Bills’ Sean McDermott lays it all out on the table ahead of playoff push with blunt assessment of the team
Sean McDermott left nothing to the imagination with his comments.
The Buffalo Bills control their own destiny when it comes to the 2025 NFL playoffs. The Bills are sitting pretty, but have some difficult work ahead of them if they want to get to the dance. This was supposed to be the year that Buffalo cakewalked through the division, hosting the final playoff games in the new stadium. Instead, the team is fighting for its playoff life.
Buffalo needs to find a way to win out, or at the very least win three of their next five games, to potentially lock in a playoff spot, something that head coach Sean McDermott fully understands. The head coach was speaking to the media on Wednesday and had a blunt assessment of the team and what needs to happen moving forward.
One thing is for certain for the 2025 version of the Buffalo Bills: They’ve been inconsistent. Whether it’s due to injuries or lack of a passing attack down the stretch, there’s plenty to clean up in a crucial stretch of the season.
“I don’t think we can afford to be inconsistent, not now,” McDermott said. “Not that you can ever be, don’t get me wrong. Our backs are against the wall, that’s the way it is, and that’s our mindset [ . . . ] there’s no time for that right now, so we gotta go.”
Not a lot of time left to right the ship
Injuries are at the forefront of One Bills Drive, which has severely limited what they’ve been trying to do on the field on both sides of the football. In several games this season, quarterback Josh Allen has been without his top pass-catching option in tight end Dalton Kincaid.
Not only that, but several times this season the receiving corps has been ravaged with injuries as Josh Palmer and Curtis Samuel have also been dealing with injuries and have struggled to consistently stay on the field. Because of the injuries, there have been plenty of times where Allen has been forced to try and do too much, and the team has suffered because of the lack of playmakers.
Then you look at the defensive side of the football with names like defensive tackle Ed Oliver and defensive end Michael Hoecht, who were both lost for the season. Buffalo has been facing an uphill battle all year, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to slow down now. Just looking at the upcoming Week 14 contest against the Cincinnati Bengals, the team is looking to be down defensive end Joey Bosa, a continuing story about how injuries have derailed the roster throughout the season.
McDermott knows that the time is now, and despite the injuries, it’s going to be next man up for the team to try and make a push into the postseason. There’s plenty to clean up, and the team needs to dig deep over the next five weeks. Consistency is the name of the game, and the team needs to find an answer in the passing attack while also limiting self-inflicted wounds like turnovers and penalties.
For McDermott, this stretch isn’t about excuses; it’s about finding answers. The Bills still hold the playoff door open, but only if they meet the moment head-on. The message from the head coach has been clear: Play clean, play smart, and play complementary football. If Buffalo can string together consistent performances, the postseason remains within reach. If not, it’ll be a colossal letdown with potentially a few coaches on the outside looking in if Buffalo were to miss the playoffs outright.
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