The Buffalo Bills have grown calloused hearts after decades of enduring pain. While most dysfunctional teams have inflicted pain on their fanbases with losing seasons, the Bills have taken a more unique angle to disappointing their fans. Instead of simply being a downtrodden franchise, Buffalo has taken a unique approach to ripping out their fanbase’s collective heart.

Buffalo has often approached the doorsteps of football glory, only to find themselves locked out. It began with the days of former Bills quarterback Jim Kelly, who led the team to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances but came away empty-handed each time. 

Kelly made the Pro Football Hall of Fame without ever winning a Lombardi Trophy. Now, Bills quarterback Josh Allen appears to be on a similar trajectory, and he’s started a four-game losing streak of his own in the playoffs. 

Buffalo’s season came to an abrupt end after suffering a 32-29 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. It marked the fourth straight playoff loss against Kansas City in the past five years. 

Josh Allen promises bright future for Bills, but Chiefs continue to loom

While speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Allen promised a brighter future to Bills fans, per Nick Veronica of News 4 Buffalo. 

“Bills Mafia is the best fanbase in the world,” Allen said. “Even through all the hurt and disappointment they’ve had to endure, really for the entirety of the existence of the Buffalo Bills. We’re going to continue to turn every stone over … to try to bring a Lombardi back here to Western New York.”

Allen played a stellar game from a statistical standpoint, but he deserves his fair share of blame for the loss — particularly on the team’s final offensive snap.

Facing a fourth-and-5, Buffalo brought out an 11-personnel package. They lined up in a four-by-one formation, with only running back Ty Johnson aligned in a tight split on the right. The Chiefs matched the personnel with a dime package and lined up their top cornerback Trent McDuffie across from Johnson, a clear indication that they would be playing zone coverage. The Chiefs also lined up defensive tackle Chris Jones on the left side of the offensive formation in hopes of shifting the pass protection toward him. It worked — while Buffalo’s offensive line slid left, Kansas City brought the pressure from the opposite side and got immediate pressure on Allen.

Perhaps a wiser pre-snap quarterback would have recognized Kansas City’s disguised blitz. The Bills had four eligible receivers on the left side of the formation, and Kansas City only had three defensive backs in coverage on that side of the field. That would be an obvious mismatch — unless Kansas City planned on dropping someone back from that side of the defensive front into coverage. That should have indicated that the pressure would come from the opposite side. HTX

Ultimately, that’s what happened. Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna dropped into coverage on the strong side of the formation to assist with the four eligible receivers, and coverage rolled to fill in for the weak-side blitz, where only Johnson was lined up. 

Allen either wasn’t expecting a blitz at all or he was expecting the pressure to come from his blindside. These are the chess matches that Allen and Co. will need to win if they hope to advance past the Chiefs in the biggest games. Until then, the Bills will wallow in defeat.