Tag: AFC East

Bills’ Brandon Beane: ‘Little disappointed’ in Keon Coleman

Bills’ Brandon Beane: ‘Little disappointed’ in Keon Coleman

Bills rookie receiver Keon Coleman was selected in the 2024 NFL Draft as one of the Bills’ first high-profile moves following the departures of their top two targets in the passing game that offseason.

This year, as a new offseason begins, he’ll have some work to do to develop ahead of his second professional campaign to rise closer to the potential for which he was drafted.

Coleman had a notable dip in his production in the final stretch of Buffalo’s season, though in Joe Brady’s offense, his targets could be more situational and less frequent.

Making the need for making a play when the ball is thrown his way all the more important.

During his end-of-season press conference, GM Brandon Beane noted a Week 9 wrist injury as a potential point where that shift took place.

“I would say probably was a little disappointed in the return from the injury,” he said about Coleman’s final six games. “I did not see the same player down the stretch from a physicality, some of the things that he needs to use his size.”

“He was really starting to get it,” head coach Sean McDermott added. “And then he had the injury, he didn’t play his best down the stretch and some of it was due to coming off the injury but it is something he can learn from and improve on moving forward.”

That injury was sustained in Week 9 against the Miami Dolphins when safety Jordan Poyer made helmet contact with the 21-year-old Coleman’s hand, which caused him to miss four games.

Amidst the well-dispersed and spread-out Joe Brady offense, the Bills still don’t have a clear No. 1 receiving option for big moments, which showed at times down the stretch.
For example, when the offense failed to convert a fourth-and-5 against Kansas City in the AFC Championship game.
They did add WR Amari Cooper, who could re-sign with the team as he fits as a high-caliber receiver, and with the Bills’ culture, but who also dealt with injury late in the season.
Regardless, Buffalo will look to high-draft selections such as Coleman and tight end Dalton Kincaid to take the next steps to put in the work in their offseason in the hope they’ll see a step forward in their development as well.
Beane said as much about both members of the Bills’ offense during his media session while reminding the press that Coleman is still a younger player, and showed some promise in his first season with the club.
“He’s a young player, we got to remember,” Beane said. “And some of the guys that get drafted in the first round are 24 or 25. So let’s give him a little grace here. His career will not be defined by one season, and he did some good things. … He’s going to have to work very hard this offseason, him and Josh continue to work on that rapport together. But I’m optimistic that he’ll do those things and that we’ll see him continue to improve going into year two.”

Bills’ Brandon Beane backs decision to trade for Amari Cooper

Bills’ Brandon Beane backs decision to trade for Amari Cooper

Veteran receiver Amari Cooper joined the Bills via trade this season, adding some needed pro talent to a position where the team was looking to replace productivity after losing their top targets in the offseason.

Yet he was the least-used target in their final games, raising questions about his productivity.

Cooper came to Buffalo in a deal with the Browns, making some big plays and contributions in some games while seemingly mostly commanding coverage in others.

“I think he did a great job of learning our offense in fairness to him in due time,” GM Brandon Beane said to the media about Cooper. “He suffered the wrist injury, obviously, banged his back and missed some games but fought through it.”

Injuries to the Bills’ pass catchers were a factor that impacted the passing game late in the season, as was some questionable play-calling as Joe Brady is still developing in his second professional run as an offensive coordinator.

“You guys kind of know the mantra that was established this year by Josh and Joe Brady of everybody eats,” Beane added. “Adding him was not going to get away from that, but does that take a little pressure off of Shakir, Knox, Kincaid, the run game, all that? So I do not regret the move. I think it did help us. I think it did help us despite what his personal numbers were.”

In terms of snaps, Cooper was the least-used receiver in the games he played for Buffalo.

While an injury certainly was a factor, so was the learning curve.

