AFC Championship Game- How do you feel now about it?

[Professor Worthington]

4 hours ago, That's No Moon said:

They had the ball at midfield with time and couldn't convert. That KC then finished running out the clock in a game they were already winning is irrelevant. The offense needed to score, had time, and field position and didn't. Again.

 

This matters to me because if you asked me which part of the team I had the most faith in I would have said the offense. Hands down. Get them the ball and they can make it happen. Well, this is two years in a row that side of the ball came up short in the biggest moment. My faith has not been justified.

Funny, I was just watching the end of this game yesterday and I agree with you 100% TNM.  The 2024 Bills’ offense was far and away the strength of the team.  They were 2nd in the league in ppg.  They had the NFL MVP under center.  
 

Remember when the playoff rules were changed because Josh and Co. never got an opportunity with the ball after the Chiefs scored in OT?  Well guess what, that opportunity presented itself to the offense in regulation time and they couldn’t deliver.

 

They had the ball at their own 42 with more than 2 minutes left.  Just 20 more yards or so gives Bass a decent shot.  But let’s face it, the Bills needed a back- breaking TD drive to close the game out.  That’s what the offense and the MVP needed to do and honestly, are EXPECTED to do.  This was the moment we fans were all hoping for, and they failed miserably.  Also, not for nothing, but on the 4th and 5 play Shakir runs right pre-snap, then does a 180 out to the left flat, and although I didn’t look at the all-22, the video from the TV broadcast suggests he may be wide open with a lot of green in front of him.  I know Josh was pressured but isn’t that what outlets are for?

 

To blame an above-average defense (and that’s being generous) minus some key starters is asinine.

[Matt_In_NH]

24 minutes ago, HamptonBillsfan said:

Semantics, if they’re using technology to determine line to gain, it’s because officials are not doing it correctly and game changing screw ups are compromising results. You made it sound like since it was so close Bills fans shouldn’t use it as an excuse. If officials didn’t butcher the call do you think the NFL would have announced the change before even proposing it in front of the competition committee?

It is not semantics you just did not know what you were talking about, your quote was below.  You were being a smartass about something you did not even understand.  Have a great weekend.

 

1 hour ago, HamptonBillsfan said:

Why don’t you smarten up and ask google or The NY Times if the NFL is changing the ball placement operation to incorporate technology.

 

[90sBills]

6 hours ago, FireChans said:

You need it all though.

 

Dominant DL and a back 7 that can hold up for 2-3 seconds and get him off his first/second read.

 

I know the Eagles had a tremendous defensive line performance, but their DBs and LBs deserve a lot of shine. Baun was an All-Pro all year including in the SB. Dejean and Mitchell were excellent. Their safeties are pretty good.

 

Put it another way, if you exchanged our DL for the Eagles, I don't think we have the same performance. Do we do a bit better? Probably. Does Mahomes still successfully pick on Elam and Bishop and Hamlin all game?  Also, probably.

Agree that it takes all facets. But if a defense can only do one thing well, let it be pressure with the front four. Without pressure any secondary can be had. Especially by improvisation QBs like Mahomes and Allen. 

[SoonerBillsFan]

Weak defense and refs screwed us.

[Einstein]

10 hours ago, Matt_In_NH said:

I am still pissed with the decision made to run the tush push on the 4th down  after all the struggles they were having with it up to that point. 

This is where I am.

I thought Joe Brady called a poor game right after it was over, and I still do.

Never broke tendency, kept calling plays (or variations) that weren't working, left Cook on the sideline far too much, etc.

The defense was not prepared for Mahomes using his legs either. Which was... something.

[Jimmy Harris 69]

McDermott gets out coached by Reid AGAiN. Chiefs outplay Bills in playoff game AGAIN. NFL adds to our pain by allowing their referees to miss spot the ball on consecutive plays creating what appears to be a fixed outcome.

[That's No Moon]

 

[Success]

I'm more over it than I thought I would be.  Right after the loss, I was kind of a lunatic. I really lost my mind.

