Broncos 33, Bills 30

Someone called into WGR a few years ago lamenting Buffalo’s four consecutive Superbowl losses. “I wish they hadn’t made it to any of them because they lost all of them”, he stated, believing that it’s better to not play at all than it is to lose. I remember thinking that as each NFL team enters a new season, the best possible result at the end is a Superbowl victory. From its owner to its coaches, managers, players and fanbase, that objective is unarguable. But what is the second-best possible accomplishment? The answer is clear in my view: it is to lose the Superbowl. Doesn’t matter how many times – consecutively or not. The opportunity to savour the lead-up, the hype, the endless analysis over the two weeks between the Conference Championship Games and the big game is one which should not be passed up. Believing otherwise is like believing that it’s better to have never loved at all than to have loved and lost.

For the Bills often-tortured fanbase, their team seems to have the unique ability to find ever-more excruciating ways to lose with each passing playoff run. The list is long: Wide Right, the Music City Miracle, 13 Seconds etc and Saturday’s overtime loss in Denver will probably take on its own moniker (maybe it already has) as sports talk-radio fodder and to formally add it to the Wall of Shame. Would we have preferred finishing out of the playoffs instead of making it, winning in Jacksonville last week then getting very close to the conference title game but falling just short? Not me. When the Broncos took a 23-10 lead in the third quarter, it felt like the game could end up 30-13 but the Bills came back, took the lead, gave it up, tied it late then came agonizingly close to winning it in overtime but didn’t. Would I have preferred 30-13? Of course not.

Sean McDermott has now completed nine seasons as Bills head coach. His teams have made the playoffs in all but one of them, winning eight playoff games along the way and making the conference title game twice. With the exception of the 27-10 home loss to the Bengals after the 2022 season, their playoff exits have been heart-breaking for sure but anyone who says that they would have preferred not to compete than to lose in gut-wrenching fashion, I suggest doesn’t know how to be a sports fan. After the game ended, I poured myself a scotch, settled in to the Seattle game and thought about how thankful we as Bills fans should be with the team’s long run of success. And I thought about Josh Allen’s turnovers. And the officiating. I considered firing up my sauna and dunking through the ice hole in the photo but I left that to the next day.  

Speaking of officiating, let’s review some of the key controversial calls from the game. Gene Steratore, the former NFL referee and rules/officiating expert on CBS (who is often accused of always siding with his referee brethren), posted his reflections on Twitter after the game. On the Brandin Cooks reception/interception in overtime, Steratore said this: “My perspective on it is that Cooks lost the ball as soon as his body hit the ground. In my opinion, if there was no defender near him and he lost the ball when he hit the ground, the ruling would’ve been incomplete.” I agree with his analysis with only this caveat: Had no defender been with him, it is possible that Cooks could have kept the ball from touching the ground while rolling on his back, then regained control as he completed the roll. I do think that Steratore is right on this and he implied that if Cooks had maintained control of the ball through contact with the ground, the defender would not have been able to wrestle it from his hands. I don’t think I have seen a similar play in all my years of watching football. It was obviously a critical play in the game and McDermott’s main complaint afterward was that there was no stoppage for a booth review. Steratore agreed that there should have been but also suggested that a review would have not have resulted in the call being overturned.

There were three instances of defensive pass interference, two of which Steratore commented on in his post: the first took place in the endzone with Broncos cornerback Riley Moss interfering (in my opinion although Steratore did not comment on this one) with Brandin Cooks in the endzone by holding Cooks arm. No flag was thrown. The second instance where Taron Johnson was called for DPI was very similar to the first one and Steratore thought that it should not have been called. But it was called. The third was the back-breaker call on Tre’Davious White at the five yard-line which essentially ended the game. It was called DPI as Steratore said it should have been. I agree that it was clearly pass interference. In my view, the Moss and Johnson instances should both have been called the same way and both probably would have been called DPI in the first quarter of a week five game. The DPI on Cooks took place in the endzone and would have given the Bills a first-and-goal at the one yard-line.

Josh Allen turned the ball over four times with two fumbles and two picks. I blame him completely for the careless fumble at the end of the first half which led to a Broncos field goal. His blindside sack/fumble wasn’t entirely his fault, the first interception was on a deep ball and the “interception” on the Cooks play was basically a completion. The play which Allen surely wants back is the missed pass to a wide-open Dawson Knox with ten seconds left in regulation. A lower thrown ball would have resulted in an easy touchdown and a 34-30 Bills win.

For Bills Mafia, there is much to look forward to in 2026. In addition to still having Josh Allen under centre, the team will hopefully retool its receiver room and have better luck on the injury front. But there is a new stadium to look forward to as well. I don’t know how quickly the old stadium can be demolished – since the entire lower bowl is below ground level, maybe they can just topple the upper decks down into the lower bowl, smooth it out and make it a much-needed parking lot. Whatever they do, I’m looking forward to hearing all about it this off-season, almost as much as I’m looking forward to paying off my seat licences in the fall. My tickets will cost about 50% more then they did in 2025 but I’ll be right at the 50 yard-line, 25 rows up from the visitor bench.

