ShakAttack

It feels as though the NFL did whatever they could to hold KC's hand en route to the 3-peat this season. So if I'm looking for a silver lining, hopefully after they "make history" and become the first team to win 3 straight, the NFL won't favor them as much as they so painfully and obviously did this season. As far as the "refs are human and make mistakes" argument, my counter to that would be... yes they do make mistakes, but why is it that NONE of these flags thrown in critical moments of the games have gone AGAINST KC!? They have ALL been to their benefit. Look at any other team in the NFL and the bad calls go both ways. You want me to believe that it's pure coincidence that KC is the only team this doesn't happen to?

I agree with you. Definitely one of two moments of the game I haven’t been able to shake. But I really - even with the Chiefs history - did not expect a bad call to be among our lasting memories of the game in the event of a loss. Some people have not been able to recognize just how impactful on the outcome of the game that this poor decision likely had. Bills were winning at the time, and the Chiefs had no answer for James Cook. The offense was humming. And we had momentum. Say what you want about calling too many QB sneaks, etc, but guess what… IT WORKED ON THAT PLAY!!! Just got a terrible spot out of it. jeez. Yep. It pains me more today to think about this than it did yesterday. This isn’t going to be easy. One game away from the dream FINALLY coming true… and that’s what we get. Life ain’t fair, I guess, and it has been very cruel to us Bills fans, undeniably so when it comes to football.

I have found that my typical "stages" in processing each season's elimination game is not too unlike going through the stages of grief. The night of the loss is actually the easiest for me because at that point I'm pretty much just numb and probably emotionally spent from watching the game and all of the buildup during the week, but I usually wake up multiple times overnight, which is the segue into... Day #1 this is where I look to fellow Bills fans and familiar sources for what is essentially a form of therapy. Reading TBD, listening to WGR, listening to Locked On Bills, and relating to everything. It helps me to surround myself with others that can relate to the pain, particularly the day after the game. Also, I COMPLETELY avoid ANY and all media related to the Chiefs and their success. Day #2 is kind of where the sadness peaks for me, and that is where I'm at now. So yeah, I feel worse this morning than I did yesterday. Obsession over missed opportunities, feeling of disgust toward KC and worrying about if/when we will ever get back to this game. A lot of the stuff that I kind of block out in the beginning seems to find it's way through on this day. Although I'd like to block it out entirely, it has to be processed in order to move on. Some aspects of the game end up being easier to process than others. When it is all said and done, there is usually one thing that sticks with me for good. Last year it was the 2nd and 9 play on the Chiefs 20 or so yard line where Diggs was wide open and Allen didn't throw it to him. This year I am guessing that "moment" will be the horrible 4th and 1 call that swung momentum back to KC or the Kincaid drop. OR heck, maybe it will just always be both. Sorry this was a bit rushed and I'd have liked to elaborate a little more/differently, but have to take my son to school in a couple minutes. I'll probably chime in again once I return and read some of your responses.

Can we ever please try and utilize KJ Hamler? He was a weapon prior to his injury issues and former 2nd round pick. He’s probably better than Isaiah McKenzie ever was and brings a dimension to our offense that we don’t have now. if we are never going to do anything with him what is the point of these signings? Almost wish he refused to sign and went somewhere else

It's always something with our team vs. the Chiefs. That's what is driving me crazy. That's why the botched call on 4th and inches was so important. We were already up and driving for another score. With our history of late game mishaps vs. KC, we NEEDED to be the team in the driver seat, with them chasing us, and not the other way around.

But the fact that players have learned what the visit with this INC entails, it's very possible that they have also learned what to say and do in order to get final clearance.

I just can't get over the irony with Andrews dropping an even easier catch for the Ravens last week. And at the time, I remember thinking, "What?!? The BILLS won a game like this??? It wasn't OUR TIGHT END with the crushing drop???" MAYBE, just MAYBE it's a sign that our playoff luck has finally turned for the better! And then in a scenario that you can't make up, we suffer the same fate.......... cause of our tight end.

Yeah I never understood that comparison honestly. Kelce is physically imposing. Bigger and faster in his prime. Kincaid is kind of light for a TE. He's tried to become more physical in the NFL, but it's probably why he is always getting hurt, with his frame.

Hence the "potential" I had in parenthesis. But at the very least, we have a first down in field goal range with 3 time outs and under 3 minutes left to play I believe?

MAN...................... If Kincaid catches that ball, imagine the narrative today about Josh Allen, along with our (potential) joy. UGH

Fair point.

And Allen. Which is a mistake if we indeed let our QB have that much influence on our first draft pick. That isn't his job.

Cooper DeJean was commonly regarded as the realistic "BPA" at our draft position, but many of us (including myself) were not open to using our first pick on a non-WR. To be fair, I was hoping to either trade-up for BTJ or draft McConky / AD Mitchell if we stayed put, and if I knew we were going to end up taking Coleman, I probably would have rather just take DeJean because Coleman and Worthy (ironically) were the 2 wrs that I specifically did not want the Bills to draft. But as I watched DeJean against the Commanders and witnessed the undeniable impact he had on that game, it begged the question: Do we think Cooper DeJean makes a difference for us yesterday? Enough of a difference to have a different outcome? Or was it always likely going to come down to Allen and Joe Brady finding a way to deliver a game-winning drive? I tend to think that with these 2 teams, regardless of how the first 3 quarters play out, it will always come down to living and dying with Allen and his cape at the end of the game, but I would like to hear your thoughts...

