By Carter Feraldi
Over the past couple of seasons, there has been a lot of talk about the Buffalo Bills moving on from Sean McDermott. These talks primarily spark from the continual playoff losses over the past six seasons. So, does McDermott have what it takes to get over that hump? Of course he does.
Sean McDermott joined the Buffalo Bills in 2017, coming from the Carolina Panthers as their defensive coordinator. Also following him from the Carolina Panthers was current Bills General Manager, Brandon Beane. In McDermott’s first season with the Bills, he led the team to a 9-7 season which allowed the team to clinch a wildcard spot, while at the same time breaking a 17-year playoff drought in Buffalo. Since then, McDermott and the Bills have reached the postseason every year except for 2018, when Josh Allen came in as a rookie. Since then, McDermott’s teams are 71-31 in the regular season and 7-6 in the playoffs. Despite all the success he has had on the field, it’s what happens off the field that is more important.
Ever since McDermott arrived in Buffalo, he has instilled a winning culture into the program. From the early days of putting up signs of “Playoff Caliber” around the facility to creating a family atmosphere in the locker room. The signs of this are not just through graphics or sayings, it is from the players themselves, with multiple praising the comradeship in the locker room. Jordan Phillips, a long-time defensive tackle for the Bills, was quoted as saying “it was Buffalo or nothing” when asked about joining other teams. Multiple players have stated that Buffalo is different from other teams in the league when it comes to the closeness of the team. This is something that McDermott has worked hard to instill into the team because it helps the team mesh on the field and off.
So, if he is successful, why is the fanbase angry at him? It all boils down to playoff success. McDermott is 7-6 in the playoffs, with losses coming to the Houston Texans (2019), the Cincinnati Bengals (2022) and the Kansas City Chiefs (2020, 2021, 2024, 2025). Most people complain about his defensive scheme or his in-game decisions that end up costing the team, but those are not the issues. What it really comes down to is execution and injuries. In 2021, the Bills took the lead in the AFC Divisional game with 13 seconds remaining. The Bills defense then allowed the Chiefs to drive down the field into field goal range, where they subsequently kicked a field goal to send the game into overtime. In 2024, the Bills played the AFC Divisional game missing both their starting linebackers. In 2025, the Bills lost their star cornerback Christian Benford early into the AFC Championship, thus having to put in Kaiir Elam (who is the worst cornerback to ever touch a football field). People love to complain about a defensive scheme but forget the most important part of it, the execution by the players. While this is not a dig at the players, they can seem to execute the scheme perfectly in the regular season, but when it matters most in the playoffs they disappear. This should not be a shot at McDermott, but rather at the coordinators they hired to take that roll away from McDermott. A lot of pressure falls to the head coach of a professional organization, but when everything else around him is perfect, then why mess it up?
There is one real reason why the Bills shouldn’t move on from McDermott and that is because of their owner. Terry Pegula bought the Buffalo Bills in 2014 following the passing of Ralph Wilson and saved the Bills from moving to another city. While Buffalonians praised him at the time for saving them, their opinion has since changed. The answer for that is the Buffalo Sabres, the professional hockey team in Buffalo. Pegula bought the Sabres in 2011 and since his purchase of the team, the Sabres have failed to make the playoffs. So, what does this all boil down to? Terry Pegula cannot hire. Since 2011 when Pegula bought the team the Buffalo Sabres have gone through four general managers and eight head coaches. Presently, there is no end in sight for the team and fans are calling for Terry Pegula to sell the team to someone who will make actual hires for success.
What does this mean with the Buffalo Bills? It means that Pegula got lucky with hiring both Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott. Without those hires, the Buffalo Bills would be nowhere near the powerhouse they are today. While people may complain about McDermott not being able to get over the hump, they fail to think about who the successor would be. With Pegula’s track record with the Sabres, it’s hard to root for someone else to come in and erase the culture that McDermott has built with this team.
Be Good. Do Good. God Bless. Go Bills.
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