Following their 24-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said that he was, “disappointed” and added that, “there are no moral victories.”
While that may be the case, many people gave the Bills little to no chance entering today’s game and despite suffering the loss, they were able to keep it close in large part to another special showing by their defense.
As McDermott stated, moral victories do not exist in professional sports, but it is hard to walk away from this one feeling to down on the Bills. Buffalo was able to keep it close against the hottest team in the league and make an NFL MVP candidate in Lamar Jackson, look pedestrian for most of the afternoon.
So just how far off are the Bills from going from keeping it close, to actually beating the upper echelon of the NFL? Several players on the Bills feel they are right there.
“The gap isn’t big,” Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander told reporters following the game.”You look at today as probably three plays in the game, where this game shifts big time… it’s not like it’s this big reach we’re looking for. We’re right there. I think the thing is just to learn from this. Obviously being in these big type of games, the margin of error is a lot smaller.”
Alexander isn’t the only one who feels like the Bills are close to figuring things out vs. the better teams.
“I think this loss and the Patriots loss rank in the same category, as far as two prestigious teams you’re playing right there with them and ultimately just coming up short,” Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver said. “That’s what really pisses you off. You know, you go to work every day. You go to work with your guys and we know how good we can be, we just have to finish.”
At 9-4, the Bills don’t have much time to dwell on this loss, as their next test will be facing off vs. the 8-5 Steelers, in Pittsburgh, on Sunday Night Football in front of the entire country.
With a win vs. the Steelers next week, the Bills would clinch a playoff spot and perhaps show they can not only hang with good teams, but beat them as well.
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