Sean McDermott rarely tips his hand publicly this early, but Buffalo’s head coach didn’t hide his frustration after a lopsided Week 2 preseason defeat in Chicago.
The 38-0 result came with a caveat: McDermott chose to hold out most of his starters, yet he still expected the roster’s younger tier to show more urgency. Instead, what unfolded was a flat performance that left the coach questioning the depth behind his front-line players.
Facing Caleb Williams and a Chicago unit that kept its starters on the field to open the game, Buffalo leaned almost entirely on reserves. The result was one-sided as the Bills were outgained 528 yards to 180.
What frustrated McDermott, though, was what came next. This was supposed to be a chance for second- and third-string players to stake a claim. Instead, Buffalo’s depth looked overmatched, and the head coach made it clear afterward that he didn’t see the urgency or execution he expected from the roster bubble crowd.
He told the reporters, “I felt like we had moved in the right direction, holistically coming out of that practice and it’s not that they still don’t need work, they do. But tonight was also a chance for us to evaluate some of the other players on our roster and in doing so, hoped to keep some of our starters healthy as well. So, I was looking forward to seeing some guys with the opportunity tonight step up, and I didn’t sense that as much as I hoped.”
Trailing from the very start, the Buffalo Bills’ defense gave up a 36-yard touchdown on the game’s first drive as Williams connected with WR Olamide Zaccheaus. The Bills’ offense was unable to respond, punting on each of their first five possessions. This allowed the Bears to build a significant lead by scoring touchdowns on four of their first five drives.
Yet while the backups faltered and the roster looked shaky in key areas, all eyes inevitably circled back to Josh Allen and his perspective on where the team stands.
Josh Allen has some words for HC Sean McDermott and the Bills
By the second quarter, the Bills were already buried in a twenty-one-point hole. That’s when Josh Allen stepped in for a brief interview, and the quarterback made it clear he wasn’t overlooking the state of his team.
Allen started by talking about his own role in the team, “understanding what defenses are trying to do when they play against us. We get different tendencies from people, you know, I’d see different things, and going out there again, just trying to be as mechanically sound as I can be and try to put the ball where it needs to be.I think last year we did a good job of that, but obviously there were still times where, you know, I wasn’t where I should be, and it starts with my eyes, starts with my feet, and just trying to make sure those things are marrying up.” And then he had a message for the Bill’s front office, suggesting they should take charge in their roles.
NFL, American Football Herren, USA Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers Aug 17, 2024 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott left and quarterback Josh Allen 17 talk on the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh Acrisure Stadium Pennsylvania USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xCharlesxLeClairex 20240817_lbm_al8_002
“Listen, I trust our front office, I trust our coaching staff to develop the talent that we have here. All I have to do is focus ongoing out there and then getting it to the right people and then whoever’s open. That’s my job, and make sure that our offense is trying to, you know, rolling on all cylinders, and that’s all that’s all I’m trying to do.” Allen said.
The early preseason numbers have been jarring. Through two games, the Bills have surrendered 72 points and 924 yards — hardly what you’d expect from a roster built on defensive identity, even if most of that came against reserves. McDermott cautioned against drawing sweeping conclusions from August reps, but he also admitted there’s a standard he expects to see, and right now, his depth isn’t meeting it.
The Bills open the regular season at home against the Baltimore Ravens in a Sunday night matchup on Sept. 7.
The post Sean McDermott Loses Faith in Locker Room as Josh Allen Doesn’t Mince Words on Washout Bills Loss appeared first on EssentiallySports.