Is anyone else starting to feel this year's elimination more than "13 seconds" ???

[mjt328]

13 Seconds was a heartbreaking loss which will go down with the worst in Buffalo Bills history.  But I spent that offseason convincing myself we were on the verge of a championship, and there was no way a talent like Josh Allen could be denied from eventually getting a ring.

 

Over the last two years, I've come back down to Earth.  Losses hurt less, because I really don't expect anything from this franchise anymore.  Seasons come.  Seasons go.  And every February is the same, with someone else hoisting the Lombardi trophy.

 

My full expectation is that Allen will someday become the next Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Warren Moon.  Clearly an all-time great at the QB position, but unable to land a championship.  Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes will push to surpass Tom Brady in Super Bowls won.

 

 

[Aussie Joe]

1 hour ago, mjt328 said:

13 Seconds was a heartbreaking loss which will go down with the worst in Buffalo Bills history.  But I spent that offseason convincing myself we were on the verge of a championship, and there was no way a talent like Josh Allen could be denied from eventually getting a ring.

 

Over the last two years, I've come back down to Earth.  Losses hurt less, because I really don't expect anything from this franchise anymore.  Seasons come.  Seasons go.  And every February is the same, with someone else hoisting the Lombardi trophy.

 

My full expectation is that Allen will someday become the next Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Warren Moon.  Clearly an all-time great at the QB position, but unable to land a championship.  Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes will push to surpass Tom Brady in Super Bowls won.

 

 

If you are a Bills fan… enjoy this era of relevance and being in the Division race every year  whilst it lasts… because before you know it.. they will be back to .500 on a good year ..

 

Edited February 1 by Aussie Joe

[Steptide]

No. This year's loss pales in comparison to 13 seconds. Bills were absolutely on fire in the playoffs during the 13 seconds year. We won that game and the coaches (McDermott, Fraizer, whoever) failed the team and us fans. They couldn't survive 13 seconds left in the  game. That game was probably the most painful bills loss minus the superbowls. The thing thats super frustrating though, is that we're still here, not able to get through kc

[Budkin]

Nah, I felt like going into this game with our defense so decimated that we weren't going to be able to pull it off against playoff Reid, Mahomes, and Kelce. It was still a gut punch with the way it ended, but I got over it pretty quickly.

[Cubanmist 1]

The only thing that I can think that’s a constant variable is that the defense lost both games for Josh and offense. The defense just couldn’t stop Mahomes. Plain and simple. 

[ShakAttack]

From reading the responses, I think a lot of people are looking at 13 seconds as a missed opportunity from the perspective of how explosive that team appeared to be in the playoffs.  But that doesn't necessarily render it a better opportunity than this season.  Look at KC, the offense they had that season had more fire power than they did last year or this year, but they still came up short.  

 

To me, the opportunity this year was more based on what was happening around us in the AFC.  This year was a great opportunity because no team was running away with it, all of the "good" teams had major flaws and there were also a lot of QB injuries down the stretch (most notably, Burrow).  And to top it off, we were on a longer winning streak than any other team in the AFC at the end of the season besides maybe the Ravens?  And they clearly have  a playoff Lamar issue.  

 

I mean this year's Chiefs is the prime example.  One of the reasons so many people felt this year was a great opportunity is because the Chiefs were having a down year, but look at them now!  And honestly, the difference between KC being in the Super Bowl instead of the Bills might be as simple as 2nd and 9 from the KC 26.  We will never know.  But it really feels like that is how close we may have been.  

 

But I can't minimize the opportunity that we had this year just because our elimination game was not on the same level as "13 seconds".  Ultimately, we had just as much of a shot at making it to the Super Bowl at minimum, based on what was happening in the AFC this year.

 

Next year?  Who knows.  KC's only notable FA is Chris Jones, so they will probably get better (but again, getting better as a team doesn't always mean better opportunity at a Super Bowl, as evidenced this year).  But if we meet again in the playoffs, it might not be a home game again.  Cincy is probably back.  On and on it goes.  

 

That said, even if this is a missed opportunity, I am not one of the fans that feels like we are "running out" of opportunities.  In fact, I am very excited about our offense next season because it looks like we are in line to have our first "reboot" on offense since acquiring Diggs in 2020.  I anticipate the Bills using their first round pick on a WR for the first time in Allen's career, giving us a genuine top-end talent to go with James Cook and Shakir coming off breakout seasons and Kincaid entering Year #2.  If we play our cards right, this could be the most dynamic group of receivers JA17 has ever had.  

