ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — For Sean McDermott, there were no good options when it came to fielding reporters’ questions Tuesday about the final 13 seconds of regulation in Sunday’s 42-36 overtime playoff loss at Kansas City.
The outside world has, of course, come to the universal conclusion that everything that happened during that fateful blip of time was a colossal coaching screw up.
How else to explain Tyler Bass’ kickoff being sent through the end zone rather than having the ball travel a shorter path that would prompt more time to evaporate?
How else to explain the pass coverage that left the middle of the field open for Patrick Mahomes – after connecting with Tyreek Hill for a 19-yard gain – to find Travis Kelce for a 25-yard completion to set the stage for Harrison Butker’s 49-yard field goal that tied the game at 36-36 and forced OT?
Hot take after hot take placed dunce caps on the heads of McDermott, special teams coordinator Heath Farwell and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. At least one national talking head went as far as to say McDermott and Frazier shouldn’t have even been allowed to ride home on the team plane.
These aren’t offered as observations.
They’re being stated as facts, as if the headset connections on the Bills sidelines and coaching booth were open to any fan or media member who wanted to listen in.
McDermott knows precisely what happened in those 13 seconds. Revealing that knowledge might have made the crowd demanding its pound of flesh for the Bills turning certain victory into crushing heartache feel better.
It also would have had disastrous results for McDermott. That was why he gave a vague answer (“I wish our execution was better”) to questions from WGRZ sports director Adam Benigni about kicking away after the fourth Josh Allen-to-Gabe Davis touchdown put the Bills in front, 36-33, and about the coverage on the Chiefs’ second play before the tying field goal.
Here were his other choices:
- Put the blame on coaches, including himself, for questionable/bizarre/goofy (pick a word) decision-making and poor work in preparing for the situations that unfolded.
- Put the blame on the players for either not doing as they were instructed or simply blowing their assignments.
In both cases, McDermott understood he would have done considerable damage to his credibility and career. To say the least, throwing his assistants and/or players under the bus isn’t a bad look. It’s a horrific look. It’s the sort of thing that would follow him forever, regardless of whatever happens next season or beyond.
Perhaps there’s nothing that will convince the hot-takers that he and the staff that somehow managed to guide the Bills to four playoff appearances in five seasons are clueless.
But McDermott understandably avoided supplying additional shovels and dirt to be thrown upon him.