It seemed inconceivable in August of last year that the Buffalo Bills would miss the postseason. They were among the select few teams that made sense picks for the Super Bowl.
It wouldn’t take a miracle for the Bills to qualify for the playoffs as December approaches. However, it will require a great deal of work.
The 6-6 Bills have a 21% chance of making the playoffs, according to ESPN’s FPI. Even less optimistic is DVOA. The Bills’ chances of making the postseason are listed at 13.5%.
This season will be a complete bust in Buffalo unless the Bills can overcome DVOA’s 86.5% prediction that they will miss the playoffs. It’s not possible to be a Super Bowl contender forever, and the Bills may be wasting a whole season.
How did this come about? Let’s examine what and who is at fault.
Many are wondering if McDermott will face criticism if the Bills are eliminated from the postseason. For a head coach who has gone 68-41 since taking over at Buffalo, that really shouldn’t be the case. However, his season hasn’t gone well.
Losing a lot of close games is partially due to bad luck, but important coaching choices also have an impact. What if, following Cook’s first fumble of the season against the Broncos, McDermott hadn’t oddly benched Cook for over a quarter of the game? What if McDermott hadn’t blown a timeout to ice the kicker against Philadelphia, and then in regulation, with 20 seconds remaining, hadn’t he taken a knee? What about delaying the trip to London until Thursday evening before the Jaguars’ defeat there, or failing to adequately recover from a few significant defensive injuries? The coaches are also held accountable for the instantly notorious 12-man on the field penalty that followed a failed field goal against the Broncos.
It’s likely unjustified to suggest that McDermott ought to be fired. He has, however, erred on occasion.
The front desk
Has Brandon Beane, the general manager, done enough to center the roster around Josh Allen? Most likely not.
