The Play That Defines the Buffalo Bills’ 2023 Season

Typically my annual “Plays That Defined” series is a strictly offseason affair. This year, a few things conspired to delay a lot of the work. And then we felt it might as well be pushed back a little bit further to jump on a unique opportunity. That’s because you all voted for this iconic play to define the Buffalo Bills’ 2023 Season.

The latest play to ascend to “Play That Defined” status is…

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The Drop

The Buffalo Bills’ 2023 campaign was a roller coaster ride. An overtime loss to the New York Jets was followed by three dominant victories. A trip across the pond directly led to a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and then a sputtering midseason when it looked like Buffalo might miss the playoffs entirely.

The Bills rallied late to take the AFC East from the Miami Dolphins, and rolled over the Pittsburgh Steelers before the season came crashing down against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round.

Up. And Down.

Against Kansas City, Buffalo scored first but KC quickly tied things back up. The game featured lead change after lead change. The Bills dominated time of possession and had the ball twice in the fourth quarter down by only three points. Neither drive resulted in points.

Up. And Down.

On the latter of those drives, Buffalo had a decision for either a kill shot or methodical drive. Scoring quickly could save enough time for another Bills drive if the Chiefs responded with a score of their own. A methodical drive done well could take the ball away from KC entirely. With our “Play That Defined 2023” the Buffalo Bills tried for the kill shot. The first play of the series was a picture-perfect deep shot to star receiver Stefon Diggs.

Up. And Down.

Buffalo’s drive wasn’t over and other miscues were the final nail in the coffin. One thing I love to point out is that while it might be the final nail that gets the credit in that saying, the pine box isn’t staying closed without a bunch of previous nails. “The Drop” is technically a previous nail for the Bills’ 2023 coffin, but no single play captures the up and down nature of Buffalo’s year like this pass climbing toward the heavens and scorching back through the atmosphere right into the hands of Stefon Diggs — who let it hit the turf.

Literally up. And literally down.

Strategically, the reveal for this year’s entry comes right before quarterback Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs face each other from across the field as adversaries. While Allen has denied any kind of feud or friction with Diggs, that sentiment is surely not mirrored across the fan base. Many have pointed to this exact play as the possible deciding moment for One Bills Drive to move on from Diggs.

No matter your stance on the relationship and circumstances that led to the split, let this stand that “The Drop” is now a thing of the past. Keep an eye out for possible “Plays That Define 2024” as the Buffalo Bills continue to roll through the season.