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

[TBBills Fan]

Still sick over it.  A combination of errors at the wrong time

[90sBills]

  On 3/21/2025 at 3:02 PM, uticaclub said:

Whats the key? Have a good defense and dominate WRs?

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Dominating DL that put pressure on Mahomes. I know, big secret right?

[chris heff]

  On 3/21/2025 at 3:02 PM, uticaclub said:

Whats the key? Have a good defense and dominate WRs?

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The key is beating Mahomes, it doesn’t matter who else is on that team. The Eagles had him running for his life all game. 

[The Red King]

We could have played/been coached better.  At the same time, it wasn't a level playing field as the refs hosed us harder then a fire truck.

 

Same as I felt right after the game.

[HamptonBillsfan]

  On 3/21/2025 at 11:45 AM, Matt_In_NH said:

Even though I think he got it (but it was so close you dont want to put it on the zebras) 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.  I wonder about how that went down....was that just Josh rushing the offense up to the ball, I bet McD was not crazy about it but did not want to burn a TO.  Did Brady say rush up and run it?  I mean they have so many things they can do with Josh when that one play is not working they should have moved off it.

 

And yeah I was thinking the Eagles would be tough to beat all along....they were kind of an afterthought all years.   Lions and Vikings got more attention.  That team's roster is stacked.

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Why would you say that it was so close, and justify the officiating having a huge imprint on the result of the game?The NFL is finally changing the way ball placement is implemented using technology as opposed to elderly, out of shape officials running in from 20 yds away to place a ball that was obscured by 6 or 8 giant humans. It was this game that made it obviously necessary.Of course it was close after the ball was moved back 2 feet from where one of the officials, closest to the play ran in from. The Chiefs benefited from one or two crucial calls in several home victories by inept officiating. I’m not saying the officiating crews were corrupted but clearly affected by home crowds and KC being propped up by the league. The other problem was the league has made overturning ball placement reviews, discouraged. These games come down to one or two crucial calls or plays. We were not good enough to overcome a few bad officials calls and our OCs mind numbing play calls on the last drive. The team was as good or better than the Chiefs performance wise.

[QB Bills]

I was at the game and finally mustered the energy to watch the CBS broadcast just last week. And it confirmed my initial thoughts. That was a very beatable Chiefs team and the Bills simply blew it again. 

 

The o line had their worst game of the season. Receivers couldn't get open. On defense, they got outclassed badly again from a coaching perspective. As is normal now in playoff games against the Chiefs, mahomes had his primary receiver wide open within 1.5 seconds of the snap on far too many plays. Bruce Smith and Reggie White in their primes on either end weren't getting to the qb that day. 

 

On top of all this, it just felt like the Chiefs wanted it more. They played with more desperation and far more intensity. It brings me back to one thing in that Tyler Dunne article that's stuck with me. The team follows the head coach's lead in getting tight in these moments. 

 

Despite all this, they had a chance to win at the end because of one guy who has literally zero margin for error. He'd never do it but I wish Allen would push Pegula to replace this amateur coaching staff.

[FireChans]

  On 3/21/2025 at 3:37 PM, 90sBills said:

Dominating DL that put pressure on Mahomes. I know, big secret right?

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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.

[zow2]

The Bills have been one of the best, if not the best team for 5 years.  They are making it look way too difficult to get to a Super Bowl.  KC has been to like 5 straight?   The Bills could have and **should have** beaten KC 2 or 3 times already.  It's beyond disappointing.  Our lives as Bills fans should have been fulfilled by now.  And it won't get any easier as the years go on and other AFC teams and AFC East teams improve.

[That's No Moon]

Despite the gnashing of teeth about the defense, once again the offense was on the field at the end of the game in a position to win the game and they did not deliver.

[DabillsDaBillsDaBills]

  On 3/21/2025 at 4:05 PM, QB Bills said:

I was at the game and finally mustered the energy to watch the CBS broadcast just last week. And it confirmed my initial thoughts. That was a very beatable Chiefs team and the Bills simply blew it again. 

 

The o line had their worst game of the season. Receivers couldn't get open. On defense, they got outclassed badly again from a coaching perspective. As is normal now in playoff games against the Chiefs, mahomes had his primary receiver wide open within 1.5 seconds of the snap on far too many plays. Bruce Smith and Reggie White in their primes on either end weren't getting to the qb that day. 

