Is the Bills coaching staff ready to coach on the biggest stage?

Sean McDermott and Leslie Frazier were under a lot of fire last year after the infamous ’13 seconds’ which Bills fans will never hear the end of. They had moments of brilliance throughout the year and also moments where fans were calling for Frazier’s job.

The Bills defense has struggled against good opposing offenses, but they thrive against bottom-tier QBs. There are some concerns that have risen about the coaching, as fans are wondering if the coaching staff can step up and coach well in big moments.

The Bills finished first in total defense last year. They also lead the league in fewest yards allowed per play, passing yards per play, first downs allowed per game and lowest third down conversion rate against them as well. On paper it sounds like a very strong and elite defense, and it absolutely was at times. We saw them thrive against teams like the Texans, Jets, Dolphins, Saints, Panthers, Jaguars, etc.

However, we saw them struggle when they played better teams with great offenses, especially with the ground game. They struggled against Jonathan Taylor and the Colts, Derrick Henry and the Titans, and especially in the playoffs against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs for the second year in a row. That game was pretty much a back and forth all game, and there’s nothing to take away from Mahomes because he is going to put up points on any defense he faces. However, when it was Frazier and McDermott’s time to stop the Chiefs from driving down the field (with just 13 seconds left), they failed.

We saw the Bills’ lead disappear twice in the final 5 minutes of that Divisional Round game because the Bills defense could not get a stop. They barely held any resistance against Mahomes and company and allowed Tyreek to hill scamper for a TD and Travis Kelce to dominate the middle of the field, all while allowing Mahomes to run circles around the pressures.

Despite that, Josh Allen led the Bills down for what appeared to be a game-winning TD with 13 seconds left. Buffalo was on the verge of hosting the AFC title game, but some very questionable calls by the coaching staff prevented that. Electing not to squib kick and then rolling out soft prevent defense allowed the Chiefs to run two plays and get themselves into field goal range with 3 seconds left.

We’ve heard it time and time again, across the entire NFL, that prevent coverage only prevents you from winning the game. But, aside from that, the Bills defense gave up a season-high 552 yards and 42 points in the biggest game of the season with a chance to host the AFC Championship. And after the game, we had people calling for Frazier’s job as well as McDermott’s inability to coach in big games.

Questionable in-game management, poor clock management and time out usage, poor defensive alignments, and failure to adjust their scheme. I’m sure we’ve all said at one point that this coaching staff is what is going to hold the team back.

I’m not writing this article to bash and tear down everything McDermott and Frazier have done for this team, as I’m grateful for both of them and everything they’ve done for the Bills thus far and we wouldn’t be where we are now without them. But, there comes a point that you wonder whether or not they have what it takes to coach in big games and make tough decisions, which are the difference between a win and a loss. McDermott has come around and been more aggressive on offense, but the Allen-led offense is too skilled to keep being let down by conservative coaching on defense.

The team is in place and the talent is there. This is arguably the most talented team the Bills have ever had and it is the best roster in the NFL on both sides of the ball. The question is whether the coaching staff will be able to get them over that final hump, which would ultimately mean bringing the Lombardi Trophy home to Buffalo.

The game is changing and evolving every single year. The coaching staff has to evolve just like the players do. The Bills need to see the coaching staff be more aggressive, and that doesn’t mean just going for it on 4th down more, it also means not playing soft, not sitting back playing the same coverage over and over expecting different results, and not trying to establish a run game when it’s not working.

I’m counting on that with every failure, there’s growth in this coaching staff, especially with McDermott and Frazier. They’ve been around the league for a long time and I hope they can learn from their mistakes and adjust accordingly next time they’re in a similar situation. That’s all you can ask for. They have the experience and knowledge now of playing in these big games. It’s win or go home. The Bills are trying to win a Super Bowl, and I’m hoping that this is the coaching staff to get them there, because they certainly have the players for it.

Coaching doesn’t have to be the reason the Bills win games, but it can’t be the reason that they lose them. I’m sure last year’s playoffs are still on the minds of the coaching staff, and they’ll be ready to prove they belong on the biggest stage.