Sunday’s loss to Minnesota should not change how we view the Buffalo Payments.
There is no sugarcoating how brutal Sunday’s ending was. The Payments grasped defeat from the jaws of victory and within the NFL, shedding video games that ought to be received can have devastating penalties.
The Payments went from being the No. 1 seed within the AFC to dropping to 3rd in their very own division.
The 2-game shedding streak itself is not worrisome. Each Tremendous Bowl champion since 2018 had a shedding streak of no less than two video games. If the Payments are who we expect they’re, they are going to be in fine condition.
A troubling pattern might be rising, nevertheless, as Trey Wingo instructed in a chat with Eric Mangini after the sport.
“Final yr we talked about they went to Kansas Metropolis, they beat them … proceeded to lose 5 of their subsequent eight video games. This yr they go into Kansas Metropolis, they win … and they’re now 1-2 within the common season after being Kansas Metropolis… This appears like a really acquainted sample,” mentioned Wingo.
It’s a trigger for concern that Buffalo might comply with an identical playbook as final yr when the staff went 11-6, received its division and completed third within the AFC. In a stronger AFC East, Buffalo (6-3) would not have the posh of getting many extra off weeks and sustaining a practical shot of internet hosting a playoff sport as a division champion.
Getting the No. 1 seed is essential to the staff’s Tremendous Bowl aspirations. To complete the season as the highest seed within the AFC, the staff is aware of its margin of error decreased considerably with Sunday’s loss. We thought they might be excellent earlier than the season began. Now it is time for them to indicate it.
Payments followers know it is by no means going to be simple. These Payments are nonetheless an awesome staff with nearly as good an opportunity as anybody to win the Tremendous Bowl. They’re additionally nonetheless the identical franchise with extra heartbreak than most fanbases can endure. Individuals who got here right here for regular got here to the improper place.
