Roundtable: What do the Buffalo Bills have to do to finally get past the Chiefs?
Ahead of Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, The Buffalo News asked a half dozen members of the CBS broadcast team – all of whom either played or coached in the
It’s a simple question with anything but a simple answer.
What do the Buffalo Bills have to do to finally get past the Kansas City Chiefs and become the team that represents the AFC in the Super Bowl?
So far, that answer has eluded the Bills, who have been eliminated by the Chiefs in three of the past four postseasons. Ahead of Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, The Buffalo News asked a half dozen members of the CBS broadcast team – all of whom either played or coached in the NFL – that one question. Here were their respective responses:
Boomer Esiason
“They got hurt at the end of the year, just like the Dolphins. Both of those defenses were decimated with injuries. Josh Allen is great. Sean McDermott is a great coach. We all love Sean. That was a gutsy move by them to fire their offensive coordinator and then go on this six-game winning streak. ... So they’ve got to get healthy, and they need more defense. I do think they need a legitimate, young No. 1 wide receiver.”Tony Romo
“I think they were right there. They had a great plan in that game. And one of the hardest things – I talk about it – is the mystique and aura of Patrick Mahomes. Sometimes you just expect that something’s not going to go your way. That’s the difference sometimes, but to me the Bills – they beat the Chiefs in the regular season. The playoffs are everything. The Bills know how to win, it’s just they’ve got to do it when it counts. I thought they were very close. I mean, at the end of the day, it comes down to a guy making a catch, it comes down to a decision. It comes down to a kick. I mean, that’s all they have to do. It’s not much deeper than that.”Nate Burleson
“Man, if I knew that question, I’d be on the coaching staff of the Bills. Obviously, they’re close. That’s a tough question. It really is. I saw a post the other day, it was a picture of Patrick Mahomes, and it said, ‘This man will create more ringless quarterbacks than Jordan did hoopers when he played.’ It was a heavy take, but it’s true. Mahomes is that good that quarterbacks who are playing in the AFC might be on good teams, but they won’t sniff the Super Bowl as long as he’s playing at a high level.“The Bills, it’s unique because we don’t want to say this is the same old Bills, but then again, this team is starting to mirror the Bills from the ‘90s. Really good in every facet, but they just can’t close it out. At least those Bills went to the Super Bowl.
“I wish I had the answer to that, because they have everything they need. What I hope is, is it doesn’t blow up, because they’re too damn good. But as soon as you have those moments of, ‘close, but no cigar,’ changes happen. Whether it’s with the coaching staff, players, and to be honest, if you blow up that team, it’s going to be a while before they are this good again. I know that Josh Allen did everything within his power. He’s going to turn over the ball occasionally, but it’s risk versus reward. When you’re that good, and you’re that freakishly athletic and you know that you can make a play at any moment in the game, sometimes you press. But when you’re putting up 40-plus touchdowns, that just goes to show you that you have the right quarterback. After that, it’s catching the Chiefs at the right time. More than anything, you have to catch them when they’re maybe a little banged up, have an off game, or you do to them what they did to the Baltimore Ravens. They moved Lamar Jackson out of that pocket with blitzes and got to him before he could catch his rhythm. I haven’t seen a team successfully rattle Patrick Mahomes since that Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl, because that defense was ferocious.”
Bill Cowher
“Stay healthy. I mean, they were just so beat up this year. Getting to the dance is not a failure. I lost four championship games, so I’ve been there before. Just keep getting there. Keep getting there, and then don’t overthink it. You have to loosen up a little bit from that standpoint. Play to win, don’t play not to lose. Get a little more help around Josh Allen and stay healthier on defense. I mean, I think what Sean did this year to get to that game speaks volumes. Essentially, they were just a beat-up team. I think they missed Gabe Davis. They need to get another guy with Stefon Diggs, and that will help Josh Allen.”Matt Ryan
“Start with staying healthy, you know? Sometimes it’s as simple as that, keeping your best players out on the field. They got decimated on the defensive side of the ball, which was really a strength of their team. To their credit, they managed and found a way. Really, it’s staying healthy and staying at it. I don’t think they are that far off.”Jay Feely
“Score more points than them? Make a couple of plays. Make a field goal. I mean, they’ve just been so close. I did the game in 2021 where it looks like it’s over, they did it, they beat them. Then the Chiefs find a way, and you can’t make a play on defense to not allow them to get all the way down the field and give (Harrison) Butker that chance. You played the game almost perfectly this last game in the divisional round against the Chiefs, and you’re unable to make a couple plays. I mean, I think of that catch Diggs could have had. The Tyler Bass field goal. It’s one or two plays, but when you’re playing the best team in the NFL, and the Chiefs have been the best team in the NFL with the best quarterback in the NFL, you’ve got to be almost perfect to beat them. I think they’re right there. I think they need another receiver. I think they did a great job with what they got at the tight end position. ... They need to get better on the defensive line. You know, they have to be able to get after the quarterback and pressure the quarterback without blitzing. You saw that with the Eagles last year, how successful you can be when you can get after the quarterback and not have to blitz.“I think you keep trying to get better. You look at your team and you figure out ways to get better. I certainly don’t think they are in rebuild mode. When you have Josh Allen, you have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in the prime of his career who finds ways to get better and better every year. You build around that. You look at your team, you look at your schematics offensively and defensively and say, ‘OK, where are we lacking and let’s go fix that. ... I love from the GM, Brandon Beane, to head coach in Sean McDermott all the way on down, I think it’s one of the best organizations in football. They’ve got the quarterback to build around, they just need to make one or two more plays in those games.”
