For the first time in 25 years, the Buffalo Bills (11-3) are AFC East champions, thanks to a dominant 48-19 victory over the Denver Broncos. On the latest episode of the Billieve Podcast, hosts John Boccacino and Jamie D’Amico recap the win, Buffalo’s seventh in its last eight games, as the Bills secured their third playoff berth in the last four years.
Among the topics covered on the podcast:
- Jamie and John take a stroll down memory lane, sharing where they were when the Bills last were AFC East champions, during the 1995 season.
- Jamie tests John’s knowledge of those 1995 Bills.
- This was a moment four years in the making, and this victory fulfilled the promise made by general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott when they were hired that they would turn the Bills into perennial Super Bowl contenders, and not just a team thankful to sneak into the playoffs every now and then.
- This Bills team has legitimate Super Bowl dreams and seems poised to be the main challenger to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC.
- Recapping the win over the Broncos, quarterback Josh Allen (four total touchdowns, 359 passing yards) continues to make a legitimate case as the league’s MVP. Boccacino and D’Amico discuss where Allen falls in the MVP race, and speculate on who has the better offensive weapons around him: Allen or Patrick Mahomes.
- Wide receiver Stefon Diggs (11 catches for 147 yards) continued his breakout season and is clearly the catalyst behind both Allen’s career year and Buffalo’s high-powered offense.
- Linebacker Matt Milano was outstanding and is returning to form as a game-changer for a resurgent Bills defense.
- Speaking of the defense, this group is back to playing like a top-five unit, and defensive coordinator/assistant head coach Leslie Frazier now has a plethora of weapons at his disposal along the line, from Jerry Hughes, Ed Oliver and Quinton Jefferson to Vernon Butler, Harrison Phillips and Mario Addison.
- Kudos to left tackle Dion Dawkins, who shut down Denver’s talented edge rusher Bradley Chubb. It was a banner day up and down the offensive line, as Buffalo averaged 7.6 yards per rush while rushing for 182 yards on 24 carries.
- Speaking of the ground game, rookie Zack Moss (13 carries for 81 yards) has established himself as the bell cow of the backfield.
- This team’s veterans like Hughes, cornerback Tre’Davious White, and safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer have been waiting for this moment since they arrived in Buffalo, but they are not done yet and have their sights set on loftier goals.
Check out the latest Billieve Podcast for our thoughts on Buffalo’s long-awaited divisional title and what it means for the team moving forward, then join the conversation by leaving your thoughts in the comments section below.
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