ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — For every turnover the Ravens had, for every successful field goal instead of allowing a touchdown, for every missed two-point conversion that put opponents within striking distance, the Bills got what they had been craving. It got closer and closer. To go back many years.
The Bills are finally back in the AFC Championship Game. The 27-25 victory over the Ravens exorcised some demons from both this season and last season.
For the past three years, it's been like a record stuck in a loop, repeating the same parts of the song and pushing everyone who listens up to the wall. In the divisional round, a highly promising and talented Bills team ultimately gave way to another AFC superpower, making way for the Final Four. First up was the Chiefs. Next up was the Bengals. And the Chiefs again. But this year…this year was different.
“You learn from every hurt,” left tackle Dion Dawkins said. “I never want that feeling again.”
“I think there's something intangible that feels different about this team,” tight end Dawson Knox said. “It's a little difficult to put your finger on.”
Knox is not alone. It's a sentiment shared throughout the locker room and pervasive throughout the fan base. Some people think it's the players' fault. Some might point to how head coach Sean McDermott has evolved. But unquantifiable sentiment about how the 2024-2025 bill would be different actually resulted in a different outcome than in the past.
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They forced the Ravens to adapt because the conversation was focused on the Ravens and how the Bills had to adapt. The Bills held Derrick Henry, who allowed nearly 200 rushing yards in Week 4, to less than 100 yards. The Bills gave the Ravens defensive line a run for their money, and their run defense received rave reviews for good reason. Bills running backs averaged 4.9 yards per carry on 26 attempts. They forced Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson into two game-changing turnovers.
And by the end of the evening, the Bills stood there, snow dripping down and the bright red, white and royal blue lights of the scoreboard illuminating the Jumbotron-length banner even brighter.
“Next up is the AFC Championship.”
Next stop is Kansas City. That's because it's natural.
The very Chiefs team that taught the Bills a cruel lesson in the AFC Championship Game four years ago, punishing them for mistakes in the game and bad decisions en route to a blowout loss, is at it again. AFC's gatekeeper for the Super Bowl.
Only 13 players from that AFC Championship Game Bills team remain on the roster. In addition to Allen, Dawkins and Knox, Micah Hyde, Matt Milano, Taron Johnson, Ed Oliver, AJ Epenesa, Cam Lewis, Reggie Gilliam, Quinton Jefferson, Tyler Bass and Reed Ferguson were also in attendance. .
The original 13 are acutely aware of how poetic the upcoming showdown will be.
“Yes, 100 percent,” Lewis said. “I feel like I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“My girlfriend and I were watching the (Chiefs-Texans) game the other day,” Epenesa began. “She was like, 'What happens if the Texans win?'” I thought, “Yeah, on paper they're a worse team, whatever, but I've had several times in the past where I How happy would I be if we could beat a team that got us? 'So we have a chance to do something, so I'm going to do it right now and I'm looking forward to it. ”

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A lot has changed for the Bills from their first AFC Championship matchup to now.
At that point, the Bills were just newbies. It was all new for them, having just advanced to the wild card round the previous year. They didn't know what they didn't know about a deep playoff run. It was expected that they would return soon. It was only a matter of time.
“Soon” wasn't what anyone was expecting. The Bills have learned some hard lessons every year, and most of them have come from the very team they'll be playing next weekend.
On Sunday, the Bills will play more in Kansas City than they have in the past five years against their division rival. They have been there every year since the first AFC title was tipped, and Sunday was the sixth soirée at Arrowhead. This will be the eighth time in the past five years that these two AFC powerhouse teams have met, four of which have been in the postseason.
However, you don't need to remember what the last three results were. Most of the team's fans have carried the weight of an elephant sitting on their chests.
2021 AFC Championship Game — One-sided loss. 2022 AFC Divisional Round — A heartbreaking loss despite a victory so close. 2024 AFC Divisional Round — Another close loss had many wondering if the Bills would return after an offseason roster update.
It all led to this year — a return to the AFC Championship Game in a year no one thought possible before the season. Standing in front of the Chiefs on Sunday will be the Bills, a chiseled Super Bowl contender hardened by a series of excruciating playoff eliminations.
“For those who were there [in 2021]I think it definitely has a little bit of an extra chip on its shoulder,” Knox began. “In a way, it can be helpful. It can give you a little bit of energy, but I think if you think too hard or think too long, you get distracted at some point. But… If we can just keep it under the surface and get a little bit more motivation and get a little extra work done during the week, that's great, but we're not going to think about it too much. there is no.”
That's one of the many things that has changed about this Bills team.
Gone is Allen, a crafty man with a penchant for shocking turnovers. Gone are the one-dimensional, pass-happy Bills who ran the ball well only after they had enough success through the air. Gone are the weak link offensive lines of the past that led to uneven results. And the head coach, who usually opts for conservative in-game decisions, is gone.
Instead, you have a franchise quarterback who plays the best football of his life, a running game that can take any pressure off of that franchise quarterback at any time during the game, an offensive line that is one of the team's biggest strengths, and a coach. . He has complete trust in his players and calculations and is not afraid of fourth downs.
But up against them is a Chiefs team that has changed direction multiple times through incredible accomplishments while maintaining its NFL-class status. And make no mistake, the team will be eager to redeem its only loss in the 2024 regular season to the team that ruined a perfect season.
The Bills and Chiefs are completely intertwined, both in personal ties and playoff history. However, as always, neither can survive while the other survives.
“History tends to repeat itself,” Dawkins said. “But in some cases, there may be different outcomes. Let's see how this plays out.”
(Top photo: Tina McIntyre-Yee/USA Today)