Bills' Josh Allen, Sean McDermott Under Pressure? QB-Coach Rankings

Are Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and coach Sean McDermott under the most pressure this season in the NFL?

Historically speaking, it’s nearly impossible to win a Super Bowl without having elite talent at quarterback and head coach.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen leads the NFL with 130 offensive touchdowns since 2020. Allen finished with 5,000-plus offensive yards and 40-plus touchdowns in back-to-back seasons. He is a main reason for Buffalo's resurgence in the AFC against elite quarterback competition.

Coach Sean McDermott is ranked first in Bills history in win percentage. In his first six seasons, McDermott has led Buffalo to five playoff appearances. Though the Bills' 2022-23 postseason run was halted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the Divisional Round, hopes are high for this season.

But Sports Illustrated poses the question: Are Allen and McDermott under the most pressure this season in the NFL?

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SI ranked the Bills tandem as No. 6 collectively; a combination of Allen's No. 3 ranking and McDermott at No. 14. No huge surprise, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and coach Andy Reid topped the poll as the league's best duo, as the only combo to have won two Super Bowls together.

"The Bills are three-time defending AFC East champions but have made it to the AFC championship game only once in that time," SI writes. "Buffalo enters 2023 as one of the favorites to raise the Lombardi Trophy, and, for it to happen, the Bills need Allen to outplay Mahomes and Burrow, while McDermott steps up in the big moments. It’s something that, so far, has eluded both."

McDermott's role is in flux. After taking charge of the defense this offseason following the departure of defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, McDermott served the role of defensive signal-caller for the first two preseason games.

But in the final preseason game, McDermott wanted to go back to more of a "CEO" approach on the sideline versus the Bears, something that he may even stick with heading into Week 1 vs. the New York Jets.