If the Buffalo Bills advance to the Super Bowl, the entire city will jump off the roof of a bus onto a burning table to celebrate their beloved team securing a spot in the Big Dance. The Buffalo Bills defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-15 on Sunday Night Football to improve to 10-3. As a result, their Super Bowl odds bumped to 10/1, according to a recent update by the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas.
The Buffalo Bills are 10-3 for the first time since 1991 and their halcyon days under Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, and head coach Marv Levy.
During their peak years with Kelly, the Bills qualified for the Super Bowl four years in a row. Unfortunately, the Bills were the runner-up all four years. In a weird twist of fate, the Bills lost the Super Bowl to an NFC East team all four times during that epic run.
During the 1990 season, the Bills went 13-3, but lost Super Bowl XXV against the New York Giants 20-19. In 1991, the Bills also went 13-3 before losing Super Bowl XXVI against Washington 37-24.
The Dallas Cowboys knocked off the Bills in back-to-back championships in Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII. In 1992, the Bills had an off year, finishing in second place in the AFC East with an 11-5 record. As a wild-card team, the 1992 Bills made it all the way to the Super Bowl, but were blown out 52-17. In 1993, the Bills bounced back with a 12-4 season and won the AFC East. Once again, they couldn’t clear the Super Bowl hump after a 30-13 loss against the Cowboys.
Buffalo Bills Odds Jump
During the Bills’ 1990’s peak, they secured four trips to the Super Bowl and posted a 49-15 regular-season record.
Since their last trip to the Super Bowl, the Bills qualified for the postseason six times, but won just one postseason game with a 1-6 clip. They’ve been unable to advance past the wild-card round in their last five playoff appearances, including in the previous two seasons. But that was then.
“This year is going to be different,” said long-time member of Bills Mafia, Myke Menio.
The Bills last won a playoff game in 1995. They defeated the Miami Dolphins in the wild-card game Since then, the Bills went 0-6.
Josh Allen leads the third-best passing attack in the league. Allen averages 272.8 yards per game. He’s completed 68.8% of his passes for 3,641 yards and 28 touchdowns. He’s also accounted for six rushing touchdowns and one receiving TD. That’s 25 total touchdowns for Allen.
The addition of Stefon Diggs has been a godsend, which is also one of the reasons why the Bills saw their Super Bowl odds spike. Diggs leads the NFL with 100 receptions. He’s caught 10 receptions in three out of the last four games. Diggs is ranked third overall with 1,167 receiving yards. He only has five touchdowns, but lit up the Steelers for 130 yards and a touchdown on Sunday night.
Allen vs Darnold
The Bills selected Allen out of Wyoming with the #7 pick overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. The New York Jets traded up to acquire Sam Darnold with the #3 pick. The two have been linked together ever since.
The Jets went 11-34 since drafting Darnold, including a winless 0-13 season this year. Meanwhile, the Bills are 26-19 since drafting Allen. The Bills advanced to the wild card last season and locked up a postseason berth this year by winning the AFC East. In Allen’s third season, the Bills are legit contenders for the Super Bowl.
The LOL Jets? They have yet to win a game this season and are the worst team in the league. The Jets’ hopes rest on securing Trevor Lawrence with the #1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Then again, the Jets hired Adam Gase to mentor Darnold, which was a huge mistake. Even if the Jets drafted Allen instead, they would likely be in the same boat.
The Jets were taken off the NFL futures board weeks ago, while the Bills saw their Super Bowl odds bump from 13/1 to 10/1 after their big win over the Steelers.