The Buffalo Bills are playing something of an exhibition game this week, squaring off against another team locked into the postseason, the Philadelphia Eagles. Of course, in the final two weeks of the regular season, both teams are playing for seeding position in the postseason tournament as well as hoping to parlay some momentum into the playoffs.
This is the NFL, but it can’t be lost that the Bills don’t have much left to play for beyond those two facts. They don’t control their destiny much in the final two weeks, with outcomes of other games around the league determining where they fit in the postseason picture, whether they win both of their remaining games, split them, or lose out.
It’s an intriguing position, playing the reigning Super Bowl champions, when staying healthy while still playing competitively is more important than actually winning. It’s a challenge that head coach Sean McDermott is taking in stride, though.
Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills embracing measuring-stick test against reigning champs
In his Friday press conference ahead of practice this week, McDermott talked about the team’s mentality heading into a matchup against another championship contender with the postseason waiting on the horizon.
“Keeping the main thing the main thing is the top priority. So that’s really where everything starts,” McDermott said. “The rest of it is how well one can multitask. And I’m the only one who needs to do that.”
He later contextualized the role Philadelphia plays in the scenario.
“Good challenge for us,” he said. “I don’t think we make one game bigger than another. It’s really about how well we play and how well we compete, and it’s something we’re looking forward to.”
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Buffalo has had to deal with their own inconsistencies this season, and while winning out does give the team a shot at the division title and a higher seed, showing competitiveness or even beating the reigning champions of the sport can give the Bills the type of momentum they need to carry into the postseason.
That said, McDermott’s challenge to his team comes across clearly: focus on this challenge before worrying about future challenges, and meet that challenge with the proper intentions. Buffalo still needs to shake some of the inconsistencies, after all, and squaring up with the reigning league champions will no doubt highlight where the team needs to straighten up as the season draws to a close.