ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Sean McDermott wanted to drain the clock before scoring the fateful touchdown Sunday in EverBank Stadium.
Sean McDermott overruled him.
“I thought better of myself,” the Buffalo Bills coach laughed Monday afternoon while revisiting the odd scenario at the end of his team’s 27-24 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The weird sequence created a fascinating debate. McDermott said he’s never encountered it throughout his career.
Down four points with 70 seconds to play, and facing fourth-and-1 on Jacksonville’s 11-yard line, Buffalo called for a Josh Allen quarterback sneak, the claw-and-maul play commonly known as the tush push. But instead of a short gain, Allen and his mates trudged all the way into the end zone. Or so the officials thought.
The play was reviewed. Allen was ruled down at the 1-yard line with 1:05 remaining. Jacksonville had one timeout and kicker Cam Little, the guy who made field goals from 68 and 67 yards this season.
“Come on,” McDermott said, “who would not want to bleed time off that clock?”
What was the right thing to root for during the official review? To actually take a touchdown off the scoreboard?
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady said he wanted the touchdown, but mostly because an 11-yard touchdown run off a tush push would’ve been pretty epic.
Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich, asked for his opinion Monday, leaned into the microphone and whispered: “Plead the fifth.”
Allen, at his postgame news conference, smiled and essentially said all’s well that ends well, but he knew it was a debatable circumstance.
“If you try and get too cute,” said McDermott, “and then you all the sudden take yourself out of quarterback-sneak position, now you’re running different plays and the chance for a negative play becomes more and more real. There’s a downside to that.”
Brady also mentioned Allen’s health. The franchise sustained considerable damage Sunday, going into the sideline medical tent in the first half for a concussion check and to have his hyperextended left knee examined. Allen also banged his throwing hand on right guard O’Cyrus Torrence’s helmet while following through on a pass.
“My thought process was, perfect situation, yeah, you take a knee right there and you burn a lot of time,” Brady said, “and we’re going to run a QB sneak and they’re going to have 20 seconds left. But I was also thinking of the high, high likelihood they were going to try to let you score.
“But what does that knee look like, and just God forbid (Allen) gets tangled up.”
That’s an interesting point. Allen taking a knee would not have been a victory-formation scene, where the defense doesn’t have anything to try for. The Jaguars might have sent the house at Allen. Although it also would have been funny to watch Allen genuflect while the Jaguars invited him forward, like boxers who refuse to leave their corners at the opening bell.
McDermott and Brady stressed they will examine the scenario in depth. They want to be careful not to assume they made the wisest decision simply because they won the game.
“I know as a head coach I’ve never been through that situation,” McDermott said. “I’ve got to believe it’s happened somewhere with all the games over the years. I just don’t know. What have they done?
“I can tell you this: It’s going to go on our core group of situations (to study). We’ll go work on it. It’ll probably never come up from here on out, but … I’ll be dead.”
Health and safeties
Buffalo’s lengthy injury report is ever-changing, for good and for ill.
McDermott on Monday provided mostly positive updates, although receiver Gabriel Davis suffered a season-ending torn knee ligament in Jacksonville, while safety Jordan Poyer is week-to-week with a hamstring injury and likely won’t play Saturday in Denver.
The absence of Poyer’s steadying presence will hurt a defensive backfield that has been riddled with injuries all season. Few would have fathomed that Poyer would be pivotal to the Bills’ success. His career appeared over after a dismal last season with the Miami Dolphins. He will turn 35 in three months. But Poyer has made a remarkable impact on the field and in helping youngsters develop.
Sophomore safety Cole Bishop made the victory-sealing interception – off a deflection from another thirty-something former All-Pro, cornerback Tre’Davious White – but he’s now the seasoned safety next to rookie Jordan Hancock, whom the Jaguars picked on and probably will start against Sean Payton and the Broncos.
Babich conceded Hancock, a fifth-round draft choice from Ohio State, has been a work in progress.
“You’ve seen growth,” Babich said, “and I will say this: From the time he got here until now, he’s completely different professionally, and he’s not quite the professional we need him to be yet, but I would say if his professionalism was at 10 percent, he’s (now) up in the 60s, 70s.
“Still a long way to go, but every day he’s trying and learning new things from the veterans, but just the attention to detail.”
Babich later said “Coach Payton’s probably going to go down as one of the best play callers in the history of the game.”
Hancock played 33 defensive snaps Sunday. He took only 148 in the regular season, with 41 coming in the Week 18 junior varsity game against the New York Jets.
“When you’re young, you’re going to get targeted. They’re going to go after you,” McDermott said of Hancock’s insertion. “Even if you’re not young, a player goes out, usually that’s where the spotlight’s going, into that position. They certainly did that. I’m sure he’ll learn from it.”
Buffalo signed Poyer to the practice squad at the end of training camp, but he was pressed into the starting lineup as safeties continued to drop. A knee injury ended Taylor Rapp’s season. Damar Hamlin went on injured reserve with a pectoral problem. Backup safety Darnell Savage, a late-season waiver pickup, was inactive Sunday.
Positive injury updates include this week’s return to practice of receiver Curtis Samuel (neck, elbow) and defensive tackle Ed Oliver (biceps), who have been on injured reserve.
McDermott added Tyrell Shavers (knee) still is being evaluated despite finishing the game and tight end Dalton Kincaid (lower leg, unofficially) is in a boot for precautionary reasons and kicker Matt Prater (quadriceps) is “in a good spot,” while linebacker Terrel Bernard (calf), cornerback Maxwell Hairston (ankle) and Hamlin are “improving.”
DC to Bosa BOSA: ‘Don’t let it happen again’
Bills edge rusher Joey Bosa was signed to a one-year, $12.6 million contract specifically to be a difference-maker this time of year. They rested him for Week 18 to be fresh for the playoffs.
Bosa played poorly.
“Don’t let it happen again,” Babich said was his message to Bosa. “Play the way we know Joey Bosa can play.”
Bosa recorded a quarterback hit, but nary a tackle. Jacksonville ran at him successfully throughout the game and bounced a few big runs to the outside when he failed to set the edge. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers pancaked Bosa on a 26-yard Travis Etienne run in the third quarter.
“Use our fundamentals in the run game, do your one-11th,” Babich said. “I’m not necessarily saying this is him but, overall, when you start to affect the outcome of the game in whatever facet that is just simply because you’re not doing your job at a high level, it’s pro football.
“Do your job at a high level. That’s it. End of story.”