The Buffalo Bills haven't won consecutive AFC East crowns in three decades, and it appears the long-chronicled drought isn't coming to an end this winter. Time for the team and league to recalibrate expectations.
In need of an uplifting win, the Bills fell short for yet another week on Sunday, this time losing to the reigning champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 33-27, in an overtime thriller at Raymond James Stadium. Buffalo, which entered this year as a legitimate Super Bowl contender, is now 7-6 overall and surprisingly two games back of first place in the AFC East with four left to play.
"It just seems like we're reaching for a lot of reasons to contextualize the two-month malaise. Maybe the real answer is that, they're just not as good as we thought they'd be," Brandon Tierney said during the Tiki and Tierney show on Monday. "I jumped off the Bills bandwagon a while ago. That's not saying they can't win a wild card, can't make the playoffs. But in terms of the AFC's upper-structure, I had designs on them being in the mix for a Super Bowl."
The Bills dug themselves into a deep first-half hole, and trailed by a whopping 21 points at the halfway mark due to poor red zone defense and an ineffective offensive attack. But both units managed to turn on the switch in the second half, scoring 24 points and 17 unanswered to force overtime. The momentum didn't carry over into the extra period, however, as Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady connected with receiver Breshad Perriman for a 58-yard, walk-off touchdown with 5:31 remaining. It was Brady's 700th career touchdown pass.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen shrugged off a sluggish start and finished strong, throwing for 306 yards with two touchdowns and a pick. He also rushed for a season-high 109 yards and a score, and became the fourth player in history to record 300-plus passing yards and 100-plus rushing yards in a single game. Unfortunately, Allen was seen wearing a walking boot after the game, and he's listed as day-to-day with a left foot sprain. Allen hasn't missed a game since his rookie campaign, in 2018.
Buffalo will look to snap its two-game losing skid in a Week 15 home matchup against the Carolina Panthers (5-8) on Sunday. According to FiveThirtyEight, the Bills currently have a 67-percent chance to reach the AFC playoffs and a 20-percent chance to win the division.
Tiki and Tierney's complete thoughts on the Bills can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Tiki and Tierney Show on Twitter @TikiAndTierney and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.