Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott accepted responsibility for the game management decisions that allowed the Houston Texans to secure a last-minute 59-yard field goal, resulting in a 23-20 defeat on Sunday.
“This falls on me regarding the end-of-game situation on offense,” McDermott stated after the loss. “We were in a challenging position… they had three timeouts and a solid kicker. We needed to manage the clock and make first downs, and that responsibility rests with me. We failed to do that, and I own that.”
With the game tied at 20-20, the Bills managed to force a Texans punt with just 41 seconds left after quarterback C.J. Stroud was penalized for intentional grounding. McDermott opted to decline a potential 10-second runoff that could have followed that penalty, although he acknowledged they had considered it.
The Bills regained possession at their own 3-yard line with 32 seconds remaining, but their offensive effort stalled with three consecutive incomplete passes thrown by quarterback Josh Allen. According to ESPN Research, this marks the first time in the last 45 years that a team has been tied or leading in the final minute, while starting at their own 5-yard line, only to throw three straight passes.
“I trust Josh with the ball in crucial moments — you know that,” McDermott remarked. “In retrospect, an efficient offense was the better approach, and I didn’t guide us properly there. We have learned from this tough experience.”
Allen’s passes included one to rookie Keon Coleman, which was ruled incomplete due to offensive pass interference, although the penalty was declined. On the subsequent plays, Allen failed to connect on deep throws to Mack Hollins and Curtis Samuel, leading to the Bills forgoing an essential opportunity to run the clock and secure the win.
When asked about the play calls, McDermott reiterated his ownership of the decisions made during that stretch, aiming for improvements in future situations. Allen, along with linemen Connor McGovern and David Edwards, stated they were in favor of adopting an aggressive strategy in that scenario.
“Coach trusts us to execute out there,” Allen said. “In hindsight, we would have preferred to convert, but that’s how it goes.”
Following a 13-yard punt return that placed the Texans at their own 41-yard line, they quickly ran a play for a 5-yard gain to set up a 59-yard field goal. Bills linebacker Dorian Williams was late to the field, arriving just 12 seconds before the snap, leading to communication issues about the play call, as noted by cornerback Rasul Douglas.
“We attempted to switch to nickel defense, and Dorian was on the sideline,” McDermott explained. “The lack of communication caused him to be late on the field and missing the call in that moment.”
The Texans clinched the victory on the next play when Ka’imi Fairbairn successfully kicked the game-winning field goal.
Throughout the game, Bills receivers managed to catch only 4 of 18 targets, marking the team’s lowest reception percentage since 2009 and the worst performance by any team’s wide receivers since 2016.
Allen completed 9 of his 30 passes for 131 yards and had one touchdown throw to Coleman. However, the Bills played without their leading receiver Khalil Shakir due to an ankle injury. Allen noted that he had the lowest completion percentage for a game with at least 30 attempts in the past 30 seasons and acknowledged the need to improve his accuracy and ball placement. Coleman attributed the struggles not to the Texans’ defense but to self-inflicted issues, including communication breakdowns.
“I would never criticize Josh,” Edwards added. “He is the core of our offense and our team; we follow his lead. I could easily point to my own missed assignments on those key plays. This game is not on Josh.”