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 didn't make enough [plays]. We didn't do enough or make enough plays and do enough on the coaching end," McDermott said via the team transcript. "At the end of the day, there is a tough group of guys in that locker room. A tough group of coaches. We are a good football team and just came out on the short end here. There are no moral victories. Each and every one of us has to look at ourselves. Like I told you, that starts with me. That is what you do. That is what the best do and I know our football team is a darn good 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.
McDermott's defense couldn't hold the advantage in regulation or overtime after the Bills kicked a field goal to open the extra frame.
"His level of play has risen over the last two weeks," McDermott said of Allen. "That is really the biggest thing. When your quarterback is playing well, you have a chance. The inconsistency leading up to the last three weeks were one of the reasons why I made the decision that I did to move forward here. The last two weeks, Josh Allen's level of play has been good enough for us to win."
Allen is the first QB to have 375-plus total yards and four-plus total TDs in an OT defeat since he did so himself in the 2021 Divisional Round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Bills fell to 2-6 in one-score games in 2023. Buffalo owns a +101 point differential but sits at 6-6 through 12 games, an inexplicable combination.
"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.
"We understand that this football team is, we definitely have a lot of upside," Hyde said. "It's crazy ... with our record being 6-6, but I could just say the close games that we've lost, and the games that we have lost have been by a few points. So, we just got to continue to find a way in those situational moments to find a way to get a takeaway or if the offense gets the ball, get a touchdown."