“You’re talking about a player who’s never been in this offensive system,” Beane continued. “He’s got to learn the playbook, he’s never thrown with Josh Allen. You have to acclimate with your team, learn an offense. The games keep going and so I think he did a great job of learning our offense in fairness to him in due time. He suffered the wrist injury, obviously, banged his back, and missed some games but fought through it. Honestly, his wrist could have required surgery and I feel sure that at least one of the doctors recommended it, but he wanted to keep playing.”

Bills QB Josh Allen voiced his support as well.

“I’ve got nothing but love and respect for Amari Cooper,” Allen said. “I will never in my life say a bad thing about him. For him to come into this situation and understand the role that he was brought here to do, he is a true football player, a true teammate, and I’m just honored to share the field with him.”

When asked if he wanted to return to the Bills as he now is a free agent, Cooper said, “I mean, just to give it another run, have another opportunity at doing what we just did. But, you know, obviously finishing, so yeah. Been through a lot this year – injuries, trades, and things of that nature. Just keep going and never stop until you know it’s time to stop.”

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky: Bills must make two moves to reach Super Bowl (video)

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky: Bills must make two moves to reach Super Bowl (video)

As the Buffalo Bills prepare to enter the 2025 NFL offseason, GM Brandon Beane and company will look for ways to improve the roster.

Analyst and former pro signal caller Dan Orlovsky has some insights on where to do just that.

Reaching the AFC championship with a retooled and younger roster in 2024 offers some promise regarding what could be accomplished in the club’s 2025 campaign.

During an appearance on One Bills Live, Orlovsky pointed out where he sees the greatest areas of need for Buffalo to get “over the hump” in such games to reach the Super Bowl.

The former QB has enjoyed a successful second career as an on-air analyst and has indicated on social media an interest in someday returning to the sidelines as a coach.

Here is the full clip breaking down those needs on both sides of the ball:

 

Bills’ Sean McDermott thought Josh Allen got first on fourth-down sneak vs. Chiefs

Bills’ Sean McDermott thought Josh Allen got first on fourth-down sneak vs. Chiefs

The Bills’ postseason has again ended in a loss to the Chiefs, and it hasn’t been without a mixture of feelings about the game and the loss.

On the one hand, Buffalo showed signs of strong play at times, though on the other hand, messy play at others. The team stayed focused, however, and pressed on through the game to keep it competitive.

The Chiefs also performed competitively enough to go toe to toe with Buffalo, but their win was not without controversy.

Such as on a fourth-and-1 conversion rushing attempt by Bills QB Josh Allen via a quarterback sneak play from the Kansas City 41-yard line with 13:00 left in the fourth quarter and a 22-21 lead.

Line Judge Jeff Seeman and Down Judge Patrick Holt had different spots and lines of sight, the one with a better potential view of the ball (Seeman) indicated Allen got the first down, but he then deferred to the one who couldn’t have seen it and called it short (Holt).

The officiating crew’s review did not result in overturning the spot and Kansas City got the ball, scoring a few plays later.

However, replays clearly show that Buffalo not only got the first down but also that they did so on the previous play as well, a third-down pass completion to TE Dalton Kincaid.

“The look we had in the stadium … I thought he had it,” HC Sean McDermott said about the QB sneak. “Just short of the line was actually the first down, what it looked like to me when it was sitting next to me with the marker. Just inside that white stripe was the first down. It looked like he got to it. That’s all I can say.”

He also acknowledged how much that fourth-down stop matters in a game like that one.

“Yeah. Of course, it does. Darn right, it does,” he added. “That’s a possession. We’re up one point at the time. A chance to go up maybe multiple scores at that point. It’s a big call. It’s absolutely a big call.”

The miscalled first fourth down attempt that gave Kansas City the ball happened at an important time that would have kept Buffalo’s drive alive.

“It’s been our best play all year at one or inside of one yard (to go), we won some of those, but to your point, they were doing a good job,” McDermott added.

“I thought overall, maybe we could have disguised it. Maybe not. But at the end of the day, we have confidence in Josh and our offensive line to get those. Been getting them all year.”

