The Buffalo Bills, as you may or may not know, seem to have a curse. They can not seem to win the big game: the coveted Super Bowl. The Bills had an elite roster in the early 1990s with a fast paced offense led by All-Pro quarterback Jim Kelly and All-Pro running back Thurman Thomas, all with a solid defense to back up their offense. Their fast pace and weapons led the Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances, yet they came out empty in each of the games. Super Bowl XXV in 1991 came down to Bills kicker Scott Norwood missing a kick wide right in the final seconds of the game that the Bills went on to lose 20-19.
After that, the Bills lost each Super Bowl game by two possessions or more the three following years. After these four straight heartbreakers for Bills fans, the franchise went through some dark days: early playoff bounces over the next couple of seasons, and then the dark era of the franchise that has only begun its turnaround.
The Bills went 16 seasons without a postseason appearance from 2000-2016 and finally made the playoffs in 2017, only to be bounced in the wild card game by the Jacksonville Jaguars. What caused the sudden turnaround in the franchise? Before the 2017 season, the Buffalo Bills made two major changes that impacted the direction of the franchise: the hiring of General Manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott, which were two culture-changing fantastic hires for this team.
After the 2017 season, the Bills looked to improve the quarterback position which seemed like an endless carousel of mediocre for over a decade for this franchise, but Beane was determined to trade up in the 2018 NFL Draft for a franchise guy. He did this and acquired the 7th pick in the 2018 Draft to select quarterback Josh Allen.
Allen had a rough go to start his career, but Beane’s believing in him and improving the roster around him worked out tremendously.
The offensive line was not doing a good enough job, so Beane went out to sign a solid center in Mitch Morse, drafted Dion Dawkins, and acquired linemen that would better protect Allen. The receivers were not good enough either, so Beane brought in John Brown and Cole Beasley, and before the 2020 season traded for an alpha wide receiver in Stefon Diggs and spent a draft pick on Gabriel Davis. With the defense coming together and the offense now electric, Allen has thrown 8,951 yards, 73 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions.
This offseason, however, the Bills went out and signed two-time Super Bowl Champion Von Miller to bolster what was an average pass rush. This team that scored 24-9 over the past two seasons with 3 playoff wins in the time that it took them to improve, while the Kansas City Chiefs, who had just beaten them in the past two seasons, lost their top wide receiver, Tyreek Hill. It seems that the Bills, who were right there with them, might have a leg over them this season.
The Bills seem to be in a prime position to win some football games this year. With the momentum that has been occurring for this unit and the culture around them, this team is much different than anything they have shown before, and I believe it is enough to win the big game this February.
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