Josh Allen walks off the field after the Bills' divisional round loss to the Chiefs JAMIE GERMANO/ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE / USA TODAY NETWORK

SI's justified 'Super Bowl or Bust' label for Bills and MVP quarterback Josh Allen

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI
By Ralph Ventre | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 1:29 PM ET

Anything less would be considered another disappointment, plain and simple.

It's a great expectation, but the Buffalo Bills should be able to handle it, and if they want to be remembered by history, they need to finally deliver.

The Bills have not been to the Super Bowl since the 1993 season, which coincided with President Bill Clinton's first term in office. After the "Music City Miracle" officially ended the 90s Bills era, the franchise suffered through a 17-year postseason drought until head coach Sean McDermott arrived in 2017 followed by quarterback Josh Allen in 2018.

With Buffalo having won five consecutive AFC East titles beginning in 2020, and the reigning NFL MVP at the controls, a Super Bowl appearance feels both feasible and long overdue.

"I'm not afraid to say Super Bowl or bust with them," said Sports Illustrated senior reporter Albert Breer.

The Bills return all key pieces, including the entire offensive line, from the league's second-ranked scoring offense in 2024. Meanwhile, they focused a high volume of offseason resources to revamping the defensive line and tweaking the secondary.

"Is this the best team that Josh Allen's played on. He's obviously at the peak of his powers. The schedule's favorable," said Breer. "I don't know how you would look at this and not say they should have home field for the playoffs. Based on what the other teams are dealing with, the top contenders in the AFC are dealing with, they should be the No. 1 seed in the AFC."

Having averaged 12.2 regular season wins over the last five years, Buffalo is set up to make a serious run once again. It's also notable that the Bills won't have to travel anywhere farther than Houston during the regular season, and they play their three most-formidable opponents — Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles— at home, where they went 10-0 last year (playoffs included).

Breer reemphasized his steep expectation for Allen and the Bills in his "One Offseason Thought on All 32 Teams."

While Buffalo is 0-4 against the Lansas City Chiefs in the playoffs since 2020, it is time to exorcise the demons and get through the AFC gauntlet that includes Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow.

"Last year’s roster reset was a big success, evidenced by the big-money extensions Khalil Shakir, Greg Rousseau, Christian Benford and, yes, Josh Allen earned (we’ll see on James Cook). Every year, having a quarterback like Allen puts pressure on everyone to win at the highest level. That certainly exists this year. As is the case with [Lamar] Jackson, at some point, you have to find a way to break through." — Albert Breer

The Bills are built to win and they have a unicorn as their starting quarterback. As it stands in early July, the pressure is on McDermott and Co. with the only potential relief coming in the form of an early February trip to Santa Clara.

After veterans report on July 22, the Bills will begin training camp practices on July 23 at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford. The preseason opener is set for August 9 against the New York Giants at Highmark Stadium.