Allen realized the importance of the points they could have added to the scoreboard to the game outcome as well.

“We’re constantly knocking at the door. And when you’re playing a team like the Chiefs, you can’t just knock. You’ve got to kick the door down,” he said to the media.

The Bills’ second turnover on downs happened with under 2 minutes remaining in the game, with a chance to tie or take the lead in a three-point game Allen amazingly made a pass in the face of blitzing defenders to the hands of Kincaid who didn’t haul it in.

The Bills didn’t get the ball back again.

The first fourth-down turnover in possession led to a Chiefs touchdown while the second one allowed them to run out the clock and win the game.

The game brought under the microscope the need for better regulation of officiating and heightened importance for the NFL to adapt better and modern technology to improve on imperfect processes such as spotting the ball in a scrum.

The league currently uses chips embedded in the balls to measure some information but not to spot location, despite the tech being readily available.

Kansas City has shown a past ability to rise to a level of play that has garnered descriptions from such as “greatness” and “Mahomes Magic,” when describing its quarterback.

However, in the past couple of seasons, imbalanced miscalls from referees in critical situations has undermined and discredited their legacy while driving some NFL fans away.

In the AFC Championship game alone there was a handful of such instances that directly impacted the outcome.

One was a pass from Mahomes into a coverage battle among two rookies, Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy and Bills corner Cole Bishop, who went up and made a play on the ball. Bishop almost wrestled the ball away, but regardless, neither had control and it touched the ground as the two came down.

The play was reviewed and ruled a completed catch, the Chiefs scored a touchdown on their next possession to take a 29-22 lead.

On a Chiefs possession, they were not flagged for a delay of game when running out the clock one second before a 2-minute warning.

Another no-flag came when non-factor Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce taunted Bills safety Damar Hamlin after a Mahomes TD run.

Another when he flopped after turning around to find a much larger Bills defensive tackle, Jordan Phillips defending his teammate (Phillips was instead flagged for unnecessary roughness for a helmet butt to Kelce.)

There was also a Chiefs punt return with multiple uncalled holds on Kansas City, and a Mahomes play where a nearby Chiefs lineman held a Bills defender by the neck and facemask right in front of an official.

Still, Allen has his focus on the prize the morning after the game.

“We’re going to continue to turn every stone over…to try to bring a Lombardi back here to Western New York.”

Sean McDermott: Bills will ‘figure it out’ after another Chiefs loss

Sean McDermott: Bills will ‘figure it out’ after another Chiefs loss

The Buffalo Bills fell to a familiar foe in their second trip to the AFC Championship game in head coach Sean McDermott’s tenure.

The Kansas City Chiefs won another postseason matchup against the Bills by a final score of 32-29 to stay undefeated in their postseason matchups with Buffalo in the postseason during the Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen era.

“We’ve got to keep working to get over that hump,” McDermott said during his postgame media availability. “We’ve won a lot of tough games this year against really good opponents, (we have) good coaches and I’m proud of this football team for it.”

He also noted “There’s momentum going into next year” and that he is “Thankful for the success we had this year.”

The spectrum of emotions and reflection on the 2024 season and playoff run were evident among the players and coaches after the loss.

“Everybody’s got one goal, but only one team handles the goal at the end of every year,” veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas said after the game, per The Buffalo News. “All other 31 is just trying to get to that goal.”

Veteran outside linebacker Von Miller is no stranger to big games in the playoffs, having won Super Bowls with the Broncos and Rams. He realizes that it’s normal as players to put this game under the microscope and examine the ways things could have been different, while also acknowledging the positive takeaways.

“Man, after a loss like that, sometimes it’s if we could have did this, if we could have did that, if we could have did this, maybe the outcome would have been different,” the pass rusher said per NFL Network‘s Cameron Wolfe.

“But we did everything in our power to win this game. It just wasn’t for us. Losses hurt. It’s supposed to hurt. Adversity like this reveals character. We’ve got high-character guys in this whole organization, and we’ll be back.”

