It's hard to know exactly what to say. I had made a prediction that the Bills would finally beat the Chiefs to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in over thirty years. In fact, I thought that this would be their year. It just felt special.
Well obviously, I was wrong.
Why did I pick the Bills this time around? What made me think that they would do it this time, when they seemed to have other things on their side the last few times around?
A part of it simply is past history. After all, they had lost last year to the Chiefs. In fact, they had lost each of the three postseason meetings with Kansas City dating back to the 2020 season. But not much had been expected of the Bills this season. Everyone seemed to think that they would go nowhere, that they were bound to crash.
Instead, they had once of their most successful seasons ever, easily winning the AFC East division title for a fifth straight season. They went on a tear late in the season, earned the number two overall seed, then crushed the Broncos in the Wildcard, before surviving a slugfest against the Ravens in the divisional round. That meant that for only the second time in recent years, the Bills were in the AFC Championship Game.
It felt like this time would be different because Josh Allen was playing at such an optimal level He limited mistakes and was throwing better than I had ever seen him. Plus in the process, he was protecting himself more than ever before, to boot. He seemed to be showing maturity, now a seasoned veteran. And the Bills as a team seemed to be on a mission, wanting to prove everyone wrong with all of those low expectations, and this team being systematically dismissed by the experts.
So yeah, I thought that they would have a real chance, that this season was special. In fact, it felt to me that this just finally, finally be their year.
I believe that last year's loss was a bit more heartbreaking. After all, that game was played up in Buffalo, and ended with another missed field goal which instantly came to be known as "wide right 2," obviously evoking bad memories for fans of this franchise. In this one, they played well, and had a chance to win. It looked like they were keeping up with KC, like two heavyweights just continually punching and inflicting damage.
Yet in the end, it was the Kansas City Chiefs who iced the win, and the Buffalo Bills who walked off the field with another disappointment.
Now admittedly, the result was not a shock. After all, whether you love them or hate them, KC are champions. They just know how to win games. Close games, blowout games. They find ways to win even when they do not play their best. And when all of the chips are on the line, the Chiefs just know how to win. Case in point is their current success.
Still, I expected the Bills to be able to do some things against the Chiefs this time around. In the end, they didn't manage it. Fell just short. Perhaps this time, I reasoned, they would finally be able to do in the postseason what they had only managed to do in the regular season, and earn a win over the Chiefs. Ultimately, however, they fell short. Guess I underestimated KC and their will to win.
But the Bills were among the very elite teams this season. It's just a real shame that, once again, they fall just short of proving it by qualifying for the Super Bowl.
Let's hope next year.
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