Turning Points 2020 - 2023

[st pete gogolak]

To some degree, every post on this forum is subjective.  This one is really, REALLY subjective.  What games over the last four years have been true turning points to the season, for better or worse?  Given that the Bills haven’t made it to the Super Bowl over that time span, I’m going to be more of a pessimist than an optimist. 
 

2023 - to me probably easiest call. Jacksonville.  After a terrible loss opening night to the Jets, Bills demolish theee straight opponents, including the “unstoppable” Dolphins.  But we go to London, neither offense nor defense plays particularly well, Jones and Milano are effectively lost for the season and we follow up with several weeks of uninspired play (near loss to awful Giants team and losses to bad NE and Denver teams).  
 

2022 - I’ll go to my grave pointing to second half of Green Bay game as turning point. Up to that point, Bills looked hands down best team in the league (undefeated other than fluke loss in 120 degree heat in Miami).  Starting in second half of GB game Allen didn’t look right and followed GB with loss to bad Jets team and ridiculous home loss to Vikings.  Runner up. Non-game in Cincy when Hamlin almost died.  Strange, strange season.

 

2021 - this is kind of cheating but 13 seconds even though it ended the season.  It’s a turning point for the franchise until proven otherwise by a trip to the Super Bowl.  Othwise, comeback against TB, despite overtime loss.  Helped turn season around.  
 

2020 - comeback win early in the season against the Rams.  Showed that Allen had arrived as legitimate star and that Bills were SB contenders (despite being curb stomped by the Titans and the Chiefs - twice).  

[TheWei44]

Great post!  And it's exciting to think about what we'll write about 2024 in 2025 - Too early to make that prediction!

[JMM]

Agree about 2022, that second half of the GB game was strange,  I think Josh got hurt and they never really admitted to it. Not even close to the same player or team after that.

[Aussie Joe]

I don’t think what happened during the  GB game 2nd half in 2022 led to JA and the D crapping the bed at home against the Bengals nearly 3 months later 

 

I still don’t know what happened that day… but they didn’t look like they were prepared to play their biggest game of the season 

[DeepPass]

Throughout that 2020-23 time period it was never just one game that tuned our season upside down.  It was the continual lack of a true champions defense that cost us dearly. We were always too soft, especially when it came to closing out a game.

[GunnerBill]

I'd take a more positive outlook on 2023. I think the turning point was Toney's toe in Kansas City. I thought we were missing the playoffs until we won that game. 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

Honourable mention for 2023 season turning point wasn't a game.  It was the bold post here at the Stadium Wall, where a member predicted that the Bills would sweep the remainder of their games in order to make the playoffs.  Anyone remember who that was?  I am too lazy to wade through old threads to determine exactly when that was, should be back around page 100.

[oldmanfan]

Great post.  To me the 22-23 turned on Damar.  The Bills had already had to deal with having a game moved to Detroit and such, but seeing a teammate almost die in front of your eyes just ruined them mentally to where they just didn’t have enough in the playoffs.

[CSBill]

12 hours ago, Aussie Joe said:

I don’t think what happened during the  GB game 2nd half in 2022 led to JA and the D crapping the bed at home against the Bengals nearly 3 months later 

 

I still don’t know what happened that day… but they didn’t look like they were prepared to play their biggest game of the season 

 

I think the emotional tank finally emptied that day or the week leading up to it. It had been an incredibly draining year (Knox's brother, Kim Pegula, the snowstorm, and then the Damar event--national news for a week). The human psyche can only take so much, and I think it finally caught up to them collectively.

[MJS]

Hmm. I guess I would have pointed to positive turning points. Each season had its low points, but they seemed to turn it around and go on good runs to end the season and go into the playoffs looking strong.

[4merper4mer]

17 hours ago, st pete gogolak said:

To some degree, every post on this forum is subjective.  This one is really, REALLY subjective.  What games over the last four years have been true turning points to the season, for better or worse?  Given that the Bills haven’t made it to the Super Bowl over that time span, I’m going to be more of a pessimist than an optimist. 
 

2023 - to me probably easiest call. Jacksonville.  After a terrible loss opening night to the Jets, Bills demolish theee straight opponents, including the “unstoppable” Dolphins.  But we go to London, neither offense nor defense plays particularly well, Jones and Milano are effectively lost for the season and we follow up with several weeks of uninspired play (near loss to awful Giants team and losses to bad NE and Denver teams).  
 

