Can Sean McDermott’s Bills find consistency before playoffs?

One week the Bills are electric, the next they remind us of the drought years.

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott looks on during the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills started the 2025 season off with a bang, staging a huge 15-point comeback against the Ravens, and won the following three games, to start the year 4-0.

Despite the strong record, there were moments where one wondered just what was going on. They never looked dominant start to finish during the first month of the season.

Even against the New Orleans Saints, despite a double-digit win, the Saints were able to hang around and keep fans slightly on the edge of their seats. Following that game, Sean McDermott's Bills took their first loss of the season, 23-20 to the New England Patriots, and have struggled to put together any sort of meaningful winning streak since then.

McDermott's Bills on track, only to fall off rails again

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott looks on during the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

They seemed to have figured things out with back-to-back wins against the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs, only to falter again, inexplicably dropping one to the Miami Dolphins. Then they rebounded against the Buccaneers, only to fall flat on their face again the following week against the Houston Texans.

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The point here is that the Bills are wildly inconsistent. Even within the same game, there can be massive swings. Against the Bengals, the Bills' defense couldn't stop quarterback Joe Burrow if they had 20 guys on the field, but late in the game, they recorded two huge interceptions, a sack, and held the Bengals to just seven points in the second half, until a late garbage score in the last couple of minutes.

Why are Bills so inconsistent?

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) scrambles away from Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Deone Walker (96) in the second quarter against the Bills. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One reason for the inconsistencies is that McDermott is relying on more rookies than he has in recent years, and a rash of injuries doesn't help either. We are into the final month of the regular season, and McDermott needs to get his team and coordinators on the same page.

If the Bills want to make a serious run at a Super Bowl, getting everyone to play with greater consistency, this extends to play-calling too, will make or break the Bills' chances in the playoffs. This Bills team is good enough to get to where they want, but if the lack of consistency continues to be an issue, they will fail once again.

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