Does Losing Feel Different Now?

[Boone]

We all knew the kind of game we saw yesterday was coming at some point. Let's be real... our wins the first two weeks were accomplished with the slimmest of margins requiring more than our fair share of heroics down the stretch. I won't use the term 'smoke and mirrors' because that would undermine the worthy praise our guys deserve for snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. We really won those games. But yesterday was a step up against a top tier team in Buffalo that had no glaring weaknesses and is a legitimate Super Bowl contender with a possible future HOF QB under center.

Are we capable of beating that type of team? Of course. Dallas is a superior team and yet they got owned yesterday by one of the teams we prevailed against - reportedly one of the worst teams in the league. We probably will have some wins this season against teams no one would predict we could beat. That's how the modern NFL goes. So this thread isn't about 'should we have won?' or 'why didn't we win?'... it's about how you felt when we didn't.

I've had this conversation with Brother Om often. We've all remained 'fans' over the past decades, and we did so in spite of the team's performance, not because of it. After a while of sustained ineptitude, most of us just ceased being able to muster the agony and disappointment of watching our team get beat up on. Barely watchable football just seemed like an inevitability, something we mostly deserved, and if we wanted to keep our fandom alive in some fashion, something we had no choice but to suffer through and endure.

Yesterday's loss stung. Seeing the look on Sam Howell's face as he threw pick after pick and the chances of an upset slipped away, it was palpably painful to me in a way I haven't felt in a long time. Intellectually I know that this team (especially this team) is going to lose probably about as often as it wins, and that we may be a few years away from being a real contender under the best of circumstances. But I felt the pain of a loss a lot more yesterday than I have in a long time.

Losing sucks. It sucked in 2006. It sucked in 2009, 2013, and 2014. It will suck exponentially more in 2023 if that's our destiny this season.

I kind of like that. Because you only hurt when you actually care. I think I've started back on a path as a fan of actually believing good things can happen, caring about whether they do or not, and taking on the emotional risk of being a real fan. After 25 years of being a checked-out, psychologically scarred cynic, wanting to believe, hell - almost starting to believe, even with the requisite risk of disappointment that comes with it - feels pretty good.

 

[Neophyte]

Losing does suck. No question.

Having said that, yesterday didn't sting too much for me, but then no loss has really stung much in a long time.

Which is not to say that yesterday didn't feel different because it did. I think what I am feeling today is best described as "optimistic disappointment" where under the previous owner I would simply have been numb. And that would be the best case.

I know I picked Washington to win on the Pod but I didn't really expect it (I picked Buffalo in Pick'em). I wanted Washington to win and I saw the possibility of it, but I didn't expect it.

What I have been expecting is the inevitable nightmare game for Howell. Every quarterback has a game every so often that they want to forget. That makes everyone wonder what they are doing starting in the NFL.

While yesterday sucked, I was happy that Howell's screamer happened to a team worthy of it and not against a bottom dweller or a division rival.

So today I still feel good about this team.

 

[SkinsOrlando]

The only things that "sting" for me after yesterdays loss was how beat up Howell got, our O line was just brutal. EB's running the ball 5x in the first half, we don't a rocket ship offense that's going to keep pace with a team like Buffalo so time of possession was the game to play in my thoughts. Different feel than other Mondays after a loss, I don't like it, I think Rivera continues to show it's time for change but there's no reason to be on suicide watch like Bronco's fans. However, we beat two teams we should've and lost to one we should've, better than that 0-3 feeling we could be having.

 

[burgold]

The beat down was too complete for me to get upset. If we were closer then I would have gotten mad about blown plays, lapsed, or reffing. A game this bad is numbing.

 

[Knightingale]

Similarly, I walked away from yesterdays game disappointed, but not bitter.

The Howell factor is undeniable in all this. We all understand he's basically a rookie, with only 3 starts under his belt. 3 games worth of film. He's undoubtedly (IMO) a diamond in the rough and needs polishing. Yesterday he faced a superbowl caliber defense for the first time, and one that had time to prep and film on him. I think getting his ass kicked will teach him some hard lessons, and from what we've seen so far this kid seems to be a pretty quick study.
It's also a patchwork offensive line, and EBs third game in charge of play calling. I think we all fundamentally understand that the offense is a work in progress and has shown great promise at times. I still think we're better than we were a year ago. There were times in yesterday's game when we were moving the ball relatively well and then Howell made a bad decision and nullified the drive. Especially the interception at the 1 yard line. As Boone said, this game was always coming, and with a inexperienced player like Howell, it was always going to be sooner rather than later.

I think, to be honest, I was more disappointed in the defense. I definitely expected more from them.

 

[DieselPwr44]

2-1 with a wet behind the ears rookie on a team that doesn't value the run game is impressive IMO.

When the offense is not one dimensional, you see the flashes of what could be. I think the only time I talked to the TV was early in the third when Robinson basically carried them to the redzone and all of a sudden, they had to start passing. Really wanted them to pound it in there.
IMO,would've settled things down some for Sam and the offense.

But upset/mad? No.

 

[Canadian Hog]

I care now as much as I did when I was in my twenties, or spanning back to when I was a kid. I am passionate still, with a much improved level of emotional control.

The difference is I think I am smarter now. When younger, I had this false sense of optimism that every splash free agency signing was going to be the difference maker to put us over the top.

The longer we had to deal with Dan Snyder, the easier it was to see just how outclassed this team was compared to the top tier teams, so I suppose I wised up a bit.

It's hard to get upset and feel like your heart was ripped out on a Monday morning after a loss because the reality is we just aren't there yet as a team. When we hopefully get back to one day being a true top team, the sleepless nights in anticipation of the big game, and the feeling of being on the edge of your seat with every play will undoubtedly return. How can't they when you invest the amount of time in this team that those of us on this board do?

It's why I stick around - to experience those moments again. Experiencing those moments means your team has a real chance of accomplishing something special. I guess I am just not emotionally invested right now in maybe securing the 6th or 7th playoff position in the NFC.

I'm going through the motions every Sunday still to a certain extent and that is quite alright because Dan Snyder has sailed far away.

 

[DixieFlatline]

Yeah ..I think I had more disappointment yesterday than I had in a while because I have cautious optimism in this group even knowing it's weak spots. That's largely due to having someone like EB here, giving Howell a shot, and Snyder begin gone.

I didn't expect to win but was hopeful we might show some strides in competing against a top flight team. We didn't dominate Arizona and Denver but we did what we had to do against them. And we showed guts in coming back from deficits. That hadn't been a given with this team in a long while.