Bills’ Sean McDermott calls out the offense after ‘frustrating’ loss to the Dolphins
It was an ugly day at the office for the Buffalo Bills.
The Buffalo Bills were embarrassed by the Miami Dolphins in the 30-13 loss. Despite the blowout, the Bills had more total yards, more first downs, and had a higher time of possession.
Immediately after the game, head coach Sean McDermott spoke to the media about his frustrations with how the game unfolded and emphasized the team’s need to be two-dimensional. He was frustrated, Allen was frustrated, heck, all of Bills Mafia was frustrated after that loss. It has wider implications as the Bills fall further behind in the division, behind the New England Patriots.
McDermott makes his feelings known about the passing offense
McDermott left nothing to the imagination after being asked about the passing offense and how it had yet to get going consistently through the first 10 weeks of the season.
“Well, it is because it’s an important part of our offense,” McDermott said. “We’ve got a great quarterback, and you want to be able to move the ball two-dimensionally. We should be able to move the ball with Josh through the air, but it can’t just be one phase of your offense; it’s gotta be two working in concert with one another.”
Once again, McDermott pointed to complementary football, controlling the line of scrimmage and establishing the run so that the pass opens up. It was virtually non-existent in the loss, and it is harder to do when you get so behind early in the game.
“You guys know I say this quite a bit. It starts up front with the line of scrimmage, controlling the line of scrimmage early, and that sets up other things,” McDermott said. “That’s what I look at first, is are we controlling the line of scrimmage, and then how does that set up our passing game. They go hand in hand.”
Championship-caliber roster?
Quarterback Josh Allen had an interception and a fumble lost, with running back James Cook adding another fumble lost. All of the turnovers came at the most inopportune times, which was another reason the team went 0-for-1 in the red zone.
The Bills Mafia is reacting like any fan base would after a blowout loss, with a significant portion of fans feeling that the team may have wasted Allen’s prime. For years, the mantra coming out of One Bills Drive was “playoff-caliber,” which then switched to “championship-caliber.”
McDermott was asked if he still believes this is a championship-caliber roster after the embarrassing defeat. His answer was not very direct; instead, he showered praise on his players and the connections they made together.
“I love these players, I love these players, I do,” McDermott said. “Love the guys in that locker room.”
Josh Allen isn’t without fault, but he doesn’t deserve all the blame
Another one of the big talking points from McDermott and the fan base was Allen’s performance. He wasn’t perfect, and he put the team in some bad spots. However, he wasn’t the sole reason the team lost, as his playmakers didn’t do much to help him out.
One of the best plays of the game was Allen running what seemed like 40 yards around defenders to try and find an open man down the field before connecting with wide receiver Curtis Samuel for a big first down.
McDermott was asked about Allen’s performance and what he saw from his franchise quarterback.
“He made some Josh-style plays, he made some amazing plays, which he does,” McDermott said. “Just overall, as an offense, it’s never one person just getting off to a faster start, in a rhythm, controlling the line of scrimmage, being a two-dimensional offense. Gotta look at the tape, moving the chains, gotta move the chains in order to keep the defense off the field.”
Once again, McDermott pointed to the film study after the contest. Far too many times, the Bills couldn’t move the chains or found themselves in third-and-long situations. Buffalo had only converted five of its 15 third-down attempts, something McDermott brought up during his question about Allen’s performance.
“We had the ball five or six times in the first half,” McDermott said. “I think four or five of those drives, nine minutes total, maybe between those drives, which is, we’re not holding the ball long enough, so we gotta look at the film and figure out why we’re not moving the chains enough right there. And doing so, controlling the game.”
For a team that prides itself on being “championship-caliber,” the performance against the Dolphins tells a different story. With half the season gone and the division slipping away, time is no longer their ally.
Buffalo Bills News
Josh Allen offers brutally honest reality check after Bills’ embarrassing loss to the Dolphins
Quite the response from QB1 after the loss.
