The Bills could easily be 5-2 right now, but for 2 unfortunate kick returns. Would that feel good?

I felt elated but uneasy last year when I walked out of the stadium after the San Diego game. They played well. The fans were pumped. The win seemed convincing, but they had barely beaten some marginal teams in previous weeks. I still allowed myself to have some hope that it was coming together. That didn't work out.

This year I'm not getting any sense that the Bills are on the road to coming together. The wins seem hollow and the losses sickening. I'd feel a lot better about a loss if it was like what happened to the Vikings in Pittsburgh today, and a whole lot better if the win were like the Steelers'.

The Bills aren't very good and the injuries are crippling. I always want them to win, but I've gotten to the point that it just doesn't feel particularly good when they do, and there's this (probably) realistic feeling that they're being hurt in the draft next year when they run into a team that is more determined to lose than they are.

Hope will undoubtedly spring back when the season is over. The youthful core of promising players, free agency and the draft will be there to plug a few holes and, hey!, Who knows?