Reading too closely into the results of a preseason game is a fool's errand, but don't tell that to Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott after getting trounced in a 33-6 loss to the Chicago Bears. When asked to surmise what specifically went wrong for the Bills in their NFL preseason opener, McDermott was salient and focused in his criticism:
“We didn't control the line of scrimmage from the jump, all the way down to one of the last series we had on offense, trying to get a first down on third-and-1 … and can't get a yard,” McDermott shared.
The Bears averaged a stout 6.5 yards per play and held the Bills to just 3.1 yards per play. Chicago bullied its way to 4.7 yards per carry and sacked the Bills' quarterbacks eight times.
“That's where the challenge comes in. We've got to embrace that challenge. We've got a lot of work to do,” McDermott added.
Unfazed, McDermott should already looking ahead to the next Bills preseason game.
Assessing what Sean McDermott, Bills can improve this preseason
Buffalo has won at least 10 games going back to the 2019 season. That was Josh Allen's second season. It should be safe to say the Bills have very little to worry about after a poor preseason performance. McDermott and Allen have had this team rolling without fail, so should there be any cause for concern?
“If you had a blood pressure cuff on me during that game, it probably would have exploded,” McDermott said. “When you've been around as long as I have, you know to try and keep perspective. That's why they call us coaches also, to take a team where it may be and make it better. That's what we've done here, and that's what we're planning to continue to do.”
There is a persistent narrative in the media that the window has closed for the Bills. A Super Bowl is now out of reach, they say. Maybe that's all true. The secondary had to be retooled after Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde moved on. The pass-rush is overreliant on an aging Von Miller. Buffalo is hoping both Greg Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa will take leaps forward. Stefon Diggs is gone, and an heir apparent at wideout must emerge.
Josh Allen to the rescue
As long as Josh Allen, No. 17 himself, is under center, taking snaps and directing this offense, the AFC East crown still runs through upstate New York. The solution for the Bills and McDermott is to operate like any other NFL training camp: practice, evaluate, coach and allow the players to develop. The Bills opted to mortgage a few pieces of their future when they traded for Diggs ahead of the 2020 season. The show must go on now that he's gone. They came close to a Super Bowl; took their shot.
McDermott can take his high-blood pressure meds and find comfort in the fact that nobody remembers the result of a single preseason game after 48 hours in NFL history. The Bills continue their preseason in a road matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, August 17, at 7:00 p.m. EST.
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