As fans of the Buffalo Bills moved their Thanksgiving gatherings from their kitchens to their living rooms early Thursday evening, winning football is not something that many expected to watch.
The Bills certainly had a chance to upset the favored Dallas Cowboys – they entered the game with an 8-3 record, after all – but Buffalo fans had seen this movie before. They knew the ending.
The game served as an opportunity for the Bills to show the nation their legitimacy, a chance for Josh Allen to silence his doubters and lead his so-called ‘overrated’ bunch to a victory over a respected opponent in front of a national audience.
And thus, a win seemed unlikely. For decades, ‘Buffalo Bills football’ and ‘disappointment’ have been near-synonyms. Though this year’s Buffalo team has proven that it bears little resemblance to those of years past, many expected the team to regress to its seemingly innate organizational ways, laying an egg in a matchup that could’ve shifted national perspective.
The Bills did ultimately shift national perspective in its Thanksgiving meeting with the Cowboys, but not because the team struggled against a perceived superior opponent.
They showed the world that their record is not a fluke – that they’re a well-constructed, well-coached, well-oiled machine that will give any team a run for its money regardless of the spread, analyst predictions, or other outside noise.
Buffalo dominated its Week 13 meeting with Dallas, leaving AT&T Stadium with a 26-15 win and a 9-3 record, its best since the 1996 season. Though a quick look at the stats would suggest that the Cowboys hung around until the final whistle, the flow of the game never fell in Dallas’ favor.
Though the Cowboys finished the game with more yardage than the Bills, it never felt as though the team had a chance to win after Buffalo took its lead in the second quarter.
The Bills controlled the tempo of the game with stout defensive play and long, methodical scoring drives that, more often than not, resulted in a score or poor starting field position for Dallas.
Buffalo consistently spurned the Cowboys’ offensive efforts and played well with the ball in its possession, leaving Dallas fans in Arlington stunned, agitated, and disheartened.
The game perhaps saw the Bills’ most complete performance of the season, a microcosm of what head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane are trying to build. Its strong play across both lines was complemented by an overall solid defense and an offense that moved the ball with a deliberateness and efficiency the unit has yet to showcase this season.
The offensive emergence stemmed from the play of quarterback Josh Allen, who took a bite out of the Cowboys’ defense like he took a bite out of a turkey leg in his post-game interview. It was the best game of the second-year passer’s career – he was quick with his decision-making, his passes were accurate, and he used his much-touted athleticism to create magic out of plays that appeared to be dead on arrival.
Allen finished the game with a career-high 79% completion percentage, passing for 231 yards and tallying two total touchdowns. In front of a national audience that has doubted him throughout much of his professional career, Allen muted his critics, showing that he’s an already capable quarterback with a ceiling that could eventually place him among the league’s elite signal-callers.
Allen played with intensity and intelligence, matching that with emotion that impressed many watching the sophomore for the first time. A second-quarter fourth-and-one scenario saw the 23-year-old drop the snap before picking the ball up and gaining the necessary yardage on his third effort.
That emotion is perhaps what makes this year’s Buffalo team different than others, what sets it apart from the team’s disappointing past. It’s clear that the Bills’ quality coaching staff has created a family-like culture, one that encourages players to leave everything on the field for their teammates each and every week.
Though Buffalo entered its Week 13 matchup with an 8-3 record, the strength of the team was rightfully questioned. The Bills had not beaten any team of any real quality and had lost the games against the three competent opponents it had played, nearly dropping games to less than stellar opposition along the way, as well.
But its 8-3 record still stood. Against Dallas, Buffalo had the opportunity to show its doubters that its winning record was not a fluke, that it could win a game it was not supposed to.
And it did just that with a commanding victory that helped make its postseason dreams a bit more of a reality.
Now at 9-3 on the season, the playoffs appear to be a realistic destination for the Bills. One win in its remaining four contests would likely secure a spot for Buffalo, and given what the team showed against Dallas, a 10-6 record now looks to be the absolute worst-case scenario.
On a day in which families gather to share what they’re thankful for. the Bills gave their passionate fan base a performance they can be proud of. It’s an unusual feeling, Buffalo, but it’s one you can relish in – this year’s Bills are for real.
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