Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘It would not be fair to pin Buffalo’s inability to reach the Super Bowl over the past five years solely on the defensive line, but in each of the five elimination games – four losses to the Chiefs and one to the Bengals – the defensive line has fallen far short of controlling the play and it has led to some gory numbers.’

‘Samuel battled injuries all season and he could never find a defined role in the offense and counting the postseason he had just 37 receptions for 334 yards and three TDs. Obviously, the Bills were big on spreading the ball around, but Samuel was a big-time disappointment and the Bills are kind of stuck with him because the dead cap hit to cut him is $11 million for 2025.’

‘But the drama surrounding Diggs had grown untenable and Beane understood this, so he made the trade with Houston that brought back the Texans’ 2025 second-round draft pick. It created a massive $31 million dead cap hit in 2024, but also wiped Diggs from the books thereafter, a purge that greatly helps Beane this year and beyond.’

‘In eight seasons, he has amassed 102.5 sacks including double digits in each of the last seven years, and he has earned six All-Pro selections (four on the first team), six Pro Bowl invites and he was the 2023 NFL defensive player of the year.’

‘“I know playing in a number of these games, a couple AFC championship games, couple making it to the divisional round a handful of times, once you get this far, the games all come down to four or five plays and sometimes less than that,” said long snapper Reid Ferguson, the longest-tenured member of the Bills. “And it’s just whether or not they fall your way or not. We feel like we’re putting the best product on the field that we can. Sometimes you get beat.”’

‘The primary issue with Coleman coming into the draft was the question of whether he’d be able to win on his routes in the NFL. The Bills knew gaining separation would be a problem and it was. One of the ways Coleman overcame that against weaker competition in college was his contested catch ability, but that did not translate in year one.’

‘The “Support Dalton’s charity” fundraising drive has raised $22,617 so far and has already reached its initial goal. So, organizer Will Funk-Heiser increased the goal to $40K. The largest gift is a $1,000 anonymous donation.’

‘But in the end, Cooper proved to be wholly underwhelming and while general manager Brandon Beane on Thursday tried to make the case that he did make a difference, where’s the proof of that?’

‘Here are my thoughts on the main signings…’.

‘But when you go back and look at what happened on that side of the ball in all five games, there is no conclusion than to say the defense under-performed, and in a few of these games, was flat out terrible.’

‘All the Bills were crushed Sunday night, but no one moreso than the generational quarterback who might already be the most beloved athlete in western New York sports history, though there’s certainly a nod to recency bias.’

‘Even when the deplorable drought ended with Sean McDermott, Brandon Beane and Josh Allen blazing a new path and leading the Bills out of the wilderness by delivering five straight AFC East division titles, to even dare ponder what it might be like to see the Bills – their Bills – reach a Super Bowl became a pointless exercise because season after season ended in such bitter, gut-wrenching disappointment.’

‘But the reason why Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and the Chiefs have now eliminated Josh Allen, Sean McDermott and the Bills in four of the last five seasons is that when the time comes for the biggest plays in these games need to be made, the Chiefs make them and the Bills don’t.’

‘Play-by-play: Jim Nantz. Analyst: Tony Romo. Sideline reporters: Tracy Wolfson, Jay Feely, Evan Washburn.’

‘Sal Maiorana’s prediction: Bills 26, Chiefs 24.’