Barnwell’s top 25 teams in 25 years.

[RoscoeParrish]

A Bills team made this list. Can you guess which one?

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45730439/ranking-25-best-nfl-teams-25-years-2000-patriots-eagles-seahawks

[MJS]

I think the 2021 team was the best so far in the McDermott era. They had a really good defense that year and the offense was really good as well. I think Tre White was hurt that year, wasn't he? So at corner we had Dane Jackson and Levi Wallace starting, and the defense was still really good.

[May Day 10]

That was a good choice. 

 

I thought during that season that team had the goods to be regarded as one of the best NFL teams of all-time.  They got stung by injuries, weather/scheduling, and also the Hamlin ordeal.  They were absolutely worn-out once the playoffs came around.    Really could have/should have been 15-1 with that stupid Vikings loss and the Heat Stroke Bowl.  

 

I did think they were heading toward a pounding on MNF against the Bengals prior to the Hamlin injury.  The Bengals were pissed and running right through the Bills.  I wonder what would have happened if the injury never happened, the Bills kept a mental edge, and the Bengals got their angry-edge out of the way (and perhaps giving the Bills the angry-edge).

[Logic]

That is the only Bills team during the McDermott era that I think clearly SHOULD have won the Super Bowl, and WOULD have won the Super Bowl if not for the unforgivable coaching/execution blunder that was 13 seconds.

I'm convinced that if they get past the Chiefs, they'd have beat the Bengals and Rams.

Every year besides 2021, it's muddier than that. But when it comes to the 2021 team....that was the Bills' year. They blew it.

[MJS]

40 minutes ago, Logic said:

That is the only Bills team during the McDermott era that I think clearly SHOULD have won the Super Bowl, and WOULD have won the Super Bowl if not for the unforgivable coaching/execution blunder that was 13 seconds.

I'm convinced that if they get past the Chiefs, they'd have beat the Bengals and Rams.

Every year besides 2021, it's muddier than that. But when it comes to the 2021 team....that was the Bills' year. They blew it.

I don't think there is any reason to believe that the Bills definately would have beaten the Bengals the next week. The Bills have not shown that they can handle the Bengals, and that was the best version of the Bengals.

[Blank Stare]

51 minutes ago, Logic said:

That is the only Bills team during the McDermott era that I think clearly SHOULD have won the Super Bowl, and WOULD have won the Super Bowl if not for the unforgivable coaching/execution blunder that was 13 seconds.

I'm convinced that if they get past the Chiefs, they'd have beat the Bengals and Rams.

Every year besides 2021, it's muddier than that. But when it comes to the 2021 team....that was the Bills' year. They blew it.

[Logic]

1 hour ago, MJS said:

I don't think there is any reason to believe that the Bills definately would have beaten the Bengals the next week. The Bills have not shown that they can handle the Bengals, and that was the best version of the Bengals.

I get your point, and I've thought about that.

But it's important to note that that was also a pretty unstoppable version of the Bills offense. The way Josh was playing that year...I'm not so sure the results against the Bengals would've been the same as they were the year after.

[BullBuchanan]

7 minutes ago, Logic said:

I get your point, and I've thought about that.

But it's important to note that that was also a pretty unstoppable version of the Bills offense. The way Josh was playing that year...I'm not so sure the results against the Bengals would've been the same as they were the year after.

That Bills defense was an absolute sieve though. 

[Logic]

5 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

That Bills defense was an absolute sieve though. 

Yeah I mean...we can go back and forth on it forever.

I maintain that I think that Bills offense and Josh Allen -- both performing at a historically great level -- would have been enough to power the Bills to a Lombardi.

There's no way to know for sure what the outcome would've been, and I suppose it's a moot point now.

Edited July 15 by Logic

[mushypeaches]

If we ever have a year where our defense isn't full of injuries and 3rd stringers by playoff time, that's our year to win the whole thing

[Royale with Cheese]

2 hours ago, Logic said:

That is the only Bills team during the McDermott era that I think clearly SHOULD have won the Super Bowl, and WOULD have won the Super Bowl if not for the unforgivable coaching/execution blunder that was 13 seconds.

I'm convinced that if they get past the Chiefs, they'd have beat the Bengals and Rams.

Every year besides 2021, it's muddier than that. But when it comes to the 2021 team....that was the Bills' year. They blew it.

 

I think we would have beaten the Rams by two scores. 

 

I'm not sure we get by the Bengals.  That actually might have hurt worse than 13 seconds.

[BigDingus]

2 minutes ago, mushypeaches said:

If we ever have a year where our defense isn't full of injuries and 3rd stringers by playoff time, that's our year to win the whole thing

 

Aside from Benford, that was last year. 

 

Or at least, that was the most healthy a team can realistically expect to be at that point in the year. Pretty much everyone is dealing with injuries by January (we beat the Ravens by 2 points, and they were missing Zay Flowers), so last year seemed like our best shot.

 

Our problem is McDermott's defense in general. It puts up very little resistance against good QBs come playoff time, each & every year. Their only saving grace is turnovers.

 

Other than that, we aren't as clutch as the Chiefs. I know that's an abstract concept, but we had the ball in Josh's hands, with the game on the line, the last 2 losses to the Chiefs. Him & the offense couldn't get a 1st down & had to settle for a long FG 2 years ago, then last year we had 2 shots to take the lead, or at least get in FG range, but couldn't do that either. 

[Sharky7337]

Undercover patriots trauma support group thread

[billsbackto81]

22 hours ago, RoscoeParrish said:

A Bills team made this list. Can you guess which one?

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45730439/ranking-25-best-nfl-teams-25-years-2000-patriots-eagles-seahawks

Without going any further I'll say 2020, but Ican see 2024 being there as well.

[SCBills]

21 hours ago, MJS said:

I don't think there is any reason to believe that the Bills definately would have beaten the Bengals the next week. The Bills have not shown that they can handle the Bengals, and that was the best version of the Bengals.

Was it?  Burrow wasn’t exactly aces on that playoff run.  It was mainly due to their defense and field goal kicker. 
 

So how do we think JA & that Bills Offense would’ve fared against that Anurumo led Defense that was getting walked by KC in the first half before turning in a masterclass shutdown in the 2nd when he flipped the entire script and threw an entirely new defensive scheme at Kansas City. 
 

I do worry about how our Defense would’ve covered the Bengals receivers, and Burrow probably would’ve gone off based on historical performances of our playoff Defense, but our Offense at that point looked like they could score a TD every possession against anyone. 
 

Edited July 16 by SCBills

[NewEra]

20 hours ago, BullBuchanan said:

That Bills defense was an absolute sieve though. 

It was in the playoffs, as it usually is.    We had the #1 scoring defense in football in 2021 at 17 ppg.

[DabillsDaBillsDaBills]

23 hours ago, MJS said:

I think the 2021 team was the best so far in the McDermott era. They had a really good defense that year and the offense was really good as well. I think Tre White was hurt that year, wasn't he? So at corner we had Dane Jackson and Levi Wallace starting, and the defense was still really good.

 

I think most Bills fans would agree that the 2021 season was our best team and chance of winning the SB. From Barnwell's perspective I can see why he wouldn't want to include an 11-6 team that lost in the divisional round. 

 

I don't think it's a stretch to say we had the best 11 win team in NFL history (in 16/17 game regular seasons). +194 point differential. All 11 wins by 12+ points. 5 of the 6 losses by only 1 score. The best offensive playoff game in NFL history (not to mention it was against that seasons #2 overall defense coached by Bill Belichek). With even a little bit of luck in close games we would've had 14+ wins and made at least the AFCCG. 

 

Tre got hurt in the Thanksgiving game vs Saints. DEF was still pretty good after that with only 2 bad games out of the next 8 (OT loss to Bucs and of course 13 seconds). 

[RoscoeParrish]

2 hours ago, DabillsDaBillsDaBills said:

 

I think most Bills fans would agree that the 2021 season was our best team and chance of winning the SB. From Barnwell's perspective I can see why he wouldn't want to include an 11-6 team that lost in the divisional round. 

 

I don't think it's a stretch to say we had the best 11 win team in NFL history (in 16/17 game regular seasons). +194 point differential. All 11 wins by 12+ points. 5 of the 6 losses by only 1 score. The best offensive playoff game in NFL history (not to mention it was against that seasons #2 overall defense coached by Bill Belichek). With even a little bit of luck in close games we would've had 14+ wins and made at least the AFCCG. 

 

Tre got hurt in the Thanksgiving game vs Saints. DEF was still pretty good after that with only 2 bad games out of the next 8 (OT loss to Bucs and of course 13 seconds). 

The 2021 team had the one thing a lot of SB teams had.

 

they got REALLY hot at the right time. 
 

Even though the 2020 team got further and performed better overall, they were not playing their best ball in January.

 

 

[Lafromboise]

On 7/15/2025 at 12:38 PM, MJS said:

I think the 2021 team was the best so far in the McDermott era. They had a really good defense that year and the offense was really good as well. I think Tre White was hurt that year, wasn't he? So at corner we had Dane Jackson and Levi Wallace starting, and the defense was still really good.

I believe that team was like 9 points away from going undefeated in the regular season. Stupid safety against the vikings, the heat game in Miami and some other game.