‘They came home with this Buffalo Bills jersey, evoking Joe Ferguson – who wore 12 in the years long before Jim Kelly. I knew they bought it off the rack at the Hall of Fame gift store, which was the kind of purchase they simply didn’t make when we were growing up.’
BillsBeat - January 28, 2025
The Editorial Board: It was a tough loss, but mourning should be mixed with pride and gratitude
‘It’s perfectly OK to feel miserable. This one really hurt and it will keep on hurting for a while. However, just as the cliché says – clichés endure for a reason – hope will return.’
Alan Pergament: Romo, Nantz on top of weird moments in another joyless, classic Bills loss
‘Working their third straight Bills game, Romo and Nantz had a strong performance covering all the “weird” moments in the classic game.’
It's a streak the Bills would like to forget: 5 straight playoff losses, same issue
‘But when you go back and look at what happened on that side of the ball in all five games, there is no conclusion than to say the defense under-performed, and in a few of these games, was flat out terrible.’
Book is not closed on Josh Allen's legacy despite another crushing loss to the Chiefs
‘All the Bills were crushed Sunday night, but no one moreso than the generational quarterback who might already be the most beloved athlete in western New York sports history, though there’s certainly a nod to recency bias.’
Bills’ season ends with no answer for Mahomes, again
‘Once again, the Buffalo defense had very few answers for Mahomes and Kansas City. It was KC’s defense, instead, that made what might’ve been the game-deciding play on fourth-and-five just after the two-minute warning at midfield. KC defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo took a big risk, sending a blitz at Allen and forcing him into a desperate deep shot, unable to see Khalil Shakir open on the opposite side.’
Area Bills fans mourn — but reaffirm their love
‘The Times Herald sought some reactions from fans, hoping to gauge the mood of Bills backers with connections to Olean and the surrounding area after Sunday’s crushing defeat. Among other things, the OTH asked if fans can keep coming back with the same zeal and look positively to another new season after so much disappointment and dashing of the hope that this was to be “the year” superstar QB Josh Allen and the Bills would break through.’
Christian Benford injury update: Bills cornerback comments on concussion vs. Chiefs
‘“Thank you for all the prayers and all the love,” Benford wrote. “For God has granted me strength. I’m up, well and better with strength from the Lord. No need to worry. I’m straight.”’
Father of Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes takes shot at Bills Mafia
‘“Today is a great day to not be from Buffalo,” Mahomes Sr. wrote.’
Josh Allen still waiting for playoff-defining moment after falling short in dethroning Chiefs dynasty
‘But for the second season in a row, Allen had a chance to end the game on his terms. And for the second season in a row, the Chiefs left the stadium victorious.’
Opinion | There’s no easy way out for Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills — Super Bowl worthy, but blocked by the kings of football
‘Which leaves the other side of the coin flip. Now the Bills have to ask themselves whether Sean McDermott, the only durable coach the franchise has had since Marv Levy, is the right guy. Now Josh Allen has to ask himself whether he is the right guy, too, even though the answer is clearly yes.’
Chin up, Buffalo. Until Mahomes retires, coming second is the best anyone can hope for
‘At this point, what else is Allen going to do? Promise to retire if it happens again? The Allen of two, three years ago might have felt compelled to make a great show of emotion – ‘I just feel like I could have done mooooore.’’
Why Josh Allen will be haunted by this playoff loss to Chiefs more than ’13 seconds’ game
‘Allen has lost to Mahomes in the playoffs four times, the most defeats in a head-to-head matchup in NFL postseason history. But Sunday’s conference title game is the one that got away from him — even more than the 13-second miracle. In that Divisional Round classic three years ago, the best football game I’ve ever witnessed in person, Allen did everything he could to win. He left some meat on the bone Sunday.’
How cruel is the Chiefs’ dynasty? Look at how the Bills have suffered.
‘They can be so cruel, those merciless Chiefs. What did the Bills ever do to them? Nothing, besides dream. Oh, the nerve of the Bills, to think the Chiefs would leave room for another aspiring team.’
The Sean McDermott decisions that burned Bills in crushing AFC Championship game setback
‘No matter whether the teams clash in Missouri or New York, who has the ball last, whether the game ends in regulation or overtime or even if the Bills have a 99 percent chance to win and just have to prevent a field goal for just 13 seconds, McDermott and the Bills can’t get over the hump that is the Chiefs.’