The defining play of the Buffalo Bills’ 2018 season!

There are few things in this world that can connect people like a good story. Football fans may not always realize this, but every Monday morning “Did you see...?” with coworkers; each late Sunday phone call to a friend about “I thought that... but then...” is a manifestation of this connection.

And that’s really the goal of this series, to dive into the stories we share as fans. So first and foremost, a sincere “thank you” to everyone who flocks to this modern campfire to tell tales and spin yarns together.

With just a tad more ado—after an incredibly close vote, the play that you all voted as the one that best tells the story of the Buffalo Bills’ 2018 season is...

Josh Allen jumping over things

Despite the plays that represented the individual games containing an alarming number of pick-sixes and various negative plays, the votes kept circling back to an optimistic narrative for the 2018 season. The development of Josh Allen became a particular focal point and it became apparent that the story of the season for many was excited foreshadowing of the stories to come.

In your own words:

During the Away Games finals, voters were asked to choose between our Champion and an incomplete pass from Allen to Charles Clay that sealed a loss to the Miami Dolphins. In analyzing the difference in narratives, BD34 wrote about the leap and how it symbolized optimism. The leap was “a heroic play against a highly touted team which helped to rally the troops to knock them off.”

Saimang wrote about the jump “…that happened before the throw and something about it made me think ‘this kid is willing to do whatever it takes to be special.’ I bought in with that jump and its clear the team did as well, the throw just helped to solidify it.” In a similar sentiment, JonR67 wrote “Plays like his hurdle showed that he will do anything it takes to carry this offense on his shoulders.”

While optimism for Allen still shined through, C-Lite offered a slightly different take on the play, which highlights some of the less admirable aspects of 2018; “risking life and limb running for yards ( that he / we could not pick up through the air)…this was 2018 in a nutshell.”

Readers really struggled with this choice though, with an entire comment chain dedicated to the poetry of Chuck-Wagon expressing “I only hope that this ends in a 50/50 tie.” And it was close. Very close.

If you didn’t see your name, don’t think you were missed. All of the comments and discussion were truly appreciated but it’s already getting wordy and we have a couple more things to take care of to celebrate our defining moment for 2018.

Since our winner launched a thousand memes, let’s bring them back via the courtesy of this convenient collection from Billswire.

And finally...