ORCHARD PARK (WBEN) - "How do you go to sleep after a win like that?" said BillsMafia Co-Founder and 26 Shirts Founder Del Reid, following the Bills' 26-15 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night. "Oh my gosh, I just was laying in bed refreshing Twitter over and over again looking at highlights and comments people were making, postgame interviews - what a rush!"
If the Bills pull out a win over the Denver Broncos this coming Saturday, they will accomplish something that an entire generation of Bills fans have yet to see - an AFC East Division title.
"It's crazy - I've waited all my life for the Bills to play a real meaningful game in December and later in the season," said 25-year-old Bills fan Nick Bittner. "Obviously, it's happened a couple of times with the playoffs before, but this is the first time it almost feels real and sustainable, and they actually seem to have a Super Bowl shot here."
To put in perspective just how long it's been since the Bills won the AFC East, the Indianapolis Colts, a team that now plays in the AFC South and has played in that division since 2002, has a more recent AFC East Division title than the Bills.
Perhaps even more important than the historic ramifications of the Bills taking the division crown, what the organization's success means for the residents of Western New York and BillsMafia, simply giving everyone the chance to look forward to something every single week amid the difficult times the pandemic has wrought.
"In some ways a lot of people have complained about this being the year the Bills are good, when we can't go, but this year kind of sucks, so what a great bright spot to have," said Reid.
"If the Bills can unite this community and kind of drag it through the tough times, that would just be incredible," added Bittner.
Reid is old enough to remember the great Bills teams of the early 90's, a team Bittner wasn't alive to see, but Bittner says to experience the team he loves finally having this amount of success almost makes up for the years of heartache.
"It almost makes it that much sweeter now," he said.
"One thing I've always told my kids for years when they would say, 'Why do you cheer for this team when all they do is make you cry?'" said Reid. "I'd always say, 'When they're good, they're so good, and the city comes alive.'"
