How do the Buffalo Bills move on from heartbreaking loss to Chiefs?

Another Buffalo Bills season ended miserably as they will have to overcome live with the sting from their overtime loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.

There are losses that will sit with a fanbase for a while and for the Buffalo Bills, losing in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs will take some time to get over.

For the team and players, it’s a chance to learn valuable lessons whether good or bad, that can help them next season. Bills Mafia has dealt with its fair share of tough moments that should only help them realize that better times do lie ahead.

"“It’s painful and still going through it,” Beane said during his end-of-season news conference via ESPN. “I’m not in a good spot. But I will review it and we’ll learn from it, I promise you that. There’s a lot of pain in this city and there’s a lot of pain in that building over there, and we’re gonna do everything in our power to not let that happen again.”"

What lessons exactly should be taken from this loss? It’s clear that mistakes were made at crucial points in the game, whether it was not going for it on a couple of short fourth downs or the decisions made in the final 13 seconds of the fourth quarter.

Beane said the team will be looking at those final moments and see what could have been done differently.

Buffalo Bills should want their loss to spark change to NFL’s overtime rules

There is no arguing against the opinion that Josh Allen and the Bills deserved a chance to respond in overtime against the Chiefs.

Yes, the NFL’s overtime rules have been around for a while but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t perfect. There are also legitimate reasons why the NFL wants the first touchdown to decide the end of the game as they do not want prolonged overtime quarters throughout the regular season.

However, in the playoffs, there is no reason why you don’t want Josh Allen and the Bills to get a chance to respond to the Chiefs touchdown.

"“So maybe there ends up being more ties in the regular season, but let’s make sure we give both offenses a chance when the season’s on the line,” Beane said about the rule.“I’m sure even though it benefited (the Chiefs) the other night, I’m sure they would be in favor. If you’ve got Pat Mahomes, you’re always going to want to make sure he gets the ball, and we feel the same about Josh.”"

The NFL has two leagues that have different overtime rules that would be easy to draw from if they are contemplating making changes.

Just over a month ago, the CFL had the Grey Cup decided in overtime. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers got the advantage of going first and were able to get the touchdown and two-points convert but unlike the NFL, the game didn’t end there.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats had their chance to answer back but were unable to convert on their chance which allowed the Blue Bombers to come away with the win. Here is a breakdown of the CFL overtime rules and how it differs from the NFL and is similar to the NCAA:

• Each team is given the same number of offensive possessions in overtime with a coin toss determining which team goes on offense first.
• Each team’s possession starts on the 35-yard line and if a team scores a touchdown, a two-point conversion must be attempted.
• There is no game clock on the overtime period and during the regular season, the game ends in a tie once each team gets two attempts to score.
• During the playoffs, overtime continues until there is a winner.

These rules would be an ideal shift for the NFL as they would solve a lot of problems the league has with their overtime format. We have seen long-drawn-out overtimes where it seems like neither team wants to win (see the Steelers and Lions from earlier in the season).

Considering how the conversation from the Chiefs-Bills game shifted from fans calling it the “Game of the Year” to a messy debate about overtime, the NFL should be doing willing to bring upon the change that they has been needed for a while.

What are your thoughts on the end of the Bills season? Should the NFL be making change to their overtime rules? Let us know in the comments below.