Sean McDermott chose poorly by settling for a field goal at the end of the half.
The AFC Championship Game is at the half with the Buffalo Bills trailing the Kansas City Chiefs 21-12. The game could be over now thanks to a poor decision from Bills’ head coach Sean McDermott.
Buffalo jumped out to an early 9-0 lead but the Chiefs responded with 21 unanswered points, leaving the Bills with the football with four minutes to go in the first half. Josh Allen led the Bills down the field and Buffalo faced a fourth and goal on the two-yard line with 13 seconds left.
Sean McDermott chose poorly by kicking
With the Chiefs getting the football after the break, it made all the sense in the world for the Bills to go for the touchdown here to make it a 21-15 game (at minimum, assuming a potential PAT or two-point try didn’t work). Instead, McDermott settled for a field goal, leaving the Bills down nine points at the break and giving the ball back to Patrick Mahomes.
The odds clearly indicated going for the touchdown was the smarter play, with the worst-case scenario being a failed attempt that left the Chiefs to kneel the ball at the two-yard line. Instead, McDermott followed Matt LaFleur’s lead by kicking a field goal when it made no sense to do so, taking the ball out of the hands of an MVP caliber quarterback in the process.
This type of approach shouldn’t be surprising since McDermott has a defensive background, which tends to lead towards coaches who are more risk-averse in big situations. Taking points is usually not a bad idea but the Chiefs’ offense had gone up and down the field on Buffalo’s defense over the past three drives, leaving little indication that the Bills can stop Mahomes anytime soon.
Kansas City’s high-powered offense isn’t one you can beat with field goals, which McDermott chose to do, and it could leave the Bills down 28-12 if the Chiefs score another touchdown to open the third quarter. This poor choice could end up costing Buffalo a spot in the Super Bowl which is unconscionable considering we saw the consequences of such a choice hours earlier.