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Bills head coach Sean McDermott rolled the dice down 27-24 with over 12 minutes left in their Divisional Round game against the Chiefs. The team was set to punt on a 4th and 5 but chose to run a fake punt with safety Damar Hamlin. He ended up well short of a first down, causing a turnover.
In the end, Buffalo lost to Kansas City by the same score. Those in Bills Mafia questioned why McDermott chose to go for it with Hamlin instead of punting. Many of those fans took to X (Twitter) to share their anger with the play call:
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More Buffalo Bills fans criticized the play as some even called for McDermott's job:
Despite the questionable call, Buffalo still could have tied the game with under two minutes remaining. However, kicker Tyler Bass missed a 47-yard field goal as Kansas City ran the clock out for the win.
Following the game, McDermott explained why he ran a fake punt instead of keeping the offense on the field and using quarterback Josh Allen:
“I understand what you’re saying about keeping Josh out there. It’s just where we were on the field in relation to the element of surprise in that situation. Obviously, we didn’t execute.”
As for Damar Hamlin, he is an NFL Comeback Player of the Year candidate after missing time when he suffered a cardiac arrest last January. He has spent much of this season on special teams.
Bills playoff record under Sean McDermott
McDermott was hired ahead of the 2017 season as Buffalo's head coach, leading them to a record of 73 - 41 in the regular season. He finished this season with an 11 - 6 record with his fourth straight AFC East title. The loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs dropped his playoff record to 5 - 6.
It also marked the third consecutive time the team's season ended in the Divisional Round. He did lead them to the AFC Championship in the 2020 season, coming up short to the Chiefs. Overall, McDermott is 0 - 3 against the Chiefs in the playoffs as the Bills' head coach.
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