He was not alone in his assessment that believes Buffalo will play their way back to this round of the playoffs with another chance to advance in the future.

“We could get right back here,” corner Taron Johnson said to the press in the locker room. “We have the ability to get to the Super Bowl.”

The postseason losses to Kansas City do not get any easier, especially when there were opportunities to win the game.

Nonetheless, the mission to overcome those obstacles to advance to the Super Bowl remains in focus for the Bills.

Their front office and coaching staff will now be tasked with an offseason in which to improve the roster and the team’s chances of returning to the AFC Championship game with a chance to do just that.

“This is obviously a challenge for us, but we’ll figure it out,” head coach Sean McDermott added.

Bills’ Josh Allen on another Chiefs loss: ‘We didn’t get it done’

Bills’ Josh Allen on another Chiefs loss: ‘We didn’t get it done’

The Buffalo Bills lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 32-19 in the AFC Championship game on Sunday.

It was the Bills‘ second time reaching the conference title contest in Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen’s career, as the team far exceeded offseason expectations.

The Chiefs, however, continued their winning ways against them in the postseason.

“It’s not fun,” Allen said during a somber press conference after the loss. “To be the champs, you have to beat the champs. And we didn’t do that.”

The Bills overcame a sloppy start to fight into a close game in the second half, but ultimately the Chiefs would score a field goal that would put them ahead, and Allen and the offense would not convert under pressure on 4th down in their final possession.

The play got blown up, and Allen was able to make a play despite a full-on rush attack by the Chiefs. His target, tight end Dalton Kincaid, was not able to do so.

“We’re a good team. They’re a good team. It’s just unfortunate how that last play turned out,” Kincaid said in the locker room postgame.

“Should be a catch,” he stated about his final play. “I believe you grow from this but for the time being it hurts a lot.”

This was the Bills’ second consecutive playoff loss to the Chiefs which will be remembered for a dropped pass late in the game, as former Bill Stefon Diggs missed on a deep ball last season.

The game was peppered with some visible incorrect calls by the officials that cost Buffalo and impacted the outcome of the game.

It was also peppered with instances where the Bills had difficulty protecting the ball.

Still, Allen made no excuses afterward for the outcome.

“You can either get it done, or you can’t,” he added, “and we didn’t get it done.”

The Bills have now lost all four postseason meetings against the Mahomes-led Chiefs team since 2020 and have lost eight straight road playoff games. Allen-led Bills teams are 0-2 in the AFC Championship.

It is the first time in NFL playoff history that a team has eliminated another one four times in a five-season span.

Despite this, the Buffalo roster showed signs of being closer to competing and beating the defending champion Chiefs, including an elite performance by running back James Cook and some competitive stops by the defense.

Teams with four-plus touchdowns and no turnovers are 21-2 in the playoffs with the only two losses being Buffalo’s against Kansas City in Sunday’s game and the 2021 Divisional round.

Amidst a mostly silent Bills locker room after the game, offensive lineman Dion Dawkins gave offensive coordinator Joe Brady a hug. “We’ve got the right soldiers to knock. And eventually, the door is going to open” he noted when speaking to the press.

The Bills will now turn to an important offseason where they will need to make the necessary moves off the field to compete to do just that on it next season and beyond.

Bills’ Josh Allen ahead of Chiefs: ‘You always remember the feeling’

Bills’ Josh Allen ahead of Chiefs: ‘You always remember the feeling’

The Bills have returned to the AFC Championship game for the first time since 2020, and are preparing to face an all too familiar foe.

The Chiefs stand in the way of Buffalo’s path to the Super Bowl, as the road to the big game goes through Kansas City in a clash between two teams who were both undefeated at home.

KC is the setting where the Chiefs won the last time these two clubs met in this round, and their rivalry has been a storied one in recent years.

“You always remember the feeling of not pulling through. That really sticks with you,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said of the loss four years ago.

“I remember playing in that game and watching the confetti fall for the opposing team and how that felt. I don’t want to feel that again,” added defensive tackle Ed Oliver.

