The Buffalo Bills have everything in place to be a Super Bowl champion. They have an MVP quarterback in his prime. They have the pieces on defense to be a dominant unit. And the hope is that they have enough weapons around Josh Allen to help him out in the biggest moments.
But what Buffalo might lack is a superstar coach who knows how to manage those big moments. The Bills don’t have an Andy Reid, Sean McVay, Sean Payton, or a Jim Harbaugh. Instead, they have Sean McDermott, who is experienced but isn’t quite as accomplished as some of those other names on the list.
McDermott’s regular-season resume is quite impressive. He is 86-45 in the regular season, and the Bills have won double-digit games in six consecutive seasons. And yet, his postseason shortcomings are the only thing that matters at this point. There have been a handful of decisions, mainly against the Chiefs, that have fans wondering if McDermott is the right man for the job.
Sean McDermott overlooked in recent head coach rankings
But how does McDermott stack up against his peers? And could he really be the one holding the Bills back from reaching the Super Bowl? In a recent article by Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus, he ranked the top 10 head coaches in the league going into the 2025 season. McDermott’s name did not appear on the list despite his incredible regular season winning percentage.
It's noteworthy that all of the other contenders in the AFC (Chiefs, Ravens, Chargers, Broncos, and Steelers) had their head coaches on the list and not the Bills. What’s even more fascinating is that Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns made the list despite a career 40-44 record (he has won two Coach of the Year awards).
For McDermott to make this list going into 2026, he needs to do two things in 2025. The first being to fix the defense. Buffalo finished 11th in points allowed per game last season, but 17th in yards. While those are regular-season numbers, both need to improve as McDermott is a defensive-minded head coach, and that is where his expertise resides.
Buffalo’s defense has been an issue in the postseason, and that is where McDermott deserves the most blame. Since the 2020 playoffs, Buffalo has had games where they have allowed 42, 38, 32, 31, 27, 27, 25, and 24 points (12 games). That means in 66.6% of their playoff games, they’ve allowed 24 or more points. That is just way too many for a coach who prides himself on being a defensive guru.
The Bills ask Allen to be elite in every single playoff performance, and even when he plays at an elite level, it’s often still not enough. That’s where McDermott deserves some blame, and it’s time for him to show his worth.
This is a huge season for McDermott, as another playoff failure by his defense could result in a coaching change. And while you can argue that he belongs inside the top 10 of lists like these, it’s hard to put him there after so many playoff disappointments. Needless to say, this is a make-or-break season for Sean McDermott.