Buffalo Bills fans have had a tricky relationship with Sean McDermott. Buffalo is a mainstay in the AFC playoffs, making the postseason in five consecutive seasons, and are likely on their way to a sixth straight playoff berth. However, making the postseason is no longer enough for the Bills - they need to win. And in the biggest games, their issues don't lie at the feet of their All-World quarterback Josh Allen - they can be found staring up at the execution of their defense and the in-game decision making from their head coach,
The last two weeks have been a McDermott masterclass in lack of preparation and in-game screw ups. While Buffalo was missing Matt Milano, Terrel Bernard, and Taron Johnson against the Baltimore Ravens, that doesn't make up for the lack of preparation to be better suited to go up against the physical run game of the Ravens. Against a light Bills' defense, Derrick Henry ran for 199 yards and two scores, and the Bills' offense couldn't keep pace in a 35-10 blowout loss.
Against Houston, the Bills fell apart offensively without Khalil Shakir. And while a lot of the offensive woes fall square on the shoulders of offensive coordinator Joe Brady for getting away from the offensive philosophy, the late-game decisions are what cost the Bills. With 30 seconds remaining, and a chance to run out the clock and go to overtime, the Bills ran three straight pass plays and punted, setting up the Texans for a game-winning field goal in the process.
These are far from isolated incidents. The 13 seconds game against the Kansas City Chiefs in the postseason only ended the way it did because of how conservative the Bills played defensively on the drive that sent the game into overtime. The loss at home to the Chiefs saw Kansas City score on five of seven drives (not including kneel downs or the game-ending drive to kill the clock), and included a fake punt to Damar Hamlin that the Chiefs snuffed out.
The lack of high-caliber coaching in big games, combined with the constant reliance on Josh Allen to be the judge, jury, and executioner is why the Bills continue to fall short. And if they fall short once again in 2024, what reason do they have for sticking with McDermott?
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