The Buffalo Bills traded Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans on April 3rd. Fan reaction has not been the greatest, to say the least, after an offseason full of similar moves now has fans worried the Bills’ newest window for Super Bowl glory has been slammed shut.
And they’ve got more than ample reason to worry. Once upon a time, these fans witnessed what is still the NFL’s only run of four consecutive Super Bowl appearances. After the fourth of these four appearances, the Bills made four more postseason appearances during the rest of the 1990s decade before falling apart into the NFL’s longest streak of not making the postseason.
After an early offseason fire sale, and now the trade of Stefon Diggs, are the Bills truly done for?
Buffalo Bills: 2020 Was Team’s Only AFC Title Appearance
The 2020 season was the Buffalo Bills’ breakout campaign after prior postseason appearances in 2017 and 2019. Their 13-3 record constituted the team’s first AFC East crown in decades and the Bills took advantage of this newfound success to run through the AFC Playoffs. After wins over the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo was one win away from a Super Bowl.
That is, until the Bills met Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes, riding high off of a 14-2 season. The Bills got out to a quick jump on that January night, leading 9-0 early, but then Kansas City rolled to 21 unanswered points to take a lead they would never surrender. Buffalo was bounced out just short of a Super Bowl.
2021 to 2023: Mahomes Mania
2021 opened with Buffalo riding high following their first AFC Championship appearance in 27 seasons. Buffalo entered December with a 7-6 record, briefly losing control of the AFC East lead to the Patriots. Nonetheless, Buffalo recovered to win their final four contests and make the postseason at 11-6.
After blowing New England out of the water, the Buffalo Bills found Kansas City awaiting them once again. It took 13 seconds for Buffalo to watch a sure-fire victory slip through yet again. Jordan Poyer, now a member of the Miami Dolphins, had this to say when finally asked about that game:
“We [were] just playing soft zone. And you look back and you look at the ‘NFL Films’ and you just see really how much more connected [they were] and they were just way better than us in that time.”
2022 did not see the Chiefs and the Bills meet in the postseason. Following the circumstances of Damar Hamlin’s near-fatal cardiac arrest, the Bills would be knocked out before meeting the Chiefs once again in the AFC Championship.
2023 ended in the same gut-wrenching way 2021 had for Buffalo. After a 6-6 start to the campaign, one in which some suggested McDermott should be fired, the Buffalo Bills went on a five-game winning streak to close the campaign and once again finished with an 11-6 record. After taking down Pittsburgh on Wild Card Weekend, Kansas City came calling yet again–this time, though, Buffalo finally had home-field advantage.
But home field only gets you so far. After another closely contested game between the teams, Tyler Bass lined up for a late field goal to give Buffalo a chance at overtime. He missed the attempt wide right. Much like Scott Norwood before him, Bass joined Buffalo Bills infamy
Is Buffalo Truly Done?
It is never clear from the outset when a great franchise is on the verge of falling into irrelevance. Many great teams of the past found ways to retool their lineups even in the face of free agency losses and retirement. But for these Buffalo Bills, who are now 30 years removed from their Super Bowl 28 appearance, their newest window may have indeed just slammed shut.
However, the Bills will still retain the services of superstar quarterback Josh Allen, Head Coach Sean McDermott, and many other veterans from their 2020 to 2023 rosters. In the short term, Buffalo will likely return to the 2024 postseason, but in the long run, it can be expected that Buffalo will slowly fall away once again, much as they had in the later stages of the 1990s and into the 2000s decade.