Getty Josh Allen on the field after a playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
After another crushing playoff defeat at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, losing has not gotten any easier for Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
Speaking to reporters after the 27-24 divisional-round loss on January 21, Allen delivered a terse message on his feelings.
“It sucks,” Allen said, via SI.com.
Allen went on to say that every part of the game was difficult, from the familiar opponent to the familiar ending to the season.
“Losing sucks. Losing to them. Losing to anybody. At home. It sucks.”
It was the third time in the last four years that the Chiefs sent the Bills home in the playoffs, and a dejected Allen expressed regret after the game.
More Heartbreak for Bills
After a back-and-forth game that included five lead changes, the Bills had the ball trailing by three points late in the fourth quarter with a chance to win or tie the game. But after the Chiefs held on a third-down play, kicker Tyler Bass missed a 44-yard field goal attempt with 1:43 remaining and the Chiefs secured a first down to close out the game and secure a trip back to the AFC Championship game.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Allen said he felt responsible for not getting a touchdown on the final drive.
“I wish he wouldn’t have been put in that situation,” Allen said of Bass, via The Associated Press. “You win as a team, you lose as a team. One play doesn’t define a game.”
Josh Allen is so visibly dejected. He looks like he’s in shock.
Allen had a gritty performance, completing 26 of 39 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown and adding 12 carries for 72 yards and two rushing scores. After struggling with turnovers during the season, Allen did not turn over the ball against the Chiefs and had no turnovers in the playoffs this year.
It was not only the third time in recent years that the Bills have lost to the Chiefs in the playoffs, but the second consecutive year that they lost at home in the divisional round. The Bills also finished as the No. 2 seed last season, but suffered a resounding loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at home.
Bills Clawed Back This Season
The playoffs once seemed unlikely for the Bills, with the team stumbling to a 6-6 start before finishing on a five-game winning streak to climb back into the playoff picture and take the AFC East title with a season-finale win over the Miami Dolphins. The Bills fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and replaced him with Joe Brady, gutting through a number of key injuries on defense.
Safety Jordan Poyer said after the game that it was tough seeing the season come to an end in such heartbreaking fashion — and to the same team that’s ended their season two other times in recent years.
“Just lost in the playoffs to a team that’s kicked us out,” Poyer said. “It’s tough. You work so hard throughout the season to fight and claw back, our backs against the wall, everybody doubting us midway through the season and we get here and just that close.”
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