Is anyone else starting to feel this year's elimination more than "13 seconds" ???

[loveorhatembillsfan4life]

I was over this loss pretty quick.

We battled hard and most friends who I talk too really just enjoyed the game. Basically agreed that  we need another Wr. 

 

I also have just  realized more than ever How good Mahomes and The Chiefs are and appreciate that.  There is a reason Mahomes is being talked about in the Brady stratosphere.

 

For one season though I’d like to see us making a run relatively healthy and  not missing Milano and Bernard. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 1 by loveorhatembillsfan4life

[Niagara Dude]

7 hours ago, BobBelcher said:

Yeah, I know, a couple weeks have passed, but that's partially the point.

 

"13 seconds" probably took me a full month to get over, particularly with Allen playing the perfect game, but still coming up short, etc.

 

This year, I thought I had digested the game after only a couple days; I thought it hurt exponentially less 

 

The difference is, with this year's loss to KC, even though I did not obsess over it the way I did in 2021, when I did think about it, it would hurt more... and more... and more... as time went on.

 

That's because as time passed, it became more evident that this was an even greater missed opportunity than 2021.

 

• We were at home against KC.
• There was no Cincy in the playoffs.
• We got uncharacteristic breaks during the game.  The Hardman fumble was something that never happened for the Bills.  
• We were in the best position to do exactly what you'd think we would want to do after spending two years waiting to have this opportunity again(!!!) We were doing precisely what we must have learned from "13 seconds" which is kill the clock and give Mahomes as little time as possible if/when he ever does get the ball again.   8 minutes remaining when we start the drive at our own 25, and before you know it, had it down to 2 minutes left at the KC 26.  Diggs is running by himself wide open for an easy catch that would almost certainly continue this pace, but Shakir is open in the end zone too, and that's the decision Allen would make in that moment. Writing that out is painful.  Ugh.   Anyway, it's old news, right?  Yeah, and that's the point.  As it becomes increasingly clear that we missed an even bigger opportunity, thinking back on this game is associated with an increasingly sh*t feeling as well.
• And then, once the Ravens lost with apparently the "same old Lamar" it was very clear to me.

 

This should have been the year of the "Berman Special" (SF vs Buffalo).

 

It's a strange feeling, because, unlike 2021, it is not something I necessarily dwell on, but when it does come up and I flash back to the dreadful  2nd and 9 play, I want to go punch a wall. 

 

It's also a strange feeling because, also unlike 2021, I am already looking forward to the next season with anticipation and excitement (in 2021, I wasn't ready yet, and I was turned off by all the hype and expectations for the Bills going into the year; I did not think it would help us at all). 

 

Anyway, the real question is where does Allen go from here?  How did Allen take this loss in comparison with years past?  Does this add more fuel to the fire (like we all hope) so he works his ass off wanting a Super Bowl more than ever?  Or does this have some cumulative effect where it becomes exhausting after a while, after telling himself, "We are going to get better from this" over and over, only to find himself right back to where he started at the end of the day?  I get the impression that Diggs feels something like this.  And I really hope Allen never gets to that point, because we need him to be as hungry as ever.    Side note...let's get him that young dynamic WR in 2024.  Anticipation of a "rebooted" young offense is what has me amped up already for 2024  (something I did not feel nearly as much after 2021).

 

Basically...from my "fan" perspective, I now know this year has made me want it even more because it ultimately hurts more and also served as a reminder that our playoff window is always open, unlike last season where we got smacked around for four quarters and went into the off-season looking like a broken team which had people not only betting on the window being closed, but predicting the 2023 Bills would miss the playoffs altogether.

 

I just hope the Bills feel the same.  And I hope they use that feeling to drive them next season.  The loss to Cincy seemed to have an unhealthy residual effect on the team, but I hope this latest loss to KC just pisses everyone off.   

 

 

100% and it sucks because this was the year or our second big opportunity,  Burrow went down and Chiefs's offence was not having a good year.  I have to question if it will ever happen with the AFC just loaded with great QB'S. I just really hope they understand it's scoring points and the offence that matters.  They got the explosive TE,  we now need to draft another WR in the first round.  Diggs is no longer #1 quality and just getting older.

