At least the Buffalo Bills put up a fight this season. Their Divisional-Round loss to the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2022 season was weak. The Bengals pushed the Bills all over the field in a three-score victory. That did not happen on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bills made sure to initiate the physicality in that matchup.
Unfortunately, for the team and the football fans of western New York, a show of strength was not enough for the Bills to knock off the Chiefs in the playoffs for the first time since Joe Montana was an active player. Not only have the Bills not been to the Super Bowl since the 1993 season, but they are also one of 12 franchises to never win the big game.
Some may consider the Bills cursed after advancing to the Super Bowl four consecutive seasons and not winning once. I would counter that the 1990 Bills had a chance to win even before the infamous missed wide-right field goal. Their time of possession was doubled by the New York Giants. Lawrence Taylor was no longer a First-Team All-Pro player and that explosive Bills offense simply did not rise to the occasion. Against Washington and Dallas, Buffalo was simply not good enough to beat those teams.
The Bills went 17 seasons between playoff appearances after the turn of the millennium. Since again being amongst the class of their league, they have reached only one conference championship game. January 2021, they were beaten handily by the Chiefs.
Mahomes and Co. appeared vulnerable on Sunday, but this most recent defeat is no reason to lose hope. I know that Bills fans will always show up to the stadium, but recent sports history is why they should tailgate with championship hopes. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been largely hapless since becoming an NFL franchise, but won two Super Bowls in just under 20 years. Six championships for the New England Patriots have that franchise viewed as one of the best ever, but every single one of those victories was after the year 2000.
Since the Bills last went to the Super Bowl, the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Chicago White Sox all ended championship droughts that extended prior to the Roaring ‘20s. In the NBA, seven teams won their first title after Jan. 30, 1994. While the Bills have still never hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, not only the Bucs and Pats, but also the Rams, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, and Seattle Seahawks won their first Super Bowls since that last loss to the Cowboys
Teams such as the Minnesota Vikings, Browns, and Chicago Bears consider themselves unlucky. The New York Jets have won one Super Bowl and their fans certainly believe their team has no luck. Cowboys fans roam the planet with a perpetual rain cloud over their heads with “cursed” written in it.
Curses and spells are meant to be broken. If it happened for the Cubs and the Detroit Lions are playing in their second conference championship in the Super Bowl era, there is hope for the Bills. So Bills Mafia, keep cooking on Ford Pintos and drinking in the lot like it’s dollar beer night at a minor league baseball. Someday, you all will get to have your parade in the snow to celebrate a title. Until then, just keep on flying through those tables.
