‘He’s Not Recognized More in the Awards Stuff’: Josh Allen Calls Out Lack of Awards Recognition for Sean McDermott and Stands by him After Crushing Playoff Loss

The Buffalo Bills' playoff aspirations were brought to an end in heartbreak for the third time. When Josh Allen lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship, he made history-but it was not the kind of history he wanted to make: he became the first quarterback to ever lose four games against the same team in a row in the playoffs. Regardless of the painful loss, Allen had nothing bad to say about his head coach, Sean McDermott, going to bat for him and praising his leadership.

Speaking to the media after the game, Allen shared a heartfelt message about McDermott, who’s faced mounting scrutiny for the team’s repeated playoff struggles. “This is gonna sound weird, I’m just so proud of the coach,” Allen said. I don’t know why he’s not recognized more in the awards stuff. That’s the cruddy thing about it.”

This, from the star quarterback, was seconded by no less than Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who before the championship match had spoken well of McDermott's coaching acumen. "Sean does a heck of a job," said Reid, with emphasis on the esteem that McDermott commands in the league.


McDermott has been the head coach of the Bills since 2017, bringing the team to the playoffs annually except for Allen's rookie season in 2018. However, they have not been able to advance to the Super Bowl under his leadership. Four of their postseason exits were made at the hands of the Chiefs. They ended this season at 13-4. The only team to beat Kansas City during the regular season was Buffalo. But they, like so many times before, could not take the final leap and lost at Arrowhead when it mattered the most, casting a shadow over whether McDermott and Allen are the future for the franchise.

Despite the criticism, McDermott took responsibility for the loss, saying,“I’m very proud of those guys. They fought, they gave it everything they had. They just came up a little short tonight against a very good football team.” The coach also pointed out missed opportunities, including fourth-down conversions that could have shifted the game's momentum.
For Allen, who, despite the postseason woes of the quarterback, some fans have dubbed him a "choked QB," this is the same leader that won't pay any mind to that negative talk. He has seven months to get better, regroup, and try again.
For the Buffalo fans, the question is: Is this team going to break through, or has their championship window already started to close? With Allen firmly behind McDermott, the Bills will look to prove their doubters wrong in the 2025 season.
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