Why being great this year in the NFL may not be good enough

I’m such a big Buffalo Bills fan that I wore a cowboy hat with a Bills logo on it for New Year’s Eve. I have written over and over again on why this could be the Bills’ year.

I’m such a big Buffalo Bills fan that I wore a cowboy hat with a Bills logo on it for New Year’s Eve. I have written over and over and over again on why this could be the Bills’ year. Yet like anyone who knows their history, I have my doubts. But it’s not just history that has me worried. It’s the fact that being great may not be good enough this year in the NFL. The Bills stand at 13-3 right now. That’s outstanding, but there are four other teams – the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles – with at least 13 wins. In a league where parity is supposed to rule, the idea of five teams with at least 13 wins feels outlandish. Indeed, having so many teams with at least 13 wins through 16 games (and 17 weeks) is history making. Since 1978 when the league expanded to a 16-game regular season, the previous high was four teams with at least 13 wins through 16 games. Perhaps more amazing is that the Bills’ 13 wins aren’t even close to being the most in the league. Three of the teams with 13+ wins – the Chiefs, Lions and Vikings – have 14 or 15 wins.