The Buffalo Bills fell short of expectations in 2025, losing to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round of the playoffs thanks to a lame call by the referees, claiming that wide receiver Brandin Cooks didn’t catch the ball, allowing Denver to win it all. Denver lost to the New England Patriots, and then the Patriots fell to the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl. One bright spot is that New England didn’t get the victory, making the Bills’ loss to the Broncos sting just a tiny bit less.
Heading into 2026, ESPN released an article talking about who they think will win the upcoming Super Bowl, along with who they think will take home the MVP. Both Josh Allen and the team were featured heavily in the article.
However, not a single person thought that Buffalo would win it all, despite more than one analyst having Buffalo going to the big game.
It’s the same script we’ve seen time and time again. The Bills are good enough to scare everyone, as was evident in ESPN’s article giving Buffalo the third-best odds to win the whole thing next season. The national media loves the idea of Buffalo in February. They just don’t love Buffalo hoisting the Lombardi.
Buffalo faces more heartbreak in latest ESPN article
Matt Bowen had the Bills losing to the Bears in the Super Bowl. Pamela Maldonado had the San Francisco beating Buffalo in the big game, and Mike Tannebaum had the Washington Commanders taking out the Bills in the Super Bowl.
“Chicago needs to add pass rushers, but the foundational players are there on offense under coach Ben Johnson. With quarterback Caleb Williams’ playmaking ability, the Bears will beat Josh Allen and Joe Brady’s Bills to win Super Bowl LXI.” – Matt Bowen
Chicago may be ascending, but the Bills are and have been the benchmark. Notice something? A handful of predictions have Buffalo as the final hurdle. That tells you exactly where this franchise sits in the NFL hierarchy.
“The 2025 season was a grind, with multiple injuries to key players such as edge rusher Joey Bosa, linebacker Fred Warner and tight end George Kittle. Yet the 49ers still piled up 12 wins and won a playoff game. A roster that’s already battle tested under that level of adversity should be a contending team once its health stabilizes.” – Pamela Maldonado
San Francisco’s healthy rebound is more than a fair point. But it wasn’t just the 49ers who were ravaged with injuries. Buffalo dealt with its own issues in 2025 and still found itself one play away from advancing. Why is one team’s adversity proof of resilience, while another is a warning sign?
“Quarterback Jayden Daniels stays healthy next season and bounces back in a big way. He plays in every game and finishes the season by outdueling Allen and the Bills in a 45-42 shootout in L.A.” – Mike Tannenbaum
Jayden Daniels was electric, though had a down year in 2025. But projecting a 45-42 shootout win over Allen assumes Buffalo won’t evolve defensively under Joe Brady’s reshaped staff with Jim Leonhard taking over the reins.
Why can’t the Buffalo Bills have nice things? Yes, going to the Super Bowl would be wonderful, but why do they have to have Bills Mafia enduring such heartbreak once more? Getting to the big game would be glorious, but fans are hoping that after such a long hiatus, the team would find a way to win. Bills Mafia has lived through “wide right,” four straight Super Bowl losses, 13 seconds, and “the catch.” At some point, heartbreak stops being character-building and starts being exhausting.
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Josh Allen for MVP in 2026?
Despite their prediction of Buffalo losing in the big game, more than one analyst has Allen taking home yet another MVP trophy, indicating another strong season from the 2024 MVP.
Here’s where the predictions get even more frustrating. Analysts don’t doubt Allen. In fact, they’re almost unanimous in their praise. The skepticism isn’t about the quarterback; it’s whether the team around him can finally finish when it matters most.
“The window won’t stay open forever for Allen to win a Super Bowl, but Buffalo is well positioned entering the season. Since newly hired coach Joe Brady was promoted as Buffalo’s offensive coordinator in Week 11 of the 2023 season, the Bills have ranked second in points per game at 29.1, a run that included Allen winning his first MVP in 2024. He is firmly in the mix for this award again, especially if Buffalo adds a true No. 1 receiver this offseason.” – Eric Moody
“I think he’s the best player in football and has to shoulder such a heavy load for his team. That makes him a perennial MVP candidate, and I don’t see that changing. He didn’t even play his best ball last season. If he plays better in 2026, he certainly has a chance at a second MVP in three years.” – Seth Walder
Maybe that’s where Buffalo belongs, underestimated at the finish line. The Bills have heard the doubt before, on countless occasions. The only way to silence it is to stop giving analysts a reason to predict heartbreak.
This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Feb 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.