Still struggling to accept this

[Simon]

11 hours ago, Ray Stonada said:

I know Buffalo is not actually cursed and I don't believe it is rigged but I am having a hard time accepting we lost again. 

 

I still feel that was our game… 20 things went wrong and we lost by 3.

 

I keep wishing Josh had hit Knox on the TD, or Cooks catch had counted, or Hardman caught the sideline pass… they won't stop replaying in my mind.

 

I think Bears fans must be feeling the same way today. But they have everything to look forward to with a young team and Ben Johnson. Maybe Baltimore or SF can feel worse then us: Lamar Jackson has been in the NFL eight years and has won three playoff games. SF never gets there in the end. But those teams have a bunch of Super Bowls in their past.

 

 

 

Time will take away the sting.

Focus on the future, not the past.

With one smart hire they may very well be in better shape going forward. 

[dakarider17]

Bills as a team just can't get past themselves it seems. 

This game - Coleman drops a TD pass, which wouldn't have counted anyway due to penalty.
Josh short throws a quick 5 yard pass into the ground that may have been a TD

The foolish fumble at end of first half, gets fumbled 10 yards backwards and Bills player somehow not able to get it and gives Broncos the prefect FG chance.

The Cooks int, regardless he just didn't keep the ball long enough to be a catch. 

Allen also missed Knox near the end zone that may have won the game. 

The first pass PI in OT, even if wasn't called still had the roughing call. 

The Cook fumble, Bills likely would have scored on that drive.  

And then the defense giving up some big plays 

Take away just 1 of these things and Bills may have very well won the game.  Just way to many mistakes overall and some of that is coaching but most of it is really on the players themselves. Whatever the case the Bills as a team just continue to come up short. This team does need a shakeup and thats what their getting.

[Success]

Like last year - I feel like we probably would have lost if we made it to the big game.  Seattle is a complete team.

 

You always want the chance - but this never felt like the year.  We were too flawed, even in a year of flawed teams.

 

[dayman]

I used to struggle with similar feelings. I don’t know what it says about me but I pretty much accept defeat right away these days.

[Ray Stonada]

This meme kind of sums it up: https://www.instagram.com/p/DTqOIXjjbXd/?img_index=17

 

But in the end, as David Lynch said, "Keep your eye on the donut, and not the hole."

[BillMafia716ix]

Our QB sold. No way around it. If Josh plays clean football, we are playing in the AFC championship and Sean McDermott still has a job. 

[PromoTheRobot]

We fired the wrong guy. That's all I'll say.

[CincyBillsFan]

14 hours ago, Ray Stonada said:

I think Bears fans must be feeling the same way today. But they have everything to look forward to with a young team and Ben Johnson. Maybe Baltimore or SF can feel worse then us: Lamar Jackson has been in the NFL eight years and has won three playoff games. SF never gets there in the end. But those teams have a bunch of Super Bowls in their past.

 

 

Just like we felt after the 2020 & 2021 seasons.

 

 

[CincyBillsFan]

52 minutes ago, BillMafia716ix said:

Our QB sold. No way around it. If Josh plays clean football, we are playing in the AFC championship and Sean McDermott still has a job. 

I don't know, after Allen willed the Bills to a 27 - 23 lead late in the 4th quarter and the Bills D keeps Denver out of the end zone we're playing in the AFC Championship game and McD still has a job.

 

The fact is who cares about what went on earlier in the game. The only time what happens earlier in a game is important is if it locks in the final result.  You know like if you have 4 TO's that result in 4 TD's and in the 4th quarter you're losing by 24 points - game over. But football is an extreme example of a series of ebb & flow events leading to the final outcome.  Against Denver Allen led the Bills to a 27 - 23 lad that McD's defense then failed to hold.  This was the 2nd time in the last 5 seasons that the defense was directly responsible for failing to protect a late 4th quarter lead.

 

If McD was an offensive minded coach the solution would be to keep him and change the D coordinator. But McD is a defensive minded coach and the ultimate responsibility is on him.

 

 

[dave mcbride]

7 minutes ago, CincyBillsFan said:

I don't know, after Allen willed the Bills to a 27 - 23 lead late in the 4th quarter and the Bills D keeps Denver out of the end zone we're playing in the AFC Championship game and McD still has a job.

 

The fact is who cares about what went on earlier in the game. The only time what happens earlier in a game is important is if it locks in the final result.  You know like if you have 4 TO's that result in 4 TD's and in the 4th quarter you're losing by 24 points - game over. But football is an extreme example of a series of ebb & flow events leading to the final outcome.  Against Denver Allen led the Bills to a 27 - 23 lad that McD's defense then failed to hold.  This was the 2nd time in the last 5 seasons that the defense was directly responsible for failing to protect a late 4th quarter lead.

 

If McD was an offensive minded coach the solution would be to keep him and change the D coordinator. But McD is a defensive minded coach and the ultimate responsibility is on him.

 

 

He left third stringer and bona fide lousy player Dane Jackson on an island on his first play of the game in deepish-but-makeable TD-pass territory in the final minute of the game. I can’t forget that.

[BillMafia716ix]

17 minutes ago, CincyBillsFan said:

I don't know, after Allen willed the Bills to a 27 - 23 lead late in the 4th quarter and the Bills D keeps Denver out of the end zone we're playing in the AFC Championship game and McD still has a job.

