“Down the middle to the endzone and there it is!” Jim Nantz gives the epic call as Buffalo scores a touchdown to make it 36-33 with 13 seconds left in the AFC divisional round against the Kansas City Chiefs on January 23. 

The Bills then proceeded with one of the worst situational defensive calls in NFL history. Giving up two big plays to Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce when all Kansas City needed was a field goal to tie up the game. Then in overtime the Chiefs marched right down the field and scored the game winning touchdown.

This might be the worst loss in Buffalo Bills’ history, and that includes losses like Wide Right and the Music City Miracle. This is because Buffalo was primed for a real shot at a Super Bowl and had the game won with little time left. There is a lot of blame to go around as to why the Bills lost, but let’s first look at the guy who gave the Bills the lead in the first place.

Josh Allen is an absolute stud, and one could make the argument that he is the best quarterback in the NFL. Buffalo has their first legitimate franchise quarterback since Jim Kelly, and Allen is already so much better than Kelly ever was. It’s an absolute privilege to be able to watch Allen make ridiculous plays every week and say, “Yep, he plays for my team.” As long as the Bills have Josh Allen, they will always be a real threat to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. 

Now let’s go to head coach Sean McDermott who is by no means on the hot seat, but there is a bit of pressure on him. As we watched Cincinnati’s defense hold the Chiefs to only 3 points in the second half, we saw what should have been Buffalo’s game plan for stopping Mahomes and the Chiefs. The Bills practically didn’t play defense at all because they were never able to really stop Kansas City. That’s on the coach who is a defensive guy and had the number one defense in the league coming into the game.

The defensive strategy for those final 13 seconds of regulation was just stupid. Why would the Bills go prevent and give up two big plays to Hill and Kelce when all the Chiefs needed was a field goal. Obviously Tre White who is a top-three cornerback in the league being out for this game was a huge factor on their playcalling. But that does not excuse the play calling. It needed to be better, and it cost the Bills an AFC championship game in Buffalo, NY. 

Having said all of that, no one in Western New York should be wanting to fire Sean McDermott or fire Brandon Beane. No one should be saying that the Bills are done and this was their only year. Josh Allen is only 25 years old and is only going to get better. The Bills will be good for many years to come, and their future is very bright.