Joe Brady Just Accomplished Something No Buffalo Bills Coach Ever Has

Joe Brady led the Buffalo Bills to a win over the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football. The 41-31 win improved them to 2-0 on the year, and allowed Brady to put his name in the franchise record books.

Brady, who is the 19th head coach in Buffalo's long history, is the first to ever begin his career with a 2-0 start. That's impressive considering there have been some elite names on the sideline, including three Hall of Famers in Marv Levy, Jim Ringo, and Forrest Gregg (although Ringo and Gregg are there more for their work as players than coaches.)

Out of the 18 head coaches to come before him, 15 were unable to win their debut. The others to do so were Levty in 1986, Rex Ryan in 2025, and Sean McDermott (who Brady replaced) in 2017. All three lost their second game, however, beginning their careers with a record of 1-1.

Joe Brady living up to massive expectations

Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady looks on during the first half against the Detroit Lions at New Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One huge difference for Brady and the coaches who came before him is the pressure he's facing to win immeditely. While most coaching changes occur when a team is struggling and in need of a reset, Brady is in a much different situation.

Buffalo had consistent success under McDermott with eight winning seasons in nine years. McDermott led them to seven consecutive campaigns with at least 10 wins and was in the playoffs each of those years (and made the postseason eight times in total). For as much good as he did, McDermott was 8-8 in the playoffs and couldn't get past the AFC Championship Game.

That led to the decision to move on from McDermott and after conducting multiple interviews, they decided to promote Brady, who had been the offensive coordinator since taking over for Ken Dorsey during the 2023 season. His familiarity with Josh Allen and the offense helped as he took over, but the expectations were still high. Simply put, Brady wasn't hired to rebuild, he was hired to get them over the hump and win a title.

Josh Allen playing lights out under Joe Brady

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen passes against the Detroit Lions during the first half at New Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There were concerns that Brady being the replacement for McDermott wouldn't have led to much change. Throughout the first two weeks, that hasn't been the case. Not only is the defense more aggressive under defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, but Brady seems to have put his foot on the gas as well.

Buffalo is leaning into first-down passes, which is something they shied away from when McDermott was in charge. The results speak for themselves with Josh Allen on a massive heater to start the season.

Allen has 582 yards and five touchdown passes with zero interceptions after two games. He's added another 92 yards and four rushing touchdowns. He's clearly comfortable working with Brady, which has helped the rookie head coach put his name in the record books.

— Sign up for OnSI’s Free Buffalo Bills Newsletter —

Add us as a preferred source on Google