Reminiscing about the last 5 years, is this franchise just cursed? It's mind boggling

[finn]

It's just probability. Compare it to poker, for instance. If you're one of the strongest players in the tournament, you'll likely get to the final table most years, as the Bills have done (playoffs), and some years you'll get to the final two, heads-up match, as the Bills have done twice now (AFC championship). If you're as good your opponent, over time you should win half the games, but in the short term, you may win more or less than half. If you've played poker, you know the frustration of your opponent landing a straight with a 5-6 off-suit. 

 

The point is that probability will even out over time, will regress to the mean. If the Bills stay cool, they'll go to the Super Bowl soon, maybe repeatedly. The real danger is (besides being outcoached 😒) is going on tilt. I think that's what happened to the Kelly-era Bills after wide right. Kelly was a mess against the Redskins, and Thurman melted down against Dallas. They lost their mojo.

 

The good news is that losing mojo or confidence isn't in Allen's DNA. He might try too hard, but he's not going to choke. McDermott will, as we've seen, but as long as he continues handing the game to his quarterback to win, they'll get there, probably (!) this year or next year.

[DieHardBillsFan]

1 hour ago, MrEpsYtown said:

It's just classic mythic structure. The thirteen-second game was the turning point and if that game ended differently everything would be different for this franchise. Right now we are living in a Shakespeare tragedy, because of a tragic flaw...terrible coaching decisions, we can not get over the hump. But there is still hope that Josh is our hero and will help us overcome our flaws. There can still be a happy ending here. 

 

In general, I hate to point at the coaches, but why were we still going back to the tush push and why did we take Cook out of the game? Those were my "coaching flaws".

[Matt_In_NH]

1 hour ago, zow2 said:

 

 

Oh man,  i sensed that he was getting close with a couple more playoff wins.  But to already have the most?!?  That's another indictment on McDermott's lousy playoff defensive performances in the biggest games. and of course special teams miscues.

When you consider Josh's playoff performance I cannot disagree with you.

[benderbender]

If anyone who believed in actual curses, spent the same energy on finding out how to break\reverse\counter them as they did complaining about them, we’d have a ring by now. 

[Gregg]

8 minutes ago, benderbender said:

If anyone who believed in actual curses, spent the same energy on finding out how to break\reverse\counter them as they did complaining about them, we’d have a ring by now. 

 

If the Sox can break the curse of the Bambino and the Cubs finally won a championship after 100 years, then I suppose the Bills will eventually win one as well. When that will be. Who knows. I just hope when they finally do win one, I am still here to see it and not taking a permanent dirt nap.

[TheFunPolice]

When two great teams play each other, one great team will lose. It's that simple. A couple plays here or there make the difference. 

 

Andre Reed called the Bills cursed immediately after the 4th SB loss, basically saying the Bills should have won that Super Bowl but once in a lifetime plays always go against us. In that case he was referring to Thurman's fumble in the 3rd quarter with the Bills up 13-6 and with the ball. It was returned for a TD and the score was 13-13 and the team imploded. If Thurman breaks one instead and it's 20-6 Bills in the 3rd quarter with Aikman unable to throw due to playing with a serious concussion then the Bills likely win that 4th SB and history is different. 

 

The Norwood FG in the first SB was a long shot, low % FG back then, on grass, and for that player. The announcers talked about it the entire final drive. If you can stomach it, go back and watch on YouTube. That's not a curse, that's asking a player to do something at the very edge of their capability with everything on the line. It was basically a career long FG in tough conditions in a day and age when a 45+ yard FG was a long kick. 

 

13 seconds was just bad defense and bad strategy overall. That's not a curse, it's 100% self inflicted. 

 

Every great team has the chance to win it all somewhere along the line. The previous Bills "dynasty" could easily have been 2-2 in the Super Bowl, which totally changes the way they are viewed. 2 rings going to 4 straight? One of the all time great runs in NFL history. Instead it's still great BUT....

 

This team will have its own chances going forward, and it will be there for the taking. They just need to take it. I think they will. Allen is an all-time great QB in the making who is dominant in his own time, and all-time great QBs almost always get to play in at least 1 Super Bowl. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 3 hours ago by TheFunPolice

[DabillsDaBillsDaBills]

How about the Diggs and Kincaid drops in the last 2 playoff losses? 

[Gregg]

6 minutes ago, TheFunPolice said:

When two great teams play each other, one great team will lose. It's that simple. A couple plays here or there make the difference. 

