Let’s talk about heartbreak, folks. Not the kind that makes you binge-watch rom-coms and eat a pint of Ben & Jerry’s (though, hey, we’ve all been there), but the kind that cuts deep into the world of NFL fandom. This Sunday, the Buffalo Bills took a bitter pill, losing yet another game to the Kansas City Chiefs (29-32). Sure, it’s just another chapter in the long saga of the Chiefs handing the Bills a postseason L, but this one stung a little harder. Why?

Because the Bills were going strong — definitely because of Josh Allen’s performance. Allen delivered impressive statistics including 22 completions on 34 attempts with 237 yards and 2 touchdowns along with 39 rushing yards on 11 attempts, but it still fell short of helping Buffalo surpass their current barriers. So, as expected, critics were hardly mincing their words…

As per an X update by broadcaster Jim Rome on January 27, Andre Reed, the legendary Hall of Fame Bills player, eagerly offered his perspective when asked about how the Bills could surpass this obstacle on The Jim Rome Show. “Yesterday was a heartbreaker…Just going over what happened yesterday at the game…Obviously, everybody thought that the refs are gonna be a big part in this game. To me, watching the game, it was really only two calls I saw that were pretty controversial. The Xavier Worthy pass that hit the ground, and the…first down that Josh Allen had, and they kinda didn’t do right on that one.”

“But, other than that, in these kinda games, especially when you’re playing a game against a great team like Kansas City Chiefs, no matter where it is, everything is gotta be going your way…We came out in the 1st series, and Josh was a little bit erratic,” Reed noted, pulling no punches. He added, “The first series on 2 almost 2 picks. That should have been 2 picks right there.” And, of course, when you’re up against the juggernaut that is Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, a few unforced errors are like a death sentence.

And while Reed wasn’t exactly hanging Allen out to dry (he’s not the blame-everyone guy), he did emphasize that great teams like Kansas City know how to capitalize on mistakes. “Not blaming him, not blaming any individual. Just team-wise, it just didn’t look like we were on all cylinders as we were the most of the year. Good teams know how to capitalize on your mistakes, and know how to capitalize on a lot of things, and that’s what Kansas City does. Just unfortunate that for four straight years now, they’ve had the chance to beat this team, and it hasn’t been done,” Reed said. He was spot on—because at the end of the day, you can’t give Mahomes an inch, and the Bills did just that.

With just two minutes on the clock and a critical 4th-and-5 situation, Josh Allen dialed up a pass to tight end Dalton Kincaid, but heartbreak followed as the ball slipped through Kincaid’s hands, sealing the Chiefs‘ victory and punching their ticket to Super Bowl LIX. The turnover on downs was a crushing blow, and Allen didn’t mince words about the frustration of falling to Kansas City yet again, saying, “It’s not fun” to endure a fourth playoff defeat against the Chiefs. They let the Chiefs run away with it, and here we are—four straight losses from KC in the postseason.

The frustration of Bills’ Mafia is real, and it’s taking over social media like wildfire. On Monday morning, X was ablaze with “Fire McDermott” trending like a bad pop song. Sure, McDermott has led the Bills to an impressive 86-45 record since taking over in 2017, but 7-7 in the playoffs. However, the four consecutive playoff defeats to the Chiefs have pushed some fans to consider drastic actions.

Jon Gruden, who coached both the Raiders and Buccaneers, shared his thoughts on the situation. Gruden responded with full honesty when a caller proposed that McDermott should be fired.

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Point 1> You can’t just blame the defense when it created a turnover and your offense had 3 opportunities to...more

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Gruden didn’t pull any punches. “You rely on your quarterback to do too much, I believe, in these critical situations. And it backfired.” He went on to say, “I didn’t understand the rhythm of the play-calling,” pointing out that, while James Cook was racking up 85 yards on 13 carries & 2 TDs, the Bills kept turning to QB sneaks and putting the game in Josh Allen’s hands too often.

But, at the end of the day, there’s just one question that keeps lingering in everybody’s mind:

The Kryptonite: Can Bills overcome Mahomes’ dominance?

It’s one thing for fans to vent their frustrations on X, but when even legends like Reed and Gruden start calling out the issues, it hits differently. With McDermott’s defensive prowess in question—one punt forced all game—it’s easy to see why some fans feel a change might be necessary. After all, the Bills forced just one single punt in the entire game, while Kansas City ran riot on offense, especially in short-yardage situations.

But let’s not forget Josh Allen, the man who keeps this team afloat, adding 39 rushing yards. But it wasn’t enough. The defense couldn’t get a stop when it mattered, and the play-calling was more erratic than a college student on finals week. “What does the organization do now?” Reed asked. “Does Terry Pegula go in a different direction with McDermott?” That’s the question, isn’t it? For Bills fans, it’s not about whether McDermott is a bad coach. It’s about whether he’s the coach to finally get them past Mahomes and the Chiefs.

There’s a bit of irony in all this—Josh Allen is an NFL star in the making, setting records faster than you can say “AFC Championship,” but even his wizardry can’t escape the spotlight when things go wrong. This guy’s been breaking records left and right—fastest to 250 total touchdowns, most total touchdowns in Bills’ history, and the list goes on. But without a Super Bowl appearance to show for it, people are starting to ask whether his greatness is enough to overcome the curse of Kansas City.

As for McDermott? Well, he’s been at the helm for a solid eight years, and while he’s made the Bills a perennial playoff team, the Chiefs’ reign of terror still looms large. Some fans feel that at this point, it’s time for a change. A change that could be the spark to take the Bills to the next level. Because let’s face it—no one wants to be that team who’s always just this close.

But, for now, the Bills still have one more shot next year. “One thing about it that’s really good is they got another year next year to try to do it right,” Reed said with a glimmer of hope.

For now, all the Bills can do is regroup and hope that 2025 is the year they break the Chiefs’ grip on the AFC. As Josh Allen and his team brace for another season, one thing is for sure—expectations will be higher than ever.