The Buffalo Bills are catching the heat from both sides of the Super Bowl LX matchup between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.
It goes without saying that watching the Patriots make it back to the Super Bowl in the post-Tom Brady era before Josh Allen and the Bills could reach the Big Game is torturous on its own.
But Seahawks QB Sam Darnold, who was in the same draft class as Allen, is also set to play in his first Super Bowl as a starter. Of course, it’s not his first Super Bowl appearance, as he was quick to remind a reporter who asked for his thoughts on reaching the pinnacle of the sport before the MVP-winning quarterbacks of his class.
""I actually made it in 2023 as well when I was in San Francisco.""Seahawks QB Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold's Seahawks Super Bowl run adds pressure to Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen timeline
Darnold didn’t play in the 49ers’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, of course. But for the quarterback who seemed to be closer to the Josh Rosen end of the 2018 quarterback class spectrum earlier in his career, it’s a whale of a comeback for him to reach his second Super Bowl, this time as a starter, before the likes of Allen, Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield have even played in their first.
“No, it’s unbelievable. Obviously, those are great players, but, you know, it’s moreso the team. It’s the hard work that we’ve put in throughout this season,” Darnold said on Monday.
While Darnold was merely clarifying with a grin, the fact of the situation doesn’t make the realities of Super Bowl XL hurt any less.
The Bills beat the Patriots the last time they shared a field. Patriots supporters were worried about a potential third matchup in the postseason. Plus, without Bo Nix in the AFC Championship, and a snowstorm to wipe out any offensive production in the fourth quarter of that game, it felt like New England got a free ticket to the game that Buffalo feels they were made for.
But instead, Bills Mafia is recovering from a chaotic first week of the offseason, hoping that Terry Pegula, Brandon Beane and Allen settle on the right head coach to replace Sean McDermott, and get this team over the hump and in a Super Bowl themselves sooner rather than later. (Editor's note: The Bills hired Joe Brady as head coach shortly before this article was set to publish.)
In the meantime, Bills Mafia will no doubt be pulling for Darnold and the Seahawks to stop the Patriots from setting a new NFL record for most Lombardi Trophies in the cabinet. But if Darnold can pull it off, it isn’t going to sting any less to know that the former No. 3 overall pick of the New York Jets got his ring before Allen.