“Inject a dagger:” Will the Buffalo Bills be the king this year?
The Bills insist this team is different than the ones that fell short. Go Long chats with Von Miller & several players inside the locker room to see how they plan to execute a rebellion. Finally.
ORCHARD PARK, NY — The greatest ever crush you psychologically. Before they even take the field, they plant fear inside your mind. Damn good coaches and players start questioning everything, the ball is kicked, the fourth quarter begins and… your lead is vaporized. Your pride is shattered. Your offseason begins. Tom Brady spent two decades paralyzing opponents in such diabolical fashion and the mantle has now been passed to Patrick Mahomes. It’s no hyperbole: the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback is on track to become the greatest player in NFL history.
No franchise understands this better than the one located off Abbott Road.
For an entire generation, the Buffalo Bills were rendered a court jester. They existed for the New England Patriots’ amusement. If Brady instructed the Bills to dance, they danced. If Bill Belichick demanded they juggle, they juggled. This generation is different. Behind a virtuoso of their own — Josh Allen — the Bills are a perennial threat to the throne. And yet? Each attempt at a rebellion has failed. Three times the Bills and Chiefs have met in the playoffs and all three times it was Mahomes who gallivanted off the field in joy.
The mental toll is taxing. The pain lingers until you’ve clawed your way back to the same game 12 months later. This season, the Bills have their best opportunity ever to take down the Chiefs and win the Super Bowl two weeks later. Inside this locker room, they’re also armed with the perspective of a two-time champ. Von Miller is set to play in his 16th postseason game. He turns 36 years old in March. Miller has witnessed the hypnotizing powers of both Brady and Mahomes. He’s seen the Chiefs quarterback demoralize teams before the game begins.
“If it is supposed to happen, it’s supposed to happen. If it’s not, it’s not,” Miller says. “I’m not going to lose the game before I even play ‘em. They gotta show me and make it happen. And whenever I’m in that situation, I’m looking to drive a dagger in, too. So we all have that mindset out there. You’ve got to take it one play at a time and don’t blink. Whatever’s going to happen, I want to take it on with eyes wide open.”
Seated in his locker, Miller tears off the tape around his ankle.
Yes, the Chiefs have been “ultra-successful.” Yes, everybody’s been clamoring on and on about this matchup nonstop — hype that always builds up Mahomes as a god king.
Those closest to the quarterback have witnessed his magic for years.
“You don’t want to get psyched out or anything like that,” Miller says. “It’s easy for me. I’ve been doing it for a long time and playing in a lot of good ones. I get up for games like this. Whenever the game comes, you still need to take advantage of the opportunity. You’ve got 60 minutes.”
The Bills recreated themselves this 2024 season. Each transaction made by GM Brandon Beane, each decision made by head coach Sean McDermott behind the scenes steered the Bills back to this defining moment. To this AFC title game. With a football in one hand and a sword in another. This week, Go Long canvassed the Bills locker room to see how the Bills plan to slay the king once and for all.
Of course, it’s the Bills themselves who inadvertently brought this king to power. Instead of drafting Mahomes — and granting the owner his wish — they delivered Kansas City a dynasty. Now, they’re still trying to take him down. The more players detail their mindset into this game, the more it’s clear they’re sincerely unburdened by playoff defeats past. They believe the path to victory isn’t necessarily X’s and O’s and devising a masterful gameplan. Rather, a clear mind.
