Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN) - For a moment in the fourth quarter, facing a 28-18 deficit against the Cincinnati Bengals at Highmark Stadium, it appeared the Buffalo Bills just didn't have it in them to come up with a way to stop Joe Burrow and take a lead.
Then following a Josh Allen touchdown run, the defense made two of the biggest plays of the season, starting with a Christian Benford pick-six to give Buffalo a 32-28 lead. Then the Bills got another interception from A.J. Epenesa, which put Buffalo in great position to score another touchdown to go up 39-28 with 3:16 remaining in the game.
Despite a late Bengals touchdown to close the gap with just over two minutes remaining in regulation, a big third-down conversion from Allen on his feet capped a massive 39-34 win to put Buffalo at 9-4 and still in great position for a playoff spot in the AFC.
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Despite the defense struggling, at times, to contain the Bengals' offensive attack, Bills fans were thankful for the two big plays to help swing the tide in a victory.
"The two turnovers, we really strung it together at the end. It was a tale of two halves, but we put it together and we're moving on," said Tom from Allegany in an interview with WBEN. "We're building our playoff chances here. Hoping for a home game here."
"I'd like to see the defense step up a little bit more, but we always pull it out in the second half," said Courtney from Rochester with WBEN. "I think they're messing with us. But I think we've got the defense. I just feel like it needs to happen in the first quarter, second quarter versus the 11th hour."
Meanwhile, Ramon from Dallas, Texas would like to see a bit more consistency from the defense heading into the final stretch of the season.
"Sometimes we stop the run, sometimes we stop the pass. This time, we stopped the run and we were not stopping the past. We need to be more consistent and more even," Ramon said with WBEN. "We cannot just focus on one and leave the other one alone."
In a matchup between two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, it was the reigning MVP Josh Allen finally getting the best of Burrow in his third try in the regular season and playoffs. Allen finished his day going 22-of-28 for 251 yards and three touchdowns in the air, while adding 78 yards on nine carries and another rushing touchdown.
"He's the MVP. He's the king of Buffalo," Courtney said. "I think he does more than his share, and I mean that in a way that he's working and doing his job, but at the same time, he's that support from the defense and the offensive line as well to be able to pull it through. But you know what, he always pulls it through when it comes down to it."
"Josh is Josh, and he's awesome," Ramon added. "The best quarterback, the best player in the league. We just cannot depend on him all the time. It's not fair to put the weight of the entire season on his back. But once again, he came through."
Up next for the Bills is a pivotal AFC East matchup with the New England Patriots next Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
The Patriots will enter the game coming off their bye week with an 11-2 record, and possibly a chance to win the AFC East with a win over the Bills on home field. Earlier this season in Orchard Park, the Patriots managed to stun the Bills on "Sunday Night Football", handing Buffalo its first loss of the 2025 season.
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Buffalo's rivalry with the Patriots still lives strong within "Bills Mafia", especially now that New England is back atop the division. What will be key to beating the Patriots next week, thus keeping Buffalo's chances at the division alive?
"Got to go in there and play smart ball. That's really all, a team effort," said Drew from Perrysburg in an interview with WBEN. "Both [defense], both [offense], go get it."
"We need to be aggressive," Ramon added. "They came here and they beat us. That was not a pretty game. So the defense needs to be on [Drake] Maye's back, we need a couple of sacks, couple turnovers. The offense [needs to be] consistent and let [James] Cook cook."
Despite the Bills' chances to win the AFC East sitting at just 6%, according to the New York Times' Playoff Machine, fans are still holding out hope that Buffalo can chip away and make it an interesting run in the final four games of the regular season.
"I think you've always got to shoot for the division, 100%. If it's within our reach, we have to go for it," Tom said.
"We need to win every game. Unfortunately, we're going to need some help if we're going to get the division. Even if we win every game, the Patriots still need to lose one more game. So it's out of our hands," Ramon added. "Let's focus on our game, win every game and be in the playoffs."
As for other fans like Courtney, it's all about the ultimate goal of finding a way to get to the Super Bowl.
"I do think if you look across the board between conferences, there's a lot of big players that have fallen. I think we just need Buffalo to pull it together consistently to not only make the playoffs, be the AFC champions again, but head to the Super Bowl," she said.