 

I think it helped that Philly dominated the Chiefs in the SB.  Sports in general are all about match-ups, so just because KC got blown out doesn't mean we would have - but it still felt that game like it was Philly's year, and that they had the strongest & most balanced team. I think we would have had a hard time beating them, and needed some breaks.

 

Still, it's a little hard to get excited about the regular season now.  I feel pretty confident we'll win the division and get a high seed - "the usual."  But none of it matters too much w/ what has become a psychological hurdle not just in the playoffs, but against one team.  I kind of hate that.  

 

[The Firebaugh Kid]

The obsession with the tush push was rather strange in that game. 

But it was weird because it wasn’t working and it literally always works.

 

Dalton should’ve caught that ball I stand firmly behind that. 

Josh got the first down and that was a massive turning point in the game because Buffalo was about to go up by two scores midway through the fourth quarter. 

I didn’t think the Chiefs were very good team and that was proven accurate in the Super Bowl. 
 

I don’t think the Eagles would’ve lost to the bills.

[JerseyBills]

I can't stand this "Bills would've got smoked if they won" narrative 

 

How do you know that? It's such a ridiculous take. It's almost a way for ppl to cope

 

I feel we should be SB champs and again, the ball just didn't bounce our way

[90sBills]

1 hour ago, JerseyBills said:

I can't stand this "Bills would've got smoked if they won" narrative 

 

How do you know that? It's such a ridiculous take. It's almost a way for ppl to cope

 

I feel we should be SB champs and again, the ball just didn't bounce our way

The irony of calling others’ takes ridiculous. 

[loyal2dagame]

I feel the same as when I was sitting in Kansas City watching the confetti come down. 

Disappointed.

And I try to not think about it. Because, hey,  we're only 6 months away from a great regular season of building hope, with another disappointment in the distance.

[HamptonBillsfan]

On 3/21/2025 at 5:50 PM, Matt_In_NH said:

It is not semantics you just did not know what you were talking about, your quote was below.  You were being a smartass about something you did not even understand.  Have a great weekend.

 

 

More importantly, if you’re not admitting the ball placement was botched, why are they announcing changes to the way they handle determining line to gain plays shortly after the AFC Championship game? Other than silly name calling nonsense what is your point? These gotcha interactions take away from the quality of the discourse especially when trolls are involved 

[Mikie2times]

On 3/21/2025 at 2:33 PM, Professor Worthington said:

Funny, I was just watching the end of this game yesterday and I agree with you 100% TNM.  The 2024 Bills’ offense was far and away the strength of the team.  They were 2nd in the league in ppg.  They had the NFL MVP under center.  
 

Remember when the playoff rules were changed because Josh and Co. never got an opportunity with the ball after the Chiefs scored in OT?  Well guess what, that opportunity presented itself to the offense in regulation time and they couldn’t deliver.

 

They had the ball at their own 42 with more than 2 minutes left.  Just 20 more yards or so gives Bass a decent shot.  But let’s face it, the Bills needed a back- breaking TD drive to close the game out.  That’s what the offense and the MVP needed to do and honestly, are EXPECTED to do.  This was the moment we fans were all hoping for, and they failed miserably.  Also, not for nothing, but on the 4th and 5 play Shakir runs right pre-snap, then does a 180 out to the left flat, and although I didn’t look at the all-22, the video from the TV broadcast suggests he may be wide open with a lot of green in front of him.  I know Josh was pressured but isn’t that what outlets are for?

 

To blame an above-average defense (and that’s being generous) minus some key starters is asinine.

We have had plenty of big time drives in the regular season. But we have not had those drives ever occur in the playoffs (13 seconds aside) or in OT in the regular season.  In fact we are 0-6 in OT in Allen’s career and we possessed the ball in 5 of 6 of those games. So to say I “trust” this offense in this spot, sure, but not after January and not in OT. Ultimately it seems like this will have to happen for us to get as far as we want to go. A lot of other things need to happen as well but we need to capitalize on these spots. What champions don’t?

