BUCKNACKT'S SORDID TAWDRY BLOG We should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive & well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate, bier or wein in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WHOO-HOO, WHAT A RIDE!!!!!!"
THE NFL HAD their full contingent of heads up their asses refs on the field in Houston but try as they might to give the Texans a season opener win at home the Bills kept on playing team football and brought the win home!!! Way proud of you guys, you know you make me want to SHOUT!!!
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
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
On Sunday’s “NFL Gameday ” broadcast, NFL rules analyst Walt Anderson shared his thoughts on the controversial Denver Broncos overtime interception that led to a game-winning field goal, ending the Buffalo Bills’ season in the divisional round with a 33-30 loss.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen launched a deep pass to receiver Brandin Cooks, who appeared to catch the ball before falling to the ground as the ball spurted free, with Broncos defensive back Ja’Quan McMillian rolling over the top of Cooks’ body and taking the ball with him before it hit the ground. The play was ruled an interception, and Anderson, analyzing the play, agreed with the call.
“As the receiver’s going to the ground, as soon as he hits the ground, the ball is immediately loose,” Anderson said. “By definition, that would normally be an incomplete pass if it comes out and hits the ground.
“The reality here is the ball never hits the ground. The loose ball ends up being immediately in control by the defensive player, who then rolls over with the ball, and he maintains control of the ball.”
Anderson wasn’t the only expert to share thoughts on the play. NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay weighed in on X with his expertise, echoing the sentiments of Anderson and the officiating crew’s decision.
As Bills coach Sean McDermott stood at the podium after the game, he had not yet made sense of the call and wondered why officials had not taken more time during the review process.
To a pool of reporters, he gave an even more incensed take on the play.
“That play is not even close,” McDermott said. “That’s a catch all the way. I sat in my locker, and I looked at it probably 20 times, and nobody can convince me that that ball is not caught and in possession of Buffalo. I just have no idea how the NFL handled it, in particular, the way that they did. I think the players and the fans deserve an explanation.”
Anderson said there are replay officiating crews on site and at the league office in New York, using multiple camera angles to review every single play. Their goal is to confirm or adjust each call to ensure the ruling is correct.
“Replay has all of these angles to take a look and see ‘was the ruling on the field wrong, or was the ruling on the field correct?’” Anderson said. “If you can confirm that the ruling on the field is correct, they really want to move the game along, and they don’t want to have unnecessary stoppages.”
McMillian, as expected, agreed with Anderson.
“I just fought through the hands and made the play,” McMillian told reporters. “He actually came down with it, but since I had my hands on the ball, I was able to take it from him. I just held the ball up and showed the fans some love.”
The Bills’ season ended in heartbreak again, as the Broncos moved on to their first AFC Championship Game appearance since Peyton Manning’s last ride in 2015-16. They’ll have to do without starting quarterback Bo Nix, as head coach Sean Payton announced after the game that he had suffered a broken ankle on one of the last plays of the game and would miss the rest of the postseason.
In Nix’s place, backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who has taken one snap all season, will attempt to get Denver past the winner of Sunday’s divisional round matchup between the Houston Texans and New England Patriots.
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...
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.
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
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
WITH the officials still heeding Smoking Man's declaration 'The Buffalo Bills will never go to another Super Bowl' even though he publically lifted his curse they called the fumble that wasn't and called other penalties that weren't and didn't call penalties that were so the Bronco's won the game. The Bills did make some mistakes but that fumble / interception call gave the win to the Broncos. Here's the Smoking Man video clip from the 'X-Files' followed by some Buffalo Bills Mafia pre-game videos. BUFFALO BILLS, I LOVE YOUS GUYS, YOU STILL MAKE ME WANT TO SHOUT!!!!!
IN spite of the majority of the talking heads picking the Jaguars to win and typically biased officiating the Buffalo Bills defeated them in Jacksonville! The Bills play the Denver Broncos in Denver on Saturday 17JAN26.
Buffalo beat Jacksonville on the road on Sunday, 27-24. This marked the Bills' first road playoff win in 32 years and snapped Jacksonville's eight-game win streak.
The Bills faced injury after injury in the 2025 regular season, but found ways to win. That "next man up" mentality drove Buffalo to a 12-5 record, and eventually a Wild Card win over the Jaguars.
"It builds character," head coach Sean McDermott said. "You go into every season and you're hoping and praying that there's no adversity. But we've all been around this long enough to know that there's going to be adversity, it's just a matter of what form it comes in and how big it is. And we've really been dealing with it quite a bit this year."
On Sunday, the Bills were without captain and linebacker Terrel Bernard. Veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson was prepared to step into that role, having done so before during the season. Thompson led the team in tackles with eight. He also had a pass defensed and an early interception. That interception allowed Buffalo to get on the board first, putting up three points and the only score of the first quarter.
