In perception and perhaps in their own minds, the Bills have been pacing for a year, scrolling mindlessly on their phones and checking the time even when they knew what time it was. They have been waiting for another shot at a team that is their equal—for the highest stakes. That chance, finally, is coming. We are about to find out whether these Bills are who they think they are.
The Bills’ wild-card playoff win, 34–31 over the Dolphins, just proved they are good enough to beat almost everyone when they play poorly. That’s a backhanded compliment, but, hey, it’s still a compliment! How comforting it must be to win with a mediocre performance. Texans fans are jealous.
The Bills will need to play better than this. Surely they know it. They need quarterback Josh Allen to play like the closest thing to Patrick Mahomes’s equal, as he did in last year’s playoffs, instead of reverting to his old careless habits, as he has too much this season. Against the Dolphins, Allen threw two interceptions and had a fumble returned for a touchdown. On the Bills’ second drive of the second half, Allen had Gabe Davis open downfield and Khalil Shakir even more open in the flat. He opted for Shakir, missed him badly and the Bills had to punt.
