Sean McDermott’s club came up short once again, falling, 37-34, to the Philadelphia Eagles in overtime Sunday to drop to 6-6 heading into the bye week.
The Buffalo Bills built multiple 10-point leads, including holding a double-digit advantage entering the fourth quarter, but couldn’t hold off Jalen Hurts and the Eagles from flying in for the dramatic win.
“We failed to execute enough [plays] and also didn’t meet the mark in terms of coaching,” said McDermott, according to the team transcript. “Despite today’s results, I want to emphasize the resilience of the men in that locker room and our coaching staff. We are a strong football team but unfortunately, we fell short this time. We cannot take solace in moral victories. We all, including myself, need to reflect and improve. The best always do that and I believe we have an incredibly talented football team.”
Josh Allen played a sensational game, generating 339 passing yards on 29-of-51 throwing with two touchdowns, an interception, and led the club with 81 rushing yards and two ground scores. A fourth-quarter interception aided the collapse, but Allen responded to that mistake, leading a scoring drive capped by a ridiculous TD pass to Stefon Diggs to give the Bills a late lead.
After the Bills kicked a field goal to start the extra frame, McDermott’s defense was unable to maintain the advantage in both regulation and overtime.
“Josh Allen’s performance has improved significantly in the past two weeks,” McDermott commented. “That’s the primary factor. If your quarterback is performing well, you stand a chance. The inconsistency observed in the three weeks prior was a major reason for my decision to move forward. In the recent two weeks, Josh Allen’s performance has been satisfactory enough to secure us a win,” he added.
Allen is the first quarterback to achieve over 375 total yards and more than four total touchdowns in an overtime loss since he accomplished the same feat in the 2021 Divisional Round defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs.
In 2023, the Bills experienced a loss for the sixth time in one-score games, bringing their record to 2-6. Despite having a +101 point differential, Buffalo’s overall standing is 6-6 after 12 games, a perplexing outcome.
“Like you just said, we could have nine, 10 wins right now, but that’s in fantasy land, and in real life, we understand what our record is,” safety Micah Hyde said. “It’s the NFL, man, been doing it for a long time, and it’s tough.”
McDermott is feeling the heat in Western New York. The offensive coordinator change helped the offense get back on track, but Sunday, the same issues that plagued Buffalo reared their heads. If not for Allen’s heroics, the Bills wouldn’t have even gotten to overtime. The decision not to give Allen a chance to make a play with 20 seconds left in regulation — electing to kneel despite owning a timeout — remains a head-scratching move a day later.
Tight losses have defined McDermott’s tenure. As a head coach, he fell to 1-6 in overtime games, including the playoffs, tied with Dom Capers for the worst record by a head coach in NFL history with a minimum of seven overtime games coached, per ESPN.
The loss pushed Buffalo to the No. 10 seed in the AFC, needing a late-season surge to avoid missing the playoffs.
“Despite our 6-6 record, we believe in the potential of this football team,” said Hyde. “It’s astonishing when you consider how close we’ve come in the games we’ve lost, often by just a few points. We need to keep improving and manage those crucial moments better, whether it’s securing a takeaway or scoring a touchdown when our offense has possession.”