[par73]

No, this year's game was never in the win column. 13 seconds? That is a choke job for the ages-- primarily by the coach.

[NastyNateSoldiers]

On 2/1/2024 at 5:59 AM, BobBelcher said:

Yeah, I know, a couple weeks have passed, but that's partially the point.

 

"13 seconds" probably took me a full month to get over, particularly with Allen playing the perfect game, but still coming up short, etc.

 

This year, I thought I had digested the game after only a couple days; I thought it hurt exponentially less 

 

The difference is, with this year's loss to KC, even though I did not obsess over it the way I did in 2021, when I did think about it, it would hurt more... and more... and more... as time went on.

 

That's because as time passed, it became more evident that this was an even greater missed opportunity than 2021.

 

• We were at home against KC.
• There was no Cincy in the playoffs.
• We got uncharacteristic breaks during the game.  The Hardman fumble was something that never happened for the Bills.  
• We were in the best position to do exactly what you'd think we would want to do after spending two years waiting to have this opportunity again(!!!) We were doing precisely what we must have learned from "13 seconds" which is kill the clock and give Mahomes as little time as possible if/when he ever does get the ball again.   8 minutes remaining when we start the drive at our own 25, and before you know it, had it down to 2 minutes left at the KC 26.  Diggs is running by himself wide open for an easy catch that would almost certainly continue this pace, but Shakir is open in the end zone too, and that's the decision Allen would make in that moment. Writing that out is painful.  Ugh.   Anyway, it's old news, right?  Yeah, and that's the point.  As it becomes increasingly clear that we missed an even bigger opportunity, thinking back on this game is associated with an increasingly sh*t feeling as well.
• And then, once the Ravens lost with apparently the "same old Lamar" it was very clear to me.

 

This should have been the year of the "Berman Special" (SF vs Buffalo).

 

It's a strange feeling, because, unlike 2021, it is not something I necessarily dwell on, but when it does come up and I flash back to the dreadful  2nd and 9 play, I want to go punch a wall. 

 

It's also a strange feeling because, also unlike 2021, I am already looking forward to the next season with anticipation and excitement (in 2021, I wasn't ready yet, and I was turned off by all the hype and expectations for the Bills going into the year; I did not think it would help us at all). 

 

Anyway, the real question is where does Allen go from here?  How did Allen take this loss in comparison with years past?  Does this add more fuel to the fire (like we all hope) so he works his ass off wanting a Super Bowl more than ever?  Or does this have some cumulative effect where it becomes exhausting after a while, after telling himself, "We are going to get better from this" over and over, only to find himself right back to where he started at the end of the day?  I get the impression that Diggs feels something like this.  And I really hope Allen never gets to that point, because we need him to be as hungry as ever.    Side note...let's get him that young dynamic WR in 2024.  Anticipation of a "rebooted" young offense is what has me amped up already for 2024  (something I did not feel nearly as much after 2021).

 

Basically...from my "fan" perspective, I now know this year has made me want it even more because it ultimately hurts more and also served as a reminder that our playoff window is always open, unlike last season where we got smacked around for four quarters and went into the off-season looking like a broken team which had people not only betting on the window being closed, but predicting the 2023 Bills would miss the playoffs altogether.

 

I just hope the Bills feel the same.  And I hope they use that feeling to drive them next season.  The loss to Cincy seemed to have an unhealthy residual effect on the team, but I hope this latest loss to KC just pisses everyone off.   

 

 

I don't know if it's worse but I can tell u for a fact I'm still in pain. It's a damn shame the previous game vs Pitt we got injuries because of our field it was frozen like a rock . 2 yrs in a row our home field advantage seems to be a disadvantage. The Bills need to go to natural grass immediately if we're serious about winning a title. I think part of the pain for me is knowing if we were healthy we would've won easily vs the Chiefs. 

[JerseyBills]

According to Greg from Atlanta,  we should have been playing our superstar QB at MLB 🤣🤣🤣🤣

 

 

[ROCBillsBeliever]

Nope... And I was there, at the game. Our D was pretty much couch surfers and dudes on crutches. 13 Seconds was our fault. This was predictable, due to injuries, and we still fought. The only really exasperating thing was the drops, but hopefully we get some WR who can actually catch, in the draft.