Edited Sunday at 09:19 PM by Mikie2times

[Steptide]

I pretty much feel the same as I did then. Defense was piss poor, allowing kc to score the most points they scored all year. Bills had some really bad calls go against them. The incomplete pass to worthy that bishop almost intercepted and Josh obviously getting the 1st down that was called short. 

 

I've said since the season ended that the bills needed to go all in this year. Get some difference makers in here. Obviously they couldn't get garrett at his price. I'm not really sure they went all in per say, but I think they got some guys in free agency that can make an impact. They REALLY have to draft well this year. Beanes high round picks have been pretty bad over the years with the exception of a few. I think they're really gonna have to draft guys that can have an immediate impact, and that's probably a big ask

[Albwan]

On 3/21/2025 at 6:44 PM, SoonerBillsFan said:

Weak defense and refs screwed us.

....also, completely out coached.

[Matt_In_NH]

4 hours ago, HamptonBillsfan said:

More importantly, if you’re not admitting the ball placement was botched, why are they announcing changes to the way they handle determining line to gain plays shortly after the AFC Championship game? Other than silly name calling nonsense what is your point? These gotcha interactions take away from the quality of the discourse especially when trolls are involved 

When I said “ I think he got it” that means I think the spot was wrong.   Is that clear enough for you?   Do you see where I said that in my original post and reiterated it in this back and forth?  

 

You told me to smarten up and to google something that you actually had not idea about and it is right there for anyone to read.   It was not a gotcha interaction you are just not able to understand someone else’s point of view.  Just like you don’t get what is changing…ball placement ia not changing and if that exact same thing happened again the technology to determine if he got it would have had the same result. 

[mikemac2001]

[DapperCam]

On 3/21/2025 at 5:33 PM, Professor Worthington said:

Funny, I was just watching the end of this game yesterday and I agree with you 100% TNM.  The 2024 Bills’ offense was far and away the strength of the team.  They were 2nd in the league in ppg.  They had the NFL MVP under center.  
 

Remember when the playoff rules were changed because Josh and Co. never got an opportunity with the ball after the Chiefs scored in OT?  Well guess what, that opportunity presented itself to the offense in regulation time and they couldn’t deliver.

 

They had the ball at their own 42 with more than 2 minutes left.  Just 20 more yards or so gives Bass a decent shot.  But let’s face it, the Bills needed a back- breaking TD drive to close the game out.  That’s what the offense and the MVP needed to do and honestly, are EXPECTED to do.  This was the moment we fans were all hoping for, and they failed miserably.  Also, not for nothing, but on the 4th and 5 play Shakir runs right pre-snap, then does a 180 out to the left flat, and although I didn’t look at the all-22, the video from the TV broadcast suggests he may be wide open with a lot of green in front of him.  I know Josh was pressured but isn’t that what outlets are for?

 

To blame an above-average defense (and that’s being generous) minus some key starters is asinine.

Couldn't disagree with this more strongly. The game is 60 minutes long and doesn't just consist of any single drive. The Bills offense scored 29 points at Arrowhead. The last time a team scored 29 points against the Chiefs at Arrowhead was Oct 10, 2022 (So essentially 3+ seasons of games including playoffs). So this was the best offensive performance in similar circumstances in over 3 seasons worth of home games. How about the defense does literally anything against an offense that could barely get going all season?

[Rock-A-Bye Beasley]

On 3/21/2025 at 7:38 AM, Another Fan said:

It’s almost 2 months removed at this point.  I think it’s a fair question 

 

It was the most anxious I ever was involving a sporting event.  That whole weekend I was thinking about it.  So part of me was relieved when it was over. But make no mistake I was disappointed as well.  Couldn’t even watch the Super Bowl.

 

At least for me time made it a little easier to get over from my perspective: The Chiefs got smacked in the Super Bowl, realizing as well the Bills probably wouldn’t have won the game if they got in, and Josh winning the MVP made the loss easier to digest.  
 

Im optimistic going forward.  Go Bills 

 

If there's one thing I've learned from watching football over the years it's that this is absolutely not the case.