Regardless of playoff outcome, will you consider this Bills season a success?

[njbuff]

I will be a miserable prick if the Bills lose in these playoffs.

 

No one will be able to talk to me for a month.

 

That’s because I think the Bills have the team to bring home the Lombardi trophy.

[Rocky Landing]

I voted "Yes." This season was a success the moment we swept the Patriots* and took the AFCE. But, then I accidentally clicked "Super Bowl or Bust," and it wouldn't let me un-click it. But, that's OK. This season was a success. Now, it's Super Bowl, or bust!!!

[Doc Brown]

17 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

I’m haunted by the 1999 team. That was a super bowl team. Weird things happen in the playoffs. But at least we don’t have that QB “situation” this time.

I would be less disappointed in this team than that team because we were the best team in the AFC that year going into the playoffs.  We didn't have a team as good as the Chiefs ahead of us.  Also, we knew that team had a short window while this team is set up for long term success.  I demand at least a playoff win though or this season will be a disappointment.  

[Scott7975]

Before the season I said win the division and win a playoff game would be a success in my eyes.  I felt that way part way through the season too.  After the last month of seeing this team just demolish their opponents, I think anything short of the AFC conference game is a disappointment.  This team has what it takes to win a super bowl.  They should at least get to the champ game.

[Wayne Cubed]

I'd say as far as where I thought this team would be preseason, I would consider this season a success. In a challenging situation and season, this Bills team went out there and won the division, convincingly. Josh Allen has developed into the QB we all wanted him to be. 

 

Saying all that, in season obviously my expectations shifted and I think they should at least win a playoff game for this season to be a success. This team has so much talent that the bar has shifted.

[TBBills]

Regular season is over now and those stats now mean nothing... Let get to the AFC Championship and see from there. I want a Super Bowl win b.c that is the players goal also, and I want to be in the same thought process as them. 

 

Let's Go Bills!

[CEN-CAL17]

Tough question.....

 

Sure they’ve been successful. But I don’t think the players,,FO or Fans will be satisfied with what they’ve accomplished unless they win a couple playoff games. Which means make it to the AFCCG.

 

 

 

Edited January 6, 2021 by CEN-CAL17

[H2o]

If we go 13-3, winning our last 6 in a row, 9 of our last 10 games, and then get ousted in the first round the season is a failure. Yes, the regular season was fun, but the post season is where history and legends are made. Honestly, I think anything outside of the AFC Championship game would be a huge disappointment. In my mind this team is better positioned to win a SB than any of the 90's teams. It is yet to be determined if we have an A list of HOF talent on these rosters, but this is the closest team in terms of a team mentality I have ever seen in Buffalo. They play for each other, they play for the fans, they play for the city of Buffalo, and there is a vibe with this team that I can't remember ever feeling before with any other. They went from trying to figure out who they were to showing the league this is who we are. They went from trying to find ways to win to imposing their will on the opposition. They are never satisfied. There is one goal and that's a Lombardi for them. You see it, you can hear it in their voice, and you can tell by the way they carry themselves. Won, not done. Bring it home for all of us. LET'S  GOOOOOO!!!!!

 

[GunnerBill]

I am with the majority..... no if we lose on Sunday. Yes if we win on Sunday. They were my terms of success at the outset and I don't think you change that in hindsight. 

 

However, man this is an opportunity to win a Superbowl. I thought we had the chance to do that before the season but I thought we had a small outside chance. Right now we are playing the best football of any team in the league, we are confident, loose, the defense has rounded into form and we just look ready. Coupled with that the team that seemingly stood in our way is in a lull (as big of a lull as a 14-2 team can be) and struggling for rhythm. You can be a great team that contends regularly and not get that many years where it falls your way. Think of the Dungy Colts who only made the dance once despite all that talent because they couldn't find a way past Brady and the Pats for so many years. The Bills could make the playoffs for the next 6 years and there might not be another opportunity quite as good as this one. 

 

So no, my criteria for success has not changed, but the opportunity to go all the way is calling. The time is now. 

[Dr. Who]

59 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

I am with the majority..... no if we lose on Sunday. Yes if we win on Sunday. They were my terms of success at the outset and I don't think you change that in hindsight. 

