'Take Some Risks!' Bills’ Sean McDermott Talks Josh Allen's Mindset After Loss

The Buffalo Bills lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round. Head coach Sean McDermott spoke about his and Josh Allen's decisions in the loss and throughout the year.

Hindsight bias is one hell of a drug, and it reared its head after the Buffalo Bills’ season came to a close. The Kansas City Chiefs sent the Buffalo faithful home heartbroken, but the immediate aftermath has focused more on what the Bills may have done wrong, rather than what Kansas City did right.

That development is subsequent to the missed opportunities that ended Buffalo’s season. A fake punt was stopped, a Stefon Diggs drop spoiled a would-be highlight, and Josh Allen’s two incompletions led to the second-most infamous field goal in Bills history.

Buffalo was criticized – perhaps unfairly – for the special teams gaffe and Allen’s incompletion, targeting receiver Khalil Shakir in the end zone. In talking about his team’s mindset, head coach Sean McDermott defined a playstyle that showed up on Sunday, even if the result didn’t fall in Buffalo’s favor.

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“Take a risk, we want you to take some risks, we want you to go for it, we want you to play free,” McDermott said. “Be detailed and all those types of things, tighten up the little things here and there from an execution standpoint.

“But that mindset is important. You do it enough, you talk about it enough, you have leaders like Josh in particular that play that way and lead that way. It just becomes part of the overall culture and it leads to more and more success on the field.”

Allen is known for the gunslinger mentality that can sometimes get him into trouble, but so often it becomes a topic of conversation because of his interceptions. This time, however, his aggression in taking the downfield shot instead of the shallow crossing route, wasn’t only justified, it was right.

First off, Shakir’s post was probably the right read. His eyes are in the right spot and he sees the safeties hips giving Shakir the path to the end zone. He was open! Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones made one of the biggest plays of his career, pressuring Allen and forcing the throw to fall short. Even if Diggs was the next read in the progression, Allen was right to pull the trigger when he did.

Secondly, take a step back. Allen is one of the five best quarterbacks on the planet. He had an open receiver in the end zone, with a chance to take the lead over Patrick Mahomes. It would be a poor process not to throw the post.

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The football world will never know what Mahomes would have done with that drive. If the Bills’ heartbreak would have just been delayed or if they would have conquered the best that is now 3-0 against them in the playoffs. But most of the decisions that got them to that fateful field goal attempt shouldn’t have been surprising.

Buffalo was always going to be aggressive. With a uniquely talented quarterback and a chance to go to the AFC Championship Game, they probably should have been. Call the fake punt hubris, but Allen’s decision-making didn’t cost the Bills.