The dust has now settled on the 2023 NFL season, with 31 NFL franchises coming to terms with the fact that they did not win the Super Bowl.
Differing expectations mean this was a more bitter pill for some to follow than others, with those sides that fell just short of the big game perhaps feeling more hard done by than those in a rebuilding mode.
The Buffalo Bills have reached the playoffs in each of the past five seasons, having been beaten by the Kansas City Chiefs four times in this run. The team has not reached the Super Bowl since 1993, when they suffered an unprecedented and heartbreaking fourth consecutive defeat in the big game.
Head coach Sean McDermott took over the club in 2017 and has led them to a 73-41 record during this time, but with another playoff defeat to his name, debate is murmuring over whether he is the right coach to get them over the line.
This is something McDermott has tackled head-on on though, insisting a first Super Bowl ring in franchise history is on the way.
“It’s not a matter of if. It’s just a matter of when” McDermott told The Athletic. “That is the relentless pursuit.
“You can’t listen. I believe we’re doing things the right way. You only fail if you quit, and I’ve never done that. I’ve never been about that. Whatever it is, you always figure it out. You always find a way to get there.
“The only thing left to do for us at this point is win an AFC championship and win a Super Bowl, which is pretty darn good. There’s not too many organizations that can say that over the last seven years. We’ve done everything."
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