The Bills didn’t play in Super Bowl LIX, but there were several things to learn about Buffalo on the heels of the year’s biggest game.
The Buffalo Bills fell short of making it to play in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, LA, yet again losing in the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Even without the Bills playing last Sunday, the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Chiefs offered a decent amount of food for thought for Bills Mafia.
Here are my main Bills’ takeaways from the Super Bowl.
1 — A huge lost opportunity
Watching the Eagles steamroll over the Chiefs and how particularly dominant their defense played, I couldn’t help but think Buffalo lost the best opportunity yet to get past Kansas City in the playoffs and make it back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1994.
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The Chiefs’ offense didn’t look right all season long, being unable to score 30 points or more in all but one game — obviously against the Bills, two weeks ago. Right after the game I had one, and just one question to be answered in the Super Bowl matchup: Was it the Chiefs finally unleashing their true offense when it mattered most, or was it yet again just the Bills’ defense failing miserably on the same stage?
Despite Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes looking way more inspired against Buffalo than last Sunday, I think it was pretty clear Philadelphia’s defense had the potential to force them into a difficult day, not making things look good for the Buffalo’s unit. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s plan wasn’t anything new — in fact, that’s exactly how head coach Sean McDermott loved to play his defense initially, rushing just four and playing zone coverages behind it.
However, Philly’s defensive line got the job done with how quickly they were able to beat the opposing offensive line and make Mahomes’ life miserable. On the other hand, Buffalo’s defensive line never was capable of getting to Mahomes consistently enough to disrupt KC’s offense.
2 — Would the Bills have beaten the Eagles?
It’s not just about beating the Chiefs, though. Getting back to a Super Bowl, even if they lost it, would’ve been seen as an improvement, in my opinion. One more step in the right direction, as much as it would be painful to lose another Super Bowl.
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I do believe the Bills could have done better than the Chiefs did, however. We saw an amazing game between those two teams in the regular season a year ago. At that time, the Eagles were still playing really well before their implosion, and Buffalo wasn’t as good as they were this year. Philly won in overtime, in a game where the Bills lost some very good opportunities to close it out.
The case can be made about this Eagles team being improved over that 2023 one that was about to implode. However, this Bills’ team was also improved, with a better offensive line and playing a more physical brand of football. I believe they’d be able to avoid being completely dismantled by the Eagles’ offensive line, capable of establishing some sort of run game to help Josh Allen in the passing game.
On the other side of the ball, it would’ve been a struggle for the Bills’ defense to deal with everything the Eagles had to throw at them. Their OL would be able to dominate the trenches, making it tough to contain running back Saquon Barkley, who could’ve put up a Super Bowl MVP performance. Also, if defensive coordinator Bobby Babich and McDermott tried to go the Ravens’ route to stop Philly’s run game, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith one-on-one outside would be difficult to deal with.
I still think the Bills would have had a shot due to having Allen and a run game, and especially an OL that would allow him to be himself, instead of what the Chiefs had. Allen also has had a lot of success against Vic Fangio’s defenses, which makes me confident it would be more of a shutout instead of a one-sided game like we saw instead.
I still think the Baltimore Ravens were the best possible AFC option for this game, followed by the Bills.
3 — Lack of top-end talent is hurting the Bills’ chances
It’s something Bills Mafia as a whole has talked about recently but it became even clearer in the Super Bowl: Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games. The Bills have one certified elite player on offense in Josh Allen but, after him, even the ones who could be in this conversation, right now, come with asterisks — as I pointed out in my Lofton exercise article, last week.
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On defense, it’s even worse. Without a driving force like Allen, it’s a group with some very good players and other talented but inconsistent ones. The lack of consistent game-changers has hurt a unit that went through some scheme changes recently. It’s a group that can be really good and create turnovers for stretches but also can go long periods without being able to deal with the best offenses and quarterbacks in the game.
Simply put, the Bills need more elite players on their roster. They need those high draft picks to become plug-and-play starters, as Trent McDuffie was for the Chiefs, and Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, and more recently Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean were for the Eagles. General manager Brandon Beane’s hits on mid- and late-round picks are great for the roster depth, but he and his scouting team have to be able to find immediate impact players early in the draft.
It’s time to draft guys early with the goal of counting on them to meaningfully contribute, if they don’t, they shouldn’t have been drafted in the first place. Beane and his staff need to do a better job there.
4- How NFL coaches develop players is as important as selecting them
There is a myth that McDermott doesn’t play his rookies, which is false. Over the years, we’ve seen Greg Rousseau, Spencer Brown, Christian Benford, O’Cyrus Torrence, and Keon Coleman become day-one starters after getting drafted by the Bills. Also, guys like James Cook and Dalton Kincaid weren’t starters since the beginning but have had prominent roles since joining the team.
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McDermott likes to see his rookies earn their spots with the team on the practice field, during OTAs, training camp, and preseason. However, bringing those guys in and not inserting them in the starting lineup, sometimes asking them to beat in practice more experienced NFL vets — who, despite not having the same talent, aren’t going through a college-to-pros transition — can mess with those players’ confidence level. Some of them were treated as stars for their entire life, so it’s better to let them keep up that confidence level and coach them up as they learn from their mistakes playing.
Those guys being first- and second-round picks should already earn them roles in the starting lineup to begin with. If they prove to the coaching staff they didn’t deserve it, then pull them and understand that they shouldn’t have even been a pick from the start.
Kaiir Elam is one case that comes to mind. It could’ve been different if he began his career as a starter. We’ll never know for sure but the fact that McDermott has played his rookies more and more recently is a step in the right direction, and it’s something that teams like the Chiefs and the Eagles have done for quite some time now.
