The Most Embarrassing Day in Bills’ History

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

I always felt it's unlikely any other coach could have got the Bills back to 4 straight SB's than Levy, but would have gladly switched coaches for that one game.  Likely would have resulted in a win or two.  Also felt of the 4, the only one the Bills were clearly the better team was the 1st one against NY.  If that had been our 2nd SB appearance, think we'd have been better prepared and won.  The other three, IMO the better team won, but the Bills never even made it close.

 

In fairness Polian was let go for things more off the football field.  Allegedly cursing out RW's daughter certainly didn't help.

[Breakout Squad]

On 2/1/2024 at 5:21 PM, Westside said:

These players are all about themselves. Now much more than before. It has definitely soured my taste for the nfl.

I can’t see our current Bills team getting wasted the nights before the game. 

[Thrivefourfive]

It absolutely scares me to death that there’s going to be an excuse every freakin year that McDermott is HC. We’re all watching him handpick his scapegoats year after year. I have nothing against Brady and Babich but seriously? This is a championship caliber roster ABSOLUTELY ready to win NOW. Yet we have two young, inexperienced coordinators matched with a sketchy game caller and clock/timeout manager. I don’t like it. I don’t trust McDermott in the big spots. I hope I’m wrong. Oh, special teams straight up sucks. If we had players with a killer instinct they’d take this thing over and win in spite of the coaching staff. That happens in the NFL. But we don’t have that either. 

 

SBXXVII started off beautifully. Tasker blocked a punt! Guy should be a Hall of Famer. But nine turnovers is laughable. Nine possessions you just give the ball back. That’s insane. 

[ExiledInIllinois]

13 minutes ago, Thrivefourfive said:

It absolutely scares me to death that there’s going to be an excuse every freakin year that McDermott is HC. We’re all watching him handpick his scapegoats year after year. I have nothing against Brady and Babich but seriously? This is a championship caliber roster ABSOLUTELY ready to win NOW. Yet we have two young, inexperienced coordinators matched with a sketchy game caller and clock/timeout manager. I don’t like it. I don’t trust McDermott in the big spots. I hope I’m wrong. Oh, special teams straight up sucks. If we had players with a killer instinct they’d take this thing over and win in spite of the coaching staff. That happens in the NFL. But we don’t have that either. 

 

SBXXVII started off beautifully. Tasker blocked a punt! Guy should be a Hall of Famer. But nine turnovers is laughable. Nine possessions you just give the ball back. That’s insane. 

I thought McD called a great game against Chiefs, managed clock perfect. Josh went for hone run with 1:30 left instead of the underneath first down.  His usually strong arm failed him. Crazy. Then Bass' leg failed him.

 

Not making excuses... But that game isn't on McD. Maybe rolling the bones on fake punt, but that came out in the wash. 

 

Honestly, again managed a great game.

 

Maybe it was the dead Indian bones? 😉 

[jlgarsh]

On 2/1/2024 at 3:45 PM, Gregg said:

 

The Giants game was the only one they should have won. They were the better team. Washington just physically manhandled the Bills. The Cowboys were the better team although the 9 turnovers in the first game against them didn't help.

They should have won the 2nd Cowboys game too, but didn't make any halftime adjustments to ensure they could hold onto the lead.

[Thrivefourfive]

14 minutes ago, jlgarsh said:

They should have won the 2nd Cowboys game too, but didn't make any halftime adjustments to ensure they could hold onto the lead.

Thermal made some adjustments. 

[AlCowlingsTaxiService]

On 2/1/2024 at 6:16 PM, transient said:

🤔 I mean, I suppose it could have been a milk mustache on Michael Irvin’s face… 🤷‍♂️

Powdered milk? 😂

[Thrivefourfive]

24 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

I thought McD called a great game against Chiefs, managed clock perfect. Josh went for hone run with 1:30 left instead of the underneath first down.  His usually strong arm failed him. Crazy. Then Bass' leg failed him.

 

Not making excuses... But that game isn't on McD. Maybe rolling the bones on fake punt, but that came out in the wash. 

 

Honestly, again managed a great game.

 

Maybe it was the dead Indian bones? 😉 

I hear you. I can’t remember if I was pissed or not at bad timeouts. Guess that’s a good thing, because ten other times in his tenure I can pinpoint win costing gaffs.

 

I’ll point to zero pressure on Mahomes as a main cause for the loss. McDermott took on calling the defense like a total sociopath, and in the end the Chiefs were ready to score score score when the Bills offense couldn’t keep the ball for all 60 minutes. I know, injuries. Always going to be something..  

