Bills fallout, the real officiating issue and more divisional-playoff madness: Pick Six 19JAN26

 I am still so upset over the Buffalo Bills firing  Sean McDermott, I think the team is going to be sorry. From the New York Times.....

Bills fallout, the real officiating issue and more divisional-playoff madness: Pick Six

By Mike Sando

Jan. 19, 2026

The Buffalo Bills’ owner declared that an NFL official “should be fired and never allowed to work another game” after making “a rotten call that cost us a chance for the Super Bowl.”

That was Ralph Wilson Jr. in 1975.

Terry Pegula, the Bills’ owner since 2014, did not go full Ralph after his team landed on the wrong end of the officials Saturday in a divisional playoff loss at Denver. Lots of people wish he had.

Officials’ hurried handling of a Broncos overtime interception that the Bills believed was a catch at the Denver 20-yard line — in range for a winning kick attempt — was the talk of the divisional round, challenged only by Caleb Williams’ miracle touchdown pass for the Chicago Bears, who took the Los Angeles Rams to overtime but did not prevail.

The Pick Six column sorts through the divisional-round madness, starting with fallout from Buffalo’s latest brutal postseason defeat, and what might come from it. Monday, the first shoe fell, as the Bills fired coach Sean McDermott.

The full menu:

• Bills drowning in pool report

1. What’s next for the Bills after this? Let’s hope the NFL does the logical thing with officiating, at least

McDermott was unwavering in his insistence that officials got the critical call wrong.

“Not even close,” McDermott said

McDermott expressed frustration with the process, not just the result, along with confusion over what role officials at the league office played.

Leaning into the officiating angle after his team committed five turnovers, including four by reigning MVP quarterback Josh Allen, left the impression that McDermott needed all the traction he could get after his Bills became the first team in NFL history to reach the divisional round in six consecutive seasons without playing in a Super Bowl.

If this were McDermott’s third season and the team were ascending, it might be easier to discount the officiating. We don’t make excuses here; control the controllable. But when your superstar quarterback lands on a list like the one below, officiating makes for a more inviting topic.

Late in the regular season, I asked executives whether they thought McDermott, John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin would all return next season. The consensus was that at least one would not, on the thinking that failing to make a deep playoff run would prove costly during a season when Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs were not a factor.

Now, Harbaugh, Tomlin and McDermott are all out.

"The only way I could see them moving on from Sean is if somehow (offensive coordinator) Joe Brady is in the mix for a job (elsewhere) and Terry (Pegula) would rather keep Joe than Sean," one of these execs said Sunday, a day when Brady interviewed virtually for the Dolphins', Raiders' and Ravens' openings.

Another exec said he thought Buffalo needed to upgrade at receiver and evolve the offense so Allen isn't straining with so much on his back. Having Dalton Kincaid on the field for less than 40 percent of the snaps during the regular season was confounding for this exec.

Even with Allen's four turnovers, which cost the team a massive -13.6 EPA, the quarterback finished the 33-30 defeat with 9.6 EPA, most for any QB in the divisional round. The Bills as a team finished this game much better on offense (+4.7 EPA) than on defense (-5.4). That is how we can fault Allen for his turnovers while acknowledging he was a leading reason Buffalo had a chance to win this game anyway.

Not that such nuance matters when the playoff defeats keep stacking up.

Allen has a winning playoff record (8-7) but has yet to advance beyond the AFC Championship Game in eight seasons. He's one of eight quarterbacks with at least four Pro Bowl selections in their first eight NFL seasons without a Super Bowl appearance: Lamar Jackson, Andrew Luck, Philip Rivers, Michael Vick, Peyton Manning, Warren Moon and Fran Tarkenton.

Manning broke through and won it all in Year 9, before going to three more (winning one). Tarkenton finally reached the Super Bowl in Year 13, the first of three appearances (all losses). The others — aside from Jackson, who also just completed Year 8 — never made it that far, although none was a league MVP, as Manning, Tarkenton, Jackson and Allen are. How long will Allen’s window remain open?

