Chiefs 27, Bills 24

The clouds parted in north Toronto just after 9am and I basked in the morning sunshine from the 12^th floor of my building as I drank my coffee and wondered how the traffic would be, where we would park and whether or not I should wear my huge arctic parka. We had tried one night game a few years ago – an 8.15pm start – which got me home just before 3am.  Little did I know that despite last night’s game kicking off almost two hours earlier than a regular night game, thanks to inexplicably and unbearably slow egress from the stadium parking lot and heavy traffic up to and including the Canada Customs line-up and the Peace bridge, I would arrive home once again at the aforesaid time of 3am.

A bit more on yesterday’s (and this morning’s) travel details: It was a tale of two driving trips. The drive to Queenston, the US border line-up and the rest of the drive to the stadium parking lot was clear and uneventful, even once we began to see the towering snow banks south of Buffalo and into Orchard Park. We were parked and ready to begin our seven-hour outdoor winter adventure shortly after the stadium parking lots opened four hours before kick-off. A couple of drinks, a good barbecue and smooth entry into the stadium brought us to our seats a full hour before kick-off. This allowed ample time to watch the Chiefs players’ wives gather, greet each other and mingle around in their fancy coats and boots during the warm-ups. The guy who sits next to me arrived a little later, sporting a photo of the back of Taylor Swift on her way in to the stadium a few minutes earlier. After the game, as one parking lot attendant commented, it was “the worst night ever”. He had heard that an ambulance had tried or was trying to access the area and that was apparently part of the reason why we moved about 10 metres in 75 minutes before actually starting to leave the stadium parking lot. As we sat wondering about the cause of the delay, Mike Schopp and the Bulldog on WGR waxed on about Wide Right 2.0 and whatever else had gone wrong with the game.

The elevated level of excitement and anticipation around this game was palpable as kick-off approached. Bills mafia were ready to finally slay the Chiefs dragon – the playoff version at least – in their house. But of course it wasn’t to be. A few key dropped passes on deep balls, the evaporation of the running game in the second half and a missed game-tying 44 yard field goal were certainly valid contributors to the crushing loss but, in my view, it was the inability of the Bills depleted defence to stop Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Isiah Pacheco which cost the Bills the game. Even if Tyler Bass had made the kick and tied the game at 27, it seemed highly likely to me that the Chiefs, with 104 seconds on the game clock and two time-outs still at their disposal, would have easily been able to drive far enough for Harrison Butker to kick the Chiefs into the AFC Championship Game anyway. But he missed the kick wide right and the Chiefs needed only one more first down to seal the game.

Despite the profound disappointment of another playoff loss to Kansas City – the third one in four years – and the salary cap and roster issues which General Manager Brandon Beane will be faced with starting this morning, optimism will continue to abound around the Bills and their fans as the off-season finally leads to the start of training camp in the late July heat. 2024 will be Josh Allen’s 7^th season as the Bills quarterback. He is clearly one of the best players in the league and he will continue to be as he is arguably only now entering the prime years of his career. Primarily for this reason, I will clean my barbecue grill and pack away my Bills gear not with a heavy heart but with anticipation of another successful Bills season to come. The injury pendulum may swing back in 2024; Dalton Kincaid could begin to earn the label as the NFL’s new Travis Kelce; James Cook might continue his journey to becoming one of the league’s offensive stars. I am confident that with a few luckier bounces here and there, a key fake punt play that actually works, a healthy defence and the continued and unwavering support of Bills fans, the team can easily surpass what they accomplished this season. That’s what being a real fan is all about – even on this gloomy sleep-deprived Monday morning.

The NFL season now only has three games remaining. The Chiefs go to Baltimore as 3.5 point underdogs. I’ll be cheering them on.   As I watched Kansas City’s star players up close last night and the commanding presence of Andy Reid lumbering (and slightly limping) around the sidelines, delivering short messages from time to time to certain players, gave me new respect for him and program he has built in Kansas City. He is rumoured to be contemplating retirement after this season and I would find it pleasing if he were to win another championship before he walks away. And maybe shoot some new State Farm commercials for the Superbowl.                 