 

However, man this is an opportunity to win a Superbowl. I thought we had the chance to do that before the season but I thought we had a small outside chance. Right now we are playing the best football of any team in the league, we are confident, loose, the defense has rounded into form and we just look ready. Coupled with that the team that seemingly stood in our way is in a lull (as big of a lull as a 14-2 team can be) and struggling for rhythm. You can be a great team that contends regularly and not get that many years where it falls your way. Think of the Dungy Colts who only made the dance once despite all that talent because they couldn't find a way past Brady and the Pats for so many years. The Bills could make the playoffs for the next 6 years and there might not be another opportunity quite as good as this one. 

 

So no, my criteria for success has not changed, but the opportunity to go all the way is calling. The time is now. 

Agree with the analysis, but precisely for the reasons of opportune timing you nicely indicated, I will be disappointed if they fail to take advantage. When the time is right, it's right. Personally, anything short of AFC Championship round is a fail for this team as they are currently playing. And really, they are the best, they hit the playoffs perfect, so just win. I'm certain that is how the players feel.

[The Wiz]

I feel like we have been spoiled this last month or two watching this team just take off and have very high expectations.

 

I'll stick with my start of season expectation of win the division and win a playoff game.

My expectation after watching them has me feeling SB or bust.

[BillsFanSD]

I'll be disappointed if they don't at least make the AFCCG, but this team went 13-3, swept the division, showcased their young, elite QB, and set the table for years of success going forward.  It's already a success in big picture terms.

[CSBill]

Very happy with the regular season--who isn't? And because of that, the expectations are higher now. So, yes, I would be disappointed with the seasons results if we lose on Saturday. After that, I'm good no matter what happens.

[Nextmanup]

Must win for this season to be a success; 1 win is enough...but I think we have a great shot at more than that! 

 

Maybe a lot more.

 

We have a real chance to win the Super Bowl THIS YEAR.

 

We just need to keep the Bills train moving down the tracks.

 

 

[Alphadawg7]

I voted no just because the expectations today are just higher.  We are the hottest team in the NFL by a wide margin heading into the playoffs, so losing a game after all the records, stats, wins, etc now would be a huge disappointment.

 

However...that being said, no matter what happens from here on out, the truth is that this was a success no matter what.  The only thing that mattered to our future was the development of Josh Allen.  Hes arrived.  Ive seen Peyton Manning go into the playoffs while in Indy an NFL record NINE times and lose the first playoff game.

 

So I wont truly judge the success of the season on what happens next.  Anything can happen in the playoffs...I mean I have seen things like Trent Dilfer win a SB, Rex Grossman get the Bears to a SB, Jeff Hostettler upset the Bills in a SB, a 7-9 team beat a division champion, a journeyman career backup out duel Brady's 500 yards, a relatively no name team with a 6th round rookie QB upset the greatest show on turf, a special teamer win SB MVP, a backup QB make the greatest comeback in NFL history, the music city miracle, etc, etc, etc.  

 

For me, it would be a MASSIVE disappointment to not get a playoff win this year, but I still would see the teams year as a success and a major step in the right direction.   

[Big Turk]

No. This team is too good and Allen is on his rookie deal. We need to take advantage of it this year.

 

At minimum they need to get to the AFC Championship game.

[tomur67]

I want the Bills to take it all.  Win the BIG ONE.   But, that said, if they get beat, I don't want them to lose to any team other than Kansas City or Green Bay.  If they are better right now, so be it, but I don't want them to lose to anyone else.

[The Firebaugh Kid]

Goal for me and my friends was to win the East, and win a playoff game. After Sat, I feel expectations may be higher. Go Bills

[wagon127]

Making the playoffs and not winning, is about the same as making a pizza, but you forgot to grease the pan. I need 1 playoff win, in order to consider this season a success.

Edited January 7, 2021 by wagon127

[Ethan in Cleveland]

In some respect there is little way to not call a 13 win season a success.

But a first round playoff loss will taint how you feel about the season. 

Think of it this way, in five years will you be able to remember they won 13 games or that they lost the first home playoff game in two decades to Philip Rivers and the lowest seed Wildcard Colts? 

[CorkScrewHill]

My goal for the team coming into the year was for the Bills to win the East (check), to win a playoff game(TBD), and for Josh Allen to take another step (OMG - it feels like he took 12). Strange things happen in the playoffs .. the undefeated Pats lost to the Giants. If the Bills lose, I will still be very satisfied as the biggest and most difficult step toward a championship has been accomplished .. JA is a franchise QB.

 

Put it another way, if I had to choose between a good Josh Allen + a playoff victory vs THIS Josh Allen and a flukey loss .. give me the latter 100 times out of 100.

