Back in August, it was unfathomable that the Buffalo Bills could miss the playoffs. They were one of the few teams that was a reasonable Super Bowl pick.
As we get to December, it wouldn’t take a miracle for the Bills to make the playoffs. But it’s going to take a lot of work.
ESPN’s FPI gives the 6-6 Bills a 21% chance to make the playoffs. DVOA is even less optimistic. It has the Bills as a 13.5% shot to get into the postseason.
Josh Allen and the Bills are a surprising 6-6 this season. (Taylar Sievert/Yahoo Sports)
Unless the Bills overcome DVOA’s 86.5% chance that they miss the playoffs, this season will be a disaster in Buffalo. You don’t remain a Super Bowl contender forever and the Bills might be absolutely wasting a season.
How did this happen? Let’s take a look at what and who is to blame.
Sean McDermott
Many are speculating if McDermott will be on the hot seat if the Bills don’t make the playoffs. That shouldn’t be the case for a coach who is 68-41 since taking over the Buffalo job. But he hasn’t had a great season.
There’s some bad luck involved in losing a lot of close games, but key coaching decisions matter too. What if McDermott hadn’t strangely benched James Cook for more than a quarter after Cook’s first fumble of the season against the Broncos? What if McDermott hadn’t wasted a timeout to ice the kicker against Philadelphia, then not taken a knee with 20 seconds left and a timeout remaining in regulation? What about not flying to London until Thursday night before losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars there, or not adjusting to some key defensive injuries better? An immediately infamous 12 men on the field penalty for a missed field goal against the Broncos reflects on the coaches too.
McDermott probably doesn’t deserve the speculation that he should be fired. But he has made his share of mistakes.
The front office
Has general manager Brandon Beane done enough to build the roster around Josh Allen? Probably not.
On offense, the issue is that everything is on…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/the-bills-are-the-nfls-biggest-disappointment-this-season-whos-to-blame-171342777.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2023-11-29 17:13:42
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