Everyone in Buffalo thought and said amongst themselves, “this is our year and time to take the next step,” especially after winning the AFC East and securing home-field advantage for the wildcard and divisional round. This was supposed to be a defining moment for not only Bills QB Josh Allen, but for the entire organization to get over the hump and finally beat the Chiefs and move on to the AFC Championship game.
With that being said, we all now know the dreaded outcome of what transpired up in Orchard Park, New York. After consuming roughly 8 minutes on a 4th quarter drive, the Bills were inching closer to the red zone and looking to bleed the clock and hopefully score the winning touchdown. That all came down to a Tyler Bass 44 yd field goal as Josh Allen couldn’t convert on third down after scrambling to the right with an incomplete pass in the end zone.
Everyone in the stadium anticipated this game could be headed for overtime, as the field goal would have tied the game with under 2 minutes left. Tyler Bass booted the kick, which drifted off and went wide right, thus essentially ending all hopes of a Bills tie or victory. The Chiefs ended up winning the game 27-24.
The term wide right weighs heavily on a Bills Mafia Fan base, especially if any of them were born in the 70’s or 80’s. Flashback to former Bills kicker Scott Norwood, who in the 1991 Superbowl game missed a potential game winning FG that sailed wide right from 47 yards away.
When we look at the numbers and dominance from the Bills in terms of time of possession, their chances of winning this game were extremely high. Buffalo had the football for 37:03 compared to the Chiefs at just 22:57. The Bills also had zero turnovers, especially thanks to Spencer Brown, who recovered an Allen fumble late in the 4th quarter when the Bills were driving. Early on, Buffalo was moving the football up and down the field at will against the K.C. defense.
The only problem was on the other side of the ball, the banged-up Bills defense couldn’t stop Patrick Mahomes or the Chiefs running game. The Bills defense had some key injuries, as LB Terrel Bernard, CB Christian Benfort, and Safety Taylor Rapp were out. Let’s not forget about WR Gabe Davis who also missed the contest due to a knee injury.
Kansas City had their best offensive outing of the year playing mistake-free football (apart from Mecole Hardman fumbling at the goal line). Patrick Mahomes was 17/23 for 215 yards and 2 TD’s. Isaiah Pacheco also ran for a solid 97 yards and Clyde Edwards-Helaire contributed 31 yards on only 2 carries.
The Bills seem to be cursed in the postseason based on their devastating losses and the way things have gone. In my honest opinion, Kansas City and its star QB Patrick Mahomes are now officially in “the head” of the Bills organization, beating them 3 out of the last 4 years in the playoffs. As I start to hear the chatter of criticism towards Josh Allen, let’s not forget he doesn’t get paid to catch the football or to make field goals.
Allen was the Bills leading rusher with 72 yards and he also went 26/39 for 186 yards and 1 TD. Late in the 4th quarter, Allen threw a 60-yard pass on a tight rope which went in and out of the hands of WR Stefon Diggs. It was indeed a perfectly thrown ball in which Diggs should’ve caught. Had that happened, the Bills would’ve had a first down at the 25-yard line of Kansas City. Despite the miss, Allen still led the Bills down the field with a chance to tie the game with under two minutes left. We all know that the Bass 44 yarder went wide right.
The Bills during this offseason need to reevaluate how they’re using Josh Allen and not put him in situations where he needs to play “hero ball” or be “Superman” all the time. Despite his greatness, Allen is still human, and the Bills need to delegate additional responsibility and opportunities to the running game. Cook can run through holes well and has a level of physicality that needs to be utilized more frequently.
Sean McDermott and Bills GM Brandon Beane in recent interviews indicated that they don’t plan on making any major shake ups when it comes to the current Buffalo roster during the offseason. The biggest question is can the Bills and Josh Allen get over the hump in the AFC Playoffs? When you have star QB’s like Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson that you must knock off to even get to the Superbowl, this seems like a task that may be even too tall for Josh Allen’s 6’5” frame. One thing I do know is that Bills Mafia will never fade away despite the Bills playoff hopes once again doing just that.