[transient]

1 hour ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

I thought McD called a great game against Chiefs, managed clock perfect. Josh went for hone run with 1:30 left instead of the underneath first down.  His usually strong arm failed him. Crazy. Then Bass' leg failed him.

 

Not making excuses... But that game isn't on McD. Maybe rolling the bones on fake punt, but that came out in the wash. 

 

Honestly, again managed a great game.

 

Maybe it was the dead Indian bones? 😉 

I was trying to find a screenshot of AJ Klein in coverage against Travis Kelce to dispute this, but he's not close enough to him in any of the still photos to be in-frame. 🤷‍♂️

[ExiledInIllinois]

55 minutes ago, transient said:

I was trying to find a screenshot of AJ Klein in coverage against Travis Kelce to dispute this, but he's not close enough to him in any of the still photos to be in-frame. 🤷‍♂️

True... But Bills were matching them serve for serve  until the end. 

[Peace Frog]

On 2/1/2024 at 12:35 PM, st pete gogolak said:

The recent back and forth whether to move on from McDermott because he “can’t get us over the hump” takes me back to one game: Super Bowl XXVII against the Dallas Cowboys.  The Bills had an up and down 1992 season, failing to win the division and losing Kelly to injury last game of the season.  The playoffs, however, were memorable, starting with the Comeback against the Oilers, followed by impressive road wins against the Steelers with Reich again at QB, and the Dolphins, with Kelly back at QB.  
 

The Super Bowl, however, was a debacle and an embarrassment.  No question Cowboys had a very strong team and frankly a better team.  It shouldn’t have been a blowout.  It’s interesting to look at stats and play-by-play from the game.  Bills had more first downs and total yardage was relatively close.  Final score - 52 - 17!  Two key sequences. Down 14 - 7, Bills has second and goal from Dallas one.  Two runs and an interception followed.  Later, Bills down 21 - 7, Bills had first and goal inside the Dallas 5 and settled for a FG.  That was pretty much all she wrote.  The embarrassing part was that the Bills fumbled eight times and lost five and threw four interceptions, two each by Kelly and Reich.  Nine turnovers in the biggest game of the year!!!! 
 

It’s hard to imagine a less well prepared team going into a big game.  Levy was a good coach, not a great coach. It was clear after that game that he’d never lead the Bills to a SB win.  Do you fire a coach who has led you to three straight SB’s?  In hindsight, the answer is, yeah you probably do.  Blow it up and let your GM start the rebuild. Instead we fire the GM and keep the coach.

 

Does this give any insight to our present situation?  I think yes.  McDermott should be on the hot seat this year.  Super Bowl or bust.  If we don’t do in 2024, time to move on.

This, right here.  It was tough enough trying to beat Brady back in the day but when all you have to do is take the touchback,.......ugh.

 

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Honorable mention.  Mularkey losing to the Steelers back-ups the last game of the season knowing if we won we'd be in the playoffs.     

[Turk71]

I've never rewatched any of the Bills SBs...that Dallas SB was an absolute debacle, just an avalanche of *****.

 13 seconds was so much more embarrassing though imo...

In that SB the Bills just fell apart and were completely blown out.

The 13 seconds game was unlike anything I had ever seen. When I saw the defensive alignment I was yelling at the tv, "what the ***** are you doing ?" I can't even look at McDs face anymore without remembering him in a frozen panic on the sideline that night. The aftermath of ducking an explanation, no personal accountability, and throwing other people under the bus was just a textbook example of poor leadership traits. I've never been more embarrassed as a Bills fan than after that game. Regardless of their W L record since, I think the Bills should have moved on from such an obviously flawed leader and I still do.

I know they are not going to and I've resigned myself to that fact but the embarrassment of that game still hangs over this team imo.

 

 

[BillsfaninChicago]

On 2/1/2024 at 2:42 PM, dma0034 said:

Those Bills teams were known for their partying. Honestly a thing of legend still. Wonder how many Superbowls they could have won if they didn't.

You can always go back to the Superbowl but an epic party comes once in a lifetime 😎 

[machine gun kelly]

That game was an embarrassment, but even so I almost hate more the music city debacle.  That was a forward pass, but we handled it so poorly in kick coverage.  It was heartbreaking and a major disappointment.  Flutie should’ve been in that game vs. Johnson.  He brought us to the playoffs and Ralph gets cute.

[EasternOHBillsFan]

J.P. Losman recreating the Pisarcik fumble... that was TRULY a top 3 "we are a terrible team" embarrassing moment.

