It hurts to tell the same story seemingly every year, but once again the Buffalo Bills appear to have started out the season strong only to fizzle away just like they always do.
They started out 4-0 for the first time since 2008 and quarterback Josh Allen looked to have a real shot at MVP. Flash forward to now where Buffalo has gotten blown out by the Tennessee Titans and almost lost to the New York Jets who are the proverbial kings of not knowing how to play football, so the question on everyone’s mind is: what is happening?
The answer can be chalked up to a number of NFL cliches such as the fact that the Bills played teams that had relatively mediocre rosters including the Miami Dolphins and the Jets who have been perennial bottom feeders for years now. Another cliché is that many teams start off strong only to be adjusted to by the rest of the league as the season goes along.
This year felt like it might be for real though, and in spite of the fact that those cliches sound accurate, one can’t help but feel as if the Bills have been targeted by some higher power to tantalize their fans by any means possible.
Ever since former quarterback Jim Kelly retired, Bills’ fans have been on the lookout for their next franchise signal-caller and with this anticipation came the much-maligned names of what have become Buffalo icons in terms of their awfulness, as they have been blessed with players like quarterbacks Trent Edwards and J.P. Losman who seemed to enjoy throwing the ball to the other team.
The train doesn’t stop there, though, as the Bills allowed quarterback Nathan Peterman to take the helm of their offense in 2017 and had to watch in horror as he threw five interceptions in one half versus the Los Angeles Chargers in a matchup that year. Overall, Peterman has produced the lowest quarterback rating of any player in the last 40 years with a 32.5. He could’ve thrown the ball at the ground on every play and had a higher passer rating.
Yes, the Bills have had several injuries this year, with key players like wide receiver John Brown and linebacker Matt Milano missing several games, and yes, Allen’s hot start might just be lucky as he has never been able to play up to such a high standard in his career.
A final excuse, yes, is that the Titans did have two weeks and surprisingly soft treatment from the NFL in the midst of their COVID-19 crisis to help them with their gashing of the Bills in week five, but ask any Bills fan and they’ll say there is just something off in terms of the Bills’ luck.
The Bills haven’t found their franchise guy yet, even though Allen still has a good chance to be their guy, and they still have not won a playoff game in 25 years in spite of what have been some well-coached and talented teams over the years, especially in the last three years with head coach Sean McDermott.
The Bills are legitimately cursed. Sure, they aren’t on the same level as the Bambino-cursed Boston Red Sox who spent 86 years without a title, but it takes a serious lack of luck to lose four straight super bowls and to spend close to 20 years without even a sniff of good quarterback play.
At this point, it’s finally okay to say it—there’s something in the water in Lake Erie, and it’s not just all the pollution from the iron plants. One only hopes that the table-smashing and beer-crazed Bills’ fans can finally get to see their team win a playoff game, let alone a Superbowl ring.