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Bills vs Chiefs Betting Preview: McDermott’s Future at Risk

 

Sean McDermott has elevated the once-moribund Buffalo Bills into a perennial Super Bowl contender. But should the Bills fail to get over the hump yet again, he could pay the price. What are the NFL odds of McDermott being fired this offseason? We can draw a comparison to some notable HCs who lost their job despite leading a team to multiple playoff wins.

Will Sean McDermott Get Fired? Chiefs Game to Decide His Fate in Buffalo
Head coach Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills | Rich Gagnon/Getty Images/AFP

 

Buffalo Bills Odds: McDermott’s Fate Tied to Kansas City Game

The Bills opened as slight underdogs in our AFC Championship Game odds. Should Buffalo lose, it will be the fourth time under McDermott. He may not survive this defeat as it will be history-making in the wrong sense: no quarterback has beaten another QB four straight times in the playoffs.

Patrick Mahomes could do that against Josh Allen. Losing to the greatest QB of your era is not embarrassing but losing to him four straight times when you have arguably the second-greatest QB is. Allen is heavily favored to win the NFL MVP and the only thing he’s lacking is a Super Bowl title. McDermott may not be around to lead him there if Buffalo falls short again.


It would be a shame as McDermott remains popular with the players and some NFL betting fans. He can be knocked for his late-game clock management or questionable play-calling. But he’s consistently coached the Bills to their utmost abilities. Under McDermott, Buffalo has made the playoffs in seven of eight seasons. They have a 64.6% winning rate, which ranks second only behind Kansas City.

We won’t feel too bad for McDermott if Buffalo cut ties with him. NFL news will quickly break that he’s the hottest free-agent head coach. He may not even have to apply for jobs.

If Buffalo does indeed fire McDermott, the Bills would need the right coaching hire. Replacing a coach who’s led his team to six straight 10+ win seasons is no easy task. But it has been done before.

Teams Who Made Bold Coaching Changes Despite Playoff Success

Like McDermott, Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy turned an underachieving franchise into a Super Bowl contender. Dungy led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to four playoff appearances in six seasons but also consistently lost. These losses came against other Super Bowl threats like St. Louis and Philadelphia.


The Buccaneers fired Dungy and replaced him with former Raiders HC Jon Gruden. That same season, the Bucs went all the way. Gruden was the right NFL pick even if the team’s success did not last.

This has also been done successfully in the NBA and NHL by teams like Toronto and Vegas, respectively.

The Toronto Raptors fired Dwane Casey in the same year he won Coach of the Year. Casey led the Raptors to five consecutive playoff seasons including the franchise’s first trip to the Conference Finals. But like the Bills consistently falling to Mahomes, the Raptors kept losing to LeBron James. A sweep in the semifinals led to Casey’s dismissal.

Toronto hired Nick Nurse who then guided the team to its first and only NBA Championship the following season. Of course, the Raptors also landed superstar Kawhi Leonard while James left the conference. Still, it was a bold coaching change that proved rewarding.

The Golden Knights, on the other hand, did it repeatedly until they struck gold with Bruce Cassidy. Vegas fired Gerard Gallant and Peter DeBoer, coaches who led it to multiple playoff appearances and a Stanley Cup Final in Gallant’s case. Cassidy finished the job.

Buffalo can follow these bold coaching changes should it suffer yet another playoff defeat. Keep an eye on BetUS Sportsbook as odds of him surviving the offseason will make for a hot bet online.

 

Question of the Day

What is the Bills’ all-time playoff win-loss record?


Buffalo has a postseason record of 21-21.

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