Music N' Other Drugs

“Ooh, woe is me, I feel so badly for you
Ooh, woe is me, I feel so sadly for you
In time bound to lose your mind
Live on borrowed time
Take the wind right out of your sail“

Aerosmith – “Seasons of Wither” (1974)

“Mr. Brightside” by The Killers became an anthem of sorts for the 2024 Buffalo Bills, but, as it turns out, destiny was not calling. Sean McDermott’s squad suffered yet another heartbreaking playoff loss at the hands of Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and the Kansas City Chiefs despite so many fans convincing themselves that this year was going to be different.

In reality, many of the names changed, but the end result remained the same.

Like Anton Chigurh in Cormac McCarthy’s “No Country for Old Men,” the Chiefs were inevitable.

Now that we’ve had ample time to divest ourselves of the emotional baggage attached to this latest loss, perhaps we can look past the obvious officiating gaffes and focus on the internal reasons why they didn’t hoist their first Lamar Hunt Trophy since 1994.

Maybe we can ask why all of the resources poured into the defense since 2017 don’t make a difference when a critical stop needs to be made. Maybe we can consider the possibility that the “Everybody Eats” mantra can only take you so far before the lack of consistent separation becomes a problem against defensive swamis like Steve Spagnuolo. And, maybe, just maybe, we can collectively elevate our standard beyond just being grateful that the 17-year playoff drought ended back in 2017.

I’ve been labelled “The Most Negative Bills Fan Ever” by someone I’ve known my entire life and had my fandom called into question multiple times, but the truth is that I want them to win as badly as every other member of Bills Mafia does.

I remember being an irate 10-year-old upon learning that Jimmy Johnson stomped on a box of Flutie Flakes following the 1998 AFC Wild Card. I remember throwing the remote control when Chad Morton scored on a kickoff return to give the Jets a win in the 2002 opener. I remember buying into Chan Gailey after a 5-1 start in 2011 only to see him finish 1-9 down the stretch. Hell, I was even in the front row for J.P. Losman’s first open practice as he tried to convince us that he was going to be the future.

I suffered right along with the rest of you during the darkest days, but the drafting of Josh Allen in 2018 changed everything. Of the 19 different quarterbacks to start a game between the time that Jim Kelly retired and Allen’s streak of 117 consecutive starts began, a past-his-prime Drew Bledsoe was the only one for whom making the playoffs felt legitimately possible before Willie Parker made other plans. Allen’s transformation from a boom-or-bust prospect into a franchise quarterback altered my expectations for what this team could and should achieve.

That’s why I get so frustrated when I see them wasting his prime years. While it’s unfortunate that Mahomes has taken Tom Brady’s place as the AFC’s immovable object, the best teams find a way to overcome, and the Bills just haven’t done that yet.

Then again, Andy Reid struggled to get over the hump in Philadelphia before Terrell Owens arrived, so perhaps McDermott can also get there without making too many changes.

But, as Steven Tyler said, we’re all living on borrowed time, and the Bills have a way taking the wind out of our sails quite often these days.

I don’t like suggesting that “Seasons of Wither” should usurp “Mr. Brightside” as the anthem for me going forward, but that’s the thing about these postseason battles with Patrick Mahomes.

I just can’t look, it’s killing me.