Bills 31, Steelers 17

Had I managed to email her directly – not her publicist, her manager or a web form on her site – but directly to her, I would have invited Taylor Swift to join me on Sunday night in section 111 with our group of long-tenured and civilized season ticket holders. Why does she always have to sit high above the field in a private box with Travis Kelce’s mother and Patrick Mahomes’ wife Brittany? Why not sit 23 rows above the Chiefs bench where she would be a short walk down to field level to hold hands with Kelce between quarters or during TV timeouts? Well, I think the reason may be tied to the inaccessibility of her personal email address. I was trying to imagine the security requirements for a celebrity of her level and I suppose that openly sitting in the crowd simply would not be feasible for her. I know it, you know it and the American people certainly know it. However, I also know that the MAGA crowd most definitely does not like Taylor Swift but it does seem like her arrival on the NFL scene this season has been yet another net benefit for the league. Her attendance at the game in Orchard Park on Sunday will be as much of a story in some circles as the Bills extensive injury report will be.

Crews consisting of heavy snow removal equipment in and around the stadium and legions of volunteers (who were paid $20 per hour) who partially shoveled the seating areas did as good a job as they could have given the limited time between the three-foot snowfall which carried on until Sunday morning and the 4.30pm kick-off. Plenty of snow remained in the seating areas and there was mention on the pre-game radio broadcast about the potential for one or more 15 yard penalties to be assessed to the Bills (as per league rules) for the throwing of snowballs by fans. Bills fans are notorious for throwing snowballs at the visitor bench and players on the field if given the opportunity. We have certainly seen it before but last night, it was considerably more muted than I had expected given the amount of ammunition available. Then I realized why. It was too cold to make snowballs unless you were able to moisten the snow or somehow warm it up. It would have taken some effort to make snowballs and there were a few but what we mostly saw in the stands was snow flung in the air which created snow showers and nothing more. Had the temperature been much closer to the freezing point and had the Bills been losing the game in the second half, I’d say that there was a solid chance that the game could have been forfeited (again, as per league rules) on account of fans continuing to throw snowballs after being ordered to stop. For a few reasons, I hope that all the snow will have been removed from the stadium by Sunday.

The Kansas City Chiefs come to Buffalo – finally – for a much-anticipated Divisional playoff game. This game will generate huge ratings for CBS with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo (who were hotel room bound in Buffalo during the storm) return to Orchard Park for a second straight week. The NFL loves match-ups between marquis quarterbacks and this one will not disappoint in terms of hype as the week goes on. Add Taylor Swift to the mix and Roger Goodell (who attended yesterday’s game) just might ask for another raise. 

There must be a point at which the Bills defence can not withstand any more injuries. No less than four more were added to the list last night: cornerbacks Christian Benford and Taron Johnson as well as linebackers Terrel Bernard and Baylon (Arlon) Spector all left the game with injuries. Offensive lineman Connor (George) McGovern was also injured but only missed a snap or two which should keep the Bills season-long streak of starting the same five offensive linemen going into week 20. And punter (and place-kick holder) Sam Martin, who has been outstanding all season, pulled his hamstring running full-out in pursuit of the returner of a blocked kick. He returned to punt once more time and got it off admirably but his status is also uncertain this morning. But the defence is the main injury story. While the back-ups have played well beyond reasonable expectations, how many more competent players are there on the roster? As the short week goes on, the status of injured Bills defenders will be a major area of inquiry – maybe the most important questions there are. The Chiefs – whose offence looked pretty good against Miami – are looming on the short horizon and obviously present a bigger challenge than the Steelers did yesterday.  The Bills training and physiotherapy staff have a big week ahead of them.   

