Niagara Gazette

‘The parallels between the last two years and the 1988 and 1989 Bills are numerous, including a rapid ascent to the doorstep of the Super Bowl, regular-season revenge followed by a baffling skid ending with another division title, only for championship dreams to end with a thud despite the play of a strong-armed fourth-year quarterback.’

‘But by Sunday evening, Buffalo fans were processing the fact that the Bengals, a supposedly inferior team with a second-year quarterback and average defense, had stunned a Chiefs team the Bills couldn’t solve two years in a row.’

‘It’s hard to fault an offense that scored 36 points, especially when Gabriel Davis’ eight-catch, 201-yard, four-touchdown game was one of the statistically great playoff games ever. But the Bills hit lulls in the second and third quarters that allowed Kansas City to be the aggressor.’

‘But this one will be difficult to get over. It was one of the most shattering losses in league history, one that will haunt the franchise and its followers for years to come and should raise questions about whether Sean McDermott is the right coach to get Allen over the top.’

‘It takes two top teams to tango, to constitute a genuine rivalry. There should be high stakes, a belief that both teams are capable of winning it all, which certainly was not the case when Tom Brady was dominating the Bills all those years.’

‘It was a scary sight, and for Buffalo fans who had waited 25 long years to fill the stadium in Orchard Park for a playoff game, it was a glorious, exultant evening in bone-chilling, single-digit conditions.’

‘The next challenge for Allen is stringing absurd games together, and another MVP-caliber game in the AFC divisional round should make the rest of the country realize what people from Buffalo already know.’

‘Talley said the cold weather favors the defense in a sport that’s become increasingly favorable to offense. Also, the 12th Man is essentially a defensive phenomenon. He likes the Bills’ chances with a top-ranked defense.’

‘It may not always be pretty, but Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen gets the job done. Put simply, Allen carries an arsenal of tools whenever he takes the field, and uses whatever necessary to address any given situation. And not least in that bag is unflinching determination. A Jim Kelly mindset is a fair comparison. Ergo, as today’s title suggests, the Bills are just Joshin’ … their way into, and hopefully through, the playoffs. (You’re welcome, Bills Mafia, for the suggested mantra.)’

‘As long as Allen is pulling the trigger, the offense is always going to be potent. But it seems unlikely the team will have a better window to win a championship with this defense. Sure, the Jets looked more like the faux-Bills offense in the made-for-TV movie Second String, but they still had NFL players who received a paycheck and were held to 53 yards from scrimmage.’

‘Within five hours, the fundraiser not only raised the $3,000 needed to replace the equipment, but it surpassed $5,000 and Roman was able to order a new grill. All equipment should be replaced and the Romans will be ready for their first playoff game when the Bills host the Patriots in the AFC wild-card round Saturday night.’

‘Next week, the Bills will play a home playoff game in front of a full house for the first time in a quarter century — to be specific, since Jim Kelly played his final game in a wild-card upset loss to the Jaguars at the end of the 1996 season.’

‘When Buffalo wins it wins big — it’s average margin of victory this season is 22.6 points per game — and when it loses, there are a few plays it can point to that were the difference in the game. The key in the playoffs is avoiding the mistakes that result in those few plays being the difference in a win or a loss.’

‘Allen had a dreadful passing day in the snow at Highmark Stadium. He was 11 for 26 for 120 yards and no touchdowns. He threw interceptions on three consecutive possessions. His 17.0 passer rating was the lowest of his four-year career.’

‘“I just thought it would be something cool for me to do – I didn’t really expect to get any sort of blow up over the whole thing,” Dusza said. “But it’s a beneficial collaboration. I don’t mind a little bit of attention, especially if it’s based off my art because it’s the one thing I absolutely love to do. It’s combining two of my favorite things – Bills Mafia and my artwork.”’