[BillsMontreal]

24 minutes ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

People seem to glaze over this fact. At the time I felt we would have beat Cincinnati. In retrospect after seeing the Bills matchup with the Bengals in 2 full games since I have absolutely no reason to believe they would have won that AFCCG.  

I respect and we will never know, but that year, our offense was just unstoppable.

But, you made a point. I just think our Bills in the playoffs that year was at their peak.

[Niagara Dude]

7 hours ago, LABILLBACKER said:

I never worry about Josh reloading every year with passion and motivation.  It's his teammates & coaches that let him down every year.  And obviously the main reason so many weren't as devastated this time around compared to 13 sec was the daunting injuries. 

Yup and this is why they need to stop wasting picks or least high ones on the defence.  Spend high picks on offence and try to become the offence we had 3 seasons ago.  Just go out and score as many points as possible ,  don't leave games for chance until final few mins.

Edited February 1 by Niagara Dude

[BritBill]

13 seconds was worse for me as had we won we'd have won the SB. I didn't have the feeling they'd be good enough to win the lot this year. 

[Chaos]

At the time, 13 seconds was an acute condition, like a bullet wound.  It was painful and traumatic. However, expectations were for a full recovery.  We now suffer from a chronic condition of having "reasons" every year for not getting past the divisional round.  There is no actual known cure for this chronic condition. 

Some people either continue to have expectations for a better result next year, fueled more by hopes and prayers than expecations for important strategic, coaching or personnel changes.  Others cope by having lowered expecations and satisifaction that "making the playoffs every year is pretty darn good, certainly better than the drought". Others are just bummed out. All of these responses to the situation are reasonable, there really is no "right way" for fans to feel about the situation. 

[Bob Jones]

8 hours ago, eSJayDee said:

No.  This year we just got beat.  Even if we make that FG, I think the odds of us winning are <50%.  (KC had plenty of time to score in regulation & if it reached OT, it's a toss up.)  Making things worse, we demonstrated little ability in stopping them.

As for 13 seconds - we lost cuz we crapped the bed.  We gave the game away, which really hurts.

I think the point he was making was that he thought (as I did) that the Bills were going to keep winding the clock down, and get a TD there, NOT a FG, and leave KC just seconds on the clock, with no timeouts left for them, were they'd have to get the kickoff and go get a TD to win it.

[zevo]

8 hours ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

Not even close to :13 seconds. We had won an AFC Championship. We were going to the Super Bowl. 

 

I went into this game thinking it was a longshot. We were decimated worse than I can ever remember on Defense, against an absolute Dynasty. We had a hole at Outside WR2. Say what you will about Gabe Davis, but he destroyed the Chiefs in our last Playoff matchup and had to at least be accounted for.

 

After going 6-6 and especially after all of the injuries, as someone else put it, I thought we had a Puncher's Chance. An any given Sunday type of thing. But I didn't expect a victory, let alone thought we already had one - with only :13 seconds left on the clock.

wasn't it divisional game

[Bill from NYC]

8 minutes ago, Chaos said:

At the time, 13 seconds was an acute condition, like a bullet wound.  It was painful and traumatic. However, expectations were for a full recovery.  We now suffer from a chronic condition of having "reasons" every year for not getting past the divisional round.  There is no actual known cure for this chronic condition. 

Some people either continue to have expectations for a better result next year, fueled more by hopes and prayers than expecations for important strategic, coaching or personnel changes.  Others cope by having lowered expecations and satisifaction that "making the playoffs every year is pretty darn good, certainly better than the drought". Others are just bummed out. All of these responses to the situation are reasonable, there really is no "right way" for fans to feel about the situation. 

Very good synopsis.

 

I however fall between those cracks. I am "bummed out" because there will be no coaching change and am pretty sure McDermott is unable to get us to the top. He was given too much power from day one and needs to go.

 

Of course, jmo.

[Matt_In_NH]

In the aftermath of 13 seconds I definitely feared what has become reality.   It sucks because the Bills are right there with the Chiefs, its a play here or there in a couple playoff games and now this version the Bills have this cloud over their head.  Not sure it is totally fair but that is how sports works.  When you look at the last 4 Bills Chiefs games they all came down to one or two plays and the teams have split, it just so happens the Bills have lost the important games, not sure that is not just happenstance but getting the pressure will only grow from here on out.

