What were the Buffalo Bills trying to do in those 13 seconds? Sean McDermott won't say

Sean McDermott just isn’t going to give it up, at least not publicly, regarding what happened in the final 13 seconds Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium.

Reporters tried to pry answers from the Buffalo Bills head coach Tuesday morning during his annual season-ending news conference regarding the decision to kick off deep, and how his team defended in those awful final moments which cost the Bills a chance to host this weekend’s AFC Championship Game.

“Yeah, I’m still not going to get into the specifics on it,” he said. “Again it comes down to execution. We didn’t execute so I hope you can appreciate where I’m coming from on that. That’s really where I was after the game and that’s where I am now.”

Reading between the lines, this is what I think McDermott would say if he was willing to share his true feelings.

► He told kicker Tyler Bass to kick off deep, but short of the goal line in order to make Chiefs return man Byron Pringle to have to field the kick and return, therefore killing precious seconds.

► And on those two fateful passes that Patrick Mahomes completed to Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce that positioned Harrison Butker for the tying 49-yard field goal, he would have preferred the defense had played more aggressively and tighter in coverage, perhaps even purposely taking a penalty on first down to give KC five free yards but taking time off the clock.

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Again, apparently we’re never going to know unless, of course, there’s a leak in the building at some point.

“Our execution, I wish, was different,” McDermott said. “Like I said after the game I wish our execution was different. We pride ourselves on detail, we pride ourselves on execution and being great in situational football. And we practiced that tirelessly here. I mean, nonstop. And so it’s disappointing overall to get that result, but it’s even more disappointing knowing that we prepare and practice those situations a ton here in Buffalo.

“That’s where I come back to, you gotta face it and we’re not gonna run from it. I believe in that. I believe in that approach. We all have to face it and then learn from it. I believe that we’re headed in the right direction as an organization and I believe we will definitely accomplish the ultimate goal that we have. And that will be a part of the reason why as long as we face it and that’s what we need to do right now.”

For as tough as this loss has been for the fans to digest, McDermott is no different. He admitted it’s one of the most difficult defeats he has suffered in his coaching career, and those final 13 seconds will resonate well into the offseason for him and also the entire organization.

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“I'm human just like the rest of our staff is human and everybody out there,” he said. “It's been tough. When you look at it, it's been disappointing, particularly the last part of the game. I watched it on video and I watched it over and over in my head a million times, in my stomach a million more, that’s what we do.

“It’s my livelihood and I’m super competitive as well. I want the best for our football team and this organization and our fans, quite honestly. So I’ll continue to watch it in my mind and in my gut for years … but when we get to where we’re trying to get to, I believe that’ll make it that much more enjoyable in that moment.”

The reality is that staff changes are coming

As of Tuesday afternoon, neither offensive coordinator Brian Daboll or defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier had been hired to become a new head coach elsewhere. But McDermott figures at least one, maybe both, could be walking out the door at One Bills Drive in the near future.

In fact, he admitted that he has spoken to both men regarding the Bills assistant coaches that either would try to bring with them should they get a new job.

“Yeah, we’ve had conversations. I’m not going to get into the detail on those conversations, but, yes, we’ve had conversations,” he said.

Daboll is probably the one to watch. It appears he’s a real possibility for the Giants job, especially with former Bills assistant GM Joe Schoen now calling the shots. And if Daboll leaves, who would he bring along?

As far as how the Bills would replace potential departees, McDermott said promoting from the current staff is always the goal.

“You want to be able to promote from within, just like in any business, that’s where you get your return on investment,” he said. “That’s where you try and foster morale and camaraderie again and again, just continue to invest in the people we have in our building. There’s two sides of that, right? They’ve got to show you that they have what it takes and will put in the time and then you’d love to be able to do that in every situation. I’ve been very pleased with our staff; we’ve got a good group.”

Josh Allen will be in on coaching decisions

The star quarterback has now played four years in the NFL, the last two of which have been mostly spectacular, and that has earned him the right to have some say in what happens with the offensive coaching staff.

McDermott said that if Daboll leaves, Allen will be part of the process in determining who the replacement is.

“Josh and I communicate on a lot of things,” McDermott said. “We spoke (Monday) about some of what you’re discussing here and he will be in the loop and he will be communicated with and we certainly value Josh’s opinion on things. It’s important that he’s comfortable as well. So no decision will be made without Josh.”

It would seem like a logical choice - given the whole promote from within mantra - to bump quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey into the coordinator role, thus continuing a relationship that has been ongoing since 2019. Daboll gets much of the credit, but Dorsey has also played a role in developing Allen into the superstar he has become.

There should be no more questions about Allen

After what he has accomplished in the last two seasons, and the meteoric growth he experienced after a rocky first two seasons, McDermott said no one should be wondering what kind of player the quarterback is.

“Tremendous,” he said when asked to describe Allen’s season. “Another step in his growth this year, several steps I should say. There were I'm sure some questions remaining for people and I think that he's answered all of those questions.

“In my mind, he has at least, and you're always looking as an organization to find a quarterback that you can say, 'Hey, we've got him. He can do it.' And he can take your team to the highest level. Without a shadow of a doubt, Josh Allen has answered all those questions."

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And beyond the physical brilliance, McDermott also pointed out how Allen has become the undeniable leader and face of the franchise.

“His leadership, his day-to-day approach, his maturation off the field just in terms of his leadership and his influence on this football team,” McDermott said. “As you saw, Josh was playing at an elite level down the stretch in particular, on a consistent basis as well. That will be important for us and for our offense and the entire group of our offense moving forward next season.”

Despite bad finish, it was still a fine season

McDermott does not want the last game to diminish what the Bills accomplished in 2021, and he’s right. They won their second straight AFC East title, earned double-digit wins for the third straight year, made their fourth playoff appearance in five years, Allen grew even more, the defense - until Kansas City - was very good, and the program is another year into its build.

“A lot of positives; we've come a long way,” McDermott said, the inference being that everyone should remember where this franchise was before he arrived. “As an organization, super proud of what we do, not just the players on the field, coaches on the field, but we as an entire organization have accomplished off the field, on the field.”

That said, he made it clear the job is not done, that it’s never really done, even if you were to win a Super Bowl.

“I'm not trying to give off that impression that we're fine; that's not it at all,” he said. “I'm not one to sit around and use that as, ‘Hey, we're fine.’ Are we going in the right direction? I believe we are. I think that's important. We have momentum, we have movement, we have improvement. At the end of the day, we're trying to get to playing and winning the world championship, just like every team in the league is.

“If you saw that plane ride on the way home, you would not come away with the impression that we're fine. I think everyone is set in, and of the single-minded focus, to improve, starting with me.”

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: What did Buffalo Bills try to do in final 13 seconds? Coach won't say