[FilthyBeast]

I've intimately pondered this the last few weeks and the answer right now is probably because I believe the Chiefs are winning the superbowl, and probably easily next week. I do give a bit of pause though to the idea of the bills also winning in Baltimore because McD/Allen also have that cloud of not winning a road playoff game over their heads and that demon obviously would have had to been exorcised in the process just like beating the Chiefs in the playoffs which they failed for the 3rd time, and at home.

 

If something should change (i.e. 49ers winning) then maybe it does become irrelevant in hindsight like 13 seconds because I'll never be convinced in the belief the Bills would have won the superbowl that year because the Chiefs lost the very next week, and then the Bengals in the superbowl to the Rams. I just can't connect those dots with any rational thought like this year.

 

Either way you get the sense that real opportunities for a championship in Buffalo keep slipping away between the combination of not having the right head coach and having to play in the same conference as Mahomes, Burrow, etc. And quite frankly not even sure a coaching change fixes that right now unless the Bills get super luck on the next one when that time comes.

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

On 2/1/2024 at 6:14 AM, Doc Brown said:

There's nothing quite like going from pure elation to utter despair and 13 seconds fit that description.  That was tougher to deal with.  Plus, we wasted a great Josh Allen playoff performance with a relatively healthy team who was peaking at the right time.

Just like the Broncos game this year where they missed the kick and then got the 12 men on the field penalty. From pure joy to pure shock/anger can’t be healthy for your heart 

[damj]

13 Seconds we were a better team and arguably one of the top 2 teams in the AFC.

 

This year ... there probably 3 or 4 teams better than us. 

 

13 seconds still hurts more

[RkFast]

Last year didnt bother me for a second. The Bengals were the better team in every way and blew the Bills' doors off. 13 Seconds and this year are both heartbreaks.

 

I DO have to say that 13 seconds was a heartbreak but wasnt a shock, nor should it have been for anyone who lived through the Music City Miracle. THAT debacle taught me to NEVER raise your hands in celebration until either the team is in victory formation or there are triple zeros on the clock.

Edited February 2 by RkFast

[Zerovoltz]

From a KC fan point of view, 13 Seconds has to be the worse loss. 

 

- The Bills had no stigma surounding any postseason failures, no monkeys on anyones back yet.  They were operating at peak Josh Allen power...a passing and running force, again...not reigned in or governed down.  Full throttle.  

 

-  The Bengals beat the Chiefs the following week but that Bengals team wouldn't have beaten the Bills in an AFCCG in Buffalo that year.  KC was up big at the half in that AFCCG and it took Mahomes worst half of football to get that game to OT.  Bills would win that game 8/10 times if it were played.

 

-  The Rams were one dimensional passing team, and a two star defense (Ramsey and Donald) that could be had be elite teams.  I have no doubt that would have been a Bills SB win that year.

 

You could argue that the Niners this year, aren't a particularly great Super Bowl team and that the Bills would have a great shot if they were in it.  I wouldn't try and argue otherwise, but I would argue that the Bills AT Ravens would be a difficult game for this years Bills.  With the monkey on the back, with the stigma of being a road playoff game, and the Ravens probably being a really tough matchup for the Bills (as they were for everyone this year)  If the Bills had gotten past KC, I think the Ravens would have had an easy time with the Bills depleted Bills LB corp.  Totally different set up than hosting Cincy in 2021 would have been.

 

The Chiefs were only ONE Mahomes Lombardi in to that point.  They'd only been to 3 AFC title games, 2 SB and had only come away with 1 SB title to that point.  They weren't ....for lack of a better word...."inevitable" yet.  How much different would the landscape be if the Bills had won the "13 seconds" game and went on to win a SB?  TOTALLY different.  

 

For the near term....all the noise is going to be....can the Bills get to one?  Can they win a road playoff game?  It could have been......who will have more?  Allen or Mahomes?

 

13 Seconds is worse because that game now compounds any failures that happen since then.

[Billsatlastin2018]

On 1/31/2024 at 10:59 PM, BobBelcher said:

We were in the best position to do exactly what you'd think we would want to do after spending two years waiting to have this opportunity again(!!!) We were doing precisely what we must have learned from "13 seconds" which is kill the clock and give Mahomes as little time as possible if/when he ever does get the ball again.   8 minutes remaining when we start the drive at our own 25, and before you know it, had it down to 2 minutes left at the KC 26.  Diggs is running by himself wide open for an easy catch that would almost certainly continue this pace, but Shakir is open in the end zone too, and that's the decision Allen would make in that moment. Writing that out is painful.  Ugh.   Anyway, it's old news, right?  Yeah, and that's the point.  As it becomes increasingly clear that we missed an even bigger opportunity, thinking back on

First off, there is NEVER, EVER any walking back of Mulliganing ‘13 Seconds’! It was the HOShame example of HCing Playoff incompetence, soooo preposterously bad that it jumped waaay above Pete Carroll’s Super Bowl buffoonery at the 1 yard line!

