As a Bills fan, disappointment is something I am familiar with. It took until I was 18 years old for me to even see my favorite football team make the playoffs. Now, I have to get used to a new type of heartbreak: playoff heartbreak. Every season, only one team gets to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, leaving everyone else a season-ending loss at some point along the way. However, it does not get much worse than being a Bills fan on Sunday night.
This was the moment that if I could freeze time would live forever. Getting to watch the Bills finally take that next step, get over the hump, and make the Super Bowl. Yes, I said it. The Bills would have rolled the Bengals in the AFC Championship, much like I believe the Chiefs will this weekend. I would be lying if I told you when Gabriel Davis caught his fourth touchdown of the night with 13 seconds left, I didn’t shed a few tears. The release of so many emotions when it felt like Josh Allen was invincible and the Bills would be advancing to the next round.
13 Seconds
13 seconds. 13 pesky seconds. “Too much time for Mahomes” felt like a joke but it rang true. With three timeouts, Mahomes ran a masterclass. The Bills gave up the middle of the field for who knows what reason and it lost them the game. Even in the moment, I thought booting it deep was more advantageous than squibbing it and risking field position to trickle a few seconds off the clock. But, the play calling got too conservative. The threat of Tyreek Hill breaking off a hero touchdown loomed too large. And it may have cost the Bills a championship.
The Coin Toss
I didn’t even watch it. I was still pacing the house, upset from what I had just witnessed. It was sickening. When I heard Chiefs ball, I knew it was over. It’s hard to blame overtime rules when the previous 13 seconds had just unfolded like that. Sure, change the overtime rule, we’d all like to see it. But that did not lose the Bills the game. It just didn’t.
A historic postseason
Until those final 13 seconds, it was Josh Allen, not Patrick Mahomes that was going to walk off the field a hero. With 1:02 to go, and Arrowhead Stadium rocking, Allen calmed the storm to the tune of a 6 play, 75 yard touchdown drive that should have won the game. The two-point conversion has also seemed to be lost in the shuffle of what happened after. Simply put, it was incredible. Allen scrambled for his life and threw a perfect pass that only Stefan Diggs could catch. Without that play, Kansas City wins in regulation.
Also, shoutout Gabriel Davis one time. With Diggs shut down, Davis caught eight passes for 201 yards and four scores. Unheard of and unreal. A postseason record.
Allen finished the playoffs 48-62 (77.4%) for 637 yards and 9 touchdowns. And ohh by the way, he didn’t throw an interception. He also ran for 134 yards and moved the chains time and time again on third and fourth down.
Moving Forward
It honestly might take until September to totally get this loss out of my mind. I’ve muttered “13 seconds” to myself multiple times a day since Sunday. The NFL can change in the blink of an eye. Just because the Bills were here two years in a row doesn’t guarantee they will be here forever. But having Josh Allen is the biggest source of comfort.
It’s hard to find “that dude” but the Bills have it in Allen. He understands the city, the passion the fans have, and boy can he play football. There were several fans of other teams saying “man, we need a Josh Allen” on Sunday. Every year the Bills have Josh Allen, they have a legitimate shot at a title run.
Bills fans, remember this pain. It can’t get worse than this, right? Remember this when we finally can celebrate our Bills winning a Super Bowl and Josh Allen grips the Lombardi in his giant hands.
Let me end like this. That WILL happen. Allen WILL win a Super Bowl for the city of Buffalo. He is that dude.
See you next season, Bills mafia.