Buffalo Bills fans tensed up after Josh Allen was pushed into the endzone by fullback Reggie Gilliam to take the lead with 1:04 left on the fourth-quarter clock. Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t have any timeouts left, but they did have a high-powered passing game to give them a chance to steal the game away.
It didn’t come to be. On the first play of the Jags’ final drive, Tre’Davious White, head coach Sean McDermott’s first draft pick with the organization, knocked Lawrence’s pass intended for Jakobi Meyers into the waiting arms of safety Cole Bishop.
COLE BISHOP CALLED GAME!!!!!!
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 11, 2026
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/12Bd9W3rD7
Considering the noise surrounding McDermott’s future should the Bills fall short in Jacksonville, it’s pure poetry that White stepped in to save his head coach’s job.
Tre’Davious White came through when Sean McDermott and Buffalo Bills needed it most
Bills fans had seen that story of leaving the opposing quarterback with too much time before. When the Jags gave up their final first down ahead of Allen’s second rushing touchdown, the Bills could have eaten up another 40 seconds of clock by choosing not to score on first down.
Had the Jags instead marched the field to tie and force overtime or win outright, McDermott’s job would be under as fine a microscope as Matt LaFleur’s in Green Bay. Bills Mafia couldn’t stand to live through another postseason collapse by McDermott’s defense after Allen left the field with a lead in the fourth quarter.
Thankfully, though, White and Bishop sealed the deal with their tip-drill takeaway. White, who was selected 27th overall by McDermott and the Bills back in 2017, made the final splash play in a game filled with momentum-swinging action. White spent the past two seasons away from Buffalo, but his return for 2025 has helped solidify one of the league’s strongest secondary units, even with the injuries that have plagued the group at every position.
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Now that White has bailed out McDermott, it looks like a stroke of genius to have brought back the veteran cornerback who turns 31 next Friday.
Hopefully, White has a few more splash plays left in him for the remainder of this postseason run. The Bills will no doubt be in for more tight games that come down to the wire, where a defensive splash play could prove all the difference once again.