Since drafting Josh Allen back in 2018, the Buffalo Bills and head coach Sean McDermott have had one of the league’s most promising and dominant quarterbacks that the game has ever seen. While Allen’s first two seasons had growing pains, it was his third season where he took a major leap in production and has not looked back since.
The year before Allen’s arrival to Buffalo, McDermott took over as the head coach and started the culture change in Buffalo. He led the Bills to the playoffs and he started the foundation for what the Bills have become since then. He then got his franchise quarterback in Allen and this duo has been one of the more dominant duos in the league.
While there is no question that they are a dominant duo, how much longer can we recognize them as one of the top quarterback/head coach duos without making a Super Bowl appearance? In the last five postseasons, the Bills have failed to make it past the AFC Championship and Bills fans will say that the defense has been the main reason why Buffalo has fallen short.
Duo of Josh Allen/Sean McDermott listed as a top duo going into 2025
Jeff Kerr from CBS Sports recently listed the league’s top QB/head coach duos going into the 2025 season, and Kerr has the duo of Allen and McDermott at No. 3. The only duos in front of them are Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts, and Andy Reid with Patrick Mahomes. Here's a bit on what Kerr said about this duo:
"The best duo on this list that hasn't won a championship belongs to Allen and McDermott. This duo wins a lot of games and makes deep playoff runs, but can't seem to beat the Chiefs. The Bills are 0-4 against the Chiefs in the playoffs in the Allen-McDermott era, and Buffalo has had its chances to beat Kansas City in conference championship games. "Jeff Kerr, CBS Sports
What do the top two duos in Sirianni/Hurts and Reid/Mahomes have in common? They have been in a Super Bowl and have won one as well. Allen and McDermott don’t even have an appearance in the league’s biggest game of the season. Again, a lot of fans would say that it isn’t Allen’s fault because in the playoffs, he is purely dominant and nearly unstoppable.
As for McDermott, he has faced a lot of criticism with the defense considering the fact that he is a defensive-minded coach. When your side of the ball is the main reason why you can’t reach the Super Bowl, it’s a problem.
This coming season could be a make-or-break one for the Bills. I’m not saying that they won’t be championship contenders again next season. However, if history repeats itself and the Bills lose in the playoffs to the Chiefs, there is going to be a ton of debate on whether or not Buffalo needs to make a big change.