 

The fact is who cares about what went on earlier in the game. The only time what happens earlier in a game is important is if it locks in the final result.  You know like if you have 4 TO's that result in 4 TD's and in the 4th quarter you're losing by 24 points - game over. But football is an extreme example of a series of ebb & flow events leading to the final outcome.  Against Denver Allen led the Bills to a 27 - 23 lad that McD's defense then failed to hold.  This was the 2nd time in the last 5 seasons that the defense was directly responsible for failing to protect a late 4th quarter lead.

 

If McD was an offensive minded coach the solution would be to keep him and change the D coordinator. But McD is a defensive minded coach and the ultimate responsibility is on him.

 

 

True but the defense made the stop in OT to give Josh a chance to go win the game with just a FG. Josh has to seal the deal in that situation. Especially if we consider him the best QB in the league. 

[CincyBillsFan]

4 minutes ago, BillMafia716ix said:

True but the defense made the stop in OT to give Josh a chance to go win the game with just a FG. Josh has to seal the deal in that situation. Especially if we consider him the best QB in the league. 

Allen threw a very catchable ball in OT that would have won the game.  

[dave mcbride]

1 minute ago, CincyBillsFan said:

Allen threw a very catchable ball in OT that would have won the game.  

Correction: it was caught.

7 minutes ago, BillMafia716ix said:

True but the defense made the stop in OT to give Josh a chance to go win the game with just a FG. Josh has to seal the deal in that situation. Especially if we consider him the best QB in the league. 

Um, he made the play and the refs stole it from him.

[The Jokeman]

2 hours ago, dakarider17 said:

Bills as a team just can't get past themselves it seems. 

This game - Coleman drops a TD pass, which wouldn't have counted anyway due to penalty.
Josh short throws a quick 5 yard pass into the ground that may have been a TD

The foolish fumble at end of first half, gets fumbled 10 yards backwards and Bills player somehow not able to get it and gives Broncos the prefect FG chance.

The Cooks int, regardless he just didn't keep the ball long enough to be a catch. 

Allen also missed Knox near the end zone that may have won the game. 

The first pass PI in OT, even if wasn't called still had the roughing call. 

The Cook fumble, Bills likely would have scored on that drive.  

And then the defense giving up some big plays 

Take away just 1 of these things and Bills may have very well won the game.  Just way to many mistakes overall and some of that is coaching but most of it is really on the players themselves. Whatever the case the Bills as a team just continue to come up short. This team does need a shakeup and thats what their getting.

The Larry O false start failed fumble recovery hurts as did the fumble that bounced back into Nix's hands. Hardmans drop before Cooks" interception" Missed opportunities abound. 

[BananaB]

Refuse to watch any other football but my friends have been sending clips of similar plays in two other games, both ruled differently. Crazy! I ***** hate the NFL

[Psautcsk]

1 hour ago, BillMafia716ix said:

True but the defense made the stop in OT to give Josh a chance to go win the game with just a FG. Josh has to seal the deal in that situation. Especially if we consider him the best QB in the league. 

Josh did seal the deal. It was taken from him.

[Success]

Gotta say - we've had some painful playoff losses (many, actually) - but this one hits different for me.

 

It feels like the universe is really telling me something. Or asking me, "why do you keep setting yourself up for this?"

 

The days following a playoff loss can be filled with melodrama, overblown pronouncements, rash proclamations.  But I just saw that some are calling our game the most painful of all time - because even the winner had a major loss at the end.  It's like, is any of this worth it?  Is it worth hanging on for another decade or however long in the vain hope that maybe one year you finally break through?  How many more gut wrenchers can I handle - and why do I want to even try to handle them?

 

I won't say I'm "done."  I'm sure I'll be watching in September.  But my emotional investment won't be the same.

[Ray Stonada]

6 hours ago, Success said:

Gotta say - we've had some painful playoff losses (many, actually) - but this one hits different for me.

 

It feels like the universe is really telling me something. Or asking me, "why do you keep setting yourself up for this?"

 

The days following a playoff loss can be filled with melodrama, overblown pronouncements, rash proclamations.  But I just saw that some are calling our game the most painful of all time - because even the winner had a major loss at the end.  It's like, is any of this worth it?  Is it worth hanging on for another decade or however long in the vain hope that maybe one year you finally break through?  How many more gut wrenchers can I handle - and why do I want to even try to handle them?

 

I won't say I'm "done."  I'm sure I'll be watching in September.  But my emotional investment won't be the same.

 

I know exactly what you mean. This level of pain feels plain bad for people's mental health.

 

It's like we're on the wrong timeline. And Beane being elevated for this roster feels like that, too.

[BritBill]

On 1/20/2026 at 12:06 AM, BillMafia716ix said:

True but the defense made the stop in OT to give Josh a chance to go win the game with just a FG. Josh has to seal the deal in that situation. Especially if we consider him the best QB in the league. 

 

Same the year before. Held KC to a field goal. Got Allen the ball back with 3:30 to go and 3 time outs. Go and score a TD and take us to the dance. You expect "the best player in the game" to be able manage it. Didn't even get close. 

 

Collywobbles central. 

 

Obviously not the only reason the Bills haven't got over the hump but it's something that does bug me a little.