PITTSFORD 鈥 In January 1995, before a third consecutive Dallas-San Francisco NFC championship game, Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin hit the verbal bullseye.
鈥淭he only reason we played the season was to determine whether the game would be played (in Dallas) or San Francisco,鈥 The Playmaker said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what you wanted me to say, isn鈥檛 it?鈥
Absolutely, 100%. The 49ers won at home, 38-28, on their way to a Super Bowl; Dallas beat San Francisco in the previous two NFC title games on its way to Super Bowl titles.
I was reminded of that rivalry during my drive to Buffalo Bills training camp ahead of their first practice on Wednesday morning.
The Bills are expected to be elite 鈥 again. Anything less than 12 wins will require some explaining.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen, the reigning NFL MVP, signs autographs following the opening training camp practice on Wednesday in Pittsford.
Quarterback Josh Allen is expected be a thrill machine 鈥 again. He is the reigning MVP and at the height of his powers.
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And the Bills should control the AFC East 鈥 again. You can pretty much roll credits on acknowledging a seventh consecutive division crown.
But everything the Bills do from now until the end of the regular season should be about getting the Kansas City Chiefs to Orchard Park for the AFC championship game on Jan. 25.
Bills-Chiefs is this era鈥檚 version of 1990s Dallas-San Francisco. Josh Allen vs. Patrick Mahomes. Sean McDermott vs. Andy Reid. They really are playing the regular season to determine who will host the playoff game 鈥 the Chiefs have three times and the Bills once.
Yes, the visiting Chiefs beat the Bills two years ago in the divisional round, but so what? It鈥檚 time for the Bills to get the conference title game in their stadium, which would be the best way possible to close the old coliseum before moving across the street 鈥 you might not able to take your seat home with you, but at least you鈥檒l get to see a trophy presentation.
鈥淯ltimately, we probably know it runs through (the Chiefs) in the playoffs like it has for the last 6-7 years,鈥 said Allen, who is 0-4 against Kansas City in the playoffs.
Sounds like a 鈥淪uper Bowl Or Bust Season,鈥 for the Bills doesn鈥檛 it?
Well, it鈥檚 complicated. It depends on who we鈥檙e talking about.
This is not a Super Bowl-or-bust season for McDermott.
McDermott is in rare air, a big whistle in his ninth year with a team and without a Super Bowl appearance. Among non-expansion teams, the list includes Jim Mora (New Orleans), Marty Schottenheimer (Kansas City), John Robinson (Los Angeles Rams) and, the grand marshal of this parade, Cincinnati鈥檚 Marvin Lewis (16 years). Poor Marvin didn鈥檛 even win a playoff game.
Bills owner Terry Pegula is a fan even if McDermott鈥檚 approval rating among the fan base toggles between tepid applause and full-on angst.
This is not a Super Bowl-or-bust season for Allen.
I would need a new notebook to list all of the Bills employees who would get turfed before Pegula pinned the blame on Allen, who has built a ton of equity by leading the Bills on and off the field. He is Buffalo Bills Football.
This is not a Super Bowl-or-bust season for general manager Brandon Beane.
No personnel chief is going to bat 1.000 in the draft, but the way he has led the Bills鈥 draft efforts is notable and he has wisely refused to push the panic button, particularly after the last three postseasons.
But for so many other players on this roster, 2025 could be their last shot to help the Bills reach the Super Bowl, much less win it. That鈥檚 why the level of urgency should be high around the Bills. It really is Super Bowl or bust for them.
On offense, running back James Cook, he of the disgruntled contact, was at camp and participating 鈥 smart move considering he would have been fined $50,000 for each missed day. Cook鈥檚 goal should be reaching the Super Bowl and then moving on to a team that will pay him $12 million-plus per year.
Also on offense, left guard David Edwards and center Connor McGovern are free agents next March. I would have signed them to extensions during the spring to show their value to Allen. Maybe the Bills have a difference price point for them because left tackle Dion Dawkins and right tackle Spencer Brown have a combined 2026 cap hit of more than $42 million.
On defense, tackle DaQuan Jones is the team鈥檚 oldest player (33); he has one thing to accomplish the hour glass is emptying. Linebacker Matt Milano has missed most of the last two years with injuries. Edge rusher A.J. Epenesa is in the final year of his contract. And don鈥檛 forget about edge rusher Joey Bosa, who signed a one-year deal in March to pursue the Super Bowl.
They will all become legends forever if they deliver Buffalo its first Super Bowl title.
The Bills host Kansas City on Nov. 2. If the Bills beat Baltimore in Week 1, they could enter 7-0. The Chiefs have the Chargers, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Detroit and Washington on their schedule before playing the Bills.
Everybody on the Bills payroll knows what鈥檚 at stake this year, another opportunity to show Kansas City there is a new boss in the AFC. Use that scar tissue of four postseason losses for something positive.
鈥淲e have a group of competitive dudes 鈥 you go down the list of players who鈥檝e been here through some of these painful moments,鈥 Beane said. 鈥淚鈥檓 a firm believer you keep swinging the sword. You don鈥檛 get in? You work harder and you use that frustration.鈥
The Bills have dealt with more than enough frustration. It鈥檚 time to dethrone the Chiefs, preferably in Orchard Park.
