Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - Long after Sunday's game was over and their 2023 season had come to an end, I was still sitting in my basement in complete silence.
I was having a very hard time coming to grips with the defeat. Another disappointing loss in the postseason to the Kansas City Chiefs, the third in the last four seasons.
It wasn't supposed to happen.
The Buffalo Bills finally had the Chiefs coming to Highmark Stadium for a playoff game. Patrick Mahomes, in his 16th playoff start, finally had to play a true road game.
Forget about losing in the AFC Championship Game in 2020. Forget about the 13 Seconds game in 2021 (as if we ever would be able to). The Bills were going to knock off their playoff nemesis this time around in 2023.
Even with all of the injuries on the defensive side of the ball, I was thoroughly convinced Josh Allen and the offense would carry the Bills to a victory, and move to within one win of the Bills' first Super Bowl berth since the 1993 season.
For the first three quarters, that is exactly what Allen and company were doing.
The Bills had the ball three times in that last quarter and were shutout. They produced just 59 yards and four first downs.
There was a three-and-out that preceded a failed fake punt call by the Bills. The second drive was another three-and-out that featured a bomb to Trent Sherfield on third down. He made a terrific diving catch, but when Sherfield hit the ground, the ball came loose.
Buffalo's final possession had some big "what ifs?".
On the very first play, Allen unloaded a bomb for Stefon Diggs, who was inside the Chiefs' 25-yard line. It was a tough catch, but a makeable one for a talented receiver like Diggs. However, the ball went right through his hands.
Later on the drive, on second down from the Chiefs' 26-yard line, Allen had Diggs wide-open over the middle on a short crossing route that would have produced yards after the catch. However, the Bills quarterback saw Khalil Shakir open in the end zone and went for six.
I can't fault Allen for making, what he thought would be, a go-ahead touchdown pass. However, Allen was hit by Chris Jones on the throw and it fell way short of Shakir for an incompletion.
If either of those plays hit, we may be talking about a different outcome for the game. Neither did, and the Bills' season essentially came to an end when Tyler Bass was wide-right on a 44-yard field goal attempt.
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The Bills' passing game was kept in check all night by both the Chiefs and Buffalo's decision to go run-heavy with their game plan. My guess is some of that had to do with holding on to the ball as much as possible, thereby limiting the number of possessions for Mahomes against a depleted Bills defense.
It made sense since, as it turned out, the defense literally couldn't stop the Chiefs over the first three quarters.
Kansas City's first six drives produced three touchdowns and two field goals. The one series that was a "stop" was a one play, then kneel down right before halftime.
To the credit of the Bills defense, they came up with huge stops in the fourth quarter, including safety Jordan Poyer forcing a Mecole Hardman fumble through the end zone for a touchback.
However, the Bills offense went stone cold in the final 15 minutes of action.
The passing game totaled just 186 yards on the night. The Bills didn't have a single pass play longer than 15 yards.
Diggs' numbers would have looked better had he caught that deep ball, but he was pretty much taken out of the game by Kansas City. The veteran wideout had just three catches on eight targets for a total of 21 yards.
Bills wide receivers, playing without the injured Gabe Davis, combined for 21 targets, 12 catches and a grand total of 75 yards. They did get a touchdown catch from Shakir in the third quarter.
Now we are all left with that same empty feeling after a season comes to an end prematurely.
For the last four seasons, the Bills have been legitimate Super Bowl contenders, but for the third-straight year, they were unable to get past the AFC Divisional Round.
It feels like the pain of defeat gets more intense with each passing year, and the recovery is harder-and-harder.