2022 - I’ll go to my grave pointing to second half of Green Bay game as turning point. Up to that point, Bills looked hands down best team in the league (undefeated other than fluke loss in 120 degree heat in Miami).  Starting in second half of GB game Allen didn’t look right and followed GB with loss to bad Jets team and ridiculous home loss to Vikings.  Runner up. Non-game in Cincy when Hamlin almost died.  Strange, strange season.

 

2021 - this is kind of cheating but 13 seconds even though it ended the season.  It’s a turning point for the franchise until proven otherwise by a trip to the Super Bowl.  Othwise, comeback against TB, despite overtime loss.  Helped turn season around.  
 

2020 - comeback win early in the season against the Rams.  Showed that Allen had arrived as legitimate star and that Bills were SB contenders (despite being curb stomped by the Titans and the Chiefs - twice).  

Good post.  Regarding 2023 it’s almost like the Jacksonville game represented a change in theme to “complementary football” and the offense got nerfed.

[QB Bills]

14 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

I'd take a more positive outlook on 2023. I think the turning point was Toney's toe in Kansas City. I thought we were missing the playoffs until we won that game. 

That mouth breather Kelce will never admit to it but I'm sure he only threw that lateral because he knew the play was getting called back anyway.

[GunnerBill]

3 minutes ago, QB Bills said:

That mouth breather Kelce will never admit to it but I'm sure he only threw that lateral because he knew the play was getting called back anyway.

 

Yea I suspect the same too. 

[elijah]

Every season has had a heartache loss in similar fashion that turned the season positively and led to a winning streak heading into the playoffs 

 

2020 - Hail Murray, drop to 7-3 but win the next 6 to end the regular season before playoffs start

 

2021 - Tampa Bay OT loss where Allen took over in the second half and led a comeback just to fall a touch short. Drop to 7-6 but finish on a 4 game winning streak before playoffs 

 

2022 - Vikings OT loss, got up early to a dominant start and just blew the game in an unfathomable way. Drop to 6-3 before finishing on a 7 game win streak heading into the playoffs

 

2023 - Eagles OT loss, again got up early to a dominant start and blew the game in an insane way. Drop to 6-6 before winning the last 5 games heading into the playoffs 

 

The heartbreak has been tough but something about it wakes the team up. Maybe this time we just need it to happen in week 17 or week 18 to keep the momentum throughout the playoff race

Edited September 3 by elijah

[Freddie's Dead]

For me last year, the Denver game was the turning point.  I finally turned my back on McDermott after the ridiculous challenge of a 9 yard completion on first down burned a TO that we desperately needed.  The 12 men call on the missed FG was just icing on the cake.  You had three downs to prepare for that FG attempt.  How disorganized do you have to be to send out 12 men?  That TO you burned might have come in handy.  Still likely would have lost, but it wouldn't have been as humiliating.

 

The Rams game should never have been a comeback.  The refs just gifted the Rams with an INT when the DB wrestled the ball away from Pufnstuf after they hit the ground with simultaneous possession.  Rams B word about the holding call on 4th down, but we were owed.

[st pete gogolak]

6 hours ago, elijah said:

Every season has had a heartache loss in similar fashion that turned the season positively and led to a winning streak heading into the playoffs 

 

2020 - Hail Murray, drop to 7-3 but win the next 6 to end the regular season before playoffs start

 

2021 - Tampa Bay OT loss where Allen took over in the second half and led a comeback just to fall a touch short. Drop to 7-6 but finish on a 4 game winning streak before playoffs 

 

2022 - Vikings OT loss, got up early to a dominant start and just blew the game in an unfathomable way. Drop to 6-3 before finishing on a 7 game win streak heading into the playoffs

 

2023 - Eagles OT loss, again got up early to a dominant start and blew the game in an insane way. Drop to 6-6 before winning the last 5 games heading into the playoffs 

 

The heartbreak has been tough but something about it wakes the team up. Maybe this time we just need it to happen in week 17 or week 18 to keep the momentum throughout the playoff race

Good points.  Made me reevaluate original post.  It seems that if you throw out 2020 (no real "down" period, just got pounded by Titans once and Chiefs twice, Chiefs clearly were better team), the Bills have had positive and negative turning points in 2021, 2022 and 2023.  That tells me the team (1) is resilient in the extreme (left for dead in both 2021 and 2023 and fought back to make playoffs both years) and (2) goes through a "funk" each year that can last several games.  Not sure what it all means other than hopefully we don't lose to teams we should beat in 2024.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

4 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said:

...wrestled the ball away from Pufnstuf...

Couldn't do a little 'cause he couldn't do enough. 😢