At this point, the Buffalo Bills could chuck half of Erie County into “The Pit,” and it still wouldn’t make a lick of difference.
Some teams are just cursed. That’s the company the Bills keep.
The franchise that brought you “Scott Norwood,” “52-17,” and “13 Seconds” added yet another heartbreaking chapter on Sunday.
This time, Bills kicker Tyler Bass was the goat. He shanked a 44-yard field goal attempt that would have tied Chiefs-Bills at 27 and potentially sent it to overtime.
WIDE RIGHT.pic.twitter.com/QzX8LGFgc7
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Instead, it’s a third straight Divisional Round exit for a team that’s been as dangerous as any in the AFC the last half-decade and a third playoff loss to the Chiefs in the last four years.
Buffalo Bills Lose in Devastating Fashion — Again
But unlike the previous two, this game was in Western New York, not Arrowhead. Bills fans, who have literally waited a lifetime for an NFL championship, broke down into tears as Taylor Swift celebrated.
So if Josh Allen can’t get past Patrick Mahomes this year — with Bills Mafia frothing and the Chiefs’ offense a shell of its former self — there’s reason to believe he never will with this current core.
“Sucks,” Allen, who completed 26 of 39 passes for just 186 yards and a touchdown Sunday, said. “Losing sucks. Losing to them, losing to anybody at home, sucks.”
Unfortunately for Buffalo, Mahomes isn’t going anywhere. If he can will this flawed version of the Chiefs to a sixth straight AFC Championship Game, there’s nothing he can’t do.
What’s more, the playoff field will likely never be softer than it was in 2023, with Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow hurt.
The Bills will have to deal with Burrow’s Bengals next year. And maybe the Jets, if Aaron Rodgers can regain his form. The Dolphins, Texans, Browns, and Jaguars could all be better in 2024 as well.
And the conference’s No. 1 seed, the Baltimore Ravens, have the league’s best player in Lamar Jackson.
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Credit the Bills for reeling off six straight wins to save their season and put themselves in this position. They’ve been consistently good in a way they haven’t in three decades.
But they haven’t been good enough.
And there’s reason to believe they’ve already peaked.
In 2024, they’re projected to have the NFL’s oldest roster (27.65 average age). They’re a whopping $43.6 million over the cap. They’re slated to pick 28th in April and don’t have a third-round pick.
Big decisions loom regarding Stefon Diggs and Von Miller, who together account for more than a sixth of the team’s 2024 salary cap but were barely noticeable Sunday.
In other words, there’s a real chance that the 2024 Bills look substantially different than the group that’s been on national television every other week for the past four years.
“I don’t think a big change [is needed],” Allen said. “We’ve got to find a way to score one more point than they do. Every season, if you don’t win, it’s a failed season. Nature of the business. There’s one happy team at the end of the season. When it’s not you, it sucks.”
Same as it ever was in Buffalo.
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