As for McDermott, his officiating commentary was strong stuff by today's standards, but nothing compared to the distant past, when more owners lived and died with each week's results, without billions in net worth to cushion their disappointment.

The Bills were fighting for a playoff spot in December 1975 when head linesman Jerry Bergman whistled a play dead, nullifying a fumble by the Dolphins' Mercury Morris. Bergman also levied a 15-yard penalty against the Bills' Pat Toomay for elbowing him after the play.

The Dolphins scored two plays later. Game over. Buffalo missed the playoffs.

"I will not again send my team out to play a game that he's working," Wilson said.

Confusion reigned Saturday in Denver after Broncos cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian wrested the ball from Bills receiver Brandin Cooks as the two tumbled to the ground in overtime. Cooks caught the ball and was contacted by McMillian as they fell, but rules require a receiver to either take a third step, make an act common to the game or maintain control upon hitting the ground to complete the catch. Officials ruled Cooks did none, losing possession to McMillian upon hitting the ground.

"The call was right," an exec from an NFC team said. "But the officials gave the appearance that it was nonchalant when it was clear they had not reviewed it."

The NFL said Bergman got it right in 1975. Referee Carl Cheffers' crew got it right Saturday.

So, what's wrong?

Once the game headed to overtime, the league pushed back the kickoff for Saturday night's San Francisco-Seattle game by 20 minutes. Some execs thought officials hurried through the rest of the Buffalo-Denver game to beat the new deadline. Whatever the case, the expedited administration of a key play in a pivotal spot, with no explanation, felt like fast-forwarding through the most compelling scene in a movie. The optics were bad.

"McDermott has a great beef there — they should explain it," the first exec said.

League replay officials must confirm all turnovers and scoring plays before a game proceeds. They also initiate all reviews in overtime (coaches may not challenge). In the 80 or so seconds after the play, the CBS broadcast showed slow-motion replays from four angles. That was seemingly enough time for replay officials to confirm the turnover, so why no explanation until after the game?

There was going to be another dreaded pool report no matter how officials interpreted what happened on this play.

Under pressure in 1975, the NFL began making referees available to a single pool reporter to explain controversial rulings upon request. (In a famous early instance, Vito Stellino, then of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, got exclusive access to referee Jim Tunney after side judge Don Orr ruled Oilers receiver Mike Renfro out of bounds against Pittsburgh in the 1979 AFC Championship Game, which the Steelers won to reach their fourth Super Bowl.)

Cheffers was in the pool-report spotlight Saturday, even though, like Tunney way back when, he wasn't the official making the ruling on the play in question.

It was par for the NFL, which apparently hasn't found a way to monetize transparency, or else these details might have been resolved long ago.

What insight could Cheffers possibly offer regarding a sequence that transpired 36 yards past the line of scrimmage? Not much, since his duties as referee entail standing behind the line of scrimmage to watch the passer before, during and after the pass, assuring that defenders do not hit the QB high, low, late or land on him with their full body weight. The pool reporter in Denver, Jeff Legwold of ESPN, might as well have asked Thunder, the Broncos' Arabian horse mascot, for his view of the play.

The league's replay officials should have been the ones explaining what happened.

NFL rules analyst Walt Anderson appeared on NFL Network on Sunday morning to go over the play and the ruling, as he often does the day after a controversial call.

Why wait so long? Why not have Anderson address critical rulings immediately after a game to improve transparency and consistency?

"Put yourself in Buffalo's shoes right now," the exec said. "You don't think that game was taken from you? Whether it was or not."

Mike Sando joined The Athletic in 2019 as an NFL senior writer after 12 years with ESPN. He is a selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, an officer for the Pro Football Writers of America and has covered every non-pandemic Super Bowl since the 1998 season. Follow Mike on Twitter @SandoNFL

Bills fire coach Sean McDermott after 9 seasons, GM Brandon Beane promoted 19JAN26

 I am shocked and disappointed, if the reason is lack of winning team performance maybe the offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, and any of the myriad of specialty sub-coaches should be reviewed for performance results. Maybe Sean McDermott should have been more demanding of the coaches under him, but maybe the overall performance results of the offensive, defensive and special coordinators should have been and now will be reviewed by management who decided to fire Coach McDermott too. I am a life long Buffalo Bills fan and will be through this upheaval. Thank you Coach McDermott, God Bless wherever you end up! All this from the New York Times...