 

"Last Sunday, the Meadowlands was the site of another ill-fated fumble, only this one benefited the home team, the Jets. Trying to protect a 27-24 lead in the final two minutes, Buffalo chose to pass rather than run, a move that backfired when quarterback J. P. Losman was stripped of the ball by safety Abram Elam. The ball squirted free, and defensive end Shaun Ellis scooped it up and returned it 11 yards for a touchdown, keeping the Jets in first place, an eyelash above their American Football Conference East rivals Miami and New England."

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/sports/football/21fumble.html

 

I was at the game where the Cheatriots destroyed us 38-7 when Trent Edwards came in. It was horrible and to be there personally was embarrassing!

Edited February 7 by EasternOHBillsFan

[RichardLee]

Because nobody seems to have mentioned it:

 

The benching of Pro Bowl and Comeback Player of the Year Doug Flutie, after he gave us 10 wins, led us to the playoffs, thrilled fans, and galvanized an entire team.  In my book, the guy is a hero, and what Ralph did was shameful.  And embarrassing. 

[PaoloBillsFanFromItaly]

On 2/1/2024 at 11:01 PM, The Jokeman said:

I think the Romo 5 interception game and losing on a field goal was the one loss that angered me the most. 

I could not sleep that night

[sullim4]

As bad as the 52-17 Super Bowl was... we have worse.  A lot worse.  Candidates in my mind:

 

- That 6-3 Cleveland game when Ralph decided not to accept his Hall of Fame ring in front of the fans, because he was so embarrassed about how the team performed in the first half.  Think about that - the owner was so scared of facing the home fans that he refused to accept one of the highest honors in football in front of them.  Even The Athletic called it the worst game in the NFL in the last 20 years: https://theathletic.com/3682851/2022/10/13/browns-bills-nfl-worst-game/

 

- Peterman's 5 INT in the first half against the Chargers.  As bad as 13 seconds was, I think this might be McDermott's most embarrassing moment as a head coach.  Peterman had no business being anywhere near the field.  Tyrod was no prized calf but at least he could play the quarterback position.

 

- The 56-10 shellacking by NE* in 2007.  I was at this game.  I get it, the Bills were the vastly inferior team.  But this was the Bills' first appearance on NBC since they purchased the Sunday Night Football package.  They were playing the train horn late in the 4th quarter on their third downs up by over 40 points... at that point, why?

 

- Romo's 5 INT game that we managed to lose.

 

- The 2009 opener against the Patriots, where we were wearing the AFL uniforms and McKelvin fumbled that kick return.

[Dopey]

On 2/1/2024 at 3:35 PM, st pete gogolak said:

The recent back and forth whether to move on from McDermott because he “can’t get us over the hump” takes me back to one game: Super Bowl XXVII against the Dallas Cowboys.  The Bills had an up and down 1992 season, failing to win the division and losing Kelly to injury last game of the season.  The playoffs, however, were memorable, starting with the Comeback against the Oilers, followed by impressive road wins against the Steelers with Reich again at QB, and the Dolphins, with Kelly back at QB.  
 

The Super Bowl, however, was a debacle and an embarrassment.  No question Cowboys had a very strong team and frankly a better team.  It shouldn’t have been a blowout.  It’s interesting to look at stats and play-by-play from the game.  Bills had more first downs and total yardage was relatively close.  Final score - 52 - 17!  Two key sequences. Down 14 - 7, Bills has second and goal from Dallas one.  Two runs and an interception followed.  Later, Bills down 21 - 7, Bills had first and goal inside the Dallas 5 and settled for a FG.  That was pretty much all she wrote.  The embarrassing part was that the Bills fumbled eight times and lost five and threw four interceptions, two each by Kelly and Reich.  Nine turnovers in the biggest game of the year!!!! 
 

It’s hard to imagine a less well prepared team going into a big game.  Levy was a good coach, not a great coach. It was clear after that game that he’d never lead the Bills to a SB win.  Do you fire a coach who has led you to three straight SB’s?  In hindsight, the answer is, yeah you probably do.  Blow it up and let your GM start the rebuild. Instead we fire the GM and keep the coach.

 

Does this give any insight to our present situation?  I think yes.  McDermott should be on the hot seat this year.  Super Bowl or bust.  If we don’t do in 2024, time to move on.

You do realize Levy led us to the SB the following year, right? Firing him would have led to us not going to our final SB. It was another loss, sure, but you gotta be in it to win it. Hindsight is always as clear as some make it out to be. Firing a coach after a SB appearance is dumb, much less 3 straight SB’s.