It wasn't meant to be. That's how Buffalo Bills fans are feeling after the team came up short against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game and had to watch the Chiefs celebrate yet another trip to the Super Bowl while Josh Allen and company have to begin their offseason earlier than they hoped.
The Bills needed a near-perfect game in order to beat the Chiefs in their house and it felt as though they did just that. They didn't turn the ball over (well, except for on downs in the fourth quarter on a questionable call) and the offense scored four touchdowns. It still wasn't enough.
David Helman had a brutal stat on X that will have Bills fans close to tears. Helman noted that "NFL teams that have scored 4 touchdowns and committed 0 turnovers in a playoff game are 85-6." You can probably see where this is going, huh? Helman finished that tweet with, "The Bills' last two playoff losses at Arrowhead are 2 of the 6. Just brutal."
Bills couldn't beat the Chiefs despite doing everything right
This wasn't like the loss the Bills suffered to K.C. in the 2021 AFC Championship Game. Clearly the Chiefs were the better team in that one. This game, however, it really felt like the Bills finally had what it took to get over the hump that is the Chiefs in the playoffs. Alas, it was the same result that it's been in the previous few seasons: Kansas City taking down Buffalo and leaving Bills fans heartbroken.
Not only did the Bills not turn the ball over, but the Chiefs lost a fumble in the first half that led to a Buffalo touchdown. It felt like the team that protected the ball better would go on to win this game but that's not what happened. The Bills scored four touchdowns but it didn't matter because the Chiefs also scored four touchdowns and knew how to win a tight game when it mattered most.
Say what you want about controversial calls and the refs "helping the Chiefs", but the Bills had chances to win this game and couldn't get it done. The final two play calls with the game on the line were puzzling to say the least and ultimately cost Buffalo a trip to the Super Bowl.
Hopefully next year is different for the Bills but it's hard not to be frustrated when the team played what felt like a near-perfect game and still couldn't make it count.