Experienced fans of the Buffalo Bills know better than to set expectations too high, too fast during any given season. The 2024 NFL season was presented as a probable “rebuilding year” after jettisoning star players like Stefon Diggs, Mitch Morse and Gabe Davis (questionable loss) on offense… also Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer and Tre White on defense.
It made sense to be careful and rein in the optimism when Buffalo roared out of the gate to advance to 3-0 after losing so many veteran leaders during the off season.
Fast forward a few weeks and once again our beloved Bills brought us full circle after dropping a turd in Baltimore against the Ravens and a heart breaker in Houston. If there wasn’t enough vertigo created by those two losses, Buffalo then went on to New Jersey and took it to Aaron Rodgers and the Jets with a big DUB… resulting in the firing of Robert Saleh and demotion of Nathaniel Hackett. Buffalo returned home to face the Titans and handily defeated them as well.
At this point, the scar encrusted soul in me started thinking about the situation the Bills find themselves in after sticking it to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at Lumen Field. Buffalo is now 6-2, leading the Dolphins, Jets and Patriots by four games in the AFC East division. Not sure many Bills fans had that on their radar eight games into the season. I know I didn’t.
The Dolphins are next up for their final meeting of the regular season against the Bills at Highmark Stadium on Sunday, November 3rd. Tua Tagovailoa is back on the field again, and at this point the players for Buffalo are hopefully just going to play their game as usual. It’s Tua’s decision to continue playing and many Bills fans believe their team should treat Tua no differently than they would any other QB in the NFL. Also, like many fans, I wish him well but would no longer harbor much sympathy for him should his decision to return result in further brain trauma. Especially since Tua has also decided to play without a ‘guardian cap’.
Moving on, Buffalo will travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts on November 10th, and then the big game before the BYE week will be against the Kansas City Chiefs on November 17th at Highmark Stadium. Many fossilized Bills fans like myself believe this might be the right sample size to infer what may lie ahead in terms of making the playoffs and beyond..
Another benefit of being an elderly Bills fan is that we know we have to conserve our mental energy for the long haul of an NFL season. So many factors can derail the best of teams, and we must be mindful of our aging brains and hearts. Lots of drama is not good for our health. It’s best to ride the wave instead of trying to demolish it. Looking for positive trends for the Buffalo Bills isn’t hard to do anyway.
Watching the Bills play without star MLB Terrel Bernard was inspiring because Baylon Spector did just enough to keep the Seahawks at bay. It’s especially fun to watch young players like Greg Rousseau and Keon Coleman come of age. Coleman is going to be a stud in the NFL.
Soooooo…. at this juncture in the season there are definitely valid reasons for optimism. However, this optimism will always carry a “*” for me until Buffalo wins an NFL Championship. That’s like the disclaimer placed after everything in print media these days. It’s understood there will always be a possibility for failure, no matter how trends suggest that it’s not likely to happen. Our brains have been rewired to anticipate failure no matter the odds if you’ve been a fan of the Bills and/or Sabres for any length of time.
Having stated all this, I now feel free to express the joyful feeling that the Bills might just have themselves a team THIS season. The season that was supposed to be a rebuilding season. Sitting at 6-2 with the Tua led 2-5 Miami Dolphins coming to town, there is even more reason for optimism. Stomp the Dollies and this likely means a fifth AFCE title for Buffalo.
What’s not to like about this?
A slogan I live by is to “expect the unexpected”. Bet I’m not alone in thinking the Bills might just have a team that can go the distance this year. Yet when that feeling comes along, there is a part of me that puts on the emotional brakes and reviews the stark reality of the Buffalo Bills past.
However, if I also try to remember past results have little bearing on future expectations ten or 20 years down the line, it is comforting. It also reminds me to take one game at a time and savor every moment, good or bad. We may be scarred for life as a fan base, but no fan base shows more gratitude in bad times as well as good than fans of the Buffalo Bills. LFG.
Editor’s babble: If you read this entire post and can tolerate more blabbing from my fruity view of life, you can also find me on Xwitter @RobynMundyWYO.
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