JAMESTOWN – Chautauqua Sports Hall Of Fame Executive Director Randy Anderson is thankful that the Buffalo Bills were able to clinch their first playoff berth since the Music City Miracle of 1999.
“I’m just glad the albatross is off our backs,” Anderson said. “But, on the other hand, I felt differently back in the previous era (1990’s) because we had a legitimate chance of winning a Super Bowl.”
“I’m just thankful we (the Bills) are part of the process.”
Anderson doesn’t see the 2017 Buffalo Bills squad having a legitimate shot at winning a Super Bowl this year. He, however, believes the Bills could win Sunday on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“I think we stand a chance against Jacksonville, but I don’t think we (the Bills) stand much of a chance after that.”
Buffalo previously held the longest postseason drought in all of the major professional sports at 17 seasons. Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners now hold the longest streak at 16 seasons.
The Cleveland Browns, who went 0-16 this season, now own the longest NFL drought at 15 seasons.
A Buffalo win Sunday would mean they’d play in New England the following Saturday evening. The Patriots, due to clinching the AFC’s No. 1 seed, have home-field advantage. Number one seeds play the lowest remaining seed after Wild Card Weekend in the Divisional Round.
Buffalo lost both games to the Patriots this season, and have lost 11 of the last 14 contests with their AFC East foe. New England and Buffalo haven’t met in the playoffs since 1963, when the Pats (Boston at the time), defeated the Bills, 26-8.
Their only other postseason meeting, which was in 1962, resulted in a 28-28 tie. Both games were at the War Memorial Stadium, which was located in Downtown Buffalo. The stadium was torn down a few decades ago.
Jacksonville, with a win, would play in Pittsburgh the following Sunday afternoon as the Steelers, ranked 2nd in the AFC, will face the highest remaining seed. The Jaguars previously smashed Pittsburgh, 30-9, this year at Heinz Field.
The Jaguars are 13-11 all-time against the Steelers, but have lost three of the last four meetings. Jacksonville, however, won the only previous postseason matchup, 31-29, at Heinz Field.