 

I will also say that 13 seconds was self induced by coaching which makes it sting a little more for me.  This past game was two good teams where the Chiefs made a couple more plays.  

[TheyCallMeAndy]

Honestly I’m over it and have moved on 

[Nihilarian]

No, what was it? The Buffalo Bills had a 94% chance to win that 13-second game...until they went into a "prevent" defense. Everyone on the Buffalo defense dropped 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage except the four D linemen. Giving Mahomes the underneath stuff and he threw to his best receivers who had more yards after the catch. 

 

Ball on the Kansas 15-yard line, short pass for 19 yards to Tyreek Hill. Mahomes short pass 5 yards to Byron Pringle. Mahomes short left to Travis Kelce for 10 yards. Mahomes passes 25 yards to Travis Kelce with 8 seconds left. The ball is now on the Buffalo 33-yard line. Butler for a 49-yard field goal...OT!  

 

This past game the Bills were down to their 3rd string linebacker and a guy two weeks off the street. That Buffalo defense was so banged up and so many tending to nagging injuries it is kind of surprising that they played as well as they did in holding the Chiefs to 27. A missed FG ended this year's run.

[Gregg]

13 seconds was way worse than this loss. The only loss I could compare 13 seconds to was the MCM. That was another game we had won and then lost on a wild play.

[SoCal Deek]

It was just another year to me. It’s funny how things have gone for Bills fans over the many years. In the Super Bowl era we couldn’t match up with the NFC East. In the Brady era we couldn’t get out of our Division because of NE’s absolute dominance. And now, we can’t get out of the AFC because of the same with the Chiefs. But….I’ll take the winning over the soul wrenching boredom of 7-9 any day of the week. 
Go Bills

[Mr. WEO]

no

[harmonkillebrew]

:13 was a massive failure in end of the game planning. I don't know how you give up a FG in that scenario.  But it also felt like we were all cheated b/c of the OT rules.  That said, the Chiefs then lost to the Bengals who we likely wouldn't have beat either.

 

This year felt worse in some ways, b/c we had the game in hand and win it and we're likely SB-bound. The Bills played like the best team in the league over the 2nd half of the season and should have taken advantage of this opportunity. 

[MPL]

13 seconds and last year's Cinci loss felt worse because I still really felt it was our time. This year's loss kind of just makes me feel like, "eh, it's probably not going to happen for these guys," which somehow makes it all a little easier to stomach and changes how I feel about going into next season. Basically, at this point, I don't think I'll even entertain thoughts of the Bills in a Super Bowl until the Bills are actually in a Super Bowl. 

[Gregg]

1 minute ago, MPL said:

13 seconds and last year's Cinci loss felt worse because I still really felt it was our time. This year's loss kind of just makes me feel like, "eh, it's probably not going to happen for these guys," which somehow makes it all a little easier to stomach and changes how I feel about going into next season. Basically, at this point, I don't think I'll even entertain thoughts of the Bills in a Super Bowl until the Bills are actually in a Super Bowl. 

 

Depends on this offseason. Change isn't necessarily a bad thing. They do have to get younger and/or re-tool the defense some. Beane needs to have a good draft as I don't expect the Bills to be major players in FA. 

[Brian Higgins hair]

Absolutely not, no.

13 seconds was our ring.

[LarryMadman]

9 hours ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

Small?!

 

We lost maybe the best true OLB in Football for the year. Replaced by a guy who started the game playing hurt already and went down again. We didn't have our new young stud MLB. We didn't even have his backup. We had a guy who was on the couch two weeks ago. And he got halfway through the game too. 

 

We didn't have one of our Starting CB's. And our other starting CB was playing at maybe 50% Guy was screwed on any route over 5-10 yards. Was consistently yards behind guys and unable to close on receptions. Even Mahomes made him stand still with the simplest of moves.

 

We didn't have the guy who scored 4 TD's on the Chiefs in the :13 seconds game. We didn't even have another Outside WR we could split out wide. We were putting slot guys over there.

