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The postseason is finally here, which, for fans of the Buffalo Bills, feels like ages in the making. Every ounce of belief Bills Mafia has in this team rides on their playoff journey. No pressure, right? Through 18 weeks of polls, we’ve asked Rumblers and Bills fans alike to weigh
in with their confidence, whether full of it or lacking until elimination season starts.
If you needed a second reminder, here: It’s officially elimination season. With that, Buffalo’s looking to be the last team standing early in February. For the purposes of our poll here, we’re still perhaps at a bit of a disadvantage in tabulating data. I say that simply because playoff football hasn’t actually started yet, and all there is to reflect on are the 17 regular-season games. In those prior polls, a fairly consistent sub-50% of voters were compelled to state confidence in this season’s club.
Saying that, I don’t expect a huge swing in results simply because we haven’t seen how the Bills play in this season’s postseason. Even then, there may really be no major swing until Buffalo’s season ends, or at the point if and when they finally get over the AFC Championship Game hurdle.
It all starts on Sunday, where Buffalo must play efficient, complementary (read: turnover free) football against a Jacksonville Jaguars team that enjoys taking the football away. The Bills must put up points on offense each and every time they have the ball, ideally touchdowns. Should they find their way to a mid-game slump on either end of the half, it could prove too much for them to dig out of against a Jaguars team that also enjoys scoring points.
Buffalo has never defeated Jacksonville in the playoffs, though there’s just two games of history on that front. The first time they faced off was at the tail end of the Super Bowl greats careers, while the last time they met it was a plucky and under-powered Bills team just happy to have ended a 17-year playoff drought.
This Sunday, the Jaguars will have to contend with quarterback Josh Allen and running back James Cook III. Is that enough to finally get the Bills a playoff win over the Jaguars?
With that, I turn things over to you and ask once more: Are you confident in the current direction of the Buffalo Bills?