 

But here, as you state correctly, there was a golden opportunity for McClapper semi redemption. ALL the tumblers were aligning…

* run the clock down to the 2MW,

* burn all Chief TOs with one more First Down,

* try to score with 25 ticks or less,

* if you fail,have your challenged FG Kicker hit a chip shot instead of a 47 yarder.

 

The end result was, of course, Billsy.

But THAT wasn’t the point. Most Bills fans only hoped Bass could hit that one on a cold,windy day! Nobody blames him.

Yet again, this falls on McD. Like getting to the Kicker to pooch it in 13 seconds,he obviously failed to line 17 up to the reality in front of everyone.

Don’t, don’t, don’t go for the kill shot. YOU run it 17 or check off to whoever to get closer and get that critical first down.

 

All the way down the field, the Bills were doing that. And then, at the most critical juncture, Billsy decisions came in.

[Danger Mouse]

Not really. That game couldn't have possibly hurt more.

 

This year I knew it was over the moment I saw the replay of Bernard's ankle v Pittsburgh. From that point, I thought we were going to have to ask too much from players who would never normally be playing that late into the season.

 

In the end I was almost pleased by how close they came.

[Jay_Fixit]

10 hours ago, Zerovoltz said:

From a KC fan point of view, 13 Seconds has to be the worse loss. 

 

- The Bills had no stigma surounding any postseason failures, no monkeys on anyones back yet.  They were operating at peak Josh Allen power...a passing and running force, again...not reigned in or governed down.  Full throttle.  

 

-  The Bengals beat the Chiefs the following week but that Bengals team wouldn't have beaten the Bills in an AFCCG in Buffalo that year.  KC was up big at the half in that AFCCG and it took Mahomes worst half of football to get that game to OT.  Bills would win that game 8/10 times if it were played.

 

-  The Rams were one dimensional passing team, and a two star defense (Ramsey and Donald) that could be had be elite teams.  I have no doubt that would have been a Bills SB win that year.

 

You could argue that the Niners this year, aren't a particularly great Super Bowl team and that the Bills would have a great shot if they were in it.  I wouldn't try and argue otherwise, but I would argue that the Bills AT Ravens would be a difficult game for this years Bills.  With the monkey on the back, with the stigma of being a road playoff game, and the Ravens probably being a really tough matchup for the Bills (as they were for everyone this year)  If the Bills had gotten past KC, I think the Ravens would have had an easy time with the Bills depleted Bills LB corp.  Totally different set up than hosting Cincy in 2021 would have been.

 

The Chiefs were only ONE Mahomes Lombardi in to that point.  They'd only been to 3 AFC title games, 2 SB and had only come away with 1 SB title to that point.  They weren't ....for lack of a better word...."inevitable" yet.  How much different would the landscape be if the Bills had won the "13 seconds" game and went on to win a SB?  TOTALLY different.  

 

For the near term....all the noise is going to be....can the Bills get to one?  Can they win a road playoff game?  It could have been......who will have more?  Allen or Mahomes?

 

13 Seconds is worse because that game now compounds any failures that happen since then.

Out of all the points of view. This is one of them.

[90sBills]

6 hours ago, Billsatlastin2018 said:

Yet again, this falls on McD. Like getting to the Kicker to pooch it in 13 seconds,he obviously failed to line 17 up to the reality in front of everyone.

Don’t, don’t, don’t go for the kill shot. YOU run it 17 or check off to whoever to get closer and get that critical first down.

 

All the way down the field, the Bills were doing that. And then, at the most critical juncture, Billsy decisions came in.

Are you blaming McD for Allen taking that endzone shot?

[The Firebaugh Kid]

I just watched the right place wrong time documentary that was posted on this forum.

13 seconds will always go down as the most ridiculous and horrible loss this team has ever experienced. I can barely watch the footage without getting all upset over again. And I live through all four Super Bowls and everything else.