During the game, wide receiver Gabe Davis and safety Jordan Poyer sustained injuries that ruled them out. Rookie safety Jordan Hancock stepped into Poyer's role and the wide receiver depth that was contained for most of the season ended up being the driving force on offense.
The team also adjusted to finding different ways to win games throughout the season. Even with the top rushing offense in the league, the Bills couldn't solely rely on running back James Cook III to win games.
Sunday was no different. Cook had just 46 yards on 15 carries. In total, Buffalo only accumulated 79 yards on the ground with quarterback Josh Allen picking up 33. In the pass game, though, Allen finished with an 80 percent completion rate on 28-of-35 passes for 273 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Khalil Shakir caught all 12 passes that came his way for 82 yards.
McDermott emphasized the importance of a two-dimensional offense in his postgame press conference.
Up against the top run defense in the NFL, Allen took what the Jaguars gave him. The run game couldn't spark, but that didn't mean he couldn't find ways to win battles himself or target his receivers and tight ends to get the job done.
"We made the plays that we needed to make when we needed to make them," McDermott said.
Buffalo also had a series of comeback wins. Though it had the lead for a majority of the game, only giving it up just over halfway through the fourth quarter, the Bills' regular season proved that they know how to win no matter how far behind they're trailing or how close the games end up.
There were four lead changes in the fourth quarter against the Jaguars, all of which Buffalo had to overcome with trips to the end zone as it fell behind by four points each time Jacksonville went up.
"To have the wherewithal to not blink," Allen said. "That's just the mantra that we've adapted to this year."
Safety Cole Bishop came up with the game-sealing interception, but it was cornerback Tre'Davious White that made that possible. White tipped the ball, allowing Bishop – who was in the right place at the right time – to get his hands underneath it.
"'Game over. Game over,'" White recalled was running through his head when Bishop came down with the ball. "'Get down. Get down. Don't try to run it back for a touchdown. Get down so we just go onto the next game.'"
Even though he's the one that was credited with the pick, Bishop knew it wasn't a one-man effort.
"He was making plays out there," Bishop said of White. "I'm super grateful for him. And then him tipping that ball was huge … I know I'm getting a lot of the credit for that interception, but he made the play.
"It means a lot … I'm sure [White's] had a lot of doubters this past year, and being able to come make a play in the biggest game this season and the biggest moment was huge."
White ended the game with three passes defensed and two tackles. Aside from the last play, White forced two incompletions in the third quarter, making Jacksonville settle for a field goal and allowing the Bills to stay in the lead by three.
His effort wasn't overlooked by anyone on the team, not only Bishop.
"A guy that's been under a lot of scrutiny the last couple of years," Allen said of White. "To get him back and to get him back in a Bills' uniform and making plays for us when we need it the most [means a lot]."
"[White] left it all on the field. Tre White is back man … I'm so glad [White] is here. I'm glad that he's feeling good, I'm glad that he's motivated, I'm glad that he has his confidence back," left tackle Dion Dawkins said. "Guys love on each other positively and [White's] playing free."
"In [White's] fashion, there's nobody that works harder, and he's gotten himself back now to where he is," McDermott said of the cornerback's NFL journey. "He's playing really good football and credit to him and the work that he's put in … He's just as good as anyone there is in terms of his determination, his heart and his really resilient nature."
Going for the touchdown at the end of the game
On Buffalo's last possession of the game, Allen and the offense drove forward on fourth-and-inches and ultimately picked up 10 yards. One yard away from the end zone with just over a minute left, the Jaguars used their final timeout to avoid a 10-second runoff, and the Bills had a decision to make.
Going for the touchdown meant quarterback Trevor Lawrence had enough time to get Jacksonville into field goal range. Taking a knee and running down the clock, on the other hand, gave the Jaguars extra breathing room to make a goal-line stop and win the game.
"You can sit there, you can say, 'Hey, let's take a knee.' You lose some yards and you don't score there," Allen said. "Now you're kicking yourself for not scoring earlier … we did what we thought was right, and it turned out to be."
Looking back on the decision, McDermott and the players are pleased with the choice to go for the touchdown on first-and-goal, leaving Jacksonville with 59 seconds on the clock to try and either tie or win the game.
"From a game management standpoint … they have a phenomenal field goal kicker," McDermott said. "We knew that it was going to be tight. We practice those situations, though, when you only can really give up x-amount of yards … Players [on defense] executed. That's what it really came down to."
Next Gen Stats Insight for Bills-Jaguars (via NFL Pro): Josh Allen excelled under pressure in the playoff win against the Jaguars, finishing 9 for 12 for 144 yards under duress.
NFL Research: The Bills snapped the Jaguars' eight-game winning streak with their wild-card win. That is the fourth opponent eight-plus-game win streak that the Bills have snapped since the start of the 2024 season, making them the first team in NFL history to snap that many such streaks in a two-season span.
