The Buffalo Bills being home underdogs against the Baltimore Ravens was a tough pill to swallow. After all, the Bills had a better regular season than the Ravens, winning two more games. However, their Week 4 outing and the perceived talent discrepancy allowed Baltimore to have the narrative edge heading into the Divisional Round.
Coming out of it, however, the Bills have the victory, with the perceived slight serving as extra motivation for a team determined to rewrite its history.
Beyond Wins, the Buffalo Bills Shattered Narratives
Buffalo had been underrated or disrespected all season, depending on how you chose to look at it. Before the year began, they had the third-best odds to win their division, which they locked up well before the season ended.
However, the disrespect continued throughout the year. Even though the Bills had a stellar record and were electric on offense, the narrative was always against them. As a result, only three Bills made the Pro Bowl, compared to nine for the Ravens.
Every shot and slight became another chink in their armor, and the disrespect became part of the motivation to prove everyone wrong. Highmark Stadium played the infamous clip of Jeremy Coleman calling Buffalo the city of losers to amp up the crowd and the team further.
After the game, head coach Sean McDermott directly addressed the team, proudly declaring them winners. Senior NFL insider Albert Breer confirmed what many could see distinctly from the team — they took every comment as the proverbial bulletin board material.
“One thing was clear—the @BuffaloBills felt disrespected. Right or wrong, it was a rallying cry, and Josh Allen brought up at halftime the narrative that the Bills weren’t big or strong enough. On the way out, I heard a guy say, ‘Now those 9 Pro Bowlers can go to the Pro Bowl.'”
One thing was clear—the @BuffaloBills felt disrespected. Right or wrong, it was a rallying cry, and Josh Allen brought up at halftime the narrative that the Bills weren't big or strong enough.
On the way out, I heard a guy say, "Now those 9 Pro Bowlers can go to the Pro Bowl." https://t.co/M13oe8TBS8
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 20, 2025
If you needed any more evidence of how Buffalo felt, the first words out of Allen’s mouth after securing the victory in an interview on the field were a clear indication of their feelings all season long.
"I got so much respect and love for [Lamar Jackson]… one of the greatest to ever step on the football field." – Josh Allen with our @TracyWolfson pic.twitter.com/jjJsmt89HE
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 20, 2025
“How about that Buffalo Bills defense? All year this team has heard we got no talent, we’re too small, we can’t stop the run, we’re not good enough to compete. We just put our head down and worked hard.”
It might be their rallying cry, but the Bills now walk into Arrowhead once again against their heated rival, the only team that could potentially compete with them on the most disrespected chart. With an equal hunger on both sides, the AFC Championship Game might really be a movie.