The Buffalo Bills again got so close, yet failed to overcome the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs after a 32-29 loss in the AFC Championship game, once again ending their season.
With the Bills this season a different version that we have come to know, with Josh Allen reeling in the turnovers and the "everybody eats" mantra fueling what was, overall, a solid season for Buffalo, there is still a sense of "what if" when looking back on 2024.
Things were going so well, and the Bills, while they didn't play badly against the Chiefs, just couldn't take advantage of the moment at Arrowhead.
When discussing the loss, tight end Dawson Knox was grateful for the season as a whole and made a vow to Bills Mafia.
"I really just am grateful for the season that we had,” Knox said. “Obviously not the result we wanted, lots of heartbreak, lots of sad emotions just coming up short, but there's still those exciting feelings inside. There's more out there, we’ll be back next year and the future's bright.”
This loss might be harder for Buffalo to recover from, as it now marks four consecutive games that the AFC East champs have lost to the Chiefs in the playoffs.
It leaves some wondering exactly how the Bills pick themselves up off the canvas once again, with their bogeyman getting the better of them.
Knox feels upbeat about the Bills' chances to get back to this point in the season, but given how the franchise had to wait nearly five years for its second AFC Championship appearance under Josh Allen after its first in 2020, hopefully, they don't have to wait that long again.
And one thing you can be sure of, the Bills will be using this heartbreak to fuel their offseason work, with the shadow of the Chiefs still looming over the franchise.
