Just as every year with the season approaching, Buffalo Bills fans were optimistic about their team. But this year was not like every year and the optimism stuck with fans longer than normal.
The season started with Josh Allen and the Bills claiming dominance over the state of New York by beating the [New Jersey] Jets and the [New Jersey] Giants. The same Bills team would then travel home to take on the 0-2 Bengals and Buffalo hero, Andy Dalton. The Bills barely got through that game as Tre'Davious White ended it by calling game with an interception. Next the 3-0 Bills would take on the 3-0 Patriots at home. The game was a defensive battle that resulted in a 16-10 Bills loss. But unlike other years, the Patriots didn't come to Buffalo and destroy the hype around the team. The Bills held their own to the end of the game and many fans took the moral victory despite having a shot to actually win the game. Who ruined that shot? Josh Allen. The young quarterback threw three interceptions. One thing was clear. If the Bills wanted to make a run this year, Josh Allen could not turn the ball over as much as he did. Allen had eight turnovers in four weeks. That had to end.
Fast forward to Week 12. That's the next time Josh Allen would throw an interception. The young quarterback managed to limit turnovers. During that time we fast forwarded, the Bills found the playmakers they didn't have on offense last year. John Brown became Allen's top target. Cole Beasley became the perfect slot receiver for the offense and made contributions to the red zone offense. Rookies Dawson Knox and Devin Singletary made contributions as well. Knox with big plays that changed the momentum of games and Singletary as the Bills number one running back. All though the offense wasn't great, it seemed good enough to get the Bills into the playoffs and possibly win a game.
The true test came for the Bills in the coming weeks. They would take on the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. They passed this test. They dominated the Cowboys on national television and the nation watched the young Bills team show their potential. The Cowboys took a 7-0 lead but that didn't matter to the Bills. They scored 26 unanswered points to make it a 26-7 game. A garbage time touchdown by the Cowboys made it look much closer than it was. The final score was 26-15.
This young Bills team showed their potential yet again the next week when they lost a close game to the No.1 AFC seed, the Baltimore Ravens. Allen didn't have the best game, but the team rallied behind him when down 24-9 with not much time remaining the in fourth. The offense would score a touchdown and convert on a two-point attempt to make it 24-17. The defense would then get a stop and give the offense the ball back with enough time to drive down field and tie it up. Sadly it did not happen, but the Bills managed to make the game come down to one play. They had the ball deep in Baltimore territory, but were not able to convert on fourth down. Despite the loss, the young talent on the team shined and Bills fans kept their optimism.
The team then traveled to Pittsburgh and clinched the playoffs with a defense dominant win. Tre'Davious White established himself as a top corner in the game with two big interceptions. Josh Allen and the offense did just enough to win against a talented Steelers' defense. And we forgot to mention: The Bills did this on Sunday Night Football. Not bad for a team who usually doesn't perform well on prime time. Yet again, Bills fans kept that optimism.
Here's something that hadn't been said in a while: The Bills were playing for control of the AFC East in Week 16. The Bills would travel to New England and challenge them for the AFC East title. The last time they met Josh Allen cost them the game with three interceptions, but he wasn't that same quarterback. Allen played a good game but sadly the Bills did not get it done with a 24-17 loss. However, just like the Baltimore game, the fans saw hope and kept their optimism. If one thing was clear, it was that the Bills may not have won the AFC East this year, but they are coming for it sooner than many thought.
After a meaningless Week 17 loss to the [New Jersey] Jets, the Bills traveled to Houston to take on the Texans. Sadly, this would result in a 22-19 overtime loss for the Bills. With a 16-0 lead in the 3rd quarter, Bills fans were eager to celebrate what would have been their first playoff win since 1995. Things then took a turn for the worse. The Bills found themselves down 19-16 late in the fourth. They would rally back to send it to overtime after Stephen Hauschka would attempt the first 47-yard field goal for the Bills in the playoffs since Scott Norw.....well never mind Hauschka made it. In overtime the defense would get a stop and the offense would get into field goal range for Hauschka but after a phantom "blindside block" penalty, the Bills would be forced to punt on fourth down. After a series of miracle plays by the Texans they would get into field goal range and kick the game winning field goal. The season was over.
Despite being a terrible end to the season, the future is clear for the Bills. The sky is the limit with their young talent, front office and coaching staff. For Bills fans there is a reason to stay optimistic. We finally have a front office and coaching staff we can trust. With a couple more additions, this team can be a Super Bowl contender. But as General Manager Brandon Beane stated, "We have by no means arrived."
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