For a handful of fanbases around the NFL, a postseason berth is not a triumphant experience.
Though qualifying for the playoffs is undoubtedly a significant achievement, it’s one that some fanbases have come to expect. The joy of seeing an ‘x’ next to a team’s name in the standings wears after it’s become the norm for a few years.
In Western New York, however, that joyous feeling never gets old.
An ‘x’ now sits in front of the Buffalo Bills’ name in the standings for just the second time this century, as the team secured its second playoff berth of the millennium with a Week 15 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It’s the second time that the Bills have qualified for the postseason under head coach Sean McDermott, who led the team to a 9-7 record and a wild-card berth in the 2017 season.
After a near two-decade-long streak in which the beloved franchise failed to reach the postseason, two playoff berths in three years almost feels a bit gluttonous.
The only head coach to create sustained success at One Bills Drive this century, McDermott realizes just how special a playoff berth is for the accolade-starved Buffalo faithful.
He also knows the value of every win in the NFL.
“It just feels good to win a game,” McDermott said following the team’s 17-10 win at Heinz Field. “It’s hard to win a game. Then when you talk about playoffs, being here three years, to be in it two out of three years, what a blessing.
“It’s all people. It’s all the people behind me in that locker room, all the people back home at One Bills Drive, all of our fans. The fans [Sunday], in a place like Pittsburgh, unreal. I’m humbled by it, yet we’re hungry to continue to grow and get better.”
Statistically, the year’s Bills team is the best of the millennium – and there are still two weeks remaining in the campaign. Buffalo currently sits at 10-4 on the year, its first double-digit win total since the 1999 NFL season.
Its defense is one of the best in the league, this made evident by its five takeaways against Pittsburgh. Its offense, when clicking, is exciting, with sophomore quarterback Josh Allen often looking like a future superstar.
Though having a spot in the postseason secured in mid-December is favorable, it’s hard to feel completely satisfied with Buffalo’s playoff berth, as it feels like the start of a new era rather than the culmination of a solid year.
With young, budding superstars at a number of key positions, a proven head coach, and a healthy salary cap situation, it’s clear that the Bills have been built for perennial success.
Though pleased with the playoff berth, McDermott knows that the team has larger ambitions.
“I’m just grateful to be a part of it,” McDermott said. “Again, just grateful to be a part of the group of guys and gals that are behind me in that locker room. They work extremely hard.
“Coming to Buffalo three years ago now, two and a half years ago, whatever it’s been, a lot of people said ‘Why are you going there? You’re not going to be able to get it turned around.’ We got it turned around, with a lot of work yet to do. We haven’t arrived, we have a lot of work to do, but I’m just humbled by it.
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