The Buffalo Bills heartbreakingly lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the postseason once again on Sunday night, this time falling 32-19 in another close thriller between the two AFC powers. As the Bills fell short of reaching the Super Bowl, head coach Sean McDermott came under scrutiny again for his management of the game.
Despite outside noise often criticizing McDermott, Josh Allen reiterated his belief in his head coach on Monday. When asked how confident he is that McDermott can lead the Bills "over the hump," Allen responded, “extremely confident.”
“I’m just so proud of coach," Allen also told the media. "I don’t know why he’s not recognized more in the award stuff… Time in and time out he’s got us in position… we’re fighting to get over that hump and he gives his life to this… he is so committed to doing whatever it takes. And to see him adapt and really grow as a coach has been fun to watch… He has let players be them and given us the keys… it’s not easy to do that… I respect the hell out of coach.”
Allen's backing of McDermott is especially important for his head coach. McDermott fell under major scrutiny a season ago when an article by Tyler Dunne was critical of multiple facets of McDermott's leadership and handling of the Bills. Allen has continued to back his coach since then, and McDermott in turn has "loosened up" this season, leading to arguably the most successful season of the Allen-McDermott tenure in 2024.
There certainly have been situations when the Bills' coaching and time management have cost them, particularly during the final 13 seconds of regulation in the 2022 divisional round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, but the Bills have overall been far better under McDermott.
Before McDermott took over as the Bills head coach in 2017, Buffalo held the longest postseason drought in American professional sports, 17 years. McDermott not only brought Buffalo back to January football, but he has made the Bills a constant contender. The Bills have won the AFC East each of the last five seasons, and the postseason in all but one of his seasons as head coach.
The harsh reality for the Bills is they have to contend with one of the greatest dynasties in the sport in the Kansas City Chiefs. Both Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are nearly unbeatable in the postseason together, and only Tom Brady and Joe Burrow have defeated them in the playoffs since Mahomes became a starter. Before Mahomes, even Reid was long the subject of criticism for his postseason time management and inability to win the big game.
McDermott likely won't erase the criticism he faces until he defeats the Chiefs in the playoffs or wins the Super Bowl, but the genuine message from his quarterback should say a lot about what McDermott means to the franchise.
