Sean McDermott’s latest playoff collapse puts his Bills future in doubt

Saturday night ended in frustration for the Buffalo Bills, who lost to the Denver Broncos in overtime. There was plenty of controversy in the loss, including an interception for the Broncos that Sean McDermott believes strongly should have been a catch for Brandin Cooks.

After the game, McDermott unloaded on officials for the play, saying he believed the Bills had the ball at the 20-yard line, setting up a potential game-winning drive. Instead, the Broncos took advantage and walked out with the victory.

MORE: Don't blame refs for Bills' loss to Broncos, blame Josh Allen

While McDermott has every right to be upset, he also needs to look in the mirror for this loss. Not only did his team have five turnovers, but one of those was due to the team being aggressive for no reason to end the first half. What's worse is that his defense surrendered a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, which continued a terrible trend.

McDermott, who is known for his defensive prowess, has now blown a fourth-quarter lead to end the Bills' season in four of the past five seasons.

First was in January of 2023, when the Bills had a 36-33 lead with just 13 seconds to play. That was when they allowed Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to gain 44 yards and score a field goal to send it to overtime. Buffalo never got the ball back as the Chiefs won with a touchdown in overtime.

The following year, they were blown out at home 27-10 by the Cincinnati Bengals. That was frustrating, but they never stood a chance in that one.

Buffalo then lost to the Chiefs in back-to-back seasons. In 2024, they had a 24-20 lead in the final quarter before losing 27-24. The following year, they had a 22-21 lead over Kansas City, but surrendered 11 points, losing 32-29 in the AFC Championship Game.

Is Sean McDermott wasting Josh Allen's prime?

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen drops to throw during the AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Denver Broncos. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The big question is whether keeping McDermott around is wasting Josh Allen's prime. Arguably the best quarterback in the game today, Allen will be 30 years old next season, which means his prime years are numbered.

Sure, he still has time to capture a Super Bowl, but how many times can the Bills run it back with McDermott and hope next year is better?

They have the quarterback who can give them the lead, even when he doesn't have adequate weapons. The defensive-minded coach, however, hasn't been able to keep those leads. It's time to have a tough conversation about how to truly fix this.

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