The Bills came close on Sunday, but at the end it was another loss to theNew England Patriots, 37-31, and probably all but killed their chances to end the 12-year playoff drought that the team and its fans have suffered through.
The latest loss to the Pats comes as announcement of a new stadium lease agreement between the Bills and Erie County and the state, which we reported about recently, remains on hold as the state and Gov. Cuomo continue to deal with the human and financial challenges facing the New York region as a result of Hurricane Sandy. In fact, Gov. Cuomo will be looking for an additional $30 billion in disaster aid above the $12 billion in FEMA aid currently available.
But now back to the Bills and their latest loss to the Patriots, the 23 rd in the last 25 meetings between the two teams, this one ending with an interception of a Ryan Fitzpatrick pass by Pats’ safety Devin McCourty in the end zone.
Despite the interception, this may have been Fitzpatrick’s best game as he threw for 337 yards and two touchdowns but the Bills were undone by 14 penalties (148 yards) and three turnovers. Running backs C. J. Spiller and Fred Jackson looked very good, and Spiller has the makings of a great back. But in the final analysis, the team didn’t win the game and that’s what counts. It was another nail in the playoff hopes of this struggling franchise.
“I had every idea we were going to score and win the ball game by one,” said Bills coach Chan Gailey of the late drive. But long-time fans of this team probably were waiting for something to go wrong, and it did.
Now the Pats are no world beaters this year, but they are 6-3 and headed to the playoffs again. The Bills are now 3-6 and headed nowhere. This game was particularly frustrating because despite all the mistakes and flags, the Bills still could have saved the season and kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a stunning comeback win. It didn’t happen.
It will be a short week for the Bills as they take on the 4-5 Miami Dolphins on Thursday night who are coming off a humiliating 37-3 loss to the Titans. The game is not likely to attract much of an audience beyond the Buffalo and Miami markets.
Both teams will have a tough time getting ready for this one, the Bills after their tough loss to the Patriots and Miami after getting crushed by the Titans. I give edge to Buffalo and hope for a better ending.
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