 

On top of all this, it just felt like the Chiefs wanted it more. They played with more desperation and far more intensity. It brings me back to one thing in that Tyler Dunne article that's stuck with me. The team follows the head coach's lead in getting tight in these moments. 

 

Despite all this, they had a chance to win at the end because of one guy who has literally zero margin for error. He'd never do it but I wish Allen would push Pegula to replace this amateur coaching staff.

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Really gets over-looked just how bad the O-line was. Brown and Dawkins were both trash in this game 

[gregmo]

  On 3/21/2025 at 12:23 PM, SoCal Deek said:

I still say Kincaid just had to catch the damn ball. 

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It shouldn't have come to 4th down.

[RyanC883]

  On 3/21/2025 at 11:38 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 

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still upset.  Watching a team with a mid-tier QB light up the KC D was frustrating and proved the deficiencies we have at WR.  Watching a good D obliterate KC on offense was equally frustrating.  

  On 3/21/2025 at 4:14 PM, 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.

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fair points, although the Eagles did have a rookie at safety.  Another question: why do our regular-season "all-pros" vanish in the most important games?  

[DabillsDaBillsDaBills]

  On 3/21/2025 at 4:26 PM, That's No Moon said:

Despite the gnashing of teeth about the defense, once again the offense was on the field at the end of the game in a position to win the game and they did not deliver.

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Hmmm I could've sworn it was the DEF on the field at the end of the game after giving up multiple first downs on KC's clock killing drive. 

[That's No Moon]

  On 3/21/2025 at 4:44 PM, DabillsDaBillsDaBills said:

 

Hmmm I could've sworn it was the DEF on the field at the end of the game after giving up multiple first downs on KC's clock killing drive. 

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If you choose to believe that was the end you go ahead. You're one of the people who probably lays the previous year on Bass as well.

 

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.

Edited Friday at 04:52 PM by That's No Moon

[Dan]

  On 3/21/2025 at 4:27 PM, DabillsDaBillsDaBills said:

 

Really gets over-looked just how bad the O-line was. Brown and Dawkins were both trash in this game 

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I’m sorry. But if you listened to all the various post game pressers, it was apparent we were out coached again.  The Chiefs had several plays on offense and defense that our guys had never seen before and were not prepared for.   Conversely, it looked like the Chiefs knew what we were about to do all too often.  
 

I don’t want to turn this into a bash McD thread.  But he still hasn’t figured out that the best teams adjust game plans in the playoffs and Super Bowl.   You just can’t keep rolling with the same play calls and expect your guys to just out execute their guys. 
 

Yes, we need some more playmakers on both sides of the ball.  A player just can’t drop that final pass!  But we also need this coaching staff to realize what it takes to get to the Super Bowl and win it.    
 

Thats what this year’s game showed me… we need better players and we need better game plans.  

[Coffeesforclosers]

Digested it.

 

1. Too stubborn in the playcalling on short yardage. 

 

2. Oddly averse to running the ball, even when it was working.

 

3. The D got the stop it needed to get, when it needed to get it.

 

For as good as Josh and Joe Brady were last season, that performance was disjointed and situationally tone deaf.

 

 

[Sweats]

I still don't understand the Bills game planning in big games.........like, it seriously confuses the **** out of me and it always has, but unfortunately, it never seems to confuse the opposition.

 

It almost feels like we're a "one trick pony" and think we can keep playing the same way in every game, which would explain why Reid always knows what Brady and McD are going to throw at them on every down.

 

 

[BarleyNY]

The coaching mistakes and inadequacies still anger me. As does the thought that the result was that they lit another season of Allen’s career on fire. I know that there were other factors - talent, injury, player mistakes & refs. But on game day what a team can control is execution by coaches and players. While Kincaid’s fail and some other mistakes by players definitely contributed to the loss I thought that it was the coaches who didn’t meet “the standard” that day. 

[Buffalo Boy]

Nothing has changed.

I had no faith going in and I still don’t. 
Same FO, same coach, same JAGs

Same outcome expected 

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

  On 3/21/2025 at 11:38 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 

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It was a garbage display of officiating in an extremely close game. Makes me sick. NFL wanted a 3 peat, but even the officials couldn’t stop the ass beating the Eagles gave them. Sucks because I really think Buffalo could’ve been a worthy opponent.