The Buffalo Bills' season ended on Sunday night in the AFC's divisional round, the third straight season that's happened. No one would blame head coach Sean McDermott for at least mentioning that injuries crippled his team's defense, but he was having none of it after a heartbreaking 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The closest that McDermott got to using his team's injury woes as a way of explanation for the loss came when he admitted that “you want to get to this game as healthy as you can,” courtesy of Yahoo Sports' Jori Epstein. But the coach was quick to add that “that’s not the reason we lost.”
McDermott also defended his team, and specifically his quarterback Josh Allen, after another season ended in playoff heartbreak. “I’m confident in this team. I’m confident in Josh. We have to continue to grow.”
Whether McDermott wants to admit it or not, being healthy might've been the difference in this loss.
Bills depth got worse as season went along
In particular, the Bills' defense was ravaged by injuries this season.
Buffalo had already lost two stars long before the playoffs started, with linebacker Matt Milano hitting the IR after a Week 5 injury. Cornerback Tre'Davious White was lost for the season a week prior.
Then, heading into Sunday's matchup versus the Chiefs, the defense was again compromised. Safety Taylor Rapp, linebacker Terrel Bernard, and defensive tackle Poona Ford were all inactive for the game. Those injuries damaged the Bills' depth and left them with few answers for Patrick Mahomes and KC's explosive offense.
Of course, the offense wasn't 100% either. The Bills sorely missed deep threat receiver Gabe Davis in a game in which Allen managed just one touchdown pass.
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