NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
For years, fans and NFL analysts have thrown dirt on franchises that have been stuck in the mud with either bad play or bad decisions. What if the Buffalo Bills are one of those organizations and no one wants to admit it?
After their loss at the hands of the Denver Broncos in the 2026 Divisional Round, it looks like that organization may be cursed, but not in the same way as, say, the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, or the Las Vegas Raiders. The Browns just can’t get things right on the offensive side of the ball, and the front office just continues to fail this team. The same with the Raiders. Hard time keeping or selecting the right players, most notably a franchise-altering QB. As for the Jets, well, they haven’t done much right in almost a decade. At least the Bills can say they make the playoffs.
But here are the Bills. Yes, the same organization that was once the Kings of the AFC with Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, and Bruce Smith leading the way. 4 straight Super Bowls and not a Lombardi to show for it.
Along came Josh Allen, and he was supposed to rewrite the history books for them, and 8 years later, nothing. As talented as he is, and as talented as his teams have been over the years, the Buffalo Bills just can’t get over the hump. There have been no Super Bowl wins or even appearances. And yet, the Bills, each offseason, are mentioned as one of the teams that could represent the AFC, and they continue to fall short.
Maybe it’s not just an Allen thing, maybe it’s the franchise. While the Jets and Browns are having trouble finding the right mixture of talent and coaches, the Bills have all that and still haven’t found a way to get it done.
They have managed to control the AFC East for years, and now they find themselves looking up at the New England Patriots as Drake Maye and his young squad have taken control. This season, there was no Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, or Lamar Jackson standing in their way, and yet, here we are again asking what went wrong.
With the firing of longtime coach Sean McDermott, the cracks in the Bills’ armor are beginning to show. Players are not pleased with the decision, and they appear to be some serious backstabbing going on. Players are being dragged in the media by leadership, and grown men are being thrown under the bus. They look more like the Jets than Super Bowl contenders.
How much pain can the fans of the Buffalo Bills continue to go through? They have the talent. We thought they had the coaches, and as we’re learning now, they have a front office full of bad decision makers who point the finger instead of taking blame. That’s not how you build a winner; that’s how you force your star players to search for other organizations.
Allen is a great player, and he’s entering that era of football where he has a window. The season and others before that have all ended in heartbreak, and what has happened following their latest setback could cause more damage than good. Somehow, someway, the front office has to right the ship. Despite the setbacks with Kelly and the ’90s teams, one thing you knew for sure was that the Buffalo Bills would find a way. With this current team, no one knows. The sad part is, the Browns and Jets know they suck, the Bills just haven’t admitted it publicly.
