Well, here we are again. 

For the first time, the Bills had the Chiefs where they wanted them- in a playoff game at Orchard Park. However, in spite of Patrick Mahomes having to go on the road in the playoffs for the first time, the result remained the same with the Chiefs eliminating the Bills from the playoffs once again. 

Despite the Bills running 31 more plays than the Chiefs and having the ball for almost 15 minutes longer, it still wasn't enough to slow down a Chiefs team that averaged nearly eight yards per play and (excluding the end of the first half and end of game kneel downs) scored on five of their seven drives. 

Ultimately, this came down to the Chiefs executing when the Bills didn't. Despite running 31 more plays, the Bills netted just seven more yards. Buffalo averaged 4.4 yards per play- that isn't going to beat Kansas City. They couldn't get any sort of downfield passing game going, as the Chiefs' defensive backs locked down the Bills' lack of top-tier pass catchers. Plus, whenever Josh Allen took a shot downfield, the two best opportunities the Bills had fell through the hands of their receivers. Trent Sherfield dropped a pass on third down that led to a punt, and Stefon Diggs dropped a deep ball on the first play of the final drive that would have set the Bills up in scoring position and could have changed the complexion of the game. The lack of separation downfield led to Allen only averaging 4.8 yards per attempt through the air. The superstar quarterback also ran for 72 yards and two touchdowns, giving him three total touchdowns on the night. 

The problem wasn't Allen, nor the run game, as James Cook and Ty Johnson combined for 101 yards on 25 carries. The problem was the aforementioned lack of elite pass catchers, and the run defense. The Chiefs ran the ball for 146 yards on over six yards per carry. Plus, they let Travis Kelce have a vintage Travis Kelce day, as he racked up 75 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bills played it smart on the final drive. They opted to hold the ball and run the clock over the course of 16 plays and nearly seven minutes. Unfortunately, the wheels fell off at the tail end of the drive where Allen had Khalil Shakir in the end zone but was bumped as he threw and the pass fell short, and then Tyler Bass missed the tying field goal, which proved to be the dagger in the Bills' season. 

So now what? Well, the Bills have 21 unrestricted free agents this offseason. Among them are Gabe Davis, Micah Hyde, DaQuan Jones, Leonard Floyd, Dane Jackson, A.J. Epenesa, Poona Ford, Jordan Phillips, and Shaq Lawson. Buffalo is also projected to be $43.6 million over the cap, which is the third worst in the NFL. Now, a lot of that can be taken care of through converting salaries to roster bonuses and other measures that we've seen teams move money around, but it's not just going to be that easy. 

The Bills need to secure a top-notch pass rusher and legitimate depth at receiver. They failed to get pressure with four all night, and really for the last three seasons. Von Miller certainly isn't what he once was, and they don't have anyone else on their roster who can get to the quarterback consistently without needing extra pressure to do so. I've touched on the receivers already, but this group was rough all season. Khalil Shakir coming alive over the last month has been a nice sign, but he can't be this team's No. 2 next season. And frankly, Stefon Diggs can't be their No. 1. His inability to separate downfield and in the intermediate part of the field hurt the Bills, and his numbers speak for themselves. Over the last 10 games, Diggs has had four or fewer catches in six of them and fewer than 50 yards in seven of them. They need to make a splash move for someone like a Tee Higgins and/or Michael Pittman Jr. this offseason to give Allen legitimate targets. No disrespect to Trent Sherfield and Gabe Davis, but outside of run blocking (which they are both good at) they aren't consistent enough to be relied upon. 

This is going to be an offseason that features a major shakeup for the Bills. Whether or not the front office can turn that into a net positive filled with good draft picks and solid free agent additions will determine how real this team will be in 2024.

Bills mafia relives nightmare with new generation

The Bills season ends in heartbreaking fashion.