5 — Sean McDermott’s first try failed and he knows it
Since his arrival in Buffalo, the Bills have invested heavily on the defensive side of the ball, sometimes to the detriment of the offense. Tre’Davious White, Tremaine Edmunds, Ed Oliver, A.J. Epenesa, Greg Rousseau, Boogie Basham, Kaiir Elam, and Cole Bishop are some of the defensive investments made in the first two rounds of the draft since the current regime took over.
Add the free-agency moves and the fact that McDermott is a defensive specialist, and there’s absolutely every reason to expect better from this unit by now. Sure, not everyone can have an Eagles-level defense, but it’s totally fair to expect better from the Bills’ defense.
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Last offseason changes were made. The team parted ways with some long-time veteran players and assistants. New young pieces arrived, the play-calling duties were assigned to the up-and-coming Babich, and there were some changes in the philosophical aspects of the group.
It was the year one of McDermott’s second version of his defense. This time he chose a more scheme-versatile one, more willing to play man coverage when needed, to play base defense to stop the run if the challenges presented themselves, to play dime on clear passing downs, and to blitz more when the front four isn’t enough.
The final result was equally insufficient, allowing the Chiefs to impose their will offensively even though they couldn’t do so against anyone else. However, we can’t say McDermott hasn’t tried different things.
With the hiring of Ryan Nielsen as a senior defensive assistant and former Patriots cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino joining the staff as well, it seems McDermott is more and more willing to transform his defensive schemes into a multiple unit schematically. Entering year nine, and the second season with this new version of his defense, the pressure for results will only grow, and rightfully so.
6 — Bills’ needs are very clear on both sides of the ball
Buffalo’s defense has some clear deficiencies that must be fixed by adding players who’d be better fits overall. They lack size in the interior of the defensive line, and lack speed on the edges. Then they have small and quick linebackers (plus, love to make their nickel CB the third LB often) who would benefit from some size in the interior DL, to offset what has been a bad fit.
In the secondary, they’re big and physical and certainly can tackle, but when they need speed to play man and run with those fast wide receivers, there’s trouble. The same can be said about the safeties (with Bishop as the exception). It has to be fixed this offseason.
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Adding a premier pass rusher via trade would be awesome for sure, and give me Myles Garrett if possible. I’m all about giving our defense a Josh Allen-type player, and that’s who Garrett is.
Going this route or not, they must find a big space eater to line up at defensive tackle. They need more size there and we’ve seen the impact of a guy like Jordan Phillips, who obviously can’t be counted on as a starter now, can have when playing in the interior and doing well. On the edges, more speed, bend, and athleticism should be the priority, instead of the big guys who can set the edges and push the pocket.
In the defensive backfield, more speed is necessary so guys can fly around and make plays. Adding this kind of speed opposite Christian Benford at CB2 and alongside Bishop at safety should completely change the way this defense looks, allowing the coaches to mix and match according to their opponents.
On the offensive side of the ball, I don’t think much is needed. I’d like more balance instead of leaning so heavily on the run game. Perhaps a more elaborate passing game, which we could rely on, that frightens defenses and opens up the run game against light boxes.
Allen is their best player and the ball should be in his hands most of the time, not just when the run game doesn’t work and he needs to get the offense out of a hole. Also, when the game is on the line and they need a final drive to win it, it’s way better to have Allen and his pass catchers already in rhythm and ready to deliver.
I don’t believe Brady is far from it and adding a true field-stretcher to this group of receivers should be enough. I trust Amari Cooper to do well if used properly, Keon Coleman has to continue his development, Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid will only get better and Mack Hollins can come back as well as the dirty-job guy. Add speed there and they’re set.
7 — Time is running out for the Bills
I like Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane. They’re nice people, men who represent the Buffalo Bills very well. They’ve done a great job changing the team’s culture and making the team a perennial contender in the AFC.
McDermott is, undeniably, a top-notch regular-season coach. Put him in any struggling franchise and they will be tough to beat. Give him any good team and he’ll extract the most of those players on his way to a divisional title.
What makes it so difficult with McDermott is that he’s been equally unimpressive in the playoffs, consistently getting out-coached by other coaching staffs, especially so by Andy Reid and the Chiefs.
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Brandon Beane has also done a good job. He landed Josh Allen and his drafts are generally decent. Beane’s been able to strike some good deals in free agency as well, but looking at the Bills’ roster, it’s not as talented as their main rivals. The lack of star power shows and the insistence to continue rolling with limited upside players like A.J. Epenesa and Damar Hamlin closes the door to potential opportunities for more impactful players.
I still believe McDermott and Beane can lead the Bills to a Super Bowl, especially because they’ve shown a willingness to change their ways and look for answers. With that said, in eight years since McDermott has been there:
- the Eagles hired Doug Pederson
- drafted Carson Wentz in the first round
- went to a Super Bowl and won it (with backup quarterback Nick Foles)
- got in trouble with Pederson and Wentz
- moved on from both
- hired Nick Sirianni
- drafted Jalen Hurts in the third round
- went to another Super Bowl and lost
- had a tough time last season with the new HC-QB pairing
- and then rebounded and went to another Super Bowl (with a revamped defense), easily winning in the process.
I also will forever be thankful for McDermott’s tenure but, at some point, the Bills will need him and his teams to stop letting Josh Allen down in the biggest stage. I hope he can do it but if he can’t soon, it should be time to move on and find the next guy, as the Eagles did.
Catch up with all this and more with the latest edition of Leading the Charge!