Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Reporters tried to pry answers from the Buffalo Bills head coach Tuesday morning during his annual season-ending news conference regarding the decision to kick off deep, and how his team defended in those awful final moments which cost the Bills a chance to host this weekend’s AFC Championship Game.’

‘The early returns seem to be that this one should be called “13 seconds.” Makes sense given that 13 is considered an unlucky number, and that was the amount of time the Bills used to turn what would have been one of the greatest victories in franchise history into, well, a game where we’re trying to come up with a nickname.’

‘Rust Belt regions – Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, for instance – often have deeper ties with their teams than many other areas. Those franchises have been there through economic upheavals and rebounds, and allow residents a constant focus. “When there’s a sort of regional pride and regional identity, people feel both proud of where they’re from and where they are and they want to see that pride extended onto a national stage,” Simons said. “… It doesn’t apply as much to New York City or Los Angeles. There’s a lot of different ways to invest your identity there.”

‘It was bad enough that the Bills missed tackles all over the field all night long, particularly on Tyreek Hill’s 64-yard TD that appeared to give the Chiefs the victory with 1:02 to play in regulation. But to fail the way it did in such spectacular fashion on the last possession of regulation was next-level horrendous.’

‘The two best teams left in the postseason at 6:40 Sunday night were the Bills and Chiefs, and only the Chiefs moved on. What a dreadful shame to lose in such an inexplicable, downright unbelievable way, a loss that just further drives that dagger deeper into the hearts of a fan base that somehow hasn’t completely collapsed under the weight of perpetual disappointment.’

‘“I had a feeling if we wanted to get to the Super Bowl we were going to have to beat them,” safety Jordan Poyer said of playing the Chiefs. “And you know, here we are … in that position for a great opportunity if we go play our best football.”’

‘Sal’s prediction: Kansas City Chiefs 34, Buffalo Bills 31.’

‘Even in 2019, Allen’s first full season as a starter, the Bills came into the season with just the Thanksgiving Day game against Dallas as its lone prime time slot. That was the game where the Bills surprised the Cowboys and no doubt played a role (along with playoff implications) in the NFL’s decision to flex Buffalo’s game two weeks later against Pittsburgh into a Sunday night game. It was the first Sunday night game for Buffalo since 2007.’

‘However, right there is the demarcation line when everything began to change and since Week 8 the Chiefs are like a new team. In winning 10 of their last 11 – which won them the AFC West and the No. 2 seed in the playoffs – they have allowed an average of just 16.5 points per game and have forced 25 turnovers.’

‘In a few hours, more than $8700 was raised to help Bills Elvis and his friends and family their tailgating tradition going.’

‘“I can tell you we miss Tre out there,” said McDermott. “But Dane and Levi have done a tremendous job, and I think just overall the guys have come together as a team and played good team defense in Tre’s absence. The entire secondary has taken that as a challenge and embraced that challenge. It’s never about one guy … I just think about the overall team, the overall unit, in this case, the defense. So we’ve got to continue to play like that in Tre’s absence and take our game to another level.”’

‘But hey, think of it this way. To get to Los Angeles, site of Super Bowl 56, Kansas City is on the way, and if the Bills have to also take a detour through Nashville, so be it.’

‘This was a game Bills fans will remember the rest of their lives because of the sheer dominance Buffalo showed, and the opponent it conquered. Seriously, is there any other team Bills fans would have wanted to annihilate more than the Patriots?’

‘My, how the tables have turned as Sean McDermott has now beaten Bill Belichick in four of their last five meetings.’

‘Bill Belichick this, Bill Belichick that. Yes, he’s one of the greatest in the history of the game, but Sean McDermott has now won four of the last five games. McDermott had his team as ready as they’ve ever been for a game and that was obvious all night as the Patriots looked dead in the water.’