Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. JAMIE GERMANO / USA TODAY NETWORK

Bills' absurd game vs. Vikings is par the course for franchise

By Eric Smithling | Last updated 11/14/22

Sunday's loss to Minnesota shouldn't change how we view the Buffalo Bills.

There's no sugarcoating how brutal Sunday's ending was. The Bills grasped defeat from the jaws of victory and in the NFL, losing games that should be won can have devastating consequences.

The Bills went from being the No. 1 seed in the AFC to dropping to third in their own division.

How costly was that @BuffaloBills loss? They fall from the #1 seed in the AFC to the 6th seed
— trey wingo (@wingoz) November 13, 2022

The two-game losing streak itself isn't worrisome. Every Super Bowl champion since 2018 had a losing streak of at least two games. If the Bills are who we think they are, they will be in good shape.

.@BuffaloBills have lost back-to-back games.

Still +300 favorites to win Super Bowl.
— John Ewing (@johnewing) November 13, 2022

A troubling trend could be emerging, however, as Trey Wingo suggested in a chat with Eric Mangini after the game.

How concerned should the #Bills be after falling to 6-3?@wingoz and former #NFL HC Eric Mangini discuss pic.twitter.com/BuQY86siWR
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) November 14, 2022

"Last year we mentioned they went to Kansas City, they beat them ... proceeded to lose five of their next eight games. This year they go into Kansas City, they win ... and they are now 1-2 in the regular season after being Kansas City... This feels like a very familiar pattern," said Wingo.

It is a cause for concern that Buffalo could follow a similar playbook as last year when the team went 11-6, won its division and finished third in the AFC. In a stronger AFC East, Buffalo (6-3) doesn't have the luxury of having many more off weeks and maintaining a realistic shot of hosting a playoff game as a division champion.

Getting the No. 1 seed is crucial to the team's Super Bowl aspirations. To finish the season as the top seed in the AFC, the team knows its margin of error decreased significantly with Sunday's loss. We thought they could be perfect before the season started. Now it's time for them to show it.

Bills fans know it's never going to be easy. These Bills are still a great team with as good a chance as anyone to win the Super Bowl. They are also still the same franchise with more heartbreak than most fanbases can endure. People who came here for normal came to the wrong place.

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