Success

Honestly, I'm not sure why that isn't the 3rd & 1 play every time. Allen got those 1st downs easily. No reason to get cute. When we were playing Brady's Pats, we knew every time that he was going to sneak it, and he got it pretty much every time (I remember one time he fumbled, but otherwise it was successful against us).

Was he 5th round? What a steal. He plays smart, he hits hard and he's practically everywhere on the field.

That was an incredible drive. The kind of thing that we simply wouldn't have seen from the Bills during the drought, or with most other QB's we've had. I'd like to point out that I did switch from beer to vodka near the end of the game, and everything went our way after that. Maybe not as much of a turning point factor, but I clearly need to do that in close future games.

The other 3 teams are kind of 2a, 2b, and 2c. Any one of them could make the playoffs, but there is a big gap between all of them and us. It's weird, but I think the Jets stand the best chance of emerging from that pack and challenging us in the future. Saleh is a good coach, and you can see the change in culture watching their games. The energy is completely different from previous years. If Wilson develops, they'll be a problem. Honestly, the only reason the Pats are good is because they still have Belichick. Watching Zappe play exactly like Jones is a real tribute to his system, and he always gets the best out of his defenses. They have some standout players, but they're really built like the Bills were about 15 years ago. If Belichick coached one of those teams, they'd win more games too.

First, I have all kinds of respect for KC, and they & the Bills are definitely 1b and 1a. But the Bills are better. Even though it just came down to a couple of plays yesterday & we could have easily lost, we're the better overall team now, on both sides of the ball. In the offseason, we built up the unit that was always vexing for us when facing Mahomes, and we now have the pass rush that was so needed for years against him. It made the difference yesterday in getting those stops that we couldn't get in the playoff game. The secondary is also better, even with our best player in that unit still being out. KC is worse. Still one of the best teams in the NFL - but losing Hill was a big, big deal...at least for the Bills. It was always the Kelce/Hill combo that was too difficult for us to defend. Kelce is still getting his, but without that big play threat that Hill always represented, that team is just easier for us to get stops against. All that said, of course they could still beat us in the playoffs. Yesterday was close - but I also felt like the Bills made a bunch of mistakes that kept it close. The fact that we now have the inside track for homefield could make all the difference. I love our chances if the rematch is in Buffalo.

It's kind of hilarious how Jones was the 2nd coming of Brady all offseason (to Pats fans), he throws a few picks to start the season, Zappe plays well in relief - and now they're talking about Jones in a possible trade and how Zappe looks just like Brady from 2001.

KC fans are going w/ the "the Bills won their Super Bowl" cope. I guess they must have gone to the Patriots fan summer seminar.

We made a ton of mistakes, the refs were terrible on both sides but gave KC more of an advantage - and we still pulled it out, at KC. This is the year. We should be able to secure homefield, and the NFC is just a bad conference right now.

We have made a LOT of mistakes in this game.

We're a better team. I wasn't sure before today, but not I'm sure. We just need them IN BUFFALO. That is crucial.

Well, 5 minutes ago, we all would have taken "tied at half." So, there's that.

If it wasn't for that site, I'd think the world of KC fans. I kind of vowed not to go there after I visited during the AFCCG a few years ago, but I checked out this thread. It's like a cartoon. That place is so weird - it's just vile, vile, vile. I feel like it's supposed to be a parody of toxic fans or something.

I'd agree that the "hate" thing is more prominent in youth. Though, as an older dude, I find I still have it for the Patriots and Boston teams in general. That almost feels like part of my DNA now. But I can't say I really "hate" too many other teams (and another poster said it, but we're just talking sports hate - not real, vitriolic hate).

I do find that main message board to be strange. It's anecdotal, but my other interactions w/ KC fans have been really good, and they seem kind of like us. But that board is one of the most toxic places not only among sports boards, but on the internet in general. It's almost cartoonish how vile that place is.

Former Patriot says what?

Is that wrong? Mahomes is one of the most fun players in the league to watch. You almost have to love that guy as a general fan of the game. It's cool that he and Allen have so much respect for each other and have said they're friends off the field. I also have always liked Reid, and he really paid his dues in Philly all those years. I also see their market & history has similar to Buffalo. Not an NFL darling, passionate & crazy fanbase. Came up short for decades before finally having a team that can deliver. And Patriots fans hate KC, so that has to count for something. I find it strange that I don't hate them, because I usually hate any team that ends my team's season even once, and they've done it twice now. Anyone else feel that way? I have a feeling I'm going to get a lot of vomit reactions, but I was curious.

It was sad to see that. I'm a fan of his, but that's just poor behavior, from anyone.

I remember for Peyton Manning's first 5-6 years (at least), they generally played the Colts/Pats game in New England. There is a method to that. It ended up flipping, as I hope our match-ups with KC do. We play them well in KC. If it's in Buffalo, we'll beat them 9x out of 10.

It goes without saying, but man do I hate that we always face these guys at their place. Getting homefield in the playoffs has never been more important. This game on Sunday & getting the advantage w/ the head-to-head is huge.

I'm shocked about that analytics news. Analytics are weird.

Yeah - I realized after I posted that it could be confusing. Definitely talking about our guy.

I don't think McD is going to be one of the greats or anything - but he's a good coach. Looking at the coaching around the league, I'm really glad we have him. One coach rewards another coach's bad decision to go for 2, by going for 2.

All I want for Christmas is KC in Buffalo for the playoff game.

So, what's the over/under on the Chiefs margin of victory? 20?

I still smile when I think about our regular season win over KC last year, where Kelce was looking up at the scoreboard in sort of stunned disbelief. I've gotta chase that feeling.