Where Josh Allen and Sean McDermott fall in NFL Head Coach-QB duo rankings

Josh Allen and Sean McDermott rank fairly in SI's recent NFL head coach-quarterback duo rankings. However, McDermott's ranking among head coaches is egregious.

Oct 3, 2021; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott talks to quarterback Josh Allen (17) in the third quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

There are several factors that go into creating sustained success in the NFL, among the most paramount being continuity amongst the coaching staff and consistent excellence from the quarterback position. The Buffalo Bills are fortunate enough to check both of these boxes; head coach Sean McDermott is entering his eighth year at the helm of the team, while former All-Pro quarterback Josh Allen is coming off an NFL-record fourth-consecutive season in which he totaled more than 40 touchdowns.

And Buffalo has, in turn, experienced success throughout the recent past; the team has qualified for the playoffs in each of the past five campaigns, winning at least one playoff game in the last four postseasons. The Bills have won four consecutive AFC East titles, tying a franchise record set from 1988–1991. McDermott has garnered NFL Coach of the Year consideration on several occasions, while Allen has earned NFL MVP votes in three out of the last four years.

The two make for a demonstrably successful combination, a sentiment that’s been reflected in Sports Illustrated’s recent NFL Coach-QB Duo rankings. SI’s Matt Verderame slots the pairing in at No. 8 on his ranking, praising Allen while expressing doubt about McDermott’s ability in clutch moments.

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“The Bills appear to be undergoing a soft reset, having parted ways with a host of veterans," Verderame wrote. “Still, with Allen at the controls, Buffalo is a dangerous team. The main uncertainty is whether McDermott can make the right moves in key moments, something which has been his bugaboo. For his job to be safe, the Bills likely need to win at least another playoff game, and maybe more.”

Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid expectedly top Verderame’s rankings, with no egregious pairings ranked above Allen and McDermott. No. 8 seems a fair spot for the duo; they’ve found success with each other, but haven’t quite been able to get over the hump. The concerns Verderame raises about McDermott are also fair; though he’s led Buffalo to one of its most successful stretches in franchise history, he has had a number of mental lapses in big games, leading many to question whether he’s the coach the team needs to lead them to the proverbial promised land.

What is a tad egregious, however, is where the outlet ranks Allen and McDermott amongst their respective peers. Allen ranks third amongst quarterbacks—which is fair—while McDermott ranks 18th among NFL head coaches.

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In no world—certainly not the one that we reside in—is McDermott a bottom-half-of-the-league head coach. He's won 64% of the regular season games he’s coached, notching double-digit wins in each of the last five seasons. For proof of his excellence as a leader, look no further than the final stretch of the team’s 2023 season; sitting at 6-6 and on the outside of the AFC playoff picture at their Week 13 bye, the Bills rattled off five straight wins—including victories over the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, and Miami Dolphins—to win yet another division title.

The 2022 season is also a microcosm of McDermott’s excellence; the adversity the team faced that year—several season-ending injuries, having a game relocated due to a region-pausing snowstorm, and the Damar Hamlin situation, among several other events—was almost unprecedented, and the team still won 13 games.

McDermott, yes, has not yet been able to get over the hump, and it’s possible he may never; that said, it’s simply unjustifiable to say that there are 17 better head coaches in the NFL.

Regardless, the ranking of the McDermott and Allen duo seems fair. The two will look to ascend further up the rankings with another productive season in 2024.