Was It A Catch?

​Disclaimer: I am a full time OBGYN and am in no way, shape, or form, a sport analyst or journalist. These are simply my reactions and thoughts.

I am honestly still processing Saturday’s loss. I wasn’t planning on writing a post until much later, when my emotions have calmed down. Well, after hearing today’s news, I felt like I had to write something. I am not going to break down the game like I normally do. Again, the loss is still too fresh.

So, here are my big 3 questions after our heartbreaking loss to the Broncos:

1. Was it a catch? In my eyes, yes. I don’t think I will ever be convinced otherwise. Even my 62-year-old Mother knew that was a catch! In her words: catch the ball, knee goes down, end of the play, it's not rocket science. Especially after a very similar play happened for the Rams last night, and was called a catch. If it is not clear, then the call is supposed to favor the offense. I am just not sure where the disconnect is. Is the NFL rigged? Sometimes part of me thinks so, but the other part wants to believe these are good people. Everyone makes mistakes, but how can you make one this blatantly bad? Especially when it can easily be reviewed on the field and by the officiating staff in New York. So, either the referees are incompetent, and need training as a group to make things more consistent. Or there are corrupt officials that need to be fired. Unfortunately, I don't see any major changes happening any time soon. Maybe this will cause more overtime rules changes and challenges will now be allowed. This seems to be the theme with Buffalo. Lose in the playoffs due to questionable calls, and then rules get changed. Too little too late in my mind. 
   
   
2. Did Josh Allen cost us the game? I love Allen, but I can’t be the only person asking this question. I just talked last week about how he is one of the best quarterbacks in the playoffs. Then this week he has 2 fumbles and an interception. I can forgive the fumble that was a result of a sack. That turnover is really on the offensive line. I feel like he was trying to force a play when he had the interception, so slightly less forgivable. But, the one that haunts me still, is the fumble at the end of the second half. That basically gave the Broncos 3 free points. That potentially cost us the game. Now, before you come after me for being critical of Allen, he did have a lot of amazing plays, and more or less made up for his mistakes. Our offense was at least able to score despite all the turnovers. We did have the lead going into the final 4 minutes. Plus, if the referees ruled the obvious Cooks' catch a catch instead of an interception, we would have won in OT. This goes back to my first point. 
   
   
3. Should we have fired McDermott? I am still struggling with this one. I have been critical of his coaching in the past, especially defensively. He is an all around great guy and he did turn the organization around. His record is 106-58. I also know the players love him. However, do I think McDermott has hit his ceiling in Buffalo? Potentially. But, he is not the reason why we have no true WR1 and keep signing older, mostly washed up, players. I think Beane is a large part of the problem, and he should have been the one fired, not promoted. Also, with so many head coaching positions open this year, I don’t think it’s the best decision. This year will definitely favor coaches job searching and not the organizations. I think McDermott was owed one more year in Buffalo, seeing how we lost due to poor officiating. I just hope this decision doesn't mean we are going to have a down year next season. Especially since it is the first season in our new stadium. 

I know this is a short one this week, but I at least wanted to give a couple quick thoughts. I am sure I will break down our loss further in the future when I am less emotional about it. Also, I will be following the search for a head coach closely. So, this off season, I will continue with the blog and discuss head coaching options and draft picks. But for now, I am going to try and enjoy my vacation in Florida. I will post more next week as further information is released. 

As always, and in the words of our MVP, be good, do good, God bless, and go Bills!

Rachel H. MD

{PS- Big thanks to my Dad for always supplying me with Buffalo information/stats and my Mom for reading and editing every blog post!}

Picture credit: Yahoo Sports