Bills 27, Jaguars 24

As the founder of the recently formed Bahamas Bills Backers, I am pleased to present this blog post from our perch on Paradise Island, Bahamas where there is nothing but warm turquoise water between where I now sit and Jacksonville, FL to the northwest. We were able to find a secluded spot to  watch yesterday’s football game online within the confines of the Shivananda Yoga Ashram retreat, where alcohol, meat, coffee and most forms of fun are all strictly prohibited. Bills playoff games don’t usually count as fun – for Bills fans anyway – so we felt that by watching yesterday’s game on the Ashram property, we were only bending the rules. Plus, at the risk of expulsion from the property, we have been making and drinking contraband coffee. We aren’t the only ones drinking coffee but I think we were the only ones who even knew about the NFL’s Wildcard Weekend and yesterday’s Bills game. It just doesn’t seem to fit within the scope of the deeply spiritual world which is Shivananda yoga. But watch it we did.

The point of coming to a yoga retreat – apart from gathering comedy material by watching and interacting with the full-time devotees – is to relax, unwind and disconnect, leaving the stress of our every day lives behind. Watching yesterday’s game played at Everbank Stadium was the antithesis of what one might do to achieve these objectives, for fans of either team. The Jaguars had a great season and are a strong team which probably deserved a better fate than a one-and-done playoff exit, especially in front of their fans who have suffered through some bad football over the last 30 years. But the Bills were certainly due for a road playoff win and they came through with one in the clutch yesterday – something they have been unable to do since the end of the 1992 season. The stress relief I felt when Cole Bishop clasped his hands around Trevor Lawrence’s deflected pass in the game’s closing minute easily surpassed what any number of sun salutations could ever do. After more than three hours of pure stress, it felt pretty awesome. So, I skipped the 4pm yoga class and went for a swim in the warm, salty Atlantic waters, savouring the victory.

The game was very evenly matched and the statistics bear that out: each team has 20 first downs, the Jags outgained the Bills 359 yards to 340 but the Bills won the time of possession battle by about eight minutes and won the key turnover statistic two to one with the late-game interception. The game was as hard-hitting as it gets and also featured four lead changes in the fourth quarter, the final one being a “tush-push” touchdown by Josh Allen with just over a minute to play. But as I look back at the game this morning with the northeast tradewinds ruffling the curtains of our room here at the Ashram, the key moment might well have been the missed field goal on the final play of the first half by arguably the NFL’s best kicker, the Jags Cam Little.

The Patriots win last night against the Chargers guaranteed that last week’s relatively meaningless game between the Bills and Jets was indeed the last game to be played at the old Highmark Stadium. The Bills are now the lowest remaining seed in the AFC draw and will play on the road as far as that road goes. The next stop on Buffalo’s road trip will be the Divisional Round which takes them to Denver, CO where the Broncos and Bills are set to play on Saturday probably in the late window. I had to check this twice but the Bills have been listed as early 1.5-point road favourites against the number one seeded Broncos who are coming off a bye week and have the advantage of playing at an altitude of more than 1,600 metres above sea level. This reflects the appeal of Josh Allen within the betting public, or at least the bookmaker’s perception of his appeal. I expect the line to move in the Broncos favour later in the week as the so-called “smart money” comes in on Denver. The Broncos are a well-coached and now well-rested team which is accustomed to playing at altitude. If I had to make a meaningful wager on the game, I wouldn’t do it because I never bet against the Bills.

With one game remaining in Wildcard Weekend, the quality of the first five games overall was excellent. Fourth quarter comebacks and lead changes made for compelling viewing with all of the games competitive throughout. The league, its partner television networks and advertisers couldn’t have asked for more and the Divisional Round games look like they will deliver more of the same.

Last night was our last at the Ashram so I decided to take in one of the twice-daily Satsang services/ceremonies. The Ashram is primarily a spiritual retreat for those who dedicate their lives to the ancient teachings of pranayama and asanas whose written form is entirely in Sanskrit. The facility exists for the purpose of advancing the study and education of Vedanta and practice of the Shivanada yoga tradition with its 12 core principles for spiritual growth. These include breath and relaxation practices, diet, and positive thinking with the actual yoga exercise being only a small part. The facility’s operations are primarily funded (as far as I can see) by “vacation yoga” attendees like us who come to the warm climate of the Bahamas to practice yoga with instruction from the Ashram's many masterful teachers. The Satsangs are 90-minute sessions which begin with 30 minutes of silent meditation (I evaluated NFL playoff scenarios), then about 20 minutes of singing from the ancient Sandskrit scripts in a call-and-response format, either a speaker or a musical performance and ending with final prayers and blessings. I can honestly say that, although I generally could not relate to much of it, attending the Satsang was a profoundly moving experience for me and I am grateful for the opportunity to have witnessed and participated in it. Go Bills!   

