Are Bills Mafia confident in the team’s direction, circling the wagon encouraging its horses toward an AFC East crown?
Are you confident the Buffalo Bills are headed in the right direction, and do you believe the Bills will win the AFC East?
Well, we’re about to find out just how confident Buffalo Rumblings respondents were following the team’s thrilling Week 14 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
In a game everyone knew Buffalo needed to remain relevant and dangerous in a very crowded AFC playoff race, the Bills delivered in a big way. Though the final score doesn’t indicate an explosive performance, Buffalo’s offense looked as dominant as ever in building a 14-point lead early while the Chiefs were flustered often throughout the first half. While the too-familiar mid-game trend of “letting off the gas” emerged, leaving quarterback Josh Allen and the offense to scramble for go-ahead points late before turning things over to a patchwork defense — the outcome was anything but typical. Finally, the Bills made a game-deciding stop, preventing the Chiefs from gaining 15 yards in the three downs that followed a disastrous penalty by wide receiver Kadarius Toney.
Make no mistake, because yes — luck and opportunity played a role in the Buffalo Bills improving to 7-6. Any fan with enough seasons under their belt understands that luck is required to find success in the NFL. The Bills, too often recently, had found themselves on the wrong side of chance. So, it’s natural to think that Bills Mafia were going to revel in finally landing on the right side of it. But what does that mean for fan confidence in a team that’s just north of .500, mired in a scrum of 7-6 playoff hopefuls?
Well, it means that hope springs eternal, even deep into a frustrating season. Try as the world might, these Buffalo Bills aren’t willing to pack it in. Josh Allen isn’t one to close windows in adverse conditions, and the fans respond in kind.
Head coach Sean McDermott has now built a 7-0 record following bye weeks, and his latest victory in that realm has allowed renewed faith in a meaningful run at the postseason, especially considering how things played out in the rest of the AFC in Week 14.
Heading into this weekend’s huge showdown at home against the Dallas Cowboys, 78% of voters in our poll are confident in the direction of the Buffalo Bills.
We also wanted to know what Bills Mafia thinks about Buffalo’s chances at winning the AFC East. Following the Miami Dolphins’ meltdown loss against the Tennessee Titans — the one where they surrendered a lead, giving up 13 points with less than three minutes to go in their game — the door suddenly feels to have swung back open for the Bills.
Yes, there’s still a two-game lead by Miami for Buffalo to contend with, and only four regular-season games left to play. The Bills simply need to focus one week at a time and take care of their own business.
Do that, and it’s quite possible that Week 18 becomes an end-of-season South Beach showdown for the division crown. Bills fans are counting on it now, and 62% of voters think Buffalo will win the AFC East on the road.
Perhaps it was better-asked whether the Bills will win the AFC East, rather than if they can win their division. That said, I’m not certain the results would look much different if at all. It’s wagon-circling season, Bills Mafia!
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