Buffalo Bills Coach Sean McDermott Hoping Offense’s ‘Subculture’ Provides Spark

The Buffalo Bills fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey on Tuesday. Head coach Sean McDermott hopes Joe Brady can establish a confident sub-culture for the rest of the team.

It was clear after Monday night’s embarrassing 24-22 loss to the Denver Broncos that something needed to change. For too long, turnovers had stunted promising drives, cohesion was elusive, and an offense led by a superstar quarterback continued to fall short.

Head coach Sean McDermott decided that firing offensive Ken Dorsey was the switch that needed to be flipped.

Buffalo had fallen to 5-5, losing its third prime-time game of the season, once again at the hands of costly turnovers. Ball security has been an issue, with 18 trailing only the Cleveland Browns for the most in football. To some, the offense had looked tense and more enveloped with paranoia about the next tipped pass or fumbled snap.

Buffalo continued to look lost offensively on Monday, as they were stunned by the Denver Broncos / @fishsports - X

That lack of confidence played a role in Dorsey’s firing and, subsequently, quarterback coach Joe Brady’s promotion.

“You go inch by inch. There can be an impact, the overall energy, it’s in the margins in a lot of ways, too,” McDermott said on Wednesday. “In terms of energy, culture within a subculture … in this case, the offense has a subculture. What that looks like and how that can start to foster confidence and energy, and the focus on us doing things that we need to do to end up winning.

“Those are the things that are in the margins that fill the gaps between plays, and I think that is as important as the plays.”

There’s little question about the talent on the Bills offense. Quarterback Josh Allen, regardless of how many interceptions he’s thrown, is one of the best players in the sport. Superstar receiver Stefon Diggs is the battery mate on the other end of an electric connection. There have been plenty of inconsistencies in the run game and at the receiver spot, but those two talents, along with quality rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid and a pretty good offensive line—are a recipe for success.

That begs the question of whether Buffalo’s shortcomings are a matter of coaching or something else entirely. The Bills rank eighth in points per game and seventh in yards per game but have five losses that haven’t exactly come in shootouts. 

Advanced metrics also like the offense, as they rank first in success rate and third in expected points added per play. Further, Allen’s turnover-worthy play rate is tied for the seventh-best in football … but no one has thrown more interceptions.

This would suggest that more than anything else, bad luck has been to blame. Not Dorsey’s play calling, some misguided attempt at Allen’s regression, or the realization that the roster is significantly worse than initially anticipated.

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Acknowledging Buffalo has been unlucky won’t fix their murky playoff projection. When the lights have been brightest, they’ve looked lost. Buffalo is a team with Super Bowl expectations. Playing .500 football with Buffalo’s aspirations undoubtedly put pressure on McDermott to make a move.

“It’s just a feel more than anything, an it-factor, a presence,” McDermott said. “I think Joe has some of that and his imprint will develop over the course of time in terms of the Xs and Os and his rapport with Josh as well.”

Don’t expect some massive schematic revolution in the few days before the Bills’ Week 11 contest against the New York Jets. For now, pivoting to Brady is a move meant to rally the troops, rather than asking them to buy into mathematical jargon about variance and positive regression.

Buffalo has its work cut out in a critical game against an elite defense. Fans may not see immediate on-field results, but the playoff implications of Dorsey’s firing are bound to show up on Sunday.