Bills fire coach Sean McDermott after 9 seasons, GM Brandon Beane promoted

By Dianna Russini and Joe Buscaglia

Jan. 19, 2026Updated 10:44 am EST

The Buffalo Bills fired coach Sean McDermott after nine seasons on Monday, after they once again failed to advance to the Super Bowl with franchise quarterback Josh Allen. The Bills lost to the Denver Broncos 33-30 in overtime on Saturday in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. General manager Brandon Beane was promoted to President of Football Operations and will lead the search for a new coach.

“Sean has done an (admirable) job of leading our football team for the past 9 seasons,” Bills owner Terry Pegula said in a statement. “But I feel we are in need of a new structure within our leadership to give this organization the best opportunity to take our team to the next level. We owe that to our players and to Bills Mafia.
“Sean helped change the mindset of this organization and was instrumental in the Bills becoming a perennial playoff team. I respect all the work, loyalty and attention to detail he showed for this team and the community. I wish Sean, Jamie and his family all the best.

“Moving forward, Brandon Beane will now serve as the President of Football Operations / General Manager of the Buffalo Bills. Brandon will oversee all facets of our football operation, including the oversight of our coaching staff. I have full faith in and have witnessed Brandon’s outstanding leadership style and have confidence in his abilities to lead our organization.

“Beane will be leading the search for a new head coach and will be working directly with Pegula and Pete Guelli, who will now serve as President of Business Operations, during the interview and hiring process.”

The Bills have reached the divisional round in six straight seasons and twice advanced to the AFC Championship Game (in 2020 and 2024) but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in both of those title game appearances. McDermott finishes his Buffalo tenure with a regular-season record of 98-50 and a postseason record of 8-8.

McDermott’s teams made the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons, including in his first year in 2017 when the Bills snapped a 17-year playoff drought. His 98 wins are second all-time in franchise history behind only Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy, who won 112 games over 12 seasons and reached four Super Bowls.

Bills unable to reach Super Bowl under McDermott

The Bills moving on from McDermott is a stunning scene for a franchise that struggled so significantly before he arrived. Ultimately, the Bills saw each one of the team’s playoff heartbreaks and decided it was time to go in a different direction. Whether it was the “13 seconds” loss in Kansas City, another loss to Kansas City in last year’s AFC Championship Game with a chance to win it late, or the most recent heartbreak in Denver, a game that the Bills had several chances to win, the Bills under McDermott just couldn’t push past the AFC Championship Game, despite all of their regular season success. That is eventually what led to the longtime head coach’s ouster on Monday. Falling short of the AFC East division in 2025 and having to spend the postseason on the road, along with not progressing in a playoff field that was without Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson in the playoff field, are likely contributing factors to his demise in Buffalo.

During his tenure, McDermott endeared himself to the area for how well he channeled being an authentic Buffalonian. McDermott often commented about how misunderstood the area was and how important it was to him to deliver a Super Bowl to the area and its fan base. He had a deep respect for the team’s history, despite not being from the area, and put it at the forefront of who he was as the franchise’s leader. But in the end, it is a results-based business, and boiling anxiety from a fan base over not getting to a Super Bowl in Allen’s prime led to this huge decision. Allen will be 30 this offseason, and without knowing how much longer he can play the physical brand of football that he does, the Bills decided the time was now to make the move. The move is a risk, considering McDermott has been one of the most consistent and winningest coaches in the NFL since he arrived But is calculated as they hope this is the catalyst to finally winning a Super Bowl championship. — Joe Buscaglia, Bills beat writer

Bills season ended on emotional note

The scene following the Bills’ loss to the Broncos made it feel as if something bigger than just a playoff loss was in the air. Allen was in tears, by far the most emotional he’s ever been, and the locker room was in a complete state of devastation, well beyond what happened in their previous playoff exits. At the end of it, McDermott arrived at his news conference with a message he wanted to get off his chest.

