresponding wrongs don't make a right as far as I know but I admit having little knowledge of Big Ten jurisprudence in these matters. Whether they knew Penn State's signs or not, the Wolverines came up big in their first real test of the season. Harbaugh is permitted to coach the team throughout the next two weeks but will not be on the sidelines when they take on the Maryland Terrapins next Saturday and then the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Big House on the 25th in the most important game of the year in college football - as it almost always is. Michigan sought an injunction on Saturday morning reinstating Harbaugh to the sidelines with a ruling needed before the noon kick-off. It was not granted. Maybe the judge was an Ohio State alumni. No appeal was filed as the appeal court offices are closed on Saturdays. Only in America.

Also on Saturday, the Argos couldn't get it done in the Eastern Final before the largest crowd they have ever drawn at BMO Field - "announced" at more than 26,000. The CFL has not released in-game attendance figures for the past few seasons, except when it suits them like it did in this case. Too bad the home team couldn't reward the fans who turned out. Kudos to Chris Berman who included the CFL conference title games at the end of his three-minute wrap-up last night. The CFL conference championship games were formerly played on Sundays but the league figured - probably correctly - that they would draw more viewers when not directly competing with NFL games. MLB took the same approach this season with no World Series games being played on Sundays. Leaving Sundays to the NFL is the only approach which makes any sense at all. Those who watch television on Sundays in North America and are not watching NFL football are either watching Netflix or are left with B-level made-for-TV movies and maybe re-runs of Mannix, Baretta or Starsky & Hutch. A colour bar would probably do almost as well.

Up next for the Bills is another home game against the Jets on Sunday at 4.25pm. It doesn't seem plausible to think that things will turn around now. On a weekend which featured no less than six games decided by last-second field goals (including last night's game obviously), one caller to WGR reflected before I turned the radio off: "the Bills have taken the joy out of watching football". 

      

Bengals 24, Bills 18

As game-time approached last night, I was feeling relaxed. Not because I thought the Bills would win the game against the Bengals but because it seemed so likely that they wouldn't. And they didn't disappoint the pundits, did they? Jason Garrett, who, as someone pointed out earlier in the season, looks like he's in love with Maria Taylor (and why wouldn't he be although she is clearly pregnant and there is no evidence I have seen that Garrett had anything to do with it), was the only one of the cast of studio analysts, NFL "insiders", pundits, wagering experts and other hangers-on who form part of Sunday Night Football (the highest-rated television program in the US), who picked the Bills to win the game. So I decided to forego my usual superstitious rituals of where and how I sit to watch the game and I was actually quite relaxed during most of the evening and had a better sleep than I usually would have because of it. It's called "managing expectations" and I executed my game plan perfectly. 

In baseball, the old saying is "at home, play for the tie; on the road, play for the win". I guess that's what Sean McDermott was thinking when the Bills finally got their second touchdown of the game with less than four minutes to go and then they gambled and were successful on their two point attempt to come to within six points of the Bengals. Stefon Diggs scored all eight points on the touchdown and convert and did a great job getting both feet down on the convert. As he went to the ground and rolled, he took the legs from under an obese security official wearing a powder blue jacket whose back was turned to the play. It looked like the fat man might have landed on Diggs who got up slowly afterward. I clearly remember a game in Orchard Park in 2005 where a touchdown was scored at the back of the endzone and the receiver and defender both landed at full speed and rolled toward the wall, taking out the legs of a large security guard whose back was also turned away from the play. The blind-side crash broke both of the security guy's legs (quite gruesome to see - sort of the like the Joe Theismann break but times two) which delayed the game for a few minutes. These security guys are always large and they fall hard, especially when they don't see it coming. I have no injury update on the powder blue jacket guy. Maybe Diggs can tell us more about what happened. 

Speaking of injuries, I don't know how many more the  Bills defence can withstand. Terrel Bernard left the game with a head injury (and will probably be in the concussion protocol this week) and Christian Benford left with a hamstring injury. Neither played at all in the second half. Newcomers Rasul Douglas and Linval Joseph were used sparingly but both made contributions. Joseph stuffed Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on a sneak play by grabbing Burrow's buttocks and crotch and lifting him about three yards behind the line of scrimmage. Douglas looked fine but was burned by Ja'Marr Chase for 32 yards to help set up the Bengals final field goal to put them up 14. 

Looking over the boxscore, statistically, the Bills fared ok in terms of total yards gained and first downs but the Bengals did not turn the ball over and the Bills did twice. The first, a Josh Allen interception ended up not costing them but Dalton Kinkaid's fumble in the fourth quarter was a killer as the Bills were driving to make it a one score game with about 13 minutes remaining. As the crack NBC camera crew were able to isolate so clearly, the ball was perfectly punched from his hand while in mid-air. Not many players would be able to hang on to the ball in that situation and I don't blame Kincaid at all for it. he had another nice game and is starting to show why he was their top pick in April's draft.  

Saturday brought another slate of lopsided college games. Michigan was unable to cover the 32 point spread in a 41-13 win over Purdue at the Big House but next Saturday at noon brings - finally - a meaningful game against a ranked opponent as they travel to State College, PA to face the 9th ranked Nittany Lions. Ridiculous as it is but this will be the first real test for the Wolverines this season. They are 4.5 point road favourites. 

So, at 5-4 now, the Bills have a tough road ahead. Their remaining schedule is the toughest in the league but with two winnable home games coming up, there is still a long way to go and I have not lost hope. The way I look at it, that's part of what being a fan is. Up next, the Denver Broncos, who are coming off their bye week, come to Orchard Park for yet another prime time game - the Bills second appearance on Monday Night Football this season (to go along with their two Sunday Nighters). Then the Jets come to town for a Sunday afternoon game in the 4.25pm time slot. If they can get to 7-4 before they go to Philadelphia the following week, who knows what their fate night be.