 

Andre Reed called the Bills cursed immediately after the 4th SB loss, basically saying the Bills should have won that Super Bowl but once in a lifetime plays always go against us. In that case he was referring to Thurman's fumble in the 3rd quarter with the Bills up 13-6 and with the ball. It was returned for a TD and the score was 13-13 and the team imploded. If Thurman breaks one instead and it's 20-6 Bills in the 3rd quarter with Aikman unable to throw due to playing with a serious concussion then the Bills likely win that 4th SB and history is different. 

 

The Norwood FG in the first SB was a long shot, low % FG back then, on grass, and for that player. The announcers talked about it the entire final drive. If you can stomach it, go back and watch on YouTube. That's not a curse, that's asking a player to do something at the very edge of their capability with everything on the line. It was basically a career long FG in tough conditions in a day and age when a 45+ yard FG was a long kick. 

 

13 seconds was just bad defense and bad strategy overall. That's not a curse, it's 100% self inflicted. 

 

Every great team has the chance to win it all somewhere along the line. The previous Bills "dynasty" could easily have been 2-2 in the Super Bowl, which totally changes the way they are viewed. 2 rings going to 4 straight? One of the all time great runs in NFL history. Instead it's still great BUT....

 

This team will have its own chances going forward, and it will be there for the taking. They just need to take it. I think they will. Allen is an all-time great QB in the making who is dominant in his own time, and all-time great QBs almost always get to play in at least 1 Super Bowl. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't forget MCM. Another painful day for Bills fans.

[corta765]

I wouldn't say cursed I would say mix of missed opportunities and misfortune:

 

2020: Breakthrough year they were not ready for the moment, but the season still felt like a success

2021: Complete failure to close. It has been talked about in nauseum but yea major major missed chance

2022: Misfortune to the max. Probably the only time in my life I have given a professional sports team a pass on performance. Before Hamlin got hurt the following happened:

Week 9 - Allen's arm gets hurt vs NY impacting his ability to throw for a month and half

Week 10 - Jefferson catch in OT loss.

Week 11 - Game has to be moved because of snowfall

Week 12 - Beat the Lions in a thriller but lose Von for the year when he had been playing superb up to that point and was the big FA signing

Week 16 - Win the division but cannot return to Buffalo for two days due to the record snow closing the area

Week 17 - Damar.

 

Even before Hamlin's situation the season went from a dream to utter exhaustion with situations way outside of the teams control while fighting KC & CIN for the 1 seed. Once Hamlin nearly died I told my wife the next day the season felt over. The look on Josh's face alone summarized it all that night. I understand we make these guys out to be gladiators who fight through anything, but they are people and I couldn't imagine seeing a guy you play everyday with basically dying in front of you in the sport your supposed to love. 2022 was epic misfortune and forever feels tainted or almost stolen in sense because of how it unfolded. 

2023: Misfortune/Failure - They railed to win the division but this was the worst of the teams from 2019-2023 as the defense was held together with duct tape and the offense had to rebrand midyear into a new identity which angered their top WR .... who subsequently dropped a key pass in the playoff loss. The defense was misfortune, but it was a failure coaching wise in certain areas and they couldn't finish KC off at home.

2024: Failure. This wasn't bad luck, Buffalo made too mistakes across the board including 17 and it added up for a gutting result. The coaching staff on D again failed in the most pivotal moment, the offense wasn't nearly as clean as it had been all season, 17 missed some plays you wish he had back, and Brady got schooled in a game you needed his best. Sure it was a reset year and in that sense they overachieved, but they had the chance to close and make the dance and failed. Of all the years 24' bothers me the most because the SB was that freaking close and they didn't do it. 13 seconds gets the hype but they still had another full game against a CIN team that was rolling and did beat KC in KC. I have no idea what the Bills would've done vs PHI, but this year was the closest they have been to getting to the dance and they failed to capitalize on that chance. No curse, just failure.

[JohnNord]

3 hours ago, JerseyBills said:

I called WFAN yesterday and said that Bills had more heartbreak and surreal circumstances than any other team in all of sports. 

 

I'm excluding 2020, KC whooped us, but while it hurt tremendously,  i and I think most ppl were content,  getting to an afc title game, QB solidifies himself as 1 of the best and future looks bright and 2022 where Cincy just beat us up. Those I could handle. 

