They were among the closest circle of title contenders. But the Buffalo Bills fell short of expectations for most of the season. Just in time for the decisive phase of the points round, the Buffaloes get going again. Is it still enough for the playoffs?
Things weren’t looking good in Buffalo in mid-November. For a better understanding, it must be mentioned that Buffalo is not an insider tip for tourists, even in spring or summer, but rather looks like a listless collection of streets, houses and buildings. But in late autumn it all seems a little more repulsive than it already is.
But of course this isn’t about Buffalo’s urban development, but about the American football team. And those same bills had finally reached a dead end in mid-November. Nothing worked anymore. They lost the “Monday Night Game” against the Denver Broncos at home on November 13th 22:24. It was the fifth defeat in the tenth game. Unacceptable for a supposedly top team.
Offensive coordinator fired after 5-5 record
Head coach Sean McDermott knew he had to act. A look at the statistics made it clear where the Bills’ biggest construction site was: the offense. From game days five to ten, the attack led by quarterback Josh Allen ended a total of 21 percent of its actions with a turnover. No other team had lost the football to the opposing defense so often during this period.
In addition, Buffalo’s attack department did not score more than 25 points in any game after the impressive 48:20 home win against the Miami Dolphins in week four. And Josh Allen had already thrown eleven interceptions in the first ten games. The apparent culprit was quickly identified – offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey had to leave and was replaced by Joe Brady, who had been responsible for the quarterbacks until then. At ESPN there was talk of a “big change in the midst of a downward trend.”
“There were times when we advanced the football well and scored points. But those times became fewer and fewer,” McDermott explained his decision. The 49-year-old added that it was “not about two or four games,” but “about the bigger picture and, at this point, about the whole season.” McDermott said he hoped the change would provide “more energy and creativity.”
But there were also voices that emphasized that this action could have been McDermott’s last attempt to save his job. Sports Illustrated, for example, wrote on November 18 that McDermott was in “grave danger” of being fired if he “misses the playoffs despite the wealth of talent on offense and defense.”
Consistency like no other since the Levy era
McDermott has been in charge of the Bills since 2017. He was on the sidelines for 97 main round games. There hasn’t been such consistency in Buffalo since Marv Levy. The now 98-year-old is a kind of Otto Rehhagel for the Bills. Above all things and inviolable. Because the Levy era (1986 to 1997) was the most successful time in the club’s history – combined with the greatest successes, but at the same time the most painful defeats.
From 1991 to 1994, his Bills reached the Super Bowl four times in a row – and actually lost all four finals. To this day, they are inextricably linked to an NFL record that is worth as much as the award for the ugliest stadium in the league.
After Levy, the club was like the water at nearby Niagara Falls: it went downhill. Consistency only came back with McDermott. In his first year, the Bills reached the playoffs – ending an 18-year drought. No other team in the four major North American professional leagues had to wait as long to qualify for the knockout rounds as the Buffalo Bills.
Sean McDermott has now won 63.9 percent of his games – not even Levy (61.5 percent) can boast such a rate. Since this season he has not only been head coach, but also defensive coordinator. The defense is a bench despite the injury-related absences of some top performers – and the offense has made a real leap in quality since the switch from Dorsey to Brady.
Mammoth tasks mastered brilliantly
In the first game under the new offensive coordinator, Buffalo defeated the New York Jets 32-6, improving the record to 6-5. However, it was only a mandatory victory, nothing more. But then came the rockiest and steepest section of this round. Three games, three mammoth tasks. Away at runner-up Philadelphia Eagles, away at champion Kansas City Chiefs and home game against the Dallas Cowboys. It couldn’t be any harder this season.
The Bills record is now 8:6. And there wouldn’t have been much missing and Buffalo would have had nine wins and only five defeats. In Philadelphia the Bills played strong, really strong. They had the football in their possession for almost 14 minutes longer than Philly, produced an outstanding gain of 505 yards, led 31:28 until 20 seconds before the end of the 60 minutes and then 34:31 in overtime. But then Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts hit them right in the heart with a twelve-yard run into the end zone for a narrow 37:34 victory.
It could perhaps have been the decisive blow in the neck. But the Bills then flew to Kansas City not disappointed, but confident. The performance in Philadelphia had given her courage and strengthened her belief in her own abilities. And this time they were the lucky ones. Buffalo led 20-17 when Kansas City was at the Bills’ 49 yard line with 72 seconds left.
Shortly afterwards, the hosts celebrated, they thought they had scored the winning touchdown through Kadarius Toney. But the wide receiver had been a few centimeters too far forward during the snap – a violation of the rules, which is why the touchdown didn’t count. It wasn’t the best victory, that was clear to everyone, emphasized Josh Allen. But the defense “played fantastically.”
Dallas Cowboys demonstrated
And that defense had the best offense in the league completely under control last Sunday. Buffalo literally led the Dallas Cowboys (who arrived with a 10:3 record) in a 31:10 win. The Texans had only scored one field goal by the 57th minute, and quarterback Dak Prescott – top contender for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) title – only managed 134 yards.
His Bills counterpart, Josh Allen, only had 94 yards to his name. But this time he didn’t need to throw any passes to gain more than 250 yards. An assist to the outstanding running back James Cook (221 yards in the running and passing game) and a touchdown of his own were enough this afternoon in Buffalo. “I feel like a kid who didn’t do anything on a class project but still got an A,” Allen said afterwards.
The victories against Kansas City and Dallas, as well as the impressive performance in Philadelphia, did not fail to have an impact. A strong defense and a creative attack inevitably make a good team. And this is the Bills again at the end of 2023. They are currently one of those teams that nobody wants to play against.
“Rethink the Bills”?
The online portal “The Athletic” already asked whether it was time to “rethink the Bills?” Only Buffalo can provide the answer. Despite the remarkable performances against the three elite teams, the Bills are currently not in a playoff spot. The next opponents are the Los Angeles Chargers (away) and New England Patriots (home) and finally the Miami Dolphins (away).
In order to reach the knockout rounds, the Bills have had to play playoff football for weeks. That means it’s forbidden to lose. They put themselves in this position through unexpected defeats against the Jets (16:22 after overtime), Patriots (25:29) and Broncos (22:24). Center Mitch Morse is aware of this. He knows that the season can still be saved and the minimum goal, playoffs, can be achieved. However, he also says: “We have taken a great first step, but it is still a difficult road for us.”