This year I thought it was the lack of talent (and injuries yesterday) moreso than the coaching. I think the roster overachieved and exceeded all of our expectations this season. Without 1/3 of our salary cap. Not to mention, Bills-Chiefs games are always all about the 2nd half, and in the second half, our defense kept KC out of the end zone and gave our offense a chance to WIN THE GAME. In these matchups, that’s the exact scenario you hope to be in at the end of the game. Should we have run more on that drive? Yeah maybe I don’t know. But when we were putting the game in Allen’s hands, I don’t think anyone took issue with that at the time.

Yeah… I mean anyone that was serious about being “done” would’ve been done a long time ago. Then there are fans like myself, that would gladly take a magic pill to be done with the Bills if such a thing existed.

I envy how quickly some fans are able to turn the page and think about the future. Truly. I guess there is not much else you can do, but still, I am too far down in the dumps to even think that way. If you aren't KC, you make the AFCCG once every 4-5 years, at best. How old will Allen be by that time? 32? 33? Guess we better find a way to get there sooner. And if/when we do it could very well be his last shot at it.

Well it sure as hell isn’t as clear cut this year is it? Normally we can say we lost the game because of x. This year it feels like a combination of x, y, z So where do we go with our first draft pick? I’d say go BPA between whichever WR, DE, Safety or maybe even CB is out there. Even that doesn’t sound right. I really don’t know. The problem is, despite everything, the game was there for the taking, and the defense DID give us a chance to win at the end, and the SURE HANDED Kincaid dropped a 4th down pass. come on now we have been watching these chiefs-bills games forever now. The first 3 quarters don’t matter; it’s always going to end up being close. It’s who will win on that last drive. It was the chiefs defense, yet again. Just like against Cincy 2 years ago and against SF in the Super Bowl last season. The bills, Cincy, and Niners all had the ball late on offense in these games with a real chance to win and the chiefs d stopped all 3 of us.

Last week, when a dropped pass by the other team sealed the deal for the Bills, I wondered if it was a symbolic of a turning point for the Bills, or if this year was just different. I say that because, in the playoffs, when stuff like that happened, it was ALWAYS at the Bills expense… until last week. So I wondered if that meant this year would be different, and I guess today we will find out. But am I confident? No. For some reason I can’t even fathom Mahomes being upset at the end of a playoff game in Arrowhead. but to be fair, I guess part of that is because I don’t remember what he looked like when the Bengals won at Arrowhead a few years ago.. haha

To think in a little less than 24 hours, this could be the most joyous night in TBD history............... or another familiar heartbreak. Two polar opposites. Can't we just have nice things for ONCE?!?!!?

i did this the past 2 times we played KC in the playoffs and the Bills lost. Yeah I won money, but the bills are 0-2 when I tried to “bet against them for good luck” so I decided not to do it this year

If you believe that we will lose the game over a dumb call, that means you expect it to go down to the wire, and if it goes down to the wire, you've gotta have at least SOME type of confidence towards the Bills, even if you think the Chiefs win in the end. "Zero confidence" to me is expecting a blowout loss. Also, man it pains me to say this, but last year's loss to KC wasn't necessarily due to a bad call; it was on Allen going for it all too early. Yeah, there was the dumb fake punt, but then there was the Hardman fumble. I will always believe it was the result of Allen not throwing the ball to Diggs on 2nd and 9. I don't even care about the missed field goal. Mahomes would have had time to win the game after we tied it. But if he hits Diggs on that 2nd and 9 and we milk the clock en route to a TD, that's the ball game. And the difference is, he has been taking those easy buckets this season. He has approached the game with a different mentality all season long. I have no reason NOT to have confidence that it won't continue against KC.

It's all about matchups, imo. KC does have a great defense, going back to last season, but also going back to last season, the Bills have been able to run a productive offense against them, in every game. This contrasts with Baltimore, which is a more difficult matchup for us, including their defense, and we were able to overcome that. We have already passed the toughest test of the post-season, however, that does not mean it's going to take anything less than our very best against KC.

I feel more confident about this game and it scares the living hell out of me. If we thought the let down from previous playoff losses was unbearable, this would be unparalleled and that's precisely what scares me. Now, we HAVE TO WIN!!! Just speaking for myself, but some of my confidence comes from the fact that I can't even fathom or accept losing to KC AGAIN. And I think that Allen is going to play the game of his life against KC (again) because he feels the same way. Whether that results in a win? Man I hope so. This week has been hell... lol

Well that means it was 2-15 before the Ravens game. and it means we are 1-0 as playoff underdogs this season. for what it’s worth.

That has happened to me in the past. And it's kinda nice (compared to where I'm at right now). But in my experience, it is just prolonging the inevitable because as soon as the kickoff and the game are officially underway, those nervous feelings hit like a tidal wave.