 

Man I think 21, 13 seconds, I've never felt that euphoria evaporate like that, Our guy just out dueled Mahomes in KC, had a perfect wildcard game, I mean that game, the feeling I had was like nothing I've ever felt, I was in disbelief,  if that scenario is played back 100 times, we win 100 times , I'm still shocked. 

 

Then Bass wide right in 23, the play before Josh would've had a TD, literally by a millisecond,  Jones drives Dawkins into Josh, slightly effecting the throw. Another just brutal loss

 

And of course this last year, you can go back to multiple plays and if they go our way , we make the SB. And that could be said about 21 and 23. 

 

Just pondering the question,  I really don't know,  I still feel numb to it all and as ridiculous as this sounds I truly feel like there's some curse or bad juju over this franchise,  you obviously go back to 4 straight SBs and look at these last 5 years, we've had more heartbreak than any franchise in any sport. Because we've been legit SB contenders and literally a play away in 3 playoff games, it's so surreal and abnormal. 

I can't even wrap my head around how so much negative went wrong so fast. Yes I'd love an elite edge but we're not a player away, we're a play away. 

 

Sorry guys, it's just so unbelievable when you look at it all, hard to wrap my head around these soul crushing losses, again, so abnormal 

 

I know this topic has been discussed but man it's just unbelievable how much bad luck these guys had, will they ever catch a break? Seriously. 

 

 

They aren’t cursed.  Aside from Allen there’s no other star players on the roster.  That’s why so many wanted Myles Garrett.  

13 minutes ago, DabillsDaBillsDaBills said:

How about the Diggs and Kincaid drops in the last 2 playoff losses? 

I was told Kincaid’d catch was impossible to make 

[Albwan]

YES

[corta765]

25 minutes ago, JohnNord said:

They aren’t cursed.  Aside from Allen there’s no other star players on the roster.  That’s why so many wanted Myles Garrett.  

 

It is why I am furious they didn't get DK. Who cares if he wants money, dude is a major talent they don't have on roster and would've rounded the offense well. No one complains about money when banners fly. Beane feels scared at this point to me since Von to make a major move like that.

[DeltaDigital]

2 hours ago, zow2 said:

 

 

Oh man,  i sensed that he was getting close with a couple more playoff wins.  But to already have the most?!?  That's another indictment on McDermott's lousy playoff defensive performances in the biggest games. and of course special teams miscues.

Dudes a bum. 

[BuffaloMatt]

3 hours ago, MrEpsYtown said:

It's just classic mythic structure. The thirteen-second game was the turning point and if that game ended differently everything would be different for this franchise. Right now we are living in a Shakespeare tragedy, because of a tragic flaw...terrible coaching decisions, we can not get over the hump. But there is still hope that Josh is our hero and will help us overcome our flaws. There can still be a happy ending here. 

So you're saying there's a chance?

Edited 1 hour ago by BuffaloMatt

[frostbitmic]

Never build a stadium within a mile of a Native American boneyard. 🤨

[MJS]

Thr last 5 years have been awesome, entertaining, exciting Bills football. They haven't quite gotten to the big game yet. I hope they do. It has been a great ride so far.

 

Try enjoying it instead of focusing on the negatives.

[Dan Darragh]

FIVE years???  How soon they forget. I'm still pissed about losing to Kansas City at home on 1/1/67 for the right to play in Superbowl I.  We LOST TO THEM AT HOME in the playoffs AFTER BEATING THEM IN KC during the regular season.  Good thing that never happened again.

[MJS]

3 hours ago, Gregg said:

The regular seasons have been great. After that not so much.

All the playoff wins, which are many, have been great as well.

[Gregg]

1 minute ago, Dan Darragh said:

FIVE years???  How soon they forget. I'm still pissed about losing to Kansas City at home on 1/1/67 for the right to play in Superbowl I.  We LOST TO THEM AT HOME in the playoffs AFTER BEATING THEM IN KC during the regular season.  Good thing that never happened again.

 

Before my time but at least the Bills had won back-to-back AFL championships just a few years earlier. Watching Josh Allen's career go down the same path (so far) as Marino and Ewing has been frustrating despite all of the regular season success.

2 minutes ago, MJS said:

All the playoff wins, which are many, have been great as well.

 

To me they need to get to and win a Super Bowl with #17. Anything less is disappointing. IMHO

[MrEpsYtown]

21 minutes ago, BuffaloMatt said:

So you're saying there's a chance?

 

With this regime? Not likely, but with JA I think you always have a chance!