Even though the loss, that was then and this is now. With the Super Bowl once more within reach, the Bills realize the past is in the past.

“It disappears. It’s just a part of history now. It disappears,” offensive lineman Dion Dawkins said about the past playoff losses to Kansas City.

What’s held them back from victory in these postseason matchups with the Chiefs?

“The find a way factor,” defensive end AJ Epenesa said. “We’ve got to be able to get over that last hump and find a way to win.”

Von Miller, who joined the Bills during the 2022 season as a free agent, spoke to how the team’s Super Bowl-caliber potential brought him to Buffalo.

“That’s what I came here to do — was to be a part of history. These Bills fans, they deserve it,” said the veteran outside linebacker.

For newer members of the Bills roster, the opportunity is also significant.

“When you get this far, you can taste it,” shared receiver Amari Cooper, who was acquired in a trade this season. “This is what you dream of… It feels like I’ve prepared for this moment all my life.”

While the Bills enter the game with some injuries, they also will feature players who missed their regular season win over Kansas City at home in Orchard Park including inside linebacker Matt Milano, offensive lineman Spencer Brown, tight end Dalton Kincaid, receiver Keon Coleman, and defensive end Dawuane Smoot.

That Buffalo won decisively in their prior meeting without these players is a positive takeaway, though beating Andy Reid’s squad in the postseason and advancing beyond the Conference Championship round of the playoffs have both been obstacles the Bills have yet to hurdle in the Sean McDermott era.

With the rivalry between the two clubs being rich with storylines and subplots aplenty, quarterback Josh Allen and the rest of the Bills players will look to turn the page and start a new chapter by advancing with a win to the Super Bowl.

Bills defense on doubters: ‘Somebody gives you motivation, you should take it’

Bills defense on doubters: ‘Somebody gives you motivation, you should take it’

The Buffalo Bills completed a perfect 10-0 run of home games this season including the playoffs and Sunday’s ice-cold 27-25 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

While the Bills offense usually grabs headlines, their defense shined in the win.

And they used the doubt and questioning heard in the outside noise of the media to motivate them.

“What were they all saying?” defensive tackle Ed Oliver asked postgame, via The Athletic. “I know you know. So what were they all saying?”

During the week leading into the matchup, the media scrutinized the Bills for not having enough size on defense to stop Ravens running back Derrick Henry or the ability to stop mobile quarterback Lamar Jackson.

“I didn’t hear nothing!” He replied to his own question with a smile. “I’m trying to get it right now. So they said we weren’t big enough, weren’t physical enough?”

The Buffalo defense held Henry to 84 yards while preventing any big breakout plays, and defended and limited Jackson.

The highest-graded Bill in the divisional round by Pro Football Focus (PFF) against the Ravens, defensive end A.J. Epenesa (82.6), commented on the motivation factor as well.

“We have a lot of pride in ourselves, what we do here as a defense,” Epenesa said. “Just speaking as a defense, we were told all week how they were going to do this, how they going to do that, and that just, I’d like to say, fueled us a little bit.”

While the Bills struggled to defend on third down, they forced three turnovers on the day including two on Jackson, and had 10 points off those takeaways.

And a motivational video helped fuel that effort as well.

“Our highlight video this week was all the media people, talking,” fellow defensive tackle Jordan Phillips shared. “They can’t do this. They can’t do that.’ Our coaches suck. We’re too small.

Well, now what?”

In the regular season, Buffalo finished with the third-most takeaways in the NFL in 2024 (32) and was facing the Ravens who were among the top clubs in the NFL at protecting the football. The question was which team would prevail.

“That was our motto all week: Let’s see who’s better,” Phillips added.

Buffalo’s offense seized those opportunities to add 10 points off the turnovers, and the team is now tied for the NFL record for consecutive games with an even or positive turnover margin (21).

All three takeaway plays were made by Buffalo starters who did not play the first meeting between the two teams in NFL Week 4 in Baltimore when the Ravens beat the Bills in the regular season.

