Buffering Bills

By Peyton Schultze

Led by a second year leap from quarterback Josh Allen, the Buffalo Bills have jumped out to an 8-3 record as the fifth seed in the AFC (via Flipboard).

The date is November 26th and a team from New York currently stands in the playoff picture of their respective sport. No, it is definitely not the lowlife Giants or typically dysfunctional Jets (and it certainly isn’t the atrocity known as the Knicks in the NBA), but instead a team from the cold depths of upstate New York. That’s right, the Buffalo Bills currently have eight wins and stand as the fifth seed in the AFC at the Thanksgiving mark. With sudden hope on the horizon for one of the league’s most dedicated fan bases, the door is finally open for a return to relevancy for the Bills as they look to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1994.

Sure, they’ve only beaten one team with a record over .500, but the Bills have easily handled of all the teams they were expected to beat. From the Dolphins to the Jets, and from the Bengals to the Broncos, the Bills have been able to go in and take care of business with very little extracurricular activity on a week-to-week basis all season long. This especially means a lot in the AFC playoff picture as it stands, where playoff hungry teams like the Steelers, Raiders, Jets, Titans, and Browns are waiting from one little slip-up from the Bills. Nevertheless, this is a tough football team that grits and grinds out tough games, which is a pure signal of great preparation from head coach Sean McDermott. Now, as they prepare to enter the national primetime stage of Thanksgiving football against America’s Team, the Bills have the opportunity to prove themselves as a legitimate force in the league. With a potentially impressive win over the Cowboys on Thursday, the Bills could finally start to make some noise and become the talk of the league for the first time in years.

And as one man once said, nobody circles the wagons quite like the Buffalo Bills.

Despite a limited cast on offense, the Bills have been able to find success when targeting little known players such as John Brown and Cole Beasley (via Lancaster Online).

Since being hired in January of 2017, Coach McDermott has preached focus and discipline in all of his players on his way to a solid 23-21 overall record as head coach of Buffalo (including playoffs). Hence, it is no surprise that the Bills have found tons of success on both sides of the ball all season long with their hard-nosed style of play, which translates extremely well in the cold depths of New Era Field as winter comes right around the corner. This style of play has been perfectly on-brand for what the organization represents: toughness and a will to overcome the odds. Whether it’s their constant uphill climb to be recognized as New York’s best football team or the tough personal battles that their former players have had to deal with such as Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, the Bills truly represent hard work and the fight to never give up in the sport despite how low things may seem.

This also directly applies to their 2019 season. After all, the Bills are 8-3 and stand at second in the AFC East behind the New England Patriots. Yet many people still forget that this squad has a real chance of taking place in the AFC’s Wild Card Weekend in January, even though they stand alone as the AFC’s top wild card team. Despite a solid collection of players, the Bills may not have a single dynamic player that can take over a game like the Ravens or Chiefs. They also may not have the true playoff experience like the Patriots. And they certainly do not have the pure roster talent of teams such as the Texans and Steelers. But that must be alright with them. Instead, this may be the NFL’s toughest and most physical team, which has inspired Bills Mafia to think that this team has the makings of a sleeper team come playoff-time.

Josh Allen isn’t one of the best quarterbacks in the league yet, but he has shown real improvement in Year 2 to inspire Bills’ fans that he is the quarterback of the future in upstate New York (via Twitter @BuffRamblings).

On offense, the Bills have truly started to turn the corner on their prior misfortunes. Led by solid play without a surplus of turnovers from young quarterback Josh Allen, the Bills’ offense has improved off their poor play from a season ago. Compared to the inaccurate and wild quarterback he was during his rookie season, Allen has played much more comfortable and confident in his second season. With solid receivers such as Cole Beasley and John Brown healthy and now at his disposal, look for Allen to make some big-time plays with his arm, and with his legs, as the season winds down. In addition, a strong running game led by spry back Devin Singletary and future Hall of Famer Frank Gore has Buffalo ranking as the fifth best rushing attack in football with 139.2 yards per game. If the Bills can continue to limit their turnover total and establish the run behind a very solid and physical offense line, the Bills can play off their awesome defense and surprise some teams around the league. With that being said, the Bills’ offense will need to play their best football of the season against a brutal upcoming slate of games, which could make or break their season.

Meanwhile on defense, the Bills have formed one of the NFL’s most ferocious units that has shut down opposing offenses all season long. Although the Bills have had some ongoing struggles during the season against the run (they dominated the Broncos’ solid running in their last appearance, however), the Buffalo defense ranks 3rd in the league in total defensive yardage and in pass defense, including only allowing 288.6 yards per game overall. This exceptional play has also helped them reach near the top of the league in sacks (7th with 33.0) and scoring defense (3rd with 15.7 PPG), which has caused chaos for nearly all of their offensive opponents. What is even more shocking about the success of their defense is where the production is coming from. With Pro Bowl caliber years from players such as cornerback Tre’Davious White and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, the Bills have been able to find two superstar gems who rank among the best at their respective positions. If Buffalo can continue to rank among the league’s best defenses for the rest of the season, this squad certainly has the potential to finish the season above 10 wins and as the top Wild Card in the AFC.

There’s a long time until playoff time comes around, but the Bills have a chance to establish themselves as a threat in the AFC with a win over the Cowboys on Thanksgiving (via Twitter @BuffaloSabres).

Way back in late January of 1993 and 1994, the Cowboys and Bills squared off in two straight high-profile Super Bowls. With the Bills coming off back-to-back Super Bowl losses against the Redskins and Giants, there was an intense desperation for Buffalo to finally get over the hump and secure a world championship for the franchise. However, the hurdle in front of them was none than Dallas, led by superstar talents such as Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Darren Woodson, and Charles Haley. Could the Bills, led by studs players of their own such as Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, and Bruce Smith, sneak by the loaded Cowboys, or would Buffalo fall once at the hands of a superior opponent?

The truth is, the Bills would indeed lose both of those Super Bowls. And not only would they just lose those Super Bowls. The Cowboys would go on to outscore the Bills 82-30 combined between both matchups, securing the Cowboys’ third and fourth title in franchise history. Yet, as always within their franchise’s history, the Bills were forced to move on and fight back. Although they haven’t advanced to a Super Bowl since, the Bills were able to push through from those four straight Super Bowl losses, continuing to make the playoffs for the rest of the decade before somewhat of a drastic drop-off throughout the 2000’s.

Now, in celebration of the NFL’s 100th season, those two teams face off on Thanksgiving afternoon in a matchup of former Super Bowl foes. Despite the popular notion, this is by no means a revenge game for something that occurred more than 25 years ago. Instead, this is a game that could really show just how great the 2019 Buffalo Bills can be. With the Cowboys struggling to beat any above average teams and with the Bills being given an opportunity to possibly beat one of the best teams on their schedule on a national television stage, this is the type of atmosphere that can change the course of a team’s season with a victory. Under the bright lights of Jerry World in Dallas, the Bills have a chance to be the brightest star on the field on Thursday with a motivated performance.

Gather your families, cook some turkey, and circle the wagons. It’s time for Bills versus Cowboys on Thanksgiving afternoon.