Bills' veteran Pro Bowler scoffs at Super-Bowl-or-Bust pressure

   

The Buffalo Bills have won five consecutive division titles, second-longest active streak in the NFL. They also have five straight 11+-win seasons, again the league's second-best. And during their five years of dominance, the Bills have won at least one playoff game.

If it wasn't for Patrick Mahomes and those pesky Kansas City Chiefs (who have beaten the Bills in the playoffs four times), Buffalo would be authoring one of the great runs in NFL history.

In the middle of this success they also sport a 29-year-old reigning MVP quarterback in Josh Alllen in his prime. Put it all together and — as close as they've been and as good as they are — 2025 just has to be Super-Bowl-or-Bust for the Bills. Right?

Dec 1, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins (73) leaves the field after winning a game against the San Francisco 49ers to clinch the AFC East title at Highmark Stadium. / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

According to the main man responsible for protecting Allen ... wrong.

 

"I don't believe in Super Bowl or bust ... that's not a thing. It's just gossip words," Bills' four-time Pro Bowl left tackle Dion Dawkins told ESPN's Kevin Clark during a Thursday morning interview. "There's one winner every year and there's 31 losers. Does that mean if we don't win the Super Bowl that all our contracts expire and we go home? No. There's never Super Bowl or bust."

In the 66th season of Buffalo pro football, Bills Mafia might not love to hear Dawkins' casual approach. There is sentiment — and, yes, even narrative — around the league that if the Bills don't indeed at least get over the Chiefs hump and play in a Super Bowl then head coach Sean McDermott will be fired and wholesale changes made to a team that is great but not somehow not quite good enough.

 
Bills quarterback Josh Allen follows blocker Dion Dawkins. / Jamie Germano / USA TODAY NETWORK