He was unhappy with how the game unraveled in one distinct moment, when the officials sped through a controversial call of a Broncos interception in overtime, on what he believes was a catch by wide receiver Brandin Cooks that would have set the Bills up in field goal range with a chance to win the contest and earn another berth in the AFC Championship Game.

Because it was in overtime and coaches weren’t allowed to challenge a single play, McDermott was forced to take a timeout, just to get the officials over to his side to discuss what could have been the Bills’ ticket to another AFC Championship Game appearance. McDermott was only granted a quick timeout, was told that the league reviewed it and upheld the call, and when that timeout quickly expired, the Broncos game-winning drive began.

“If it is ruled that way, why wasn’t it slowed down, just to make sure that we had this right? That would have made a lot of sense to me. To make sure that we had this thing right, because that’s a pivotal play in the game,” McDermott said. “So I’ll just leave it at that.”

But he didn’t leave it at that. The usually reserved McDermott couldn’t hold back, cutting off another question seconds later.

“I’m saying it because I’m standing up for Buffalo, damnit. I’m standing up for us,” McDermott said. “What went on is not how it should go down in my estimation. That play — these guys spend three hours out there playing football, pouring their guts out, to not even say ‘Hey, let’s just slow this thing down.’ That’s why I’m bothered.”

Then, well after his news conference, and in watching the play before boarding the team’s bus to the plane, McDermott’s comments about the play weren’t over.

He wanted to put more on the record before the Bills took flight home, and in an uncanny move, called the Buffalo media, who were still writing about the game in the Empower Field press box, to issue his thoughts on what wound up being the last play the Bills possessed the ball in the 2025 season.

“Because I only speak up when there is a wrong. In this case, it happened to be to our team. We win with class and we lose with class in Buffalo. That’s how we handle our business, but when I’m looking at the replay myself and I’m being objective and I’m saying, ‘you can not convince me that that was not a catch, Buffalo possession, ball at the 20. You can’t convince.’ I’m speaking up because I feel strongly that that was a catch and that possession should have been ball belongs to Buffalo.

“I can’t agree with their assessment of a change of possession or whatever the statement was. I can’t agree with that. We’re not just going to sit here and take it, is what I’m saying. We’re not just going to sit here and take it. I’m pissed off about it, and I feel strongly as I’ve looked at it in review in my own locker that it’s a catch, possession Buffalo, and that the process should have been (long pause) … handled differently. I don’t understand why the head official who is at the game does not get a chance to look at the same thing people in New York are ruling on.”

Those were the last public comments from McDermott before he was let go on Monday. — Joe Buscaglia, Bills beat writer

By Dianna Russini and Joe Buscaglia

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THE BILLS ARE BACK ( 6 - 2 ) !!!!! & Bills' Josh Allen gets blunt message from Chiefs coach after win 3NOV25

AFTER 2 humiliating and embarrassing self imposed loses, Patriots 23 Bills 20 in Buffalo on 5 OKT and then Falcons 24 Bills 14 in Atlanta on 13 OKT, the Bills have made an incredible comeback defeating the Panthers in Charlotte, Bills 40 Panthers 9 on 26 OKT and then DEFEATING the Chiefs IN BUFFALO, Bills 28 Chiefs 21 on 2 NOV!!!!! They beat the Chiefs though the Chiefs were favored by the pundits and inspite of the officials ( noting Romo and Vance commented twice during the broadcast they didn't see the penalties called on the Bills, and also noting how much Kansas City ass licking they and their sideline field fotze did during the game..... ). I always love my Bills but I am especially proud of their win over the Chiefs!!! LET'S GO BUFFALO!!!!!!

Bills' Josh Allen gets blunt message from Chiefs coach after win

Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen scored three touchdowns in the team’s 28-21 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, extending the team’s regular season winning streak over their rival to five games.

Allen watched the Bills’ defense knock down two of Patrick Mahomes' final last-second heaves into the end zone to seal Buffalo’s win. When the clock hit triple zeroes and the final whistle blew, Allen was greeted by Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo on the field.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Orchard Park. New York. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

The longtime Chiefs coach gave a blunt message to Allen. The moment was seen as part of a segment for "Inside the NFL."

"I don’t want you to play anymore," Spagnuolo said with a smile. "I want you to retire. Nice job."

Allen had a touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid and rushed for two more in the win. He was 23-of-26 for 273 yards.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen drops back to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Orchard Park. New York. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

"They’re the pinnacle of what you want your franchise to be. They’ve been that for the last eight years," Allen said. "Any time you get a chance to play the best and you can come away with a victory, you’re going to be feeling pretty good."

Buffalo’s defense held Mahomes to one of the worst performances of his career. He failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time in more than a year.

The Bills have had a bunch of success in the regular season, but have still failed to get past the Chiefs in the playoffs. Buffalo has not defeated Kansas City in the postseason since January 1994.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) scores as Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal (54) and defensive back Chamarri Conner, left, defend during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Orchard Park. New York. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

It’s likely the two teams will meet again soon with the stakes even higher than Sunday night.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

G

Josh Allen and the art of being The Man 16NOV24

 

THE beautiful thing about Josh Allen is he will turn this around and give credit to the team for their winning record, and that is why, after all the offseason roster adjustments, the Buffalo Bills, offence and defense,  play and win as a team! I can not help myself, I love my Buffalo Bills!!! From the Washington Post.....

Josh Allen and the art of being The Man

Josh Allen, Buffalo’s Atlas, is carrying the Bills more than ever as they get set to face their longtime nemesis yet again.

By Adam Kilgore

Adam Kilgore covers national sports for The Washington Post. Previously, he served as The Post's Washington Nationals beat writer from 2010 to 2014.

November 16, 2024 at 7:05 a.m. EST

BUFFALO — In the days after the disconsolate conclusion of the Buffalo Bills’ season last January, players trickled into General Manager Brandon Beane’s office for postmortem interviews. Amid the fog of a playoff loss, Beane has learned, nobody wants to hear what they need to improve. “They’re looking at you, kind of fighting back on what you say,” Beane said.

When Josh Allen staggered into the room, Beane had little to critique. The Bills asked as much of Allen as any player in the NFL, and he had carried them to within a missed field goal of potential advancement to the AFC championship game. Beane planned to gently remind Allen he needed to limit turnovers and better protect his body. Before Beane could start, Allen launched into a self-appraisal that mirrored the notes in front of Beane.

“Josh will reel it right off to you as if he was reading your mind,” Beane said. “He don’t even want to hear it from you. He’s that kid that walks in — ‘I know, I f---ing did this, this and this. And I got to be better.’”

For years, Allen has been Buffalo’s Atlas — carrying the franchise, if not the entire city — and yet he has taken on even more responsibility in his seventh season. His constant quest for improvement has yielded a quarterback playing at the highest level of an awing career. After an offseason in which the Bills reset their roster, Allen has led them back to the upper reaches of contention and mounted the league’s strongest challenge to Lamar Jackson’s MVP hegemony.

Allen will again lead the Bills on Sunday afternoon against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, the boogeyman who eliminated them from last year’s playoffs and has blocked Allen from the NFL’s pinnacle. The Bills have won a playoff game in four consecutive years. Patrick Mahomes’s Chiefs have ended their season in three of them.

It has not dimmed Allen’s resolve, even in a season when many expected the Bills would regress. The Bills purged a raft of veterans in the offseason — most notably with their trade of mercurial wideout Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans — to bolster their future financial outlook. Players not on their roster account for nearly $70 million against the salary cap, second most in the NFL.

Josh Allen has mounted the strongest challenge to Lamar Jackson for the MVP. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

But the Bills have Allen, which means they have enough to be 8-2 and cruising to a sixth straight playoff berth. Allen’s statistical résumé does not stand apart from previous seasons, aside from his career-low interception rate. Still, coaches and teammates are unequivocal in their belief he has never played better or been more in command.

“He just finds ways to improve every year,” Bills tight end Dawson Knox said, “when you don’t think that might be possible.”

In ways both obvious and unseen, Allen epitomizes what it means to be an NFL franchise quarterback. He throws military-grade passes and scrambles like a hurricane. He also organizes remote offseason workouts, calls players-only strategy sessions, picks up the tab at celebratory dinners, makes post-practice tee times and hosted the team’s Halloween party. At 28, Allen has mastered the delicate art of being both The Man and one of the guys.

“He’s basically got the weight of this entire city on his shoulders,” Knox said. “I don’t know anyone else that can do it like he does. I can’t imagine the type of pressure and stress he has to deal with. The way he does it is just mind-blowing. He hasn’t changed one bit in terms of just being a good dude. I don’t know how that’s possible with what he has to deal with.”

This offseason, Allen tried to take “as many mental reps as possible” with new teammates. (Zach Bolinger/AP)

Taking charge

Allen grew up on his family’s farm in rural central California — “the middle of nowhere,” Allen said. His mother stayed home and raised him. His father worked the cotton, cantaloupe and alfalfa crops. When Allen reached high school, his parents made their home the social hub for Allen’s friends and teammates. They played cards and video games and pickup sports. “Not a whole lot to do out on the farm,” Allen said.

The experience provided Allen a framework for how togetherness off the field creates bonds on it. When Allen entered the NFL, he deferred leadership to older teammates. Even as he became a captain and a superstar, he allowed elder voices — Diggs, center Mitch Morse, safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde — to dictate the tenor of the locker room.

As those veterans departed, Allen became one of the most tenured players on the roster. He felt emboldened to shape the team’s culture.

“I’m careful to say it, because it wasn’t just a Diggs thing,” Beane said. “Their relationship, what it was or what it wasn’t, even if it was perfect, he still would have acquiesced. It took the weight off.”

When the Bills gathered for their first offseason practices, the only wideout Allen had thrown a pass to was third-year slot receiver Khalil Shakir. Allen made it his mission to take “as many mental reps as possible” with new teammates, “whether we’re on the football field or we’re just hanging out, we’re on the golf course, talking.” He applied the ethos of his family farm to the Bills locker room.

“Getting to know somebody deeper,” Allen said. “I do believe that pays dividends on the football field.”

“He doesn’t make guys feel like he’s above everybody else. That’s not him,” wide receiver Khalil Shakir said of Allen. (Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)

Each week during offseason practices, Allen took a new trio of teammates out for rounds of golf, his offseason obsession. He made intentional choices to bridge different ages and positions — one nine-hole round included Shakir, backup quarterback Shane Buechele and third-year linebacker Terrel Bernard.

Between June’s mandatory OTAs and late-summer training camp, Allen organized a trip with his wideouts, tight ends and running backs. He wanted to bring them to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in the state where he played college football. When he realized logistical hassles would mean better attendance elsewhere, he made arrangements for his teammates to stay in Nashville.

In the mornings, Allen would throw passes and instruct how he wanted routes run. In the afternoons, they might play golf. At night, they would extend dinner long into the night, talking football and sharing personal stories before Allen grabbed the bill.

It can be challenging for a franchise quarterback to connect with teammates, especially younger ones. They face pressure other players cannot fathom. They make more money. Their fame opens doors — Allen played Pine Valley this offseason; ask your best golf sicko friend if you don’t know what that means — but also burdens every public movement. Their stature promotes ego.

“That’s the cool part — I don’t even think about that,” Shakir said. “He doesn’t make guys feel like he’s above everybody else. That’s not him. That would never be him. That’s Josh. He’s such a dope person inside and out.”

Allen’s ability to connect stems from both his natural outlook and his self-awareness. As his fame has grown, Allen realizes that rookies and young players new to the team may regard him at first as the star from highlights and national commercials. “Probably the first time they all see him throw a pass, it’s just like, ‘Wow!’” offensive coordinator Joe Brady said. Allen ensures they view him a teammate they can approach and ask for help, not a distant figure they have to worry about impressing.

Allen organizes offseason workouts and in-season team gatherings. (Zach Bolinger/AP)

“He understands the locker room, understands the people, understands how to communicate with certain guys,” Brady said. “That’s a unique and special trait. When you’re the quarterback, the city, the organization is always on your shoulders. Every decision is magnified. Every throw. Everything. That’s a lot.”

During the season, Allen takes teammates out to eat and invites them and their wives to his home. Allen and his girlfriend, the actress Hailee Steinfeld, hosted the Bills’ team Halloween party. They dressed up as circus ringleaders and greeted every Bills player at the door.

“The attendance matters, too,” Buechele said. “If you have a party and only a couple guys go, that kind of shows. But the whole team was there, and they wanted to be there, and we wanted to be around everybody. It’s a testament to Josh.”

On a recent Monday, longtime Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins and former Bills center Eric Wood, now a Bills radio analyst, hosted charity events on the same night. “He could have told Eric, ‘Hey, man, I already committed to Dion’s thing,’” Beane said. “But instead he goes to both.”

Allen is the most recognized person in Buffalo. (Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle/USA Today Network)

Allen undertakes those commitments with a particular weight. Being a franchise quarterback in a small city may not be more difficult than being one in a bigger market, but it is undoubtedly a different, more intense obligation. Allen’s visage covers 11 stories of the Statler, an iconic downtown building. His No. 17 adorns backs in dive bars, hospitals and offices on Fridays — only seven players moved more jerseys this season, per the NFL Shop. He is the most recognized person in town, the most important player on the most important team, the reason hundreds of thousands people will be happy or sad on Monday morning, one man responsible for civic well-being in a way that’s both ludicrous and inevitable.

“It’s not easy being Josh in any city,” Beane said. “But in Buffalo, he can’t go anywhere.”

On a Saturday in October, two days before the Bills played a Monday night game, Shakir held a pet adoption event at a local brewery.

“My wife called me,” Beane said. “She was like, ‘This place was a zoo. Then Josh got there. I felt so bad for him. They’re trying to have a roped-off area, and people were just swarming him.’ But he handles it so well. I just don’t know many people that would care enough. He knows him showing up is going to do something for Khalil Shakir.”

“He’s a pleaser,” quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry said. “He plays for more than himself.”

“It’s not easy being Josh in any city,” Bills GM Brandon Beane said. “But in Buffalo, he can’t go anywhere.” (Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)

‘Whatever he touches, it’s been good’

Every offseason, Allen identifies facets he wants to improve. “There’s always something,” he said. Last January, he chose to focus his spring and summer on the mental side of football. He wanted to comprehensively understand an offense Brady was rebuilding around him. He determined he would throw fewer interceptions.

Bills Coach Sean McDermott said Allen’s “command of our offense” has reached a new level. Brady described the evolution of Allen’s grasp as the difference between knowing the offense and being able to teach it. Allen already knew where every player should be on a given play. Now, he can tell teammates their assignment and explain the multilayered rationale behind it.

“That two-way street of communication has been better than it’s ever been with him,” Knox said.

Allen has thrown only four interceptions this season, one of which bounced off rookie wideout Keon Coleman’s chest. Allen made slight tweaks to his throwing form in the spring, shortening his stride and tightening the path of his arm. But his turnover avoidance hinged mostly on his mentality.

Rather than playing every second-and-long as a life-and-death struggle, Allen has treated them as an opportunity. Allen has recognized, Brady said, that beating defenses playing safeties deep in shell-like alignments requires patience. During practice, Allen sometimes will bypass an open receiver so he can read the entire progression of a play and throw a checkdown.

