“You’re never as good as everyone tells you when you win, and you’re never as bad as they say when you lose.” – Lou Holtz

At least David Nelson scored points with his cheerleader girlfriend. Then again, he did get her booed. Maybe Jerry Jones will fire her.

Is it possible for a mid-November game against the Dolphins to be a “must win?”

I believe so – unless you subscribe to the theory that the only must-win games are those in which a loss results in elimination.

This season’s been a blast for Bills fans, but let’s face it; this week, the team looked as bad as the 44-7 score, and the game against the Jets the prior week wasn’t as close as the 27-11 score would indicate.

Maybe teams are catching up to the Bills’ schemes (those short passes don’t seem to be gaining 10 yards at a clip anymore; they seem to be gaining two or three.) Or, maybe an overall lack of talent is becoming more apparent – and damaging – on both sides of the ball.

Regardless, at 5-4, our worldview isn’t as rosy as it once was. To be honest, I’d be stunned if many of us are actually surprised this has happened. Which doesn’t make it any more pleasant to confront.

Which brings me back to the premise of a mid-November “must win” on the road against the Fish.

Let’s figure the Bills need 10 victories to potentially contend for a playoff spot. The team still has to face the Pats and the Jets again, on the road. They also need to face the Chargers on the road – which won’t be easy regardless of the Chargers’ recent struggles.

The Bills need to do a lot of things better – quickly – and among those things is beating the Dolphins twice, beginning this coming Sunday. Two victories over the Fish, combined with December home wins over the Broncos and Titans, would take Buffalo to nine wins.

One step at a time, though. First, they need to win in Miami.

See you at the bars!