Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott certainly thought about taking a knee with just under a minute remaining and his offense on the one-yard line in their first-round playoff matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
With kicker Cam Little — who hit a 67-yard field goal against the Tennessee Titans in Week 18 — on the opposing sideline, McDermott didn’t want to give the Jaguars a possession. The ninth-year head coach said it was heavily discussed before they ultimately decided to score.
“I really wanted to try and bleed the clock down, but it’s like, ‘Okay, what plays do you have that do that?’ We can probably go through this for about an hour and talk about this,” McDermott said in his post-game press conference. “The ball is inside the one, by the time we take the snap and even just knee it, then you’re like ‘Okay, run the clock to about 30 seconds.’ So we’re talking about these things. I’m going, ‘Man, I know who they have on that side of the ball, at a minimum, starting with the place kicker.’ So, we were like, ‘Let’s not get cute, let’s just go win this thing and put our defense out there.’ I did, and they executed at a high level.”
A tush push on fourth-and-1 moved the Bills down to the one-yard line with 1:05 remaining. Quarterback Josh Allen scored his second rushing touchdown of the game a play later to give the Bills a three-point lead.
The game wasn’t over yet, however. The defense needed to make a stop.
Buffalo Bills Safety Cole Bishop Picks Off Trevor Lawrence
GettyBuffalo Bills safety Cole Bishop made the game-sealing interception against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Jan. 11.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars’ offense took over on their own 23-yard line on the ensuing drive after a 21-yard kickoff return by running back Bhayshul Tuten.
Lawrence dropped back for his 30th pass attempt on the Jaguars’ first play. He targeted wide receiver Jakobi Meyers across the middle. Cornerback Tre’Davious White and safety Cole Bishop did the rest.
The play earned Allen his first career road playoff win and secured the Bills a trip to the divisional round.
White has returned to his All-Pro form at times this year. He suffered a torn ACL in 2021 and a torn Achilles tendon in 2023. He deflected three passes against the Jaguars and came up in big moments throughout the game, which earned McDermott’s praise.
“There’s nobody who works harder, and he’s gotten himself back now to where he’s playing really good football,” McDermott said. “It’s a credit to him and the work he’s put in and our medical team as well. Just overall, he’s as good as there is in terms of his determination, his heart, and his resilient nature.”
What’s Next for the Bills?
The Bills’ future travel plans are still up in the air. They’ll be on the road no matter what, but could be heading to Denver, Pittsburgh, or Houston.
If the Los Angeles Chargers beat the New England Patriots, the Bills will play the Pittsburgh Steelers or Houston Texans. If the Patriots beat the Chargers, the Bills will travel to take on the top-seeded Denver Broncos.
Allen had a five-word message for their next opponent during a postgame interview with CBS’s Kaylee Hartung.
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