NFL

The Buffalo Bills played about as well as they can and did it in on the road in one of the NFL’s toughest venues.

They came away from Seattle with a 31-25 loss to the Seahawks and the usual sinking sense of a season skittering off the path.

The Bills are 4-5 and have lost their last three games. They’re parked far behind the New England Patriots (7-1) in the AFC East. Could they somehow earn a wild-card playoff berth? Well, there are a bunch of other mediocrities with 4-4 records, so anything is possible. Probable? Eh.

The Bills haven’t made the playoffs this century. That’s right – their last appearance followed the 1999 season. They haven’t won a playoff game since 1995. A 20-year-old Bills fan has never seen a playoff victory.

This is not for lack of trying. Maybe they’ve tried too hard. Ownership has changed, the stadium has been renovated and nearly anyone who could be a head coach has passed through Buffalo since Wade Phillips last guided them to the postseason – Doug Marrone, Chan Gailey, Dick Jauron (and interim coach Perry Fewell), Mike Mularkey and Gregg Williams. That list of who’s who has helped produce two winning seasons since Phillips was fired.

There’s a lot to like about the Bills. Coach Rex Ryan may yet get this right. He has a growing, improving quarterback in Tyrod Taylor, a fine running back in LeSean McCoy and a fervent fan base.

He also has the Patriots, with their lock on the top spot in the AFC East. And he’s fighting history.

The Bills are fun to watch. They competed furiously against the Seahawks on Monday night. So watch them whenever you can. Because you won’t see them in the playoffs.

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Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman