Bills coach Sean McDermott was asked three times on Sunday night about what transpired in the final 13 seconds of regulation in Buffalo's eventual 42–36 overtime loss to the Chiefs.
The Bills took a three-point lead with 13 seconds to play in regulation after quarterback Josh Allen completed a touchdown pass to wide receiver Gabriel Davis. But they elected to kick the football deep on the ensuing kickoff and allowed Kansas City to go 44 yards in only two plays before a game-tying Harrison Butker field goal.
McDermott told reporters there were things the Bills coaching staff talked about before Tyler Bass kicked the ball off with 13 seconds left. But Buffalo didn‘t seem to execute in a crucial situation.
“We can just execute better, and that starts with me and goes all the way down,” McDermott said. “I don’t want to get into specifics right now. I’m really proud of the guys and their effort. Obviously [the Chiefs] made a couple of plays down the stretch. So I’ll just leave it at that right now.”
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When asked specifically if his coaching staff considered having Bass execute a squib kick in hopes of running time off the clock, McDermott said that was one of many things he considered.
“Yeah, we talked about a lot of things,” he said. “I’m just going to leave it at the execution, and that starts with me.”
The Bills and Chiefs combined to score 25 points in the final two minutes of regulation. But Buffalo lost the coin toss to open the subsequent overtime and allowed a walk-off touchdown to send Kansas City to the AFC Championship. Sunday's game was an instant classic, and the contest set off a wave of reaction online.
Allen threw 329 yards and four touchdowns and added a team-high 68 rushing yards in the defeat. He did not, however, voice his frustration with the NFL's overtime rules following the loss.
"The rules are what they are, and I can't complain about that because if it was the other way around, we'd be celebrating, too," he said. "So, it is what it is at this point. We didn't make enough plays tonight.”
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