Safety Taylor Rapp kicked things off early with an interception, outside linebacker Von Miller recovered a fumble, and linebacker Terrel Bernard caused and recovered a fumble.

“Biggest play of the game, bro. Not even close,” Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas said of the play by Bernard, who Phillips carried off the field in celebration.

“You try your best to ignore outside noise,” Bernard said, “but in games like this, moments like this, sometimes you can’t avoid it. We did see a video of outside people talking about what we can and can’t do.

“To make it this far in your career and to be a professional athlete, at some point you’ve been doubted. Everybody’s felt that. Everybody has had to deal with that. Somebody gives you motivation, you should take it.”

[lawrence-related id=145883,145854,145857]

Bills’ Josh Allen: ‘We don’t listen to outside noise’

Bills’ Josh Allen: ‘We don’t listen to outside noise’

On the 216th birthday of writer Edgar Allan Poe, whose work the Baltimore Ravens are named after, the team poetically fell to another Allen as the Buffalo Bills beat them 27-25.

It was the latest instance of exceeding expectations for the Bills, written off by many as a rebuild project before the season even began and an underdog at home for the first time in franchise history.

“We don’t listen to the outside noise, but everyone was saying this and that about us and that we didn’t have enough talent, weren’t good enough to be in these positions and, our guys just continue to work hard and we’re internally driven,” Allen said to the press postgame. “We love each other, and I think you saw how much we played for each other there.”

The Bills ran a clean and conservative offense that leaned on the run game in the snowy conditions of Orchard Park Sunday night.

Allen went 16 of 22 for 127 yards passing with two rushing touchdowns, guiding the team to touchdowns on three of their first four drives of the game.

Buffalo would take a 14-7 lead by the second quarter and keep the lead the rest of the way.

Much like the outside noise about the team, their head coach had a similar perspective about their fans.

“Our guys heard it all — they heard it all week long. We’re not big enough, we’re not strong enough. Not talented enough. Whatever it is, they heard it,” Sean McDermott said.

The Bills had a win by way of complimentary football, with their defensive unit playing consistently strong while forcing three Ravens turnovers including two from Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson.

“We gave our defense a chance to go make a play,” Allen said of Sunday’s win. “We made a play there at the end. I’m just so proud of our guys.”

With the win, the Bills advanced beyond the divisional round of the playoffs where they’d exited the postseason for three consecutive years.

It will be the second conference title game that McDermott and Allen will have gone to, once more returning to Kansas City for a chance to redeem a 2020 loss in the AFC Championship to the Chiefs.

The Bills have won four regular season head-to-head matchups with the Chiefs with Allen under center and were the only team to beat them this season at home. During that time the Chiefs have beaten Buffalo in all three of their playoff matchups.

The Bills will look to avenge a 2020 AFC Championship loss next Sunday against their AFC rivals to take their place in NFL lore.

But to get there they needed to beat Baltimore first, and they did just that. Quoth the Raven, nevermore.

Bills’ hype may be disproportionate, thanks to a weak AFC East

Each AFC East team not named the Buffalo Bills combined for a record of 17-34 in 2024. Talk about lack of competition.

While it might be unfair to shade the thriving Buffalo Bills, their AFC East division wasn’t the most competitive in 2024. Each AFC East team, not named the Bills, combined for a record of 17-34, which was a strong indicator and added emphasis to the statement above.

Still, the Bills ranked just No. 17 in opponent yards allowed per game, and none of their AFC East rivals ranked within the top 15 teams in the league in total yards per game. Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich can posture all he wants, the Bills better have an answer for Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry or things can and will get out of hand fast in the AFC Divisional.

The New York Jets were a bust, the Miami Dolphins were mediocre, and I don’t think the typical NFL fan can name you any of the New England Patriots wide receivers. With six all-pro players on the roster, the Ravens should be easy favorites over the Bills. Again, however, NFL games aren’t played on paper.