Even with his increased discernment, Allen has not sacrificed the playmaking that forms the essence of his game. Two weeks ago, against the Dolphins, Allen was hemmed in by pass rushers near the goal line. He darted forward. Two Dolphins converged on him. As they blasted him, Allen flicked a pass at a three-quarters arm angle. It zipped into reserve tight end Quintin Morris’s hands in the end zone.

“It’s insane,” Knox said. “He’s got three guys tackling him, and he throws a touchdown pass. I turn into a fan sometimes on the field with him.”

“He’s in such a groove right now, whatever he touches, it’s been good,” Curry said. “Even his interceptions, those are good decisions. He’s Josh Allen for a reason. He’s going to make those plays every Sunday. That’s just what he does.”

Every offseason, Allen identifies something in his game he wants to improve. (Grace Hollars/USA Today Sports/Imagn Images)

Allen has even managed to lessen, if far from eliminate, his exposure to physical danger. Beane has for years implored Allen to avoid injurious hits, to stop hurdling tacklers and lowering his shoulder into linebackers.

“He’s always holding that ball to the sideline,” Beane said. “When I was getting on to him after three or four games again, he smirked at me and said, ‘You know there’s some stat out there that my completion percentage is higher than anyone’s from within one yard of the boundary.’ And I’m like, ‘Okay, d---head, I get it.’”

Early in the season, Allen took a blow that damaged his left hand and forced him to wear a protective wrap. Since then, Beane said, Allen has improved at “protecting himself and understanding we need him fresh in January, not walking in there taped together.”

“I don’t want to brag too much,” Beane said, grinning. “We still got some games left. I could have to yell at him.”

Bills Coach Sean McDermott said Allen’s “command of our offense” has reached a new level. (Jeffrey T. Barnes/AP)

A new tone in Buffalo

While pushing Allen to reduce risky throws, the Bills have never worried internally about Allen’s interceptions as much as the outside football community has. Many of them, Beane said, were heaved on third and long — effectively punts. Several others occurred when Allen threw to the right spot, but his wideout ran the wrong way.

The latter form of excusable picks reveals another way Allen excels in his role. He has received extensive criticism for his interceptions and countless chances to explain them away, to snap just once and fault a wideout’s mistake. He has not done it.

“We all know guys, even when they don’t directly point fingers, you read between the lines,” Beane said. “Josh never even gives you anything between the lines.

“Josh looks at the man in the mirror first. We could put up 35 points in a game and lose. He’s going to sit there and think of a play that could have made it 38 or 42. If you walk in our locker room after a game, he might have had four touchdowns, he might have 80 yards rushing, and he’s got f---ing blood all over him, whatever, and he’s just distraught that we didn’t win the game.”

Allen struck that precise pose last January, sitting in front of his locker in full uniform, still padded and bloodied, after the Chiefs beat the Bills in the divisional round. The Chiefs had come to Buffalo for Mahomes’s first road playoff game after the ugliest regular season of his tenure. The Bills were on the precipice of a roster overhaul, maxed out and built to topple Mahomes. None of it mattered.

This season, the tone has shifted for the Bills. (Zach Bolinger/AP)

Allen has used the result as fuel, and the Bills have coalesced around him. The Bills’ current era has been defined by regular season brilliance and playoff bitterness, with a backdrop of unease. Diggs could be unpredictable. McDermott could grow tight in close games. With Allen further asserting himself as the franchise leader this season, the tone in Buffalo has shifted.

“A lot of guys that are happy to be where they’re at,” left tackle Dion Dawkins said. “I can’t say that for the previous years. But this is a different team. Everybody is just happy all of the time.”

Dawkins noted that the sun was unseasonably still shining, the Western New York winter gloom still at arm’s length. The Chiefs are coming to Buffalo again. Turbulence may yet strike the Bills. But they have Allen, and so they know they have everything they need.

On Sunday, Allen will face a Chiefs team that has eliminated the Bills in three of the past four playoffs. (Jeffrey T. Barnes/AP)