Three words that Buffalo Bills fans have not heard, seen, or even thought about being associated with their team is “in the hunt”. This of course in the world of professional football is a term used for the position of your team based on current playoff seeding. As it stands after week nine of the NFL season, the Buffalo Bills are outside of the playoff seeding and are in the hunt.
Dating back to the early 2000s, “in the hunt” was a term that was commonly associated with the Buffalo Bills. During a 17-year stretch, also known as “The Drought,” this is something Bills fans got used to seeing every Sunday when the national media would post the playoff seeding. The Bills would be in the column all the way to the right under the heading, “In the Hunt.”
This is uncommon territory for a Sean McDermott-lead. The only time in his tenure that the Bills were “in the hunt” was during his first season as head coach in 2017. A team, by all accounts, that should not have even been sniffing around the playoff picture or even in the hunt. But thanks to Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bills ended their 17-year playoff drought and the franchise seemed to be building a perennial contender.
In 2018, the Bills missed the playoffs due to the fact that the team was starting rookie quarterback Josh Allen and was in phase-one of a major rebuild. The Bills finished 6-10 and at no point in 2018 were considered a serious playoff contender. The phrase “in the hunt” was not in the minds of Buffalo Bills Fans.
Over the course of the next four seasons, 2019-2022, the Buffalo Bills would go on to win at least ten games and clinch a playoff berth without the help of another team. The Bills would win the AFC East from 2020-2022 and stay far away from any talks of being “in the hunt.” Many in the National Media have considered the Bills a front runner for the Super Bowl, and one of the top-5 teams in the NFL.
So, here we are Bills fans. The team is currently 5-4 after week nine and they find themselves “in the hunt” once again. How did we get here? Who’s most to blame for the current situation? How can the Bills turn things around? Were the experts right about this team?
There is a lot that needs to be answered in the coming weeks. Josh Allen is a generational quarterback. Stefon Diggs is arguably the best receiver in Buffalo Bills history. Sean McDermott is one of the best defensive minds in football. Can the Bills battle back and give us another underdog story? Only time will tell.
