3 takeaways for the Buffalo Bills defense from the 2023 season

Sean McDermott is under-appreciated as a DC

McDermott has been on the hot seat for a while now, probably since the overtime loss to KC in 2021. McDermott gets criticized for his coaching staff not living up to expectations, the same things he says in conferences, his defense not being able to get a stop in crucial situations, and then, during the season his controversial 9/11 quote surfaced in the media.

However, since his 9/11 quote surfaced, the entire Bills team seemed to have McDermott's back and played even harder than before, helping the Bills go on a winning streak. There's no doubt that the roster appreciates McDermott as a coach and especially as a person and the same should probably go to the fan base, who aren't believers in McDermott.

The Buffalo Bills have had bad luck with injuries through the past two seasons, especially on the defensive side of the ball. However, even with those injuries, the defense still finds its way as a top-ten defense every year. This year was undoubtedly the worst season with the injuries with McDermott taking over as DC, and he still found a way to shut down opponent's offenses with third and fourth-string starters. 

The fact that the Bills came this far to the Divisional round with the setbacks they've faced proves how resilient McDermott's squad is. A lot of the success can be thanks to Josh Allen, but McDermott's injured defense played its part in Buffalo's late-season resurgence. 

From the amount of criticism McDermott has faced, he's never really had a healthy defense to work with during the prime Josh Allen era, and he should be given at least another year with the team. McDermott may have his flaws, but there aren't a lot of defensive coaches that can do what he did. Although, he does need to help this team get over this playoff hump very soon if he wants to have an extended future with Buffalo.