Mantis

I was thinking Marino. No titles, but Josh will be waaaay more respected than Rivers.

I don’t know how the future is bright. This was the most vulnerable Chiefs team in years, we got them AT HOME, and we performed worse than we did two years ago. Our safeties aren’t as good as they were a couple of years ago (same goes for Diggs). There are bright spots (better running game, Kincaid, shakir), but we can’t beat KC or Cincy when it matters, and the rest of the field (Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, Pittsburgh, Cleveland) are all gaining on us.

When they start handing out championship rings for being the “better team” with fewer points, I’ll get excited. Until then, I don’t see any value in being “the better team.” And I no longer believe our horrendous record in close games is a matter of “luck.”

Fantastic! We’ll get into the playoffs; go on the road; be involved in a dogfight; take a lead with under 2:00 to play; and then lose like we always do. Now I’m psyched!!!

I too have been defending McD (mostly because I remember how bad things were from 2000-2016...and I've been fearful of returning to those days). But this coach cannot win close games, and playoff games are frequently close. No way we can win a championship if we can't win close games. If you know that you can't win a championship with a guy, then it's time to move on. We just keep losing close games in the exact same way. As soon as Philly went up by 4, who wasn't predicting that we would score a TD to go up 3 and that we would give up a game tying FG. It was soooo predictable.

It was 3rd and 10 with :35 to go. If we let them get 8-9 yards, that takes the clock to about :30. Bills probably call TO. Broncos kick a FG, leaving :25 on the clock? Not much time to drive down the field.

Yes, that was kind of my point. Just winning over the Jets and getting to 6-5 does nothing for getting "back in." So the answer to the OP's question would be "no." If, however, the Bills do something spectacular against the Jets (which they have not done recently and is highly unlikely) then there would be reason for some optimism.

If we can put up 40+ against a good Jets D, then there is a LITTLE bit of hope that the offense is back; and if the offense is back, then anything is possible.

I don't know if they are overhyped. I just know that WE cannot play against them. I'd rather play KC (and I felt that way before tonight).

Blowout wins over Rams, Titans, and Steelers were fun. A big win over KC and a come from behind win over Baltimore was fun. That was all in the first 6 weeks. After that was largely frustration. losses to jets and Minnesota; close wins over Browns, Lions, jets, Dolphins were frustrating. 4 weeks ago we were up by 1 score against the bears with under 5:00 left to go in the game. They were the worst team in the league and we struggled to beat them. 2 weeks ago we were losing to the patriots at halftime. We thought we were an elite team, but we couldn’t assert dominance over anyone after week 6. So I’d say 2/3 of the season was frustrating.

People have rose colored glasses on when it comes to last years team. Last year we were 7-6 before and won 4 straight to finish 11-6. We looked amazing in the playoffs (as good as any team in the league). this year’s regular season (inconsistent and shaky as it was) was still better than last years.

That is exactly why this is worse. Last year was heartbreaking, but we had caught up to KC as arguably the best team in the NFL (but for that 13 seconds). There was so much reason for optimism. This year we learn that we are a distant 3rd best in the AFC. Jacksonville is for real, chargers are getting better, Pittsburgh won’t be down for long (they went 9-8 with a rookie QB), and Miami and Jets were tough opponents for us. What’s there to be optimistic about? At the end of last year, I was thinking it’s just a matter of time (maybe this year) where we win a superbowl. At the end of this year, I think a Super Bowl win May never happen…because like you said…we’re paper tigers.

That's my guess as well. It would be nice (but would never happen) that if KC and the Bills met in the AFC Championship game, they would play at a neutral field. I hate to have to go to KC again because of this unprecedented situation. The only way that they could resume the game this week is if they play it Tuesday (and since the Bills are on their way back to Orchard park, it doesn't look like that will happen). They can't play a game on Wednesday or later and then play again the following Sunday.

Winning 3 in a row is easier than winning 4 in a row. Winning 3 in a row when 2 are at home is easier than winning them on the road. I don't expect the team to go 17-0 in the regular season, but every loss matters. Every loss has playoff implications.

Agree that they needed to eat some clock, but I don't have a problem with the pass on 1st down. It was a check down, very reliable short completion (which was, in fact, completed). Then there was a false start that penalty that effed everything up. Facing a 2nd and 13, they weren't confident that they could pick up the 1st down running the ball.