The Buffalo Bills parted ways with their head coach, Sean McDermott, on Monday after a disappointing loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC divisional round on Saturday evening.
It was surprising that the Bills decided to part ways with McDermott, and it’s possible that Buffalo’s owner, Terry Pegula, hadn’t firmly made up his mind about McDermott’s future before the game against Denver.
When Did Pegula Make Up His Mind
Pegula and general manager Brandon Beane met with the media on Wednesday to discuss the future of the Bills and the reasons behind their decision to move on from McDermott.
Without hesitation, Pegula clearly stated that his decision to fire McDermott was based on the game in Denver.
“My decision was based on the game in Denver,” Pegula said, via Katherine Fitzgerald from The Buffalo News.
McDermott served as the Bills’ head coach for nine seasons and did an outstanding job. He finished below .500 only once, in 2018, which was during Josh Allen’s rookie season. He made the playoffs eight times, but he never reached the Super Bowl.
It finally felt like this postseason was the Bills’ year to reach the Super Bowl since the Chiefs weren’t in the playoffs. Kansas City eliminated Buffalo in four out of the last five postseasons, not including this year’s playoffs.
Without the Chiefs and even the Baltimore Ravens in the mix, the Bills had a clear path to the Super Bowl. All they needed to do was defeat inexperienced quarterbacks, but they couldn’t even get the job done.
Moving away from McDermott was likely the Bills’ last resort, as they needed to make a significant change, and they certainly weren’t going to part ways with Allen.
Since Pegula mentioned that the game against the Broncos influenced his decision to fire McDermott, it means Allen must share some of the blame for this outcome.
Allen Had a Rough Game
There’s no doubt that the Bills wouldn’t have stood a chance to win the game without Allen. However, he did turn the ball over four times, throwing two interceptions and losing two fumbles.
One fumble was particularly costly, as it occurred at the end of the first half and allowed the Broncos to set up for a field goal, pushing their lead to 10 points instead of just a touchdown.
Pegula did mention that Allen had no input on the Bills’ decision to fire McDermott, but he spoke to him after to discuss the decision. But even though Allen didn’t have any say on McDermott’s fate, he will have a say on who the next head coach could be.
“The starting quarterback will be part of the team to help select a new coach,” Pegula said, via Yahoo Sports Staff. “He’s going to be working with us. And anything else — his feelings — I want to keep that private. I don’t want this in Josh’s head. This was my decision. And I know I didn’t answer your question, but I did, I hope, in a roundabout way. His personal opinion, I keep personal.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Bills Owner Confirms When Decision to Fire Sean McDermott Was Made appeared first on Heavy Sports.