ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — Sean McDermott made the right decision.
With the game on the line, the Buffalo Bills went for the win but Josh Allen missed a throw to Khalil Shakir in the back of the end zone. For Allen, it’s a routine throw he usually makes. But not on Sunday, and after the game, he knew this loss was on him.
“Yeah, I just missed,” a dejected Allen said after the loss. “It was there, and I gotta make it.”
“He's the best quarterback in the league, and I'd take him 1000 out of 1000 times to make that throw,” McDermott said after the game. “And he'll make it. He will.”
Josh Allen's perspective on the two-point conversion attempt @WKBW pic.twitter.com/8Sv4SnuG4D
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) December 29, 2025
Allen had an off day, the offensive line was suspect, and once again the play calling left much to be desired. The Bills didn’t score their first points until the final five minutes of the game. To their credit, their last two drives were touchdowns, but their slow start once again left them little margin for error.
“It just comes down to us executing, making one more play than they did, and obviously, we saw that we didn't make that last play. I didn't make that last play,” Allen said.
“You've got to look at the process and really hone in on what was good and make sure we double down on those things so the players understand that this is what it's going to take,” McDermott said. “What you just did right here, this is what's going to work for us as we move forward, and then over here, this isn't. And then we look at ourselves as coaches, and you say, hey, what can we get better at?”
The Bills know the answer to that question is a lot of things. If this team is going to win in the playoffs, the offense needs to be better. And the Bills are hopeful a game like this can teach them valuable lessons that carry into the postseason.
“I mean, I think a loss like this gives us a lot to learn from and, you know, with one game left in the season, we've already secured a playoff spot. Obviously, we want to win every game, but it gives us one more week to get these corrections,” tight end Dawson Knox said. “I think we're gonna have a lot of momentum. Sometimes, a loss like this, you learn more from than a win.”
“This is a tough loss, but it's not a season-ender,” tight end Dawson Knox said. “You have next week to play for. You have a lot more to play for after that.”
