The Draw Play

I never got a chance when the story first dropped a while ago but you better believe I didn’t forget that Sean McDermott once tried to pump up his team by puffing up the teamwork of the 9/11 hijackers. He doesn’t deserve to live that one down. I’m glad I finally found a place to stick it into DrawPlay lore.

I had a thought during the game on Sunday. The Chiefs have replaced the Patriots as the defacto evil empire dynasty that every other team must get through to achieve anything. They are the pinnacle of the mountain now, the gatekeepers of recognition. So what does that make these Bills? They feel like the Peyton Manning Colts, at least pre-2006. Another team controlled by an otherworldly QB that wasn’t quite as well coached and just cannot get over the hump in front of them to claim their rightful place as a champion. They are the stepping blocks to the podium of the true masters. The footnote to legends. The sidequests. The tragedy. They are Gary to Ash in the original Pokemon game, although at least Gary beat the elite 4 before Ash did.

There are differences of course. For one thing, Peyton’s big knock was his failures in the playoffs every year. He seemed to struggle against playoff competition. Nobody can reasonably claim that Josh Allen has not balled his fucking ass off in these playoff games. Allen has been masterful in January, but the Chiefs have just continuously been slightly better. He should have won the “13 Seconds” game, leading an unbelievable final game-winning drive that wasn’t only to get let down by the defense and then never touch the ball again in overtime. They literally changed the rules of overtime because the world recognized how bullshit it was that we never got more Josh Allen. His team has let him down. If anyone has taken up the mantle of “can’t win in the playoffs” it’s Lamar Jackson.

But the Bills just can’t overcome that Chiefs-shaped mountain. That’s 4 of 5 playoff exits they’ve lost to Kansas City now, with one loss to Cincinnati in the middle. The Bills once again played outstanding football and it didn’t matter. The Bills once again had a chance and let it slip by. To be the best you have to beat the best and they can’t seem to do it. Will these Bills manage to break through the ceiling before their window closes? Every year makes every game feel more desperate. It must be agonizing for the Bills to finally emerge from their almost 20-year long playoff drought and suddenly become the most blue-balled team in the league. They are finally great, yet not great enough. I doubt any Bills fan would want to go back to the before times but it does mean these seasons end with harder gut punches now. I want them to have their 2006 Colts moment. To finally shove the Chiefs back down the hill and emerge at the top. Maybe get a freebie SB against a weak NFC opponent like the Colts did too.

A final word about Sean McDermott: anyone who wants him fired is an idiot. You know how hard it is to find a coach capable of taking you on good playoff runs every year? Extremely hard. McDermott has this defense playing above their talent level despite injury every year, and Josh can do the rest on offense. Firing him at this stage would be idiotic.

As for other news that dropped this week…so uh, add Justin Tucker to the list of Scumbag Kickers I guess? Hey Zippy, if you are reading this, don’t go back and read your comment on the last comic about scumbag kickers.