Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN) - The 2023 season for the Buffalo Bills came to an untimely end on Sunday night following a 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.
Outside of losing in the playoffs to the Chiefs for a third-straight chance, what stings from this loss for many was the way Buffalo was eliminated from the playoffs in front of loud and raucous crowd.
With 1:47 remaining on the clock and needing a field goal to tie the game and potentially send the AFC Divisional Round to overtime, Tyler Bass' 44-yard field goal attempt ended up sailing no good, missing wide to the right.
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"We've got to find a way to score one more point than they do. Every season if you don't win, it's a failed season. That's the nature of the business," said quarterback Josh Allen following the loss. "There's one happy team at the end of the season. When it's not you and you're so close, it just sucks."
For Bills head coach Sean McDermott, he says it was disappointing for the season to end the way it did, especially given the time his team put in to prepare for Sunday's do-or-die game.
"To come out and not perform the way I'd hope we would have, it's extremely disappointing and frustrating," said McDermott on Sunday after the loss. "This is the type of situation in our business where you've got to spend the whole offseason thinking about it. But it drives you harder - if that's even possible to drive someone harder - to come back next season and continue to work at it."
For many Bills fans, Sunday's loss is another game to add to the list of heartbreaking losses in franchise history.
"I would love to end the season with a win one of these days. I was thinking it was gonna be this season, and unfortunately it wasn't," said Bills fan Mark Grimmer from Lockport.
The missed kick by Bass to end the game was especially heartbreaking for fans like Samantha Weiss from Massachusetts, who says that moment will stick with not just her, but also her father in attendance for the game.
"It was a close game, and I'm appreciative of that. I wish we were obviously on the winning end of it. That missed field goal was killer, and I'm still stuck on that," said Weiss following the loss.
While the Bills' season came to an end the way it did on Sunday, there was still a silver lining for some fans with the way the team had performed, especially at the end of the year to come back and win the AFC East.
"We were 6-6, and everyone counted us out. We made the playoffs, we won a playoff game," Weiss said. "I will say, though, I'm nervous about the players we'll lose. Will we have Hyde? Will we have Poyer? Will we have Diggs? This is a team that I love, I love the players, so I'm a little nervous about who might lose. We made it farther than I think a lot of people thought we would, but, God, I love this team, all the players, I'm gonna be sad if we lose some of them."
However, not every Bills fan was on board with the sentiment of winning the division, even after being thought as out of the playoff conversation at the Week 13 bye.
"That was awesome, but it's like kissing your sister. I want the big prize," Grimmer said. "That's what the Bills are here for, and that's what we're here for. I think this community deserves it, and we're ready for it. I don't know what's gotta happen for that to happen, but we're ready for it to happen."
So how do Bills fans feel about the future of this team? How do they feel they can get over the hump come next season and reach the ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl?
Grimmer feels it's about trying to keep the ship steered in the right direction.
'I think they're heading in a good direction, and I think we have good leadership. We have an awesome quarterback, we have a great staff, and I think we've got to just steer the ship and keep it right, and just move forward and try to put this behind us somehow," Grimmer said.
As for Weiss, she feels any changes don't need to come with any of the coaching staff in Buffalo.
"Here's the thing, though: Our defense was banged up, we had a lot of key players that were out," Weiss said. "I think we were all crossing our fingers that our backups would play well, and I think they did, but we were banged up going into this game. I think it would have been a miracle if we won. I'm feeling hopeful. I'm feeling sad, but hopeful."
The Bills will now have their locker room cleanout day on Monday, and then get ready for an offseason of preparation for the 2024 campaign.
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