 

All of this on top of Von Miller and Micah Hyde (the guy who replaced him was out too) not even remotely returning to form.

 

It's insane to think we were able to make it work against Mason Rudolph and the Steelers - so we should have been able to make it work against a team that's been to the AFC Championship 6 years in a row and has the chance to repeat in the Super Bowl and make it 3 Lombardi's in 5 years. One team is a dynasty, the other didn't even belong in the Playoffs.

What's funny is nobody seemed to use injuries of any sort durning the 6 game win streak, yet when they lost epically again in the same fashion to the same but weaker team injuries are all of a sudden the main excuse! Nope don't buy it, enough with the excuses. Excuses are for losers.

[BuffaloBaumer]

Nothing will ever be worse than 13 seconds in the history of my watching up the Buffalo Bills. Not even Norwood wide right was worse than that for me. 13 seconds Team was the best to ever take the field and they would’ve rolled to a Super Bowl victory. I will never not believe that the day I die.

 

 

[Logic]

I can't really quantify which one hurt more.

I CAN say that seeing the Ravens be the same old playoff Ravens -- and knowing how well we've matched up with them in the McDermott/Allen era -- made the Bills loss hurt a lot more. I, too, am confident that had the Bills gotten past the Chiefs, they would have beaten the Ravens. 

For what it's worth, I'd also feel really good about the Bills' chances of beating San Fran. 

I actually feel MORE confident that this year's Bills would've beaten the Ravens in the AFCCG than I feel that the 2021 Bills would've beaten the Bengals in the AFCCG. Simply because we've seen how hard a time Allen and the Bills have against Lou Anarumo's defense.

Whatever. I can only live in the "dwelling agonizingly on past defeats" realm for so long. Not good for mental health. I'm on to the Senior Bowl.

[KCNC]

To me, 13 seconds hurt a lot more.  Offense was hot, hot enough to go all the way.  Defense was not too banged up.

 

With this year's loss, I just did not feel like this team could go all the way anyway so was not expecting them to go too far.  Just too many defense injuries and inconsistent offense and special teams.

[st pete gogolak]

13 seconds infinitely worse.  Why?  Because the last 13 seconds - from the screw up on the kickoff to the ridiculous defensive alignments on the following two plays - raised the legitimate question whether this HC and this staff were capable of winning a Super Bowl.  Jury is still out on that (unless the verdict has already been returned).  
 

The other thing. Immediately after 13 seconds, I was convinced we beat Bengals at home and beat Rams in SB.  Do you really believe that now?  I don’t.  Cinci went into Arrowhead and won.  That certainly had the capability to go into Highmark and win.  Same thing this year.  Yeah, Jackson stunk but Ravens D is legit. Close game but 50/50 whether we go on the road and beat the Ravens.

[GerstAusGosheim]

We lost 13 seconds because of Sean's boneheaded decisions. We lost last year because Sean's hand-selected OC scored 10 points. We lost this year because Sean's D couldn't stop chiefs. Hopefully, he's learned at every step and this team can finally reach its potential.

[Teddy KGB]

Na, a loss was expected after watching a few mins of that second half 

 

Mcclappy is always gonna get pantsed.  

[Don Otreply]

No,

[T master]

Not even close !!! That season Josh & the Bills were playing out of their minds & i in my heart of hearts believe if they won that game would have won the SB this season i'm not sure they would have had the fire power or the D to win it all way to many injuries ! 

 

Plus all the usually sure handed players dropping passes you just can't win that way that's why the Ravens & Lions lost you have to play almost mistake free football to be the SB champion and we couldn't do that this season . 

 

I think next season should be really interesting with the O line coming back intact & having Cook & i hope they bring back Ty Johnson he was a good get i wouldn't even mind if they brought back Murray or Fornette if they can on a friendly deal . Hines may be good too .

 

But to think this season i feel worse not so much it does suck to lose and especially in our house but that was for all the marble in the 13 second game this year was just to get to that point . 

[DrDawkinstein]

Nah. This year's exit was pretty much expected. At least for me. With the injuries and having to battle through elimination for the previous 6 weeks, plus having half a working coaching staff, I was pretty sure the Chiefs would kick it into "playoff mode" and roll through.