 

Win or lose the Bills have arrived!

[RyanC883]

The season is over.  playoffs are a new season.  finishing 0-1 or 1-1 is not good.   This team can win the SB, so that’s gotta be considered the measure of success. But I won’t be disappointed in the team if we lose to KC in the AFC Championship game, but we are clearly more talented and better right now than any other team.  Need to keep it that way. 

[stuvian]

A 13 win season should have us challenging for the AFC. Anything less will feel like a let down. Only KC and Tennessee should give us trouble

[Bob in STL]

Before the season I would have been happy with division title and open playoff win.  Now, I want it all.  Strike while your hot  Bills and don’t settle!  

[Mafioso]

On 1/5/2021 at 9:30 AM, DCbillsfan said:

AFC Championship appearance or better.  The season is a success, however they are playing really well lately.  They have the 2 seed and these kind of seasons are special.  Need to take advantage of the opportunity that is in front of them.  KC won the Super Bowl last year as a 2 seed.  Why not Buffalo this year.

Last year the 2 seed (KC) had a bye and didn’t have to play in the Wild Card round like the Bills do this year.  Figures that the league would change the format just in time for the Bills!

Edited January 8, 2021 by Mafioso

[H2o]

On 1/6/2021 at 7:14 AM, H2o said:

If we go 13-3, winning our last 6 in a row, 9 of our last 10 games, and then get ousted in the first round the season is a failure. Yes, the regular season was fun, but the post season is where history and legends are made. Honestly, I think anything outside of the AFC Championship game would be a huge disappointment. In my mind this team is better positioned to win a SB than any of the 90's teams. It is yet to be determined if we have an A list of HOF talent on these rosters, but this is the closest team in terms of a team mentality I have ever seen in Buffalo. They play for each other, they play for the fans, they play for the city of Buffalo, and there is a vibe with this team that I can't remember ever feeling before with any other. They went from trying to figure out who they were to showing the league this is who we are. They went from trying to find ways to win to imposing their will on the opposition. They are never satisfied. There is one goal and that's a Lombardi for them. You see it, you can hear it in their voice, and you can tell by the way they carry themselves. Won, not done. Bring it home for all of us. LET'S  GOOOOOO!!!!!

 

Well, we continue our march towards that Lombardi next week. But to have a team that had not made the playoffs in 17 years, to 4 years later being in the AFC Championship Game? It's awesome and this team has come a long way. It speaks volumes about the GM, the coaching staff, and these guys we have on the field. Hopefully we can close it out bringing home that Lombardi. Go Bills!!!

[Bill from NYC]

I pondered this for a while. 

 

I predict that we will win the Super Bowl this season. If I was in Vegas I would make a decent bet on it, starting with next week's game, Chiefs or no Chiefs. The thing is, if we fall short, it will no longer be due to stupid moves from coaches or GMs. Funny isn't it how when you have good managament, a good quarterback, and good blocking you can even catch a lucky break once in a while?  

 

This team is a pleasure to watch. We don't even really have any needs that stick out. I even trust that our GM will be able to draft better than the elite posters on this board. For decades this was not the case.

 

So ultimately, I will not be angry at the team, owner, GM, Coach, QB or anyone else if we fall short (which again, I don't expect to). This wonderful team is just a pleasure to watch, and nobody deserves victory more than Bills fans. Nobody.

 

GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Edited January 17, 2021 by Bill from NYC

[Nextmanup]

I was thinking about this last night after the win against Baltimore. 

 

This season is already a solid success.  We beat NE twice and won the division, earned 2 home playoff games (maybe more) and won them both.

 

That's a great season.  The franchise has taken an organizational step forward and it doesn't feel like we will take another backward after this.

 

We're establishing a new baseline where playoff wins are to be expected for as long as Josh is around and playing well.

 

If we do end up playing KC, a solid showing is all I ask for!  I feel like it's all gravy going forward.

 

 

[Lagoon Blues]

Just thought I would bump this for taking a quick peak back.  Over 77% should be happy w/ how the season shook out according to poll response.

Edited January 25, 2021 by Lagoon Blues

[Lagoon Blues]

Gene 1973  look at the poll.  You clicked you disagree.  Simple math when i posted this:

55%+  1 victory

22%+ AFC Champ Game.

 

This = over 77% of people responding.  You are absolutely wrong to say you disagree with my post above.  Math.