Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Damar Hamlin had a simple message after Bills fell short of Super Bowl

Many thought the Buffalo Bills were the hands-down favorite to win the Super Bowl this season. 

Josh Allen is one of the elite young quarterbacks in this league and Buffalo had a defense that was tailor-made to play bully ball and get the ball back in the hands of its offense.

The Bills entered the postseason at 13-3, winners of the AFC East and in possession of the No. 2 seed. 

They squeaked by the Miami Dolphins on Wildcard Weekend, 34-31 and their Super Bowl hopes were still alive and well when Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals came to town.

What happened was largely unexpected: a 27-10 win in favor of last year's AFC champion, the Bengals.

The Bills looked hapless for much of the game and outnumbered for most of it. It was a disappointment, to say the least, but after the loss safety Damar Hamlin — who became basically world famous after he collapsed on the field a few weeks ago after suffering heart complications in the middle of the game and somehow, someway, survived and was at this game — had a simple message for Bills fans who may be feeling dismayed at the outcome.

"We'll be back," Hamlin Tweeted. 

It seems within reason to believe that Buffalo will be back in the playoffs next season, sans unexpected injuries to Allen or other key members of the team. With that said, being just "back" in the playoffs can't be enough for the Bills.

This is a team with an MVP-level quarterback, an elite head coach in Sean McDermott, and massive talent on both sides of the ball. 

Throw in perhaps the best home-field advantage going right now and there's no reason the Bills shouldn't be Super Bowl contenders once again.

As any long-suffering Bills fan will tell you, though, there is a big difference between being "back" and being on top.

That's a place the Bills have sadly struggled to reach over the years, but it does remain the ultimate goal in Buffalo.  

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