Bills 35, Jets 8

The Buffalo Bills playoff run after the 1992 season began with the Comeback Game, also known as The Miracle at Rich, a game which I attended in early January of 1993. The Bills came back from a 35-3 deficit early in the third quarter for a thrilling 41-38 overtime win. This, the largest comeback in NFL history (a record since broken by the Vikings by one point in 2022), came with quarterback Jim Kelly injured in favour of back-up Frank Reich. The following week in the Divisional Round, the Bills won in Pittsburgh - this time quite convincingly - with Reich still under centre, 24-3. Kelly returned the following week for the AFC Championship Game in Miami which the Bills won easily, 29-10, earning their third consecutive Superbowl berth. That game, played on January 16^th, 1993, is the last road playoff game won by the Bills. If they are to make a run to the Superbowl in the early weeks of 2026, it will require three road wins – unless the Los Angeles Chargers can win two road games over the next two weeks – in New England and in Denver. If the Bills and Chargers can between them post four road wins over the next two weeks, the AFC Championship Game – Los Angeles Chargers at Buffalo - will become the last game to be played at Rich Stadium.

But in reality, of course, the last game at the concrete slab 20 miles south of Buffalo was played yesterday. It was a good showing by the Bills back-ups and a handful of starters who had their way with the pathetic New York Jets who might consider folding the franchise, finding a new owner and a new name and starting over as an expansion team. I can’t see how they could do much worse than they did in 2026. Josh Allen maintained his consecutive start streak which now stands at 71 and dates back to week 12 of the 2018 season. After taking the opening snap and handing it off to James Cook (more on him in a minute), Allen gave way to Mitch Trubisky who went 22 for 29 for 259 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. It did come against the Jets but still, he looked comfortable and confident in what quickly became a laugher.

James Cook became the first Bills running back to win the NFL rushing title since OJ Simpson in 1976. His 1,621 yards, only 15 of which came yesterday, was 24 yards more than Derrick Henry finished with and 36 more than Jonathan Taylor of the Colts. Cook’s 15 yards yesterday before he gave way to Ray Davis who went off for 151 yards on 21 carries (again, it came against the Jets), could easily have not been quite enough as Derrick Henry piled up 126 yards in last night’s loss (more on that in a minute). Had Henry broken just one more run for 25 yards, the title would have been his. But this morning, the title belongs to Cook and to the Bills offensive line which takes great pride in this accomplishment as clearly one of the best units n the league this season. I hope that Cook got his five collaborators more than Isotoner gloves for Christmas.

Week 18 in the NFL always produces plenty of drama. In a curious scenario, the winner of the NFC South division - which would be either the Panthers or the Bucs – was determined by the outcome of a game between the Saints and Falcons. The Falcons won (but coach Raheen Morris was still fired), giving the division title to the 8-9 Panthers who had lost the previous day in Tampa. Although the upsets we often see in week 18 didn’t really materialize, the final regular season game of the 2025 season was a thriller with four touchdowns, each producing a lead change, coming in the fourth quarter. Two missed kicks in the game’s final minute added to the drama with Steelers kicker Chris Boswell missing what seemed like a crucial extra point then Ravens kicker Tyler Loop missing what would have been the game-winning field goal on the final play. The Ravens bowed out in excruciating fashion once again, after last year’s dropped two-point convert attempt in Buffalo. One wonders if the 2026 season will see both coach John Harbaugh and quarterback Lamar Jackson return. Each will be in demand should they party ways with the Ravens.

For the second straight year, the Bills find themselves in the familiar Sunday at 1pm window for the Wildcard playoff round. This time, the game will be played at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL. The Bills and Jaguars have previously met twice in the playoffs with the Jags winning both times. The first was in late December of 1996 in what would be Jim Kelly’s final game – a 30-27 Jags win. The second time was in early 2018 in Sean McDermott’s first season as Bills head coach (with Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen still only a twinkle in Brandon Beane’s eye) after a miraculous win by the Cincinnati Bengals in Baltimore earned the Bills their first playoff appearance in 17 years. The game, with Tyrod Taylor under centre for Buffalo, was an exceedingly frustrating punt-fest, won by the Jags 10-7.

Josh Allen and Sean McDermott are 0-5 in road playoff games, with three of those losses coming at the hands of the Chiefs in Kansas City. Another road playoff loss in Houston came two years after the Jacksonville loss. It’s been 33 years since the last Bills road playoff win – three years before Josh Allen was born in Firebaugh, CA. Time to flip the script and also time to root for the Chargers who play the Patriots in the Saturday night game.