As I infamously wrote about earlier, I am a true and loyal fan to my Buffalo Bills and will this season I rode with them through their ups and downs. To be brutally honest, it was tough. At times I was irritated. At times I wanted to quit and hop on the bandwagon as a fan of another elite football program. At times I wanted to turn off the TV and walk away. But through all the endeavors that I experienced as a sports fanatic, it paid off in the end.

The Buffalo Bills made the playoffs this season for the first time in 17 years.

Yes, take a moment to comprehend and let this statement sink in. Actually, I’ll say it again: The Buffalo Bills made the playoffs this season for the first time in 17 years.

Last week, Bills fans, and football fans as a whole for that matter sat nervously around their televisions watching the dramatic finish of the Baltimore Ravens game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Yes, Bills fans sat down to watch a game that did not include their favorite team and actually rooted for someone else other than Buffalo.

And boy was it worth it.

The way the playoff scenario unfolded could have been scripted for a Hollywood movie. Here’s how it stood in a nutshell. In the final game of the regular season, for the Bills to have a chance to make the playoffs they needed to win against their division rivals, the Miami Dolphins, and they needed the Bengals to upset the Ravens.

The Bills got the job done in a big way, winning the game with ease and taking the pressure off themselves, they headed to their locker room to tune into the other game on national television, as did every other Buffalo sports fan.

Fifteen minutes later, history was made.

With less than a minute left on a crucial 4th down play, the Bengals threw a 49-yard touchdown to seal Buffalo’s fate as a playoff team for the first time in a long time. It was magical.

Being a Bills fan for the entirety of my life, I’ve endured many ups and downs as a sports fan. However, nothing tasted this sweet. For us, the long-lasting playoff drought that has haunted our team for decades had finally been uplifted. At last the football Gods took our side.

Although the Bills playoff run was cut short in a first-round elimination, that did not matter. Making the playoffs for us was the equivalent of hoisting up the Lombardi trophy and winning the franchise’s first Super Bowl.

It was a start for this young team and it proved that the Bills mean business for a long time to come. I will continue to ride with my team, I advise you to do the same.