Bills’ Breakthrough Fails, Buffalo Left Broken After AFC Championship

Quarterback Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills were the only ones who could have saved us from having to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play in yet another Super Bowl.

They failed.

Again.

It wasn’t Allen’s fault. But Buffalo fell 32-29 to Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday night, sending the Chiefs to the Super Bowl with a shot at winning three in a row.

The Bills have now seen four of their past five seasons end at the hands of Kansas City, also dropping the AFC Championship Game in 2021 before a pair of divisional-round exits extended Buffalo’s suffering against the Chiefs.

Year after year, it felt like the Bills were just bound to break through at some point. Buffalo fans went into each season thinking that that was the one that could end in February. Title or not, at least the Bills would have made another step in the right direction.

But here Bills Mafia is, still waiting.

Some serious conversations are going to need to happen this offseason. If they don’t, Buffalo might never end up getting past Kansas City—at least not this version of it. Sure, the Bills may someday end up dethroning a 38-year-old Patrick Mahomes, but by then the damage will already be done.

Allen should be considered the only person in the entire organization that Buffalo 100 percent needs to retain. His supporting cast has often let him down when it matters most, whether it be in the form of dropped balls, poor pass protection, questionable coaching decisions, or just straight up embarrassing performances on defense.

Drastic changes suck. They do. Going out and making them is an uncomfortable experience, but if that’s what it takes to prevent the Bills from frequently being on the cusp of AFC royalty, then so be it.

Scared money don’t make money. It’s a saying that has never served me well while six beers deep at the casino with my eyes on the ATM, but hey, maybe it can do some wonders for Buffalo. Go out and take some risks. Maybe it’ll all pay off. It’s either that or continue to live in the Chiefs’ shadow. 

Kansas City is in prime position to become the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowls.

That’d be just awesome, right? I feel like I haven’t been hearing about the Chiefs enough over the past decade. Surely a historic feat will finally get the national media talking about this modest group of dudes that hasn’t found a way to seep into every facet of your everyday life.

Sarcasm aside, knowing that Kansas City fans or Eagles fans will be the ones getting to celebrate this year makes my stomach churn. The vast majority of those rooting for the Chiefs probably didn’t start watching football until 2017 or were born then, while the Philadelphia faithful rang in the Birds’ last Super Bowl win by taking to the streets and eating horse s---.

What’s worse is for you to decide.

This probably won’t be the last time we see Kansas City play on the second Sunday in February, either. The Chiefs are clearly a dynasty built to last, one that referees are fond of, too, so don’t expect them to go anywhere.

And that’s precisely why I’ll be spending my Super Bowl Sunday away from the television and at the casino—with a seventh beer in hand and my checking account balance on an ATM screen.