‘The Bills were headed for the Hollywood ending, to meet the Los Angeles Rams or San Francisco 49ers in SoFi Stadium in Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13. Tom Brady was gone. So was Aaron Rodgers. And they had disposed of Patrick Mahomes themselves. Until they hadn’t.’
Archives for January 2022
Bills Notebook: NFL’s overtime rules fall under the spotlight after classic playoff game
‘“That, I’m sure, is something they’re going to look at again, too,” Reid said of the league’s competition committee. “I wouldn’t be opposed to it – it’s a hard thing. It was great for us last night, but is it great for the game, which is the most important thing we should all be looking out for? To make things equal, it probably needs to be able to hit both offenses, both defenses.”’
Jim Kubiak: Bills’ Josh Allen was everything you dream of in a franchise quarterback against Chiefs
‘Allen’s valiance was seen in his remarkable command of the situation, as he completed 27 of his 37 attempts for 329 yards and four touchdowns. He was ferocious, particularly on the ground, rushing 11 times for 68 yards. Allen dug deep into a place within himself where he decided the Bills were destined for greatness. It was his leadership, his poise and his remarkable execution that elevated the Bills to a 36-33 lead over the Kansas City Chiefs with only 13 seconds remaining.’
Sean Kirst: For Bills fans, a reason for hope after ‘spiritual demolition derby’
‘Mahomes and the Chiefs have gone to where you want to be, and you can’t get there until you get past them.’
She’s not ready to ‘spike the football just yet,’ but Hochul confident on Bills stadium deal
‘But the negotiation timeline is already three weeks beyond what Bills officials preferred.’
The Editorial Board: Bills’ loss to Chiefs was agonizing, but don’t blame a Buffalo sports curse
‘Allen would be called a once-in-a-generation quarterback talent were it not for the fact that Mahomes came along a year earlier. Twice-in-a-generation? We’ll take it.’
Alan Pergament: CBS’ Jim Nantz, Tony Romo excel in ‘quarterback duel and playoff game for the ages’
‘“I know this will be a story,” said Nantz of overtime. “They did what they had to do, Kansas City … But in overtime, the Bills never had a chance. I know those are the rules. This was a story when New England did it,” referring to a 37-31 overtime playoff win over Kansas City following the 2018 season. He added: “It is the end of the season, it is the playoffs and the Bills never had a chance.”’
Erik Brady: The Bills’ luck ran out when the game clock struck 13
‘You know what happened, so we won’t belabor it here. It’s really hard to lose a game in which you take a lead with 13 seconds left. But the Bills have done it twice this millennium, counting Forward Lateral, a kickoff that began with 16 seconds left to play in Nashville, Tenn., 22 years ago.’
Wide Right. Music City Miracle. Will there be nickname for this gut-wrenching Bills loss?
‘The early returns seem to be that this one should be called “13 seconds.” Makes sense given that 13 is considered an unlucky number, and that was the amount of time the Bills used to turn what would have been one of the greatest victories in franchise history into, well, a game where we’re trying to come up with a nickname.’
‘I don’t know of any other ways to lose:’ Why do Bills fans put up with the heartache?
‘Rust Belt regions – Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, for instance – often have deeper ties with their teams than many other areas. Those franchises have been there through economic upheavals and rebounds, and allow residents a constant focus. “When there’s a sort of regional pride and regional identity, people feel both proud of where they’re from and where they are and they want to see that pride extended onto a national stage,” Simons said. “… It doesn’t apply as much to New York City or Los Angeles. There’s a lot of different ways to invest your identity there.”
Bills QB’s biggest critic finally admits he was wrong: ‘No more Josh Allen slander from me’
‘“I have a major announcement here. No more Josh Allen slander from me,” said Wright. “I tip my cap, he was great. He deaded the Magic Mountain stuff. He deaded it. The graphic was great. It was two years of glory. But when I said this week, ‘You know what comes right after the biggest peak is the biggest fall.’ And he follows up the biggest peak with an even higher peak… That was the greatest game he ever played.”’
Sabato: Buffalo’s best way to beat KC is copy them and turn Allen loose
‘It’s hard to fault an offense that scored 36 points, especially when Gabriel Davis’ eight-catch, 201-yard, four-touchdown game was one of the statistically great playoff games ever. But the Bills hit lulls in the second and third quarters that allowed Kansas City to be the aggressor.’
How Kansas City and Buffalo Set a Record for Playoff Thrills
‘The teams accumulated 28 percent of the game’s total yardage in just the last two minutes of the fourth quarter and Kansas City’s sole overtime drive, which ended with Patrick Mahomes’s game-winning touchdown pass to tight end Travis Kelce.’
Bills’ defensive meltdown in 13 seconds cost them the game in Chiefs thriller
‘Wrong. Not when you’re up against Patrick Mahomes. And perhaps, more importantly, not when you play 13 seconds of defense the way the Bills did.’
Rachel Bush, wife of Bills star, rips ‘BS’ overtime rules after crushing loss
‘In a separate tweet, Bush added, “Bruh I didn’t suffer through panic attacks the whole damn game for it to end like that friggn A f that damn coin toss.”’