Success

I haven't watched a second of any of the sports shows or podcasts or anything since we lost - and that part of it has been very positive. I think about all of the things I've done w/ my free time over immersing myself in that & everything about the Bills, and it's kind of eye-opening. I've just accomplished a lot more and made much better use of my time.

Not seeing it. They have very little talent. Could Maye be a good QB? Sure - but he could easily be pretty middlin'.

That one was actually heartbreaking for ME. My list of heartbreak as a fan dwarfs any KC fan's, or any fan for that matter. I was even a fan of Greg Norman in golf.

Man, if we just had a title under our belt - all of the second guessing, officiating & close ones would be so much easier to handle. I doubt I'd even care at this point. It's definitely hard to wait close to 30 years, live under the shadow of one dynasty most of that time, and keep butting our heads up against the new dynasty - knowing all the while that the new dynasty could be us. Being a sports fan, huh? They should really prep you better when you decide early on to follow a team.

I was a little there this season - though I definitely enjoyed some of the wins, like KC (Josh's run was amazing), and the Lions. Now? The regular season is a total formality. Round 1 of the playoffs is a formality, unless it's somehow KC. The level of futility the Bills have had over the years is almost comical. It was 4 losses in a row in the '90s, and now 4x that we can't get by the same team. It's hard to believe I'm not permanently in the fetal position on the floor, just whimpering my life away.

Your team is playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday. Why are you here trying to argue against something that there is basically a national consensus on at this point? We're in mourning here. Enjoy being in another title game, and let us complain about the refs.

Yep - Kupp is consistent, and very good.

Much-needed break for me. I still can't believe how much I lost it after the game. I was raving. Apologies once again to anyone who engaged w/ me that evening.

Being a Bills fan isn't for the weak. I just turned 60. I think about how I felt when we blew out the Raiders to get to that 1st Super Bowl. If you had told me then what lay ahead, I wouldn't have believed it. Heartbreak after heartbreak, more games w/ names than pretty much any other team, just epic disappointment. And still waiting for that elusive title. It never gets easier. But the hope remains: just one before I die. Just one. I don't think that's asking too much. And while Josh Allen is the Bills QB, it is a very real possibility. Could he end up like Marino? Maybe, but I really doubt it. He's going to get there.

Nothing is "rigged." You can't keep that kind of secret. But champs & great players tend to just get more calls. I think it's more psychological w/ refs, in every sport. In the NBA, Lebron & top players throughout the years have gotten more favorable treatment. Allen, I believe, gets some of that. Just not as much as Mahomes or KC. I can't complain about it. "You have to knock the champ out" - you can't leave it to the judges.

I've seen a lot of McDermott's defenses at this point. They are too soft. I actually think we have the personnel to have a much more swarming, aggressive defense - but it seems like we play safe a lot. That last drive Baltimore had was a prime example, as were the 2 first downs KC had at the end of last week's game. I like McD as an HC. He's a good culture guy & good w/ the players. But can you imagine how different this team would be if we had hired someone like Saleh as our DC? The defense has cost us in these playoff games, and they have cost Allen as far as legacy.

This is kind of what gets me. It's hard to imagine getting to the playoffs as healthy as we were this year again. Feels like we didn't take advantage of that. Of course, KC was actually a little healthier. We had a really good opportunity to finally get a title this year, and it's gone now. That might always sting if it never happens. Maybe it will and all of this will be erased, but my optimism isn't as strong as it used to be.

Yeah - I go over that in my head a lot (how talented the D is). The talent acquisition needs to improve. We need some stars. We need a Garrett, or Crosby Beane tried to do that w/ Miller, but he was past his prime. And you can't call any of his early round picks on D busts, really - but none have panned out into stars, which you'd like to see once in awhile. I still think maybe Groot could be, but he's not there yet. We haven't had what most would call a championship-caliber defense. It has been a fine regular season defense, but once we get to the playoffs, the flaws are glaring.

I feel like we keep looking for blame, because it's so frustrating. But it might just be that McD is just not quite as good as Reid, and Beane is not quite as good as Veach. And Reid & Veach are almost inarguably the 2 best in the game.

I have a hard time w/ this. I think McDermott is one of the better coaches in the league overall. He really did a great job this season - and ultimately, his one flaw is that we end up a few points short of one of the best teams in history (sorry if that offends anyone, but they are one of the true dynasties now). BUT, we are in the minority of teams that have a defensive HC. And the defense is always the unit that lets us down in these games. 2 chances in the final 2 minutes to stop KC from getting a 1st down, and giving JA one last chance - and they didn't even really come close. And they gave up more points to KC than ANY OTHER TEAM. It's tough. Obviously, McDermott will stay as our HC - and looking at most coaching around the league, I'm okay w/ that. But we have a defense problem. I almost wish we had brought Saleh or someone like that in - someone proven. McD would never go for it, but I like him as HC - he's just not the defensive guy we need.

There is a parallel universe where the one ref wins out on the 4th down spot, we get it, we get the TD, we take a 9 point lead & never look back. And every thread on here is about Philly and our chances in the big game. It was that close. Just another one to haunt me - starting w/ Harmon's drop & wide right, the MCM, 13 seconds & the rest (and there are way too many to list). I'll never understand how opposing fans can still revel in Buffalo's misery. It's endless.

There was some questionable officiating. I'm really not hung up on it. All of the calls were borderline - they did go the Chiefs way almost every time, but there was nothing egregious. The 4th down was really close - I thought he had it, but it's a judgment call. That's how the cookie crumbles. I think about Ravens fans the week before - Andrews probably makes that catch over 90x out of a 100. It's different from officiating, but no less flukey. We've been really unlucky against KC. The law of averages hasn't panned out. To lose the last 3 the way we did - just so close every time. You'd think one would go our way. Not related - but I have come to a kind of epiphany about KC. I just don't hate them anymore, or rue their fans the success. They're a market like us, and after years of futility & heartbreak, they broke through & are on a great run. And they deserve the success - they're well constructed, and well coached, and play the game the right way. I'll get some eyerolls - it sucks to be the team that keeps coming up short against them. But it's just petty jealousy that leads to the negative emotions about them.

I still get crazy thinking about these plays. All year, they were basically guaranteed. I have to give credit to Spags & KC. They were ready.

Gotta say - it bums me out that I can't watch replays of that game. I can't even remember many of the plays now - just that it was the most exciting game I think I've seen. But I just can't go near it.

I'm not really boycotting so much as I just don't think I can watch it.

I mean, that's kinda accurate, imo.

People always say "I'm not even going to watch the Super Bowl," and I've never really understood it. I've always been such a big fan of the game as a whole that it never occurred to me. It's still over a week away - but I'm fairly certain I won't be tuning in. I'm looking forward to football just being over for this season so it's not even talked about much on the national shows & podcasts.

I thought you were talking about me.

My take on "outcoached": Reid is better than McDermott, but it's not a landslide. McDermott is a good coach, capable of making it to a SB and winning it. But he is being outcoached in these game, imo, because it's McD against TWO excellent coaches - Reid & Spags. Spags might be the best DC out there. I really don't know how much of our defense is Babich and how much is McDermott, but I'd guess a lot of it is the latter. Feels like too much of a one-man show here.

I can't even take criticism of him seriously. He was amped on the 1st drive and played poorly. Then, he was either really good, or great. Once again, he had a miraculous pass that his receiver could have caught, and likely would have changed the outcome. Kind of a tough catch, but one Kincaid should be expected to make. If you look at the stats, once again, he was as even w/ Mahomes as you can get. Allen has been one of the best playoff performers in memory. He pretty much always shows up. He's just a great QB.