Bye-bye boogeyman: QB ghosts of Bills' playoff failures likely missing postseason

Barring an unlikely change, the only QBs to beat Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs won't make this year's postseason.

Josh Allen-Patrick Mahomes | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Bye-bye, boogeyman.

No offense to today's group of rising-star NFL quarterbacks, but after Week 14 let's don't blame Bills Mafia for breathing a huge sigh of relief that the Buffalo Bills' road to Super Bowl LX almost assuredly won't go through Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson.

We're not hear to provide bullet-board motivation for the likes of Drake Maye, Bo Nix and Trevor Lawrence. But unless the 4-9 Cincinnati Bengals or 6-7 Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens complete Hail Marys in the season's final four weeks, the AFC Playoffs will begin in January without one of the credentialed stars who figured to be the biggest threats to Josh Allen finally winning the big one.

MORE: Bills get great playoff news as Chiefs' AFC dynasty might finally be over

In seven seasons, Allen has made the playoffs six times. The quarterbacks who have eliminated him will be nowhere to be found a month from now: Mahomes (four times). Burrow (once). DeShaun Watson (once). And Jackson, the two-time MVP, currently guides a Ravens team that trails the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North is seeded only ninth in the AFC standings.

Josh Allen | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Allen produced two memorable long runs to seal the Bills' comeback over the Cincinnati Bengals. The win improved the Bills to 9-4, a full three games better than Mahomes' Chiefs who now have only a 16-percent chance of making the playoffs.

RELATED: Where do Bills stand in AFC postseason seeding after Sunday's win?

"This will be the easiest road to the Super Bowl for Josh Allen in his career," ESPN analyst Damien Woody said Monday.

Echoed NFL insider Adam Schefter, "His biggest nemesis in Patrick Mahomes is not there. That's a big deal."

There's a reason the Bills have the second-best odds to win the AFC Championship. As much of a reflection of how they're playing now, it's a reflection of who they won't have to play in the future.

Josh Allen-Joe Burrow | Jamie Germano / USA TODAY NETWORK

— Sign up for OnSI’s Free Buffalo Bills Newsletter —

More Buffalo Bills News:

• Josh Allen 'trusts' Bills' aggressive head coach to do 'the right thing for our team'

• Snow way! Ty Johnson's slip costs Bills early TD vs. Bengals

• Bills' glaring problem has offensive coordinator on hot seat down the stretch

• Bills scratch WR, but key pass-catcher returns after month-long absence vs. Bengals