 

Nothing will be worse than 13 seconds. I'm still not over it. Cant watch highlights from that game. And it has numbed me to any further playoff exits.

 

13 Seconds is now the representation of McDermott I expect to see in playoff games until he proves otherwise. With that, none of these losses hurt. Which is sad.

[ngbills]

13 seconds is embarrassing. Nothing like that may ever happen again in football. Complete failure and incompetence in a playoff game. 

[DrBob806]

No. Last year hurt more than this year.

 

The NFL really tried to appease to the Bills & the static/turmoil that surrounded them (snow game moved to a dome, Hamlin incident), and they simply laid an egg at home vs Cincy. Horrible. 

 

This year I didn't expect anything after losing to middling teams. It does suck, because Baltimore is/was beatable. 

 

It simply was not in the cards this season. 

 

PS- some here are obsessed with Burrow as well, I don't get it. Cincy wasn't going to do anything either, even if he stayed healthy. 

Edited February 1 by DrBob806

[uticaclub]

Not blowing it up after this year hurt alot more than 13 seconds. 13 seconds sucked but the team was 3 years younger and there was more hope for the future

[stlbills13]

I was more upset after 13 seconds but 2 weeks later this one seems to be sticking with me a little more than 13 seconds did

[Big Blitz]

Nope.  Too hurt.  Too many key injuries.  Miracle we even got the 2 seed that’s why I give a ton of credit to McD. 
 

Consensus seems to be among fans the offense lacks firepower and is too reliant on Josh.  
 

The defense was decimated.  
 

The OC was fired mid season.  
 

 

Came back and won the 2 seed.  Only to get further decimated in Round 1 by injury.   
 

That’s not an excuse but it’s a solid explanation I can except the loss - I’m just about f***ing done with these injuries tho.
 

I don’t care if guys are out 3-4 weeks or miss a game or 2.  But my God.  Significant ones to significant guys.  
 

Von - ACL

Tre - ACL, Achilles 

Milano - mangled knee 

Jones - torn pec 

Bernard - high ankle sprain 

Hyde - chronic neck 

 

Give those equivalent injuries to the 49ers Chiefs and Ravens all year and where they would be?  

[The Firebaugh Kid]

We needed to make one more play, and we didn’t. I felt WAY worse after 13 seconds. We were understaffed on D and still were THIS close. I feel great about the future honestly 

[GerstAusGosheim]

Cumulative effect.

 

If you're feeling worse about this year's loss it's because we keep losing over and over when it matters. It's insult to injury.

 

Because honestly, there was nothing worse than losing :13. 

[DrDawkinstein]

Whenever I get too down about these playoff exits, I walk down the street to my Miami Dolphin Fan Neighbor's house and punch him in the stomach.

 

At least we still own them.

[Jauronimo]

Not even close.

[Johnnieo64]

No. The 13 second game by far as we basically gave that one away. Yes. You made some excellent points, and I also  keep thinking if Jones didn’t drive Dawkins into Allen what might have been. But honestly, I knew this would be tough. We had a number of guys out on defense and it was obvious after the game that some of the guys that played should not have been out there. So what do you want vs. a hall of fame coach and QB.  They should have taken advantage of that weakness and did and most likely would have scored at the end. It would have been nice if Bass had made that kick but it is what it is. And it’s clear after the playoff games to me that we are still the closest to beating the Chiefs. Hopefully we can make up the difference next year. 
GO BILLS in 2024!

[TheBrownBear]

I'm over it.  KC was the better team that Sunday, and much of it was due to our defensive injuries which were out of our hands and no ones fault.  I found this one much easier to digest than other losses.  And I have some optimism for the future given what we saw from the likes of Bernard, Benford, Kincaid, Cook, Shakir, Spencer Brown, Torrance and even Spector and Rapp.  Going into this season, I thought things would look bleak for the Bills roster wise in 2024-2025, but I don't feel that way at all now.  If we hit on a few of our draft picks and can make a smart defensive signing or two, we should be ready to roll into this fall as a Super Bowl favorite.