A new mission for the soaring Buffalo Bills kicks off Saturday

The Buffalo Bills are red-hot despite taking the field in upstate New York winter land. Not every game, but at home at Gillette Stadium in Orchard Park is where you bundle up. It’s been six years in fact when the heavy snowstorm that closed off traffic throughout the area forced the game against the New York Jets to be played in Detroit’s domed home field.

But now, for the first time in 25 years, there might be snow falling Saturday in freezing weather but that’s where the National Football League AFC East champions will welcome the first-round playoff opponent Indianapolis Colts, who finished as runner-up to the Tennessee Titans in the AFC North tiebreaker. Buffalo is 13-3, the Colts arrive at 11-5, but Indy is familiar with the post-season, the Bills are not.

It’s been quite some time since the die-hard Buffalo fans have had a chance to watch these playoffs. One reason is the domination of the New England Patriots in the division, another is that the Bills settled in to watch the post-season on the tubes and just waited and waited until now, for now comes the chance to finally win a Super Bowl. Four straight times, from 1991 to 1994 under head coach Marv Levy, quarterback Jim Kelly and a talented roster in about every position, and four straight times they lost, once to the New York Giants, once to the then-Washington Redskins, and twice to the Dallas Cowboys

Only one game was close, that being game one of the four against the Giants. Super Bowl XXV was a thriller played in Tampa Bay, with multiple lead changes and two gutsy teams battling toe-to-toe before Buffalo’s Scott Norwood’s game-ending 47-yard field goal try went wide left and the Giants got to celebrate a 20-19 cliffhanger in the battle of the Empire State rivals. Next came a 37-24 rout at the hands of Washington, and 30-13 and 52-17 setbacks to Dallas in one the Cowboys better times.

Buffalo was the first team to play four-in-a-row Super Bowls and lose them all. Now, after both the franchise and its cold-weather fans remained there all this time, it is back. It is the 2nd seed in the AFC behind the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, and swept New England, the Miami Dolphins and the Jets for the first time since 1995, the year the playoffs draught began even though the Bills had another talented squad, had Kelly in his final season, led the league in sacks, and posted a representative 10-6 record. But the previous four seasons brought four-straight AFC titles that were a high standard for Western New York.

Kelly then battled cancer, had a 25-75 chance to survive, and did with the support of his family, his fans, and the Buffalo franchise. He was named to the Pro Hall of Fame, did some television appearances, spoke about his years with the University of Miami and with the Bills. Now he’s alive and well and has chosen to watch this game via TV with his friends and family.

“I can hardly wait,” he said, “because I have waited so long. That’s my team and that’s where I still live. Every time I come across fans, they ask how I’m doing, and I’m happy to answer with a smile, a thank you, and good news for them.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced that a limited number of fans will be in the stands, but that was before he said it would be only parents and family members to be allowed. That set off a rebellion in which the Bills were told to not allow the governor through the gates. So much for that, and so much for the home team being an early line 5-point favorite. It is led by 3rd-year quarterback Josh Allen who had defied all odds after being picked out of Wyoming.

He is good, very confident, can pass, can run, can provide the needed leadership, and he stands tall at 6-foot-5, 237 pounds. His team has won 9 of 10 after losing to Tennessee, 41-38, to Baltimore, 30-24, and Pittsburgh, 24-14, all tight tussles that could have gone either way. From there, no one has come close as Allen and company rolled over the remaining teams that included romping over the Pats, 28-9 in New England, and eliminating visiting Miami from the the post-season, 56-26.

Allen has out together a pair of 400-yard passing games, 455 versus the Dolphins and 414 against the Seattle Seahawks. He has also thrown for 300-plus yards nine times. His favorite receiver has been Stephan Diggs, but he is now questionable with knee problems, leaving Allen with a mixture of offense and he’s handled it well. The running game is led by rookie Devan Singletary of FAU, and he brings speed and strength to a 5-7, 200-pound frame. The punter is Corey Bojorquez, in his third year out of University of New Mexico.

But Indy can not be taken lightly. It is the visitors, so it becomes the underdog, but has gotten outstanding play out of veteran, long-time Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. It has slumped lately, thus losing the tiebreaker to Tennessee, but is capable of moving the ball and playing stout defense. Now it needs to piece together all these things that worked before.

Sean McDermott is the head coach and former Buffalo quarterback Frank Reich is an assistant who runs the offense. He was at times the Kelly back-up.

“Hey, history is great,” said Reich, “but this Bills’ team has nothing to do with the past. They are having a great year, they are now on a high, and we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Former Bills’ wide receiver Steve Tasker has lived in Buffalo for the past 35 yards. He intends to attend the game and be part of the small turnout.

“People here embrace the team,” he said. “The entire city, the area cheers for them, have been for ages, and I’m super happy for them to finally be back in the post-season.”

Tasker added his former teammates from those Super Bowls included Hall of Famers Kelly, defensive lineman Bruce Smith, wide receivers Andre Reed and James Lofton, running back Thurman Thomas, and head coach Levy.

Game time is scheduled for 11:05 a.m. (Mountain Time) and will be viewed on CBS as the first game of the Saturday tripleheader. Next comes the 6th seeded Los Angeles Rams at the 3rd seeded Seahawks, and the night game pairing the 5th seeded Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the 4th seeded Washington Football Team.

On Sunday, it’s three more games to decide who’s left and who’s ousted. In the opener it’s the 5th seeded Baltimore Ravens at the 4th seeded Tennessee Titans, followed by 7th seeded Chicago Bears visiting 2nd seeded New Orleans Saints, and the final tilt matches the 6th seeded Cleveland Browns at the 3rd seeded Pittsburgh Steelers.

With the coronavirus pandemic restrictions keeping the attendance down, the home field advantage won’t be as evident, so it gives the visitors a better chance and with both teams playing for the huge television viewers.

How about those Bills? Well, now after like a lifetime, they get another chance to finally win a Super Bowl,  Now they will know quickly if they advance on this mission or have to, let’s say, wait till next year or another 25 while the guys from Indy remain in this hunt. How about that?