Plays that defined 2019 Buffalo Bills: Away game quarterfinals

Alright everyone! The story behind every game of the 2019 season has now been distilled into a single play. We’ll continue this process via tournament to crown a single play that represents the entire 2019 season for the Buffalo Bills, starting with the away bracket. As is usual, seeding is determined by the percentage of votes each winning play received with the one tie being decided by points scored in their respective games.

Remember the premise. Someone who missed the entire Bills season wants to know how it went and you only get one play to illustrate or “tell the story” of the entire year. Which play will help facilitate the narrative? While each play is accompanied by a narrative of my choosing, you’re not limited to my explanations.

---

Josh Allen fourth-down conversion (79%)

The Buffalo Bills weren’t expected to win this game by many. They defied expectations on this play, in this game, and all season.

vs.

Josh Allen to Cole Beasley (34%)

Good teams the win the games they’re supposed to win. More often than not, the Bills did exactly that in 2019. Taking care of the New York Giants was supposed to happen.

---

Stephen Hauschka missed field goal (79%)

A seemingly odd second seed (and tied for first) is a moment of “sooooo close.” In hindsight though, it’s not a bad way to represent the season.

vs.

Illegal forward pass (39%)

There’s an element of poetry in this moment as an illegal forward pass marked the end of the “good Bills” era. Does this illegal forward pass mark the beginning of the next? For a less poetic narrative, the Bills making less mistakes than their opponents isn’t a bad way to view it.

---

John Brown 40-yard touchdown (61%)

This 40-yard play resulted in a score that helped elevate the Bills over a hated rival. While Buffalo was by no means an offensive juggernaut in 2019, improvement in this phase of the game contributed to their overall success.

vs.

Josh Allen to John Brown for 40 yards (45%)

This 40-yard play ripped out the hearts of the Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans. This play stands in defiance of all the opposing teams and fans that felt they’d roll over the Bills. It also shows the depth of preparation at One Bills Drive.

---

John Brown TD (60%)

The heart attack “come-from-behind” Bills were in full force in 2019. People wouldn’t cite the number of game-winning drives that Josh Allen had if the Bills weren’t routinely down in the fourth.

vs.

Josh Allen incomplete to Cole Beasley (50%)

Unfortunately, the Bills were roughly 50/50 in games they were trailing in the fourth quarter. The team was just as likely to be the “not-quite-enough” Bills in 2019.

Editor’s note: If you’re using a mobile news app, you’ll need to click to the article in your web browser to vote.