Best non Super Bowl Bills Team, SB era, ever

[Thrivefourfive]

I’m not allergic to positivity 😂 This was it right?! Heartbreaker in the AFCCG. We lost two other conference title games and one AFL merger title game ((to the…. 🤬)) where we didn’t have much of a chance at all in any of them.. the 1988 Bengals were far superior and ready.
 

On paper, 2024, this is it. I think this team was better than 2021 and 1989 (man I thought the 89 team woulda rep’d well in the Super Bowl pre SB losing scar tissue. They were just the right amount of crazy for me). 
 

What ya got?! Who’s theee best of the best non-SB Bills teams in the SB era to you?

[Wizard]

2021 Bills or 2024 Bills team.

[Another Fan]

The 1980 team.

 

A bit before my time but they beat a tough Jets team in the road in the first round.  Then I know someone dropped an INT that woulda beaten the Chargers in the next round.

 

That Bills team that year beat the Raiders in the regular season that went on to win the Super Bowl 

[Maine-iac]

3 minutes ago, Wizard said:

2021 Bills or 2024 Bills team.

2021 we had a top defense.  Allen was playing lights out in the playoffs.  13 seconds should have NEVER happened.

 

Honorable mentions would be the 88 team that lost to the Bengals.  The offense hadn't arrived like it did after Lofton showed up but most of the major players were there and the defense was one of the best.  Not crapping on this years team.  The offense really came together and was pretty special but the defense was hanging on for dear life most of the year.  

[SoonerBillsFan]

26 minutes ago, Maine-iac said:

2021 we had a top defense.  Allen was playing lights out in the playoffs.  13 seconds should have NEVER happened.

 

Honorable mentions would be the 88 team that lost to the Bengals.  The offense hadn't arrived like it did after Lofton showed up but most of the major players were there and the defense was one of the best.  Not crapping on this years team.  The offense really came together and was pretty special but the defense was hanging on for dear life most of the year.  

Good picks. 

[BontitaBills]

The Rob Johnson team that lost on the Wycheck forward lateral, had a very good chance at winning it all.  

[Special K]

How about the 99 Bills.....if Ralph Wilson would have stayed out of the Flutie/Johnson situation, and if the "Homerun Forward-Pass" did not happen, that Bills Defense was Super Bowl caliber, and they definitely would have made the Super Bowl that year, and likely would have won it, IMO.

[pennstate10]

I’ll say the 2021 13 sec team. 
Also, as opposed to this years Eagles, who I think would have beat the Bills, the 2021 Rams were very beatable. 
 

Ddnt Bills easily beat Rams to kick off 2022 season?

[Mike in Horseheads]

46 minutes ago, Another Fan said:

The 1980 team.

 

A bit before my time but they beat a tough Jets team in the road in the first round.  Then I know someone dropped an INT that woulda beaten the Chargers in the next round.

 

That Bills team that year beat the Raiders in the regular season that went on to win the Super Bowl 

The sad ending of that team is that Joe Ferguson was playing on one leg because one of his ankles was so badly sprained. If he could have played 100% no doubt Bills could have gone at to the SB.

[Low Positive]

You people have really short memories. The 2021 team went 11-6 and was 7-6 after losing in Tampa. That was also the team that couldn't score a TD against Urban Meyer's Jags. They had to win out to win the AFCE and it took a fortunate taunting call against Matt Ryan to beat the Falcons at home. 

[MJS]

1988 getting to the conference championship game. Marv Levy won coach of the year that year.

Edited 18 hours ago by MJS

[Steptide]

I think the 20 offense was way better than the 24 offense. I think the the run game helped balance the offense alot this year. Ironically, or maybe not ironically, I don't think there's a huge difference in the 2 defenses 

Edited 17 hours ago by Steptide

[Stenbar]

99 Bills. One of the best all around defense they ever put on the field.

[dwight in philly]

1 hour ago, Another Fan said:

The 1980 team.

 

A bit before my time but they beat a tough Jets team in the road in the first round.  Then I know someone dropped an INT that woulda beaten the Chargers in the next round.

 

That Bills team that year beat the Raiders in the regular season that went on to win the Super Bowl 

Agree . that team was one of  the best.. and I am old , have seen them all.. Chas Romes picks that off.. we cruise to the Super bowl.. 

[Boatdrinks]

1 hour ago, Another Fan said:

The 1980 team.

 

A bit before my time but they beat a tough Jets team in the road in the first round.  Then I know someone dropped an INT that woulda beaten the Chargers in the next round.

 

That Bills team that year beat the Raiders in the regular season that went on to win the Super Bowl 

Great D that year, barring that deep pass TD from Fouts to a no- name WR. Thought they were going to the SB for sure. 

1 minute ago, Boatdrinks said:

Great D that year, barring that deep pass TD from Fouts to a no- name WR. Thought they were going to the SB for sure. 

Oops wrong year! This was year before vs CIN I believe, but yeah great D. 

Edited 17 hours ago by Boatdrinks

[dwight in philly]

1 hour ago, BontitaBills said:

The Rob Johnson team that lost on the Wycheck forward lateral, had a very good chance at winning it all.  

That is my second choice to the 1980 team. 

[GunnerBill]

I think the 2021 and 2022 teams were better than the 2024 team. 

[Andrew Son]

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

I think the 2021 and 2022 teams were better than the 2024 team. 

I think 2021 gets too much credit because of the spectacular playoff performance.  That team was 7-6 before running the table against poor opponents.  2022 lost three games by like a total of 8 points.

[JohnNord]

4 hours ago, Thrivefourfive said:

I’m not allergic to positivity 😂 This was it right?! Heartbreaker in the AFCCG. We lost two other conference title games and one AFL merger title game ((to the…. 🤬)) where we didn’t have much of a chance at all in any of them.. the 1988 Bengals were far superior and ready.
 

On paper, 2024, this is it. I think this team was better than 2021 and 1989 (man I thought the 89 team woulda rep’d well in the Super Bowl pre SB losing scar tissue. They were just the right amount of crazy for me). 
 

What ya got?! Who’s theee best of the best non-SB Bills teams in the SB era to you?

IDK about the 2024 team.  Josh had been playing his best football for sure, the OL was Top 5 and Cook was emerging on the fringe of his position.  
 

But aside from that, what did they really have?  A group of backup WR’s and a very average defense (at best).  I think McDermott deserves so much more credit that what he gets for 2024, but from a talent standpoint, this Bills team was not in the upper echelon.  

 

You can make the argument for 1999, 2020, and 2021.  The 1995 team was very strong as well - especially on defense - though many of the offensive players were on their last legs.  

[JohnNord]

16 minutes ago, Andrew Son said:

I think 2021 gets too much credit because of the spectacular playoff performance.  That team was 7-6 before running the table against poor opponents.  2022 lost three games by like a total of 8 points.

Correct - but Buffalo won their final 5 games of the season by an average of 17 points.  They were on a roll.  TB who’d go on to win the Super Bowl was 7-5 and finished the season strong as well.  I don’t think this diminishes their victory.  
 

2022 is a good choice.  It just seemed like they were out of gas on both sides of the football by the end of the year