 

Bills 21, Dolphins 14

I find myself this morning almost as excited about a 1pm Sunday start for the Bills next game as I am about the fact that the team claimed the number two seed in the AFC playoffs. Despite a sense of relief coming after the Tennessee Titans held on to defeat and eliminate the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier in the day, guaranteeing the Bills a playoff spot, last night’s game in south Florida was a stressful as any have been this season with the game’s outcome in doubt until the final minute of play. These late games leave me feeling completely wired at 11.45pm which is already a good couple of hours past the time I usually retire for the night. I’m off to a bit of a late start this morning trying, without much success, to get more information on some of the injuries the Bills suffered in the slugfest.

As Josh Allen said after, last night’s game was a microcosm of the Bills season: some good things early, then injuries, turnovers and missed opportunities, followed up by a key special teams play, a swift recovery and a hard-earned, razor-thin win. Allen also said that on the drive which produced the game-winning touchdown pass to Dawson Knox, the ball was coming out of his hand better than it had all season. It was certainly enough to overcome another turnover-plagued first half where he threw two interceptions in the redzone (the team’s first redzone turnovers of the season) and also fumbled the ball away on a strip-sack. We saw bad Josh Allen turn to good Josh Allen over the course of the game and good Josh Allen is usually good enough to win. It certainly was last night.

The boxscore from last night reads like a blowout game with the Bills dominating most key statistical categories: They posted 26 first downs to the Dolphins 16, 473 yards of total offence to the Dolphins 275 and held the ball for just over 38 minutes to the Dolphins 22. The two quarterbacks both threw two interceptions each with Tua Tagovailoa’s final one to Bills safety Taylor Rapp sealing the win. Allen earned a passer rating of 101.6 completing 30 passes on 38 attempts for 359 yards with two touchdowns and the two picks. Tua’s passer rating was a lowly 62.7 as he reached only 173 yards.

There are new injury concerns for the Buffalo sports radio talking heads to pour over this coming week. Gabe Davis watched most of the game from the sidelines after suffering what appeared to be another “non-contact” injury and Rasul Douglas and Tyrel Dodson both left and did not return. Dion Dawkins somehow lacerated his hand but did return to the game. The fact that the Bills seems to be able to maintain such a high level of defensive play no matter how many starters go down is, in my view, a testament to Sean McDermott and the job he has done as defensive coordinator this season. We will know more about the seriousness of these injuries in the next couple of days.

The Miami Dolphins, clearly a Superbowl contender for much of the season, now find themselves the AFC’s sixth seed with a game in Kansas City next Saturday night where winter weather is forecast to have arrived with a vengeance. The Dolphins needed this game arguably more the Bills did – and they looked well-positioned to claim the Division title and the second seed with its two home playoff games until Deonte Harty’s brilliant 96-yard punt return tied the game and completely changed its trajectory early in the fourth quarter. The Dolphins went three-and-out on their next series and the Bills scored the winning touchdown on the ensuing drive. “All Three Phases” is a term we hear often enough and certainly it rang true for the Bills last night. I can not see the Dolphins having much success on a cold dark night in Missouri five days from now. What a fall it has been for these Fish: from the high-flying early season juggernaut which raced up and down the field at will (admittedly mostly against weaker teams) and scored ten touchdowns against the Broncos in late September. As a division rival and long-time nemesis, the Miami Dolphins get no sympathy from me but it must be a tough morning to be a fan of theirs.

Next up for the Bills are the Pittsburgh Steelers who ground out a win on Saturday at a saturated PSI.net stadium (as I still like to call it) in Baltimore against the Ravens back-ups. The Bills are early 9.5 point favourites. Home playoff games are what NFL teams play for all season and the Bills have definitely earned theirs. But the Steelers will not be intimidated by cold weather or the hostile environment. There will not be as many Steeler fans in Orchard Park on Sunday as there were Bills fans in Miami Gardens last night but Steeler Nation is known as perhaps the best travelling fan base in the league and plenty of them will make the short trip north then east along the south shore of Lake Erie for this game. This bodes well for those of us who may be looking to unload tickets on the secondary market.       

 

Bills 27, Patriots 21

New Year’s greetings from Muskoka where our lake remains mostly open and we have no snow whatsoever on the ground. I feel for those businesses in the north and the “near north” who rely on good skiing, ice fishing and snowmobiling conditions for their livelihoods. This holiday season has been a bust but maybe things will turn around this month. For now, November-like conditions are stretching into a third month. Like Mark Maron sarcastically said recently, we have probably passed the tipping point in terms of irreversible and disastrous climate change but we should take comfort in knowing that we have done absolutely everything we could have to avoid it and it’s clearly not our fault.

Bills fans would have to describe their relationship will Bill Belichick as tortured. For the last 25 years or so, he has been the mastermind of many of the Bills most painful losses. Yesterday probably marked his last trip to Orchard Park as Patriots head coach so I’d like to pay tribute to him and suggest a new angle he could take if he wants to continue coaching. Pundits have suggested that some owner somewhere – Carolina, Arizona, Los Angeles (Chargers), perhaps even the Jets if they decide to move on from Robert Saleh – will want to bring him in as head coach next season. His name carries as much coaching cache as anyone’s and his hiring would surely advance (or at least shore up) ticket sales and general fan engagement in any market in the league.

My view is that hiring Bill Belichick as head coach would not be a smart move in terms of a team’s long term football interests. The correlation between the departure of Tom Brady and the Patriots offensive anemia is quite clear. Add to that the recent history of his drafting misses (as he is currently the Patriots defacto general manager as well) and Belichick’s resume on the offensive side of things is sliding badly. But – and this is the gist of where I’m going with this – he remains a defensive genius. Yesterday, his team’s defensive performance would have been enough to register a significant upset (similar to last week’s win in Denver) but his offence coughed up the ball too many times for his defence to overcome. The Bills had just enough success on third down late in the game to hang on for the win but their explosive offence never really got comfortable; the Patriot offence kept giving them short fields to work with and they converted just enough of these opportunities. It was another defensive gem for Belichick but another loss for his team.

If he would be willing – and if I had to guess, I’d say that he would probably not be – to take a position as defensive coordinator somewhere in the league, teams should be lining up to hire him. Throw in “Associate Head Coach” to sweeten the pot and maybe he’d be interested in the right situation. Call it a sort of phased retirement if you like. The combination of a young offensively creative head coach (like the Dolphins Mike McDaniel for example) and Belichick running the defence would make a formidable force to reckon with. No drafting or offensive responsibilities at all for Bill – just defence. His presence in this role would bring instant credibility to any organization and I honestly think this is the highest and best use of his skills and experience in the NFL. Wherever he lands later this year, I wish him all the best. Except against the Bills.

The stars aligned perfectly yesterday for the Bills in terms of preserving a shot at the division title but they didn’t get the help they needed to clinch a playoff spot just yet. The New York Times playoff chance simulator still gives them a 97% chance to make the playoffs going into week 18. A win over the Dolphins gets them the second seed in the AFC (which would mean a second home playoff game if they win their first one) but if they lose to the Dolphins, they will need help next week in the form of any one of (1) a Steelers loss, (2) a Jaguars loss or (3) a tie between the Texans and Colts.

The NFL released the times for the full slate of week 18 games last night and to no one’s surprise, the Bills v. Dolphins game will be final regular season game of the 2023 season – the Sunday Nighter on NBC. They will obviously know before kick-off whether or not any of these three results above became reality. It’s like the home team batting in the bottom of the ninth knowing exactly what they need to do. The NFL has enjoyed many individual game television ratings bonanzas this season and it seems reasonable to think that the game next Sunday night might generate the highest ratings of any regular season game in a long time. NBC and its sponsors must feel like they’ve hit the jackpot this time. I’ll start adjusting my sleep patterns mid-week for yet another late-night game. As Steve Tasker likes to say, late